Tag: brain

  • Breast Milk Can Boost Brain Development

    Breast Milk Can Boost Brain Development

    A sugar molecule in breast milk can boost the development of the brain.

  • Scientists Identify Brain Cells That Make Us Less Active When Sick

    Scientists Identify Brain Cells That Make Us Less Active When Sick

    Scientists have found that a specific population of cells in the brainstem potently induce three telltale sickness behaviors — eating less, drinking less, and moving less. In addition, inhibiting these neurons blunts each of these behavioral elements of the sickness response. The findings directly link inflammation to neural pathways regulating behavior, offering insight into how…

  • Scientists Learn How ‘Fear Memory’ Is Formed in the Brain

    Scientists Learn How ‘Fear Memory’ Is Formed in the Brain

    Scientists have found that when a ‘fear memory’ is formed, there is a strengthening of neural pathways between two areas of the brain. These two areas are called the hippocampus and the amygdala. The hippocampus responds to a particular context and encodes it, while the amygdala triggers defensive behavior, including fear responses. The Hippocampus Amygdala…

  • Housekeeping Biological Mechanism in Brain May Also Regulate Sleep

    Housekeeping Biological Mechanism in Brain May Also Regulate Sleep

    Scientists have found that a housekeeping biological mechanism in the brain may also regulate sleep. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found a specific signaling pathway in fruit flies and zebrafish is required for sleep. This pathway is also important in getting rid of buildup of abnormal protein aggregates in brain cells. The researchers’ findings…