This study explored spatiotemporal progression patterns of striatal dopamine availability and regional brain volume based on cognitive status among patients with Parkinson disease:

Background and Objectives.

Brain imaging identifies six subtypes of depression.

Personalized brain circuit measures quantified using a new imaging technology in 801 patients with depression and anxiety identify six biotypes with unique symptoms, behaviors and responses to different types of treatment.

Researchers found that mice can sense sugar even if they lack taste receptors.

The evolutionarily ancient part of the brain that controls breathing and heart rate also regulates the immune system — a discovery about the brain-body axis made by experts on taste.

Our willingness to help others is governed by a specific brain region pinpointed by researchers in a study of patients with brain damage to that region.

Learning about where in the brain “helping” decisions are made is important for understanding how people might be motivated to tackle large global challenges, such as climate change, infectious disease and international conflict. It is also essential for finding new approaches to treating disorders of social interactions.

The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, was carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford, and shows for the first time how a region called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has a critical role in helping, or “prosocial” behaviors.

In the future, getting help for depression might involve a quick brain scan to find the most effective treatment for you.

An analysis of brain activity during rest and while undertaking specific tasks among a large group of people with depression and anxiety has identified six distinct types of brain activity patterns, symptoms, and responses to treatment.

The team from the US and Australia who conducted the study also determined treatments that are more likely to work for some of these categories. This means doctors could potentially match patients with the best therapies based on how their brains function.

Scientists have achieved groundbreaking brain mapping using ultrasound, detailed in a May 2024 Science Translational Medicine paper. Led by Richard Andersen and Charles Liu, they developed a non-invasive method to monitor brain activity with unprecedented clarity. This innovation, employing an ‘acoustically transparent’ skull window, allows real-time observation of neuronal and blood flow dynamics. The technique promises new insights into brain function and potential advancements in treating neurological disorders, marking a transformative milestone in neuroscience.