Better, Redder Biosensor: This Red Light Means “Go” for Medical Discoveries
Scientists develop a better, redder biosensor for biological research. With a little tweak of the color palette, School of Medicine researchers have made it easier…
Neuroscience
Neuroscientists Discover How Aggression Leads to More Aggression
Like a champion fighter gaining confidence after each win, a male mouse that prevails in several successive aggressive encounters against other male mice will become…
Significant Link Found Between Air Pollution and Neurological Disorders in U.S.
Air pollution was significantly associated with an increased risk of hospital admissions for several neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias, in…
Brain Mechanisms Underlying Irrational Decision-Making: “Happy Endings” Can Bias Future Decisions
Our brains can’t always reliably evaluate experiences that unfold over time We tend to give disproportionate weight to the later part of an experience This…
Caltech Develops a Way to Map Brain Circuits in Real Time
A new approach called integrated neurophotonics could allow researchers to track the activity of all the neurons that make up a particular brain circuit. To…
World’s Deadliest Animal: Mosquitoes’ Taste for Blood Traced to Four Types of Neurons
It’s one of the world’s deadliest animals, and it has a taste for human blood: the mosquito. Mosquitoes spread diseases like malaria, dengue, and yellow…
Scientists Find Neurochemicals – Dopamine and Serotonin – Have Unexpectedly Profound Roles in the Human Brain
Dopamine, serotonin involved in sub-second perception, cognition. In first-of-their-kind observations in the human brain, an international team of researchers has revealed two well-known neurochemicals —…
MIT Neuroscientists Discover a Molecular Mechanism That Allows Memories to Form
Modifications to chromosomes in “engram” neurons control the encoding and retrieval of memories. When the brain forms a memory of a new experience, neurons called…
Writing by Hand Makes Kids Smarter – Here’s Why
Writing by hand creates much more activity in the sensorimotor parts of the brain, researchers found. New brain research shows that writing by hand helps…
Stretchable Conductive Hydrogel Developed That Could Help Repair Damaged Nerves
Injuries to peripheral nerves — tissues that transmit bioelectrical signals from the brain to the rest of the body — often result in chronic…
fMRI Experiment Reveals Striking Differences in How Dog and Human Brains Process Faces
Scientists discover striking similarities and differences in how dog and human brains process visual information about others. Researchers of the Department of Ethology at Eötvös…
The Surprising Organization of Bird Brains: New Research Clears Up 150 Years of False Assumptions
Some birds can perform amazing cognitive feats – even though their forebrains seem to just consist of lumps of grey cells, while mammalian forebrains harbor…
“Area 32” – How the Brain Balances Emotion and Reason
“Area 32” balances activity from cognitive and emotional brain areas in primates. Navigating through life requires balancing emotion and reason, a feat accomplished by the…
Long-Term Neurological Consequences of COVID-19: The “Silent Wave”
Is the world prepared for a wave of neurological consequences that may be on its way as a result of COVID-19? This question is at…
Neuroscientists Warn: Multiple Unapproved Drugs Discovered in “Brain Boosting” Supplements
Could over-the-counter “smart drugs” pose health risks? Supplements that claim to improve mental focus and memory may contain unapproved pharmaceutical drugs and in potentially dangerous…
Scientific Study Shows Weighted Blankets Are Safe and Effective Treatment of Insomnia
Randomized, controlled trial shows weighted blankets can decrease insomnia severity — are safe and effective. Weighted blankets are a safe and effective intervention in the…
Contradicting Previous Theories, Neuroscientists Find Overlap Between Fear and Anxiety Brain Circuits
Contrary to previous theories, fear and anxiety reflect shared neural building blocks. Fear and anxiety reflect overlapping brain circuits, according to research published today (September…
This Computer Predicts Your Thoughts, Creating Images Based on Your Brain Signals
By monitoring brain function, computers can be made imagine what a person is thinking of and present the results as images. The technique can be…