Category: Brain

Brain, Depression, General Neuroscience, General Psychology, Neuroscience

Contrasting Chronic and Nonchronic Depression with Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI

Author: Maegan Diep, Class of 2029 Depression varies in traits and characteristics among individuals, making its causes and mechanisms difficult to treat. Though depression can be categorized into chronic and nonchronic courses, the issue of reliable diagnoses persists, as there is a lack of evidence in distinguishing the etiology and physiological processes of the condition. Thus, researchers from the Klein lab at Stony Brook University … Continue reading Contrasting Chronic and Nonchronic Depression with Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI

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Brain, Cognition, Degenerative Disease, General Neuroscience, Neurology

Hippocampal interneuron activity drives functional hyperemia leading to neurovascular disfunction and Alzheimer’s Disease

Author: Kang Lai, Class of 2026 Functional hyperemia, or the dilation of blood vessels in response to increased metabolic activity, is critical for regulating the levels of oxygen and glucose in the brain. Moreover, it facilitates the clearance of metabolic byproducts such as amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), an accumulation of which underlies Alzheimer’s disease. In Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), disruptions in vascular dynamics are significant but poorly … Continue reading Hippocampal interneuron activity drives functional hyperemia leading to neurovascular disfunction and Alzheimer’s Disease

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Brain, Cognition, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE AND DOPAMINE IN THE BRAIN

Laura Ladekarl, Class of 2025 Dopamine, central in the brain’s reward system, plays a key role in addiction and reward processing. Studies have shown that individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) show reduced dopamine release and fewer receptors, even after prolonged periods of abstinence from their drug of choice. Neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (NM-MRI) visualizes and quantifies the concentration of neuromelanin (NM) in brain tissues. … Continue reading ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE AND DOPAMINE IN THE BRAIN

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2024-25, Brain, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

Ghrelin Recruits the Endocannabinoid system to modulate food reward 

Kang Lai, Class of 2026 Ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach, increases appetite through the activation of growth hormone secretagogue receptors (GHSR), primarily in the hypothalamus and ventral tegmental area (VTA). These are key regions of the brain responsible for reward and motivation due to an abundance of dopamine-releasing neurons. Another player in the food reward system is a family of lipid molecules called … Continue reading Ghrelin Recruits the Endocannabinoid system to modulate food reward 

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2024-25, Brain, Chemistry, Neuroscience

Taste Discrimination: How We Learn to Identify Similar Foods

Author: Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Figure 1. A brown mouse eating food. The ability to discriminate similar, partially overlapping sensory stimuli is critical for an animal to survive in its environment. For example, in taste, learning discrimination becomes the difference between consuming a nutritious food item and a toxic one. Previous research done on other senses supports 2 models: one that learning may enhance … Continue reading Taste Discrimination: How We Learn to Identify Similar Foods

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2024-25, Brain, Degenerative Disease, Disease, mental health, Neuroscience

Amyloid-beta Deposition: A Cause or Byproduct of Alzheimer’s?

Author: Farzad Hoque, Class of 2028 The relationship between neurovascular coupling and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression has been a focal point of neurological research. While vascular dysfunction in AD is well-documented, questions remain about whether these abnormalities emerge before amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition or arise as a consequence. Recent research has shed light on the early neurovascular changes in mouse models of AD, suggesting new mechanisms … Continue reading Amyloid-beta Deposition: A Cause or Byproduct of Alzheimer’s?

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2024-25, Brain, Degenerative Disease, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

EEG Wave Value Differentiation Explaining Different Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

Author: Ishmam Khan, Class of 2025 Figure: Parkinson’s is a detrimental neurodegenerative disease that affects patients at varying degrees of severity As neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease (PD) progress, insights into brain changes become crucial for early diagnoses and effective interventions. In a recent study, Pappalettera et al. at Stony Brook University utilized Approximate Entropy (ApEn) analysis to compare the complex brain signals that occur … Continue reading EEG Wave Value Differentiation Explaining Different Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

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2024-25, Brain, General Psychology, Health, mental health, Psychology, Technology

Duty Calls: Video Games as an Outlet for Reflection and Fulfilling Desires

Author: Ishmam Khan, Class of 2025 Figure 1: Social media is a common outsource for video game discussion; Reddit is the most popular source for these discussion topicsCall of Duty is an iconic first-person shooter video game published by Activision Studios. The game is known for its dynamic gunplay, innovative realistic graphics, and its gritty portrayal of war. However, Call of Duty has a contentious … Continue reading Duty Calls: Video Games as an Outlet for Reflection and Fulfilling Desires

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2024-25, Biology, Brain, General Neuroscience, Health, Health and Medicine

Innovations in our Understanding of Glaucoma

Author: Ishmam Khan, Class of 2025 Figure 1: Research into glaucoma yields promising insights into the future of optics and disease at Stony Brook University Glaucoma, a condition characterized by optic nerve degeneration and the cell death of retinal ganglion neurons, is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The retina’s health is critical for vision, and understanding the blood flow (BF) of many regions … Continue reading Innovations in our Understanding of Glaucoma

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Brain, Degenerative Disease, General Neuroscience

Prolonged Functional Hyperemia Found in Early Stage AD in mouse models

By Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 When a region of our brain is active, blood vessels dilate to increase blood flow and meet the increased metabolic demand of the area. This is known as functional hyperemia, or neurovascular coupling, and it is critical for maintaining metabolic homeostasis in the brain. Previous research has shown that, in response to novel environments, hippocampal inhibitory interneurons are stimulated … Continue reading Prolonged Functional Hyperemia Found in Early Stage AD in mouse models

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Brain, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

Taking A Glimpse into A VR Headset: The Connection Between the Mind and Vision

By Sajia Athai, Class of 2026 For the past decade, homes have transformed into vibrant arenas of gaming with sounds of clicking controllers and the colors of OLED screens. Parents often feel concerned about the spike in new video games as companies release new accessories and skins for players to customize. Worried about the possibility of addiction, many forget the positive outcomes that games offer, … Continue reading Taking A Glimpse into A VR Headset: The Connection Between the Mind and Vision

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Artificial Intelligence, Brain, General Neuroscience

The Neural Network Memory Update

By Farzad Hoque, Class of 2028 Understanding how the brain balances learning and memory is one of neuroscience’s biggest challenges. New research uncovers how synaptic plasticity and metastable dynamics in cortical circuits work together in neural networks, shedding light on the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt and reorganize. Dr.Yang and Dr.La Camera at Stony Brook University discovered synaptic weights stabilize near a critical threshold, enabling … Continue reading The Neural Network Memory Update

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