Research reveals a specific brain circuit implicated in OCD

Research Reveals a Specific Brain Circuit Implicated in OCD - SBU News
This created brain image illustrates the circuit connection between regions of the amygdala (in red) and the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) in a model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Credit: Zachary Hobel using Brainrender

Treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a mental health condition characterized by distressing, uncontrollable thoughts and repetitive behaviors, has centered on psychotherapy and medication to curb symptoms. New research identifying a previously unknown brain circuit involved in OCD could be a key step toward treatments that target specific brain regions to better control the condition.

Published in the journal Neuron and led by Joshua L. Plotkin, Ph.D...

Read More

Visual illusion reveals what today’s AI vision is missing

vision
Credit: Orhan Pergel from Pexels

Our eyes do not always tell us exactly where things are—and that may be a feature of how biological vision works, rather than simply a flaw. A new study by York University researchers uses a common illusion to ask: If artificial intelligence is meant to see more like us, should it make some of the same systematic perceptual “mistakes”?

For example, after staring at something moving steadily in one direction, a stationary object viewed immediately afterward can appear slightly displaced in the opposite direction. This well-known visual illusion, called a motion aftereffect, gives scientists an unusual window into the computations underlying perception: The image itself has not moved, but our experience of where it is has changed.

The study, title...

Read More

ESA’s Juice just used Earth as a slingshot to Jupiter

Juice flies by Earth – the complete path
Juice flies by Earth – the complete path

ESA’s Juice spacecraft raced past Earth on September 28, using our planet’s gravity to dramatically reshape its path toward Jupiter without burning much fuel. The flyby changed its direction by 20 degrees and increased its speed by 3.5 km/s, while also giving scientists a rare chance to test its instruments on Earth and the Moon.

The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) made a close pass by Earth on September 28, skimming the outer reaches of the atmosphere and using our planet’s gravity to reshape its path toward Jupiter while consuming very little fuel.

The carefully planned gravity assist changed Juice’s direction by 20° relative to its previous trajectory and increased its speed by 3.5 km/s...

Read More

Inflammation can reactivate ‘sleeping’ cancer cells hidden in the bone

Inflammation can reactivate 'sleeping' cancer cells hidden in the bone
A nest of dormant cancer cells in the bone, in magenta. Bone marrow cells are in blue and blood vessels in green. Credit: Tatiana Rizou, as in Cell Reports (2026). 

The spread of cancer from a primary tumor to another place in the body, called metastasis, remains one of the greatest challenges in cancer treatment and is responsible for most cancer-related deaths.

“Cancer cells that have moved to another part of the body can stay dormant for years after the original tumor has been treated,” explains Crick group leader Ilaria Malanchi, who leads a lab studying how cancer cells interact with the rest of the body. “It’s a worrying period for people, as they don’t know if these metastatic cells will reactivate, leading to a relapse.”

Breast cancer cells often spread to the bone marro...

Read More