1+ week, 4+ day ago   (260+ words) Mice seek information for curiosity’s sake—and their desire for knowledge versus a payout is represented distinctly in the brain, new findings suggest. “All men by nature desire to know” is the first line of Aristotle’s work “Metaphysics.” New findings…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago   (523+ words) The cells undergo a classic form of plasticity previously thought to occur only in downstream visual circuits. Visual experiences during early life famously shape cortical circuits. Animals deprived of vision in one eye rewire their cortex to favor the other…...

4+ week, 1+ day ago   (684+ words) The center’s host university had been negotiating with the federal government about converting the center into an animal sanctuary. A new plan, approved today, preserves some of the center’s nonhuman primate studies. Today the board of directors at Oregon Health…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago   (428+ words) The neuromodulator octopamine, the insect counterpart to norepinephrine, helps flies get their bearings in an unfamiliar environment. To accurately navigate the world, an animal must learn, remember and continually update how its body position relates to what it sees in…...

1+ mon, 3+ week ago   (550+ words) By comparing the proprioceptive systems of mosquitos and fruit flies, Sweta Agrawal aims to uncover fundamental features of the ability to sense self-movement. Mosquitoes are not elegant fliers. They “look very derpy and kind of clumsy,” and they fly with…...

2+ mon, 3+ week ago   (525+ words) Aubrey Kelly studies the gregarious mammal to explore how the brain controls complex social behaviors “akin to friendship.” Prairie voles have a reputation as one of the most social rodents, but when Aubrey Kelly tried to use them to study…...

3+ mon, 1+ week ago   (744+ words) The neuronal circuit controlling repetitive locomotion patterns in any animal has been a mystery until now. Many animals, from cockroaches to cats, can walk without input from the brain. Yet scientists have struggled to pinpoint the responsible rhythm-generating circuit, or…...

3+ mon, 3+ week ago   (207+ words) Processing facial emotions, and more The Transmitter Processing facial emotions, and more Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 4 May. Facing emotions: Generative modeling of dynamic neural data makes it…...

4+ mon, 6+ day ago   (218+ words) Complex, multidimensional tasks that unfold over time could reveal how different brain areas work together to support decisions. Second, animals perform simple tasks quickly, generating only a narrow window of neural activity from which to try to make sense of…...

4+ mon, 2+ week ago   (704+ words) The rodents offered researchers an opportunity to link genetically driven changes in corticospinal abundance and morphology to climbing cachet. Deer mice, common across North America, come in two varieties: One lives in prairies, whereas the other inhabits forests. The life…...