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Newly discovered gene mutation reduces fear and anxiety, and increases social interaction

Researchers have discovered of a new type of gene mutation that reduces fear and anxiety, and increases social interaction. The researchers employed gene manipulation technology to remove the P4h-tm gene from the mouse genome and found an unexpected ch…

Perseverance toward life goals can fend off depression, anxiety, panic disorders

People who don’t give up on their goals (or who get better over time at not giving up on their goals) and who have a positive outlook appear to have less anxiety and depression and fewer panic attacks, according to a study of thousands of Americans ove…

Teaching happiness to dementia caregivers reduces their depression, anxiety

Caring for family members with dementia — which is on the rise in the US — causes significant emotional and physical stress that increases caregivers’ risk of depression, anxiety and death. A new method of coping with that stress by teaching people h…

How our brain generates consciousness — and loses it

In a first of its kind study, researchers have used cellular resolution in vivo two-photon calcium imaging in mice to investigate changes in the local repertoire of neuronal micro states during anesthesia. The team found that anesthesia disrupts the nu…

Brain mapping: New technique reveals how information is processed

Scientists have discovered a new method for quickly and efficiently mapping the vast network of connections among neurons in the brain. Researchers combined infrared laser stimulation techniques with functional magnetic resonance imaging in animals to …

A new vision for neuroscience

For decades scientists have been searching for a way to watch a live broadcast of the brain. Neurons send and receive massive amounts of information — toe itches! Fire hot! Garbage smells! — at speeds up to 270 miles per hour. Now, with a new microsc…

A comprehensive map of how Alzheimer’s affects the brain

Researchers performed the first comprehensive analysis of the genes altered in individual brain cells of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, allowing them to identify the distinctive cellular pathways affected in neurons and other types of brain cells.

Unanticipated early origins of childhood brain cancer

Brain tumors are the leading cause of non-accidental death in children in Canada, but little is known about when these tumours form or how they develop. Researchers have recently identified the cells that are thought to give rise to certain brain tumor…

Do you smell what I smell?

A new study sheds light on understanding the extensive individual differences in how we sense odors. By showing that small changes in a single olfactory receptor gene can affect how strong and pleasant a person finds an odor, the findings expand unders…

Drug can reverse hyperactivity induced by parasitic infection

When rodents get infected by Toxoplasma gondii, the single-celled brain parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, they become hyperactive risk-takers. Researchers show for the first time that it’s possible to reverse that behavioral change.