A new study reveals how pleasant touch fosters social bonds between humans and rats by activating oxytocin signaling in the brain. Researchers found that repeated tickling of rats increased their vocalizations, preference for human interaction, and oxytocin receptor expression in the VMHvl region.
COVID Stress May Have Aged Brains Faster
Living through the Covid-19 pandemic may have accelerated brain ageing, even in people who were never infected, a new study finds. Brain scans of nearly 1,000 adults showed older, male, and disadvantaged individuals were most affected.
Synaptic Tau and Astrocytes Drive PSP Progression
ew research uncovers how tau pathology spreads and damages synapses in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Using human postmortem tissue and live brain slice models, scientists showed tau accumulates in both pre- and postsynaptic terminals, likely propagating neuron-to-neuron.
Why the Psychopathic Brain Struggles With Emotion and Control
New research reveals how structural brain connectivity shapes psychopathic traits and externalizing behaviors. Using advanced connectome modeling, scientists identified two key networks: one tied to impaired emotional processing, the other to poor attentional control.