Converting Sounds to Actions: Unraveling the Brain’s Split-Second Choices
Groundbreaking research shows how the brain integrates sensory information and movement signals, influencing how we react to what we hear. You hear a phone ring…
Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown News
The Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, located in Lisbon, Portugal, is a cutting-edge biomedical research and clinical facility that was inaugurated in 2010. Funded by the Champalimaud Foundation, the center is dedicated to advancing research in neuroscience and oncology, with a particular focus on translating scientific discoveries into treatments that can improve patient outcomes. The facility’s striking architecture, overlooking the Tagus River, symbolizes its mission of exploring the “unknown” fields of science and medicine. The center hosts a range of state-of-the-art laboratories and clinical services, providing an integrated approach to understanding and treating complex conditions such as cancer and neurological disorders. It attracts leading scientists and clinicians from around the world, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages innovative approaches to research and care.
Zombie Neurons and the Secrets of Our Brain’s Error-Correcting Code
Nestled at the back of your head, the cerebellum is a brain structure that plays a pivotal role in how we learn, adapting our actions…
From Pleasure to Precision: The Dual Dynamics of Dopamine in Parkinson’s Disease
Dopamine’s influence extends to regulating movement lengths, offering new therapeutic targets for Parkinson’s Disease. Dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain, is mostly known for…
Cinema in the Mind: The Neuroscience Behind the “Continuity Illusion”
New research on the continuity illusion uncovers how the brain perceives smooth motion, emphasizing the superior colliculus’s importance and suggesting new approaches for neuroscience research…
Rethinking the “Little Brain” – The Surprising Learning Power of Cerebellar Nuclei
Our Cerebellar Nuclei Are More Important Than Initially Thought Associative learning was always thought to be regulated by the cortex of the cerebellum, often referred…
Esketamine Nasal Spray: A Game-Changing Treatment for Clinical Depression
Esketamine has showcased promising results in a major clinical trial, proving more effective than standard treatments for treatment-resistant depression. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a particularly…
The Psychedelic Paradigm Shift: Revolutionary Treatment or a Slippery Slope for Mental Health?
Psychedelics occupy a critical junction in the realm of mental health, presenting innovative pathways for treating a variety of mental disorders, including hard-to-treat depression and…
Rethinking Rigidity: The Surprising Plasticity of Adult Vision
Why Adult Plasticity Matters Similar to how toddlers rapidly pick up languages during their formative years, our visual system too has its own “critical period”…
Scientists Discover a Way To Manipulate the Brain’s Perception of Time
The Learning Lab at Champalimaud Research has discovered a way to manipulate the brain’s perception of time by controlling neural activity in rats. Their research,…
Neuroimaging Study Finds the Brain Works Like a Resonance Chamber
It’s been over 20 years since neuroimaging studies – using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a widely-used technology to capture live videos of brain activity…
How Does the Brain Decide in Chaos?
The brain uses data compression while making decisions. If you grew up in the 1980s or like playing old video games, you might be familiar with…
Solving a Neuroscience Riddle: How the Brain Stops Us From Jumping the Gun
Suppressing the urge to act until the time is right is a crucial, often overlooked, aspect of behavior. Just think about what might happen if…
Better Keep the Instructions: People Aren’t That Good at Solving Complex Problems
How good are people at finding optimal solutions to complex problems? New research finds that people may not be as capable as generally assumed. Who…
A Fruit Fly Walks Walks on a Floating 3D Treadmill While Scientists Record Visual Neurons in the Brain
Newly Discovered Neural Network Gets Visual and Motor Circuits in Sync A fruit fly walks on a small styrofoam ball fashioned into a floating 3D…
Getting Excited Twice: Newly Discovered Motor Learning Brain Circuit
Learning new motor skills is a critical aspect of our lives. From playing the piano to riding a bike, it would be difficult to imagine…
How the Brain Links Smells to Places – Transporting Us Across Time and Space
Smell has the power to transport us across time and space. It could be the sweet fragrance of jasmine, or the musty scent of algae….
Taking the Pulse of Flies: Fly Hearts Respond to Danger the Same Way Human Hearts Do
The sound of an accelerating heartbeat can instantly send chills down your spine. You know that sound means trouble. We are so accustomed to the…
Scientists Discover How Neuro-Immune Interactions Burn Deep Fat
Pioneering mouse study offers new therapeutic avenues for reducing visceral fat stores, which have been associated with cardiovascular disease and multiple types of cancer. Obesity…