Researchers have discovered that acetylcholine, a brain chemical released by specific striatal neurons, can directly trigger serotonin release. The study, conducted in mice and published in Nature ...

The Mayo Clinic defines obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as: “Unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions).” OCD is a form of anxiety disorder ...

Dear Readers: I have a 12-year-old spayed female cat, who, over the last year, has started licking me incessantly. These are not short love licks, they are grooming licks that hurt, and she doesn't ...

Our thoughts are often mysterious to us. You probably don't know why you suddenly think about a Komodo dragon while sitting in traffic or Citizen Kane while shopping for groceries. Such moments remind ...

Of course, the most visible characteristic of addiction is obsessive- compulsive behavior, the topic of this week's column. Just for fun, I checked out the definition of "obsessive-compulsive" on ...

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a brain circuit that can drive repetitive and compulsive behaviours in mice, even when natural rewards such as food or social contact are ...

Is compulsive behavior common in people with Alzheimer’s or dementia? When someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, many aspects of his or her life are forced to change and will ...

New research suggests that compulsive behavior may be less about willpower failure and more about inflammation quietly disrupting the brain’s reward and habit circuits. While the idea of “hidden brain ...