New research from University of Pennsylvania psychologist Joe Kable looks at individuals with damage to different parts of the prefrontal cortex to reveal how the brain evaluates uncertainty and guides split-second decisions.

Brain-wide association studies, which use magnetic resonance imaging to identify relationships between brain structure or function and human behavior or health, have faced criticism for producing results that often cannot be replicated by other researchers. A new study published in Nature offers practical guidance for scientists designing future brain imaging studies, potentially helping them obtain reliable results with fewer participants. 

New research reveals a dramatic improvement in diagnosing and curing people living with hepatitis C in rural communities using both telemedicine and support from peers with lived experience in drug use.

Substance use disorders are notoriously difficult to treat, as it is challenging to intervene in a drugs’ effect on the brain’s reward pathway without interfering with the pathway’s normal function. In a University of Arizona Health Sciences study, researchers identified a drug that reduced the desire for cocaine in a murine model while keeping the brain’s reward pathways for sugar intact.