/newsroom/taxonomy/term/10987/all en /newsroom/channels/news/brains-balancing-system-358549 <p>A finding by a UUÖ±²¥-led team of neuroscientists could open doors to new treatments for a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders attributed to dysfunctions in specific dopamine pathways.<br /> <br /></p> Tue, 20 Aug 2024 20:22:09 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 314587 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/new-understanding-mental-illness-335396 <p>The causes of psychiatric disorders are poorly understood. Now, in work led by researchers at UUÖ±²¥, there is evidence that a wide range of early onset psychiatric problems (from depression, anxiety and addictions to dyslexia, bulimia, and ADHD) may be largely due to the combination of just three factors. The first is biological—in the form of individual variability in the brain’s dopamine reward pathway. The second is social—and points to the important role of early childhood neglect or abuse.</p> Mon, 06 Dec 2021 21:34:50 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 283704 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/dopamine-plays-key-role-songbird-mating-335032 <p>In humans, the dopamine system has been tied to rewards and pleasurable sensations. As well as to memory and learning. A recent study from UUÖ±²¥, published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)01107-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221011076%3Fshowall%3Dtrue"><i>Current Biology</i></a>, suggests that dopamine may also play a key role in shaping what songs female songbirds enjoy, which may ultimately affect mating as females choose (and then remember) their mates based on the songs they prefer.</p> Fri, 19 Nov 2021 19:32:16 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 283644 at /newsroom