Neuroscientists Uncover Why the Brain Enjoys Music
Interaction between auditory and reward brain circuits underpins musical pleasure. Communication between the brain’s auditory and reward circuits is the reason why humans find music…
Neuroscience
Octopuses Have Two Major Alternating Sleep States – And May Even Experience Dreams
Octopuses are known to sleep and to change color while they do it. Now, a study published on March 25, 2021, in the journal iScience…
“Zombie” Cells? Research Shows Some Genes Come to Life in the Brain After We Die
Post-mortem changes may shed light on important brain studies. In the hours after we die, certain cells in the human brain are still active. Some…
Stressed Brain Linked to “Broken Heart” Syndrome
Heightened activity in the brain, caused by stressful events, is linked to the risk of developing a rare and sometimes fatal heart condition, according to…
Scientists Discover How Humans Develop Much Larger Brains Than Other Apes
A new study is the first to identify how human brains grow much larger, with three times as many neurons, compared with chimpanzee and gorilla…
Alzheimer’s Patients Saw Improved Cognition and Memory With Sargramostim, a Medication Commonly Used After Chemotherapy
Clinical trial participants saw memory-enhancing benefits and disease modifying activities when taking Sargramostim. A new study suggests that Sargramostim, a medication often used to boost…
Reading Minds With Ultrasound: Caltech’s New Brain–Machine Interface
A Less-Invasive Technique to Decode the Brain’s Intentions What is happening in your brain as you are scrolling through this page? In other words, which…
Parkinson’s Gene PINK1 May Impair How New Neurons Are Made Throughout Our Lifetime
A pioneering study, published in Scientific Reports, found that the Parkinon’s gene PINK1 is important for the generation of dopamine-producing neurons throughout life, and is not…
Neuroscientists Track How Bad Moods Develop and Persist in the Brain
Similar brain activity patterns to negative and subsequent neutral stimuli connected to increase in negative mood. How the amygdala responds to viewing negative and subsequent…
“Hunger Hormone” Ghrelin Affects Monetary Decision Making in Females
High ghrelin levels in healthy females predict more impulsive choices, researchers say. Higher levels of the stomach-derived hormone ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, predict a greater…
Tiny Bioelectronic Machine Poised to Unlock Brain’s Mysteries
Novel Device Records, Senses and Manipulates ‘Mini-Brains’ A team of scientists, led by researchers at Northwestern University, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and the University of Illinois…
Researchers Discover Crucial Step in Formation of Deadly Brain Diseases
For the first time, researchers have pinpointed what causes normal proteins to convert to a diseased form, causing conditions like CJD and Kuru. The research…
What Makes Us Human? New Genetic Comparison Technique Reveals Evolution of the Human Brain and Face
New genetic comparison technique developed at Stanford enables meticulous study of evolution of the human brain and face. In separate studies, researchers compared gene…
Fingerprints Enhance Our Sense of Touch – Neurons Sensitive to Scale of a Single Fingerprint Ridge
Sensory neurons in the finger can detect touch on the scale of a single fingerprint ridge. Fingerprints may be more useful to us than helping…
Researchers Uncover How the Brain Learns From Subconscious Stimuli
Researchers uncovered for the first time what happens in animals’ brains when they learn from subconscious, visual stimuli. In time, this knowledge can lead to…
Scientists Developing “Game-Changing” Test to Diagnose Parkinson’s Based on Compounds Found on Skin
Results published on March 11, 2021, show it is possible to identify Parkinson’s Disease based on compounds found on the surface of skin. The findings…
Highly-Selective New Tool to Dissect the “Undruggable”
Researchers design a new highly-selective tool to study “undruggable” proteins through the sugars they depend on. Sugar has been called “evil,” “toxic,” and “poison.” But…
Activity in Brain’s Risk Circuits Can Forecast Changes in Stock Prices
Forecasting changes in stock prices may be possible with the help of brain activity in regions associated with how people feel before making investment choices….