The gut-brain-vagal axis The vagus nerve is the main pathway of the gut-brain axis, a complex communication network linking peripheral organs to the brain by transmitting interoceptive signals about ...

Methamphetamine doesn't just spike levels of the pleasure-inducing hormone dopamine in the reward pathways of the brain—it also provokes damaging brain inflammation through similar mechanisms. Meth is ...

New research from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) reveals how two different parts of the brain's memory center team up in a key reward region to help mice-and likely humans-combine ...

A study published in Nature Medicine identified a link between the placebo effect and immune system function. In the experiment, individuals who generated positive expectations showed a stronger ...

A new review explores how GLP-1 receptor agonists may blunt alcohol and drug reward signals, opening a promising but still unproven path toward repurposed treatments for addiction. Review: The role of ...

Reward processing is a broad psychological construct that can be parsed into distinct components known as “reinforcement learning” (learning), “reward responsiveness” (liking), and “motivation to ...

Methamphetamine doesn’t just spike levels of the pleasure-inducing hormone dopamine in the reward pathways of the brain – it also provokes damaging brain inflammation through similar mechanisms. Meth ...