Cancer hijacks your brain and steals your motivation − new research in mice reveals how, offering potential avenues for treatment

Cachexia, or wasting syndrome, causes around 80% of patients with advanced cancer to withdraw from life.

Adam Kepecs, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis • conversation
April 10, 2025 • ~8 min

ADHD brains present unique challenges, but the condition is highly treatable − a primary care nurse practitioner with ADHD explains the science

Navigating life with ADHD or as a parent of a child with ADHD can be stressful. But as researchers learn more about the uniqueness of brains with ADHD, they are also gleaning insight into treatments.

Kate Harrington, Lecturer of Clinical Pathophysiology and Family Nurse Practitioner, Kennesaw State University • conversation
July 25, 2024 • ~12 min

Dopamine: brain chemical helps us understand other people – raising hopes for new treatments

A lack of dopamine seems to directly cause social problems.

Jennifer Cook, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham • conversation
June 20, 2024 • ~8 min

Alcohol use disorder can be treated with an array of medications – but few people have heard of them

Alcohol is responsible for more deaths than overdoses from opioids and all other substances combined, yet less than 10% of people with alcohol use disorder receive treatment.

Joseph P. Schacht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus • conversation
May 20, 2024 • ~12 min

Dopamine is a brain chemical famously linked to mood and pleasure − but researchers have found multiple types of dopamine neurons with different functions

From dopamine hacking to dopamine detoxes, some people have sought to harness this brain chemical to improve their mood and productivity. But it’s far more complicated than that.

Kimberlee D'Ardenne, Assistant Research Professor in Psychology, Arizona State University • conversation
Sept. 18, 2023 • ~9 min

Patients suffering with hard-to-treat depression may get relief from noninvasive magnetic brain stimulation

Patients who undergo transcranial magnetic stimulation say it’s painless, with few to no side effects. The treatment isn’t yet widely accessible, but for those who use it, the effects can be profound.

Patricia Junquera, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Services, Florida International University • conversation
Nov. 16, 2022 • ~7 min

Cannabis holds promise for pain management, reducing the need for opioid painkillers – a neuropharmacology expert explains how

Studies suggest that marijuana and CBD use might help relieve chronic pain while also reducing a patient’s need for opioids.

Benjamin Land, Research Associate Professor of Pharmacology, University of Washington • conversation
Nov. 2, 2022 • ~9 min

Gambling: what happens in the brain when we get hooked – and how to regain control

There is evidence to suggest that dopamine plays a key role in gamling addiction.

Sam Chamberlain, Professor of Psychiatry , University of Southampton • conversation
Feb. 16, 2022 • ~8 min

Clues to consciousness: how dopamine fits into the mystery of what makes us conscious – podcast

Plus, how a team of musicologists and computer scientists completed Beethoven’s unfinished 10th Symphony using AI. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.

Daniel Merino, Assistant Science Editor & Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast • conversation
Oct. 7, 2021 • ~4 min

Researchers trained mice to control seemingly random bursts of dopamine in their brains, challenging theories of reward and learning

Mouse brains produce random, strong bursts of dopamine and are able to control them. This may challenge many long-held ideas about learning and motivation.

David Kleinfeld, Professor of Physics and Neurobiology, University of California San Diego • conversation
Sept. 2, 2021 • ~6 min

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