Scientist hunched over a lab workbench in exhaustion
Neurotransmitter Buildup May Be Why Your Brain Feels Tired
Performing complex cognitive tasks leads to glutamate accumulating in a key region of the brain, a study finds, which could explain why mental labor is so exhausting.
Neurotransmitter Buildup May Be Why Your Brain Feels Tired
Neurotransmitter Buildup May Be Why Your Brain Feels Tired

Performing complex cognitive tasks leads to glutamate accumulating in a key region of the brain, a study finds, which could explain why mental labor is so exhausting.

Performing complex cognitive tasks leads to glutamate accumulating in a key region of the brain, a study finds, which could explain why mental labor is so exhausting.

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panel depicting mossy fiber synapses and glutamate signaling dynamics
Infographic: Reverse Signaling Between Neurons
Christie Wilcox | Jun 4, 2021
So-called mossy fiber synapses in the hippocampus can meter the amount of neurotransmitter they receive by sending glutamate against the usual direction of synaptic flow.
artistic representation of a neuron synapse with light and dark dots passing between two axons
Hippocampal Cell Communication Is Bidirectional: Study
Christie Wilcox | Jun 4, 2021
In an unexpected twist in neuroscience dogma, the cells on the receiving end of neurotransmission appear to be able to release glutamate to regulate the transmitting cell’s activity.
Harald Janovjak Bends Cells and Receptors to His Will
Aggie Mika | Oct 1, 2017
The 38-year-old synthetic biologist comes from a long line of tinkerers and engineers.
Study: Eating Less Helps Worms Learn
Aggie Mika | Aug 2, 2017
Food restriction decreases a metabolite that impedes associative learning in worms.