A new study offers fascinating insights into the decision-making process of the brain by comparing how both humans and rodents make decisions, especially when stressed or affected by a neurological disorder.

New research from the Indian Institute of Science reveals that our brain's reward expectations influence sensory attention and decision-making through surprisingly distinct mechanisms.

The new study looks at how consuming vitamin B-12 led to a cascade of signals originating in the brain and triggering actions connected to stress control and longevity in the gut.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), National Centre of Biological Sciences (NCBS) Bengaluru, Anna University, Chennai and ETH, Zurich uncover the molecular events that lead up to the formation of protein clusters commonly seen in Parkinson’s disease.

In a recent study, researchers have proved that when we talk to our loved ones, the variations in our speech are independent of language and culture. It also shows that a lack of such variety in our talk can result in problems with social communication. 

India is ageing. Approximately 104 million Indians are above sixty and vulnerable to cognitive disorders affecting memory, such as dementia. Despite this impending future, we haven't been able to assess the current prevalence of such illnesses in the country. It is partly due to the geographical and cultural vastness of India, and the barriers of language and ethics prohibit the use of tests used in western countries. Now, a new study is trying to close this gap by introducing a psychological test that is adapted to the cultural and linguistic diversity of India.

Chemogenetics is a technique that uses chemicals to understand how neurons are activated. It manipulates genes to place the neurons under the control of special receptors called DREADDS. Short for Designer Receptors Activated by Designer Drugs, these receptors only bind to an inert chemical called Clozapine-N-Oxide (CNO). In a recent study, researchers from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, and Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, point out specific flaws in this technique.

In a recent study, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, have shown that the release of calcium from the neurons in specific synapses promotes their reuse.

In the course of human evolution, our ability to read is a relatively newly acquired trait. Hence, it is highly unlikely that a region of the brain could have evolved specifically for reading, unlike much more ancient functions like seeing or hearing. But, how is it that we are capable of this unique feat that involves recognising words and interpreting their meaning? Reading requires the coordinated functions of several regions in the brain, particularly associated with visual sensory processing. In a recent study, an international team of researchers investigated the effects of reading on the visual system in the brain.This study was published in the journal Science Advances.

Study investigates the abnormalities in the brain of a patient with a neurodegenerative disorder