Odors evoke powerful memories, an experience enshrined in literature by Marcel Proust and his beloved madeleine. A new Northwestern Medicine paper is the first to identify a neural basis for how the brain enables odors to so powerfully elicit those memories. The paper shows unique connectivity between the hippocampus—the seat…
‘Erasing’ drug-associated memories may help prevent addiction relapse
Research surrounding addiction often points to the reward of a “high” as the primary motivation for drug use and relapse. However, it’s often the acute symptoms of withdrawal, including nausea, vomiting, pain and cramping, that drives a return to drugs for relief. The most difficult part of treating addiction is…
Memories of movement are replayed randomly during sleep
Sleep is far from an inactive time for the brain: while rats (and humans) are asleep, neurons in the hippocampus fire rapidly. After a rat has repeatedly moved from one spot to another, the same neurons that fired while the rat moved “replay” this firing while the rat is asleep,…
Sleep apnea creates gaps in life memories: study
People with sleep apnea struggle to remember details of memories from their own lives, potentially making them vulnerable to depression, new research has shown. Estimated to affect more than 936 million people worldwide, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious condition that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during…
Recalling happy memories during adolescence can reduce risk of depression
Recalling positive events and experiences can help young people build resilience against depression in later life, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. Depression is now the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting more than 300 million people. The condition often first emerges in adolescence, a critical developmental time…