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Even a single dose of drinking alcohol – ethanol – can permanently alter synapses and mitochondrial movement in the brain’s neurons. That has consequences for the brain’s reward learning and can potentially lead to later alcohol addiction.

Researchers have pinpointed an area of the brain linked to making choices to help others.

Researchers have identified seven new areas of the human insular cortex, a region of the brain that is involved in a wide variety of functions, including self-awareness, cognition, motor control, sensory and emotional processing.

Inactivation of a particular protein complex that plays a key role in keeping genes switched off leads to nerve cells not producing enough essential neurotransmitters. This could be part of the explanation for conditions like Parkinson's and anxiety disorders, say researchers.

Researchers have identified a link between how cells "recycle" proteins and neurodegenerative diseases, identifying the early stages of disease progression to enable intervention.

A gooey slice of pizza. A pile of crispy French fries. Ice cream dripping down a cone on a hot summer day. When you look at any of these foods, a specialized part of your visual cortex lights up, according to a new study from MIT neuroscientists.

Our physical reaction to the food we eat, be it contentment or nausea, is coordinated within the most primitive parts of our brains, the brain stem or hindbrain. A new paper reviews the various brain pathways that meet in the brain stem to control feeding behavior, using a technique that offers an unbiased look at the neurons involved.

When our eyes move during REM sleep, we’re gazing at things in the dream world our brains have created, according to a new study. The findings shed light not only into how we dream, but also into how our imaginations work.

While children are known for their active imaginations, it’s extremely rare for them to have true psychotic symptoms. But two unusual case studies, both of children under seven, prompted a new investigation that has identified a shared genetic component linking many cases of early-onset psychosis

Major depressive disorders are characterized by a significant health burden, including changes in appetite and body weight. A research team investigated whether conclusions can be drawn about the direction of appetite changes - increase or decrease - based on the functional architecture of the reward system in the brain.