Brain Research
Study explains why some people feel little or no pleasure from music
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A minority of people report feeling no enjoyment from music despite normal hearing and intact responses to other rewards—a trait known as specific musical anhedonia. Researchers say evidence from brain-imaging and behavioral studies points to weaker communication between auditory regions and the brain’s reward circuitry as a key mechanism, a finding that could help clarify how pleasure is generated and why it can be selectively disrupted.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified how alpha oscillations in the brain help distinguish the body from the surroundings. Faster alpha rhythms enable precise integration of visual and tactile signals, strengthening the feeling of bodily self. The findings, published in Nature Communications, could inform treatments for conditions like schizophrenia and improve prosthetic designs.
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Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have developed miniature brain models using stem cells to study interactions between the thalamus and cortex. Their work reveals the thalamus's key role in maturing cortical neural networks. The findings could advance research into neurological disorders like autism.
Scientists at The Ohio State University have charted how patterns of brain wiring can predict activity linked to many mental functions across the entire brain. Each region shows a distinct “connectivity fingerprint” tied to roles such as language and memory. The peer‑reviewed findings in Network Neuroscience offer a baseline for studying healthy young adult brains and for comparisons with neurological or psychiatric conditions.
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Researchers at MIT’s Picower Institute report that rotating waves of neural activity help the brain recover focus after distraction. In animal studies, the extent of these rotations tracked performance: full rotations aligned with correct responses, while incomplete cycles were linked to errors. The timing between a distraction and response also mattered, suggesting a timing‑dependent recovery cycle.