Birds of a Feather What do you and your friends have in common? Among other things, you may share similar patterns of brain activity. A recent study conducted by researchers from UCLA and Dartmouth recorded brain activity as people looked at a series of videos that featured everything from baby sloths to a gay wedding. Based on the brain activity patterns they saw, researchers could predict who was likely to be friends. Learn more. Is Stress Contagious? When you’re stressed out, it affects a group of neurons in your brain’s hippocampus. But it might not just affect your own neurons: it may actually have the same effect on the brains of those around you. At least if you’re a mouse, that is. A recent study showed that when a stressed mouse was placed with an unstressed partner, the unstressed mouse developed the same stress-related structural changes in the brain as the stressed one. More research is needed to see if the same is true for humans. Learn more. Green Spaces Boost Grey Matter According to a new study conducted by researchers in Barcelona, raising children in neighborhoods rich in plant life tends to boost white and grey matter volume in certain parts of the brain. Learn more. “Anxiety Cells” in the Brain Almost 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. have an anxiety disorder, but current treatments are flawed. Recent research out of UCSF may have found a new target for developing therapies to treat anxiety: a group of cells in the hippocampus that regulate anxiety levels, at least in mice. Learn more. Long-Term Effects of Depression on the Brain Scientists know that clinical depression causes inflammation in the brain. Now, new research suggests that people who suffer depression for years face permanent physical changes in the brain. Learn more. Book of the Month The Spaces Between Us (2018) Michael Graziano Most of us have a sense of “personal space,” an area around our bodies that acts as a buffer between us and others. In The Spaces Between Us, Princeton neuroscientist Michael Graziano posits that our sense of personal space has a much more important evolutionary, historical, and individual role than you might guess, influencing everything from how we walk to why we smile. Learn more or buy on Amazon. |