The key to overcoming addictions and psychiatric disorders lives deep inside the netherworld of our brains and the circuitry that causes us to feel good. Just like space, this region of the brain ...

In 465 young people followed from late childhood to late adolescence, EEG reward responses increased until mid-adolescence ...

One part of the basal ganglia, known as the nucleus accumbens (NAc), is composed of medium spiny neurons (MSNs). The MSNs, in which the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) and dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) ...

A new study in the Journal of Neuroscience has discovered underlying sex differences in the molecular pathways that drive reward-related behaviors. In particular, the study found differences and ...

The concept of dopamine fasting has surged in popularity, particularly in high-performance environments like Silicon Valley. Proponents claim that temporarily abstaining from pleasurable activities ...

Commonly used antidepressant drugs change levels of a key signaling protein in the brain region that processes both pain and mood, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at ...

Idiosyncratic cravings for foods such as ice cream or pickles, occur in most pregnant women. Over-nutrition and obesity resulting from such cravings can cause metabolic and psychiatric disorders in ...

New findings published in the journal Nature Neuroscience have shed light on a mysterious pathway between the reward center of the brain that is key to how we form habits, known as the basal ganglia, ...

Researchers discover that the phosphorylation of a newly identified protein kinase substrate downstream of the dopamine signaling pathway regulates the brain reward behavior. The nucleus accumbens, ...