Advances in brain-computer interfaces, restorative neurotechnology, and assistive robot technology have led to a new study that reports, while using the BrainGate neural interface system, two people with tetraplegia were able to reach for and grasp objects in three-dimensional space using robotic arms that they controlled directly with brain activity. Providence, Rhode Island (Brown University) [...]

Many people know that soda and sweets aren’t a healthy choice of food, but did you know that a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning? This news comes from a study at UCLA where a team zeroed in on high-fructose corn syrup, something the average American consumes more than [...]

Scientists at the University of Basel in Switzerland were able to analyze the genetic sequences of the PRKCA gene over 700 healthy young volunteers. This gene is one of many that have been known to be involved in the formation of emotional memories. It encodes an enzyme called protein kinase C-α. They were able to [...]

Neuroscientists from the University of Glasgow have demonstrated that our brains experience the world in discrete snapshots determined by the cycles of brain rhythms. While studying a brain rhythm associated with visual cortex, they used a “simple trick” to affect and “reset” the oscillations of this rhythm. It has long been suspected that humans do [...]

New research on a parasite that fights zombie-ant fungus, an infestations that takes over the brain and then ejects its spores out of the ant’s head, reveals how an ant colony is able to survive this infestation. While it is well known that ants protect themselves from fungi by grooming each other, research by scientists [...]

New research has showed that the individual neurons in the brains of common pigeons could relay crucial information about the Earth’s magnetic field, potentially providing these animals with an internal GPS. The research in magnetoreception was published in the journal Science, and it shows that individual cells seem to encode information on a magnetic field’s [...]

In an effort to better understand why fruit flies are immediately attracted to our food, a team of scientists developed a device, called Flywalk, to measure the response of insects to odor signals. Researchers discovered males and females of the same species were attracted to different odors and that their brain function, when determining between [...]

Through the use of high-energy X-rays, researchers uncovered the structures of some of the most intricate and challenging proteins ever analyzed and determined the composition of brain receptors that bind to opioids. ARGONNE, Illinois — Researchers and doctors have gleaned new clues to the molecular mechanisms behind some of the most addictive substances in the [...]

It was previously thought that the brain featured a specific “God Spot” that was responsible for the neuropsychological basis for spirituality. A new study from the University of Missouri now suggests that spirituality is a complex phenomenon where multiple areas of the brain are responsible for aspects of spiritual experiences. COLUMBIA, Missouri – Scientists have [...]

Based on a genetic analysis of more than 9,000 people, a new study shows that four genes may speed shrinkage of the hippocampus in the brain and could lead to an increased risk to Alzheimer’s disease. This study, and another on genetic variants of intracranial volume, may lead to new findings that help doctors better [...]

Researchers in MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics have developed a new strategy to help treat and measure brain pressure without the invasive drilling of the skull. By using a computer model of how blood flows through the brain, doctors can calculate brain pressure from arterial blood pressure and an ultrasound measurement of the velocity of [...]

It turns out that infants might not be using rational thinking as a reason for selective imitation. A new study suggests that observed differences in imitation were likely caused by eye-catching distractions during the experiments. In a widely noticed study, developmental psychologists reported that 14-month-old infants imitate an unusual action if it was chosen deliberately [...]