Summary: A new study has shown that conscious thought relies on synchronized brain rhythms to maintain communication between sensory and cognitive brain regions. Under general anesthesia, this rhythm-based communication breaks down, disrupting the brain’s ability to detect and process surprising stimuli.

The research provides evidence that specific brain frequencies enable conscious awareness by linking the front and back of the brain, where cognitive and sensory functions reside. This finding sheds light on the neural mechanisms of consciousness and offers insights into how anesthesia disrupts our ability to perceive and respond to unexpected events.

Summary: A new study has discovered that ophthalmic acid, a molecule in the brain, acts like a neurotransmitter to regulate motor function, similar to dopamine. In Parkinson’s mouse models, this molecule improved movement for over 20 hours—far longer than the effects of the current treatment, L-dopa.

This finding challenges the long-held belief that dopamine is the only key player in motor control. Researchers are now exploring how to use ophthalmic acid as a potential treatment for movement disorders, offering hope for more effective therapies.

The researchers also gathered behavioral data, asking participants how strongly they felt the emotions described in each story and how similar these feelings were across different objects of love. This helped the team link subjective emotional experiences to the observed brain activity.

“We use state-of-the-art technology to measure what happens in the brain when a person feels love,” Rinne told PsyPost. “We studied many different types of love and were able to show how different types of love activate the brain in different ways. Our results help explain why the word ‘love’ is used in so many different contexts. Our research also offers insights into why we feel stronger affection for those we are close to compared to strangers, even though the underlying brain processes of affection are the same for all types of interpersonal relationships.”

The study found that different types of love engage both shared and distinct regions of the brain. At a general level, all types of love activated areas associated with social cognition, including the medial prefrontal cortex, the temporoparietal junction, and the precuneus. These regions are involved in understanding others’ thoughts and emotions, a process known as theory of mind. This suggests that even when we experience love for non-human objects, like nature, our brain still engages these neural pathways.