Knowing Neurons

Evolution of Cognition Language Neuro News 

Study Sheds New Light on FOXP2 in the Evolution of Language

November 16, 2018November 18, 2018 Caitlin Aamodt 0 Comments Evolution, FoxP2, Genetics, Human, language

Language is a uniquely human trait, and how it evolved is one of the greatest unanswered questions in neuroscience. Spoken and written language facilitate much of what makes up human… Read more

Artificial Intelligence Learning and Memory Sensation and Perception 

How our Visual Neurons relate to Deep Neural Networks

November 7, 2018November 7, 2018 Ioannis Kalfas 0 Comments AI, convolutional neural network, deep learning, Deep neural network, Electrophysiology, inferotemporal cortex, Learning, Machine Learning, neural network, Perception, regression, visual system

Our brain has been evolving for millions of years, ever-changing and adjusting to handle novel stimuli and conditions, looking like a bag of slimy, gooey matter folded in various ways… Read more

Infographics Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders 

What is Angelman Syndrome?

November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 Rajamani Selvam 0 Comments Angelman syndrome, Brain development, Chromosome, cognitive development, genetic, Genetic Disorder, Infographic, Neurodevelopment

Earlier this year, in a philosophical post, we considered whether children with a genetic disorder called Angelman syndrome are happy. Angelman syndrome is a rare disorder that many of our… Read more

Movement Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders 

The Neuroscience of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

November 1, 2018November 2, 2018 Trudi G 0 Comments BFRB, body-focused repetitive behaviors, excoriation disorder, inferior frontal gyrus, nail-biting, obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD, Pain, trichotillomania

Neuroscience continues to investigate the difference between a bad habit and the spectrum of mental health disorders known as body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). BFRBs afflict less than 3% of the… Read more

Aging Brain Basics Brain Development Neuro primer Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders 

Neuro Primer: Glia

October 25, 2018October 25, 2018 Alexa Erdogan 0 Comments Alzheimer’s disease, Astrocyte, Ependymal cells, glia, homeostasis, Immune cells, Lou Gehrig's Disease, Microglia, Neuro Primer, Neurodegenerative disease, Neurodevelopment, Neuroglia, Neuroscience history, Neurotransmitters, Oligodendrocyte, Rene Dutrochet, Rudolf Virchow, Santiago Ramon y Cajal, Synapse, synaptic plasticity, Synaptogenesis

Every single day, a group of cells work tirelessly to monitor and protect the neural architecture of your brain. Some of them even move around, scanning neural networks like recon… Read more

Aging Brain Basics Neuro primer Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders 

Neuro Primer: Aging

October 10, 2018October 8, 2018 Gabrielle Torre 0 Comments AD, Age-related cognitive decline, Aging, ALS, Alzheimer's, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyloid, amyloid plaques, Baby Boomers, beta-amyloid, Brain activation, Brain cells, Cardiovascular health, Childhood, Cognition, Cognitive performance, Cortex, dementia, Disease, Executive function, Exercise, Genetics, glutamate, Hippocampus, Longevity, Memory, Memory decline, myelin, Nervous System, Neurogenesis, Neuroimaging, Neurons, Neuroplasticity, Neuroscience, Neurotransmitters, Normal aging, Parkinson's, Parkinson's Disease, Plasticity, Quality of life, Research, Science, Sleep, Sleep habits, Ventricles, Working memory

What happens to the brain in aging? Normal aging comes with many changes in brain structure and function. As individuals approach the age of 65 years and above, they experience… Read more

Big Ideas Culture Learning and Memory Videos 

Video: Can Neuroscience Explain the Mandela Effect? 

October 3, 2018October 3, 2018 knowingneurons 0 Comments bernstain bears, Confabulation, false memory, Fiona Broome, Hippocampus, Mandela, mandela effect, Memory consolidation, memory retrieval, Quantum mechanics, Schrödinger's cat

Last year, our post “Can Neuroscience Explain the Mandela Effect?” by Caitlin Aamodt soaked up attention like a sponge and was resyndicated widely across the web, landing on pages such as… Read more

Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders 

Main bout: new hopes in the fight against Parkinson’s disease

September 25, 2018September 24, 2018 Marco Travaglio 0 Comments cell replacement therapy, CiRA, Dopamine, induced pluripotent stem cells, iPS Cell Research and Application, iPSC, Muhammad Ali, Parkinson's Disease, Substantia Nigra, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Following his Olympic victory in 1960, Muhammad Ali earned the World-Heavyweight-Champion title in 1964 in one of the most celebrated upsets in boxing history. The much-anticipated fight opened with the… Read more

Brain Basics Brain Development Language 

Do People With Dyslexia Read and Write Backwards?

September 13, 2018September 13, 2018 Brainfacts.org 0 Comments Brain development, Cognition, cognitive development, Development, Dyslexia, neuroscience myths, Reading

Dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in learning to read despite normal intelligence and vision and access to good instruction. Today, scientists generally agree that people with dyslexia struggle to read… Read more

Big Ideas Learning and Memory Movement Space Neuroscience 

How Weightlessness Changes Our Brains

September 5, 2018September 8, 2018 Alexa Erdogan 0 Comments Analog Spaceflight, Astronaut, Cerebellum, Frontal lobe, Gray matter, Head-Down Tilt Bed Rest, ISS, Mars, Microgravity, Motor cortex, MRI, Musculoskeletal, Neurodegeneration, Neuroplasticity, Preconditioning, Semantic memory, Somatosensory, Space, Space neuroscience, Space Shuttle, Spaceflight, Weightlessness

Astronauts are no strangers to the harsh and wild conditions of outer space. From ionizing radiation to microgravity, these space explorers are exposed to a myriad of stressors that play… Read more

Brain Development Culture 

What Were You Thinking!?: Teenagers show different processing of positive and negative consequences across adolescence

August 23, 2018August 23, 2018 Jack-Morgan Mizell 0 Comments Adolescence, Adolescent, Adults, Aging, Anterior insula, Brain, Brain activity, Brain vulnerability, Cognitive neuroscience, Consequences, Decision-making, Development, Experience, Harvard, Insula, neurobiology, Neurodevelopment, Neuroscience, Sensory systems, Spindle neuron, Striatum, Teenagers, Teens, Von Economo neuron, WHO, World Health Organization

Anyone who has spent time around teenagers knows they don’t always consider the full consequences of their actions. Just consider the dozens of YouTube videos involving falling dressers or fireworks… Read more

Brain Development Learning and Memory 

A Tale of Plasticities

August 15, 2018September 7, 2018 Cameron McKay 0 Comments Adult neurogenesis, Axon, Axons, Basic science, Brain, Cells, Connections, Cortex, Dendrite, Dendrites, Dendritic spine, Development, environment, Experience-dependent plasticity, Gray matter, Hippocampus, Human memory, Humans, Juggling, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Marian Diamond, Memories, Memory, MRI, MRI research, Neurodevelopment, Neurogenesis, Neurons, Neuroplasticity, Plasticity, Rats, Research, Science, Synapse, Synaptic pruning, Synaptogenesis, Taxi drivers, TBI, Traumatic brain injury, White matter

You may have heard it repeated in the media and pop culture that humans’ brains don’t change at all after birth. However, the past several decades of neuroscience research have… Read more

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