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Book Review: Journey of the Mind: How Thinking Emerged from Chaos
The Fatal Relationship Between Firearm Policy and Brain Development
Neuro Primer: Pubertal Timing
Knowing Migraines – Not “Just” Headaches
Recently reported fraudulent research in Alzheimer’s: does this actually risk a key theory of the disease?

Knowing Neurons

A creative neuroscience education website by young neuroscientists

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Author: Anita

Brain Basics Multilingual Spanish

Cómo dar gracias como un neurocientífico

May 28, 2022June 6, 2022 Anita Acción de Gracias, Amígdala, Área tegmental ventral, Cerebro, Comida, Corteza, Emoji, Fusiforme, Gracias, Gratitud, Hipocampo, Huida o lucha, melatonina, Nervio, Nervios craneales, Neurociencia, Neurocientífico, núcleo supraquiasmático, olfativo, PLoS, PLOS Blogs, PLOS Neuro, Prefrontal, Receptor, salsera, Sueño, torta de calabaza, Tronco encefálico, Ventral

Artículo original: How to Give Thanks Like a Neuroscientist Anita Traducido por Mariangelina Martínez Estamos rumbo a una reunión familiar tradicional de acción de gracias. Vamos conduciendo por una calle… Read more

OCD Stress Knowing Neurons

Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

A “Little Bit” of OCD: When Words Trivialize a Disorder

February 22, 2017June 30, 2017 Anita Awareness, Disorder, Manage, obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD, OCD Action, Outreach, Society, Symptom, Therapy, Treat, Treatment

Sheldon Cooper, a beloved character in a television series, knocks on a door exactly three times before his roommate opens it — and if the door is opened earlier, he… Read more

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Science Careers: An Interview with Dr. Rachel Bernstein

January 11, 2017June 30, 2017 Anita Career, Careers, Interview, Rachel Bernstein, Science

The pursuit of science is challenging. It is where new knowledge is born. In their path towards the unknown, scientists, too, face their fair share of insecurity. When experiments fail,… Read more

How to Give Thanks Like a Neuroscientist

November 23, 2016June 30, 2017 Anita Amygdala, Brain, Brain stem, Cortex, Cranial nerves, Emoji, Flight or fight, Food, Fusiform, Gratitude, gravy boat, Hippocampus, melatonin, Nerve, Neuroscience, Neuroscientist, olfactory, PLoS, PLOS Blogs, PLOS Neuro, Prefrontal, Pumpkin pie, Receptor, Sleep, suprachiasmatic nucleus, Thanks, Thanksgiving, Ventral, Ventral Tegmental Area, VTA

You’re on your way to the traditional Thanksgiving family get-together. You drive down a familiar street, locate your familiar house, and park in a familiar spot.… Read more

Interviews Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Mental Health is a Part of Health: A Conversation with Shekhar Saxena

November 8, 2016June 30, 2017 Anita Anxiety, Conversation, depression, Global, Health, Interview, Mental, Neuroscience, Neuroscience 2016, Policy, Psychiatrist, PTSD, Research, Science, SfN, SfN16, Shekhar Saxena, Society for Neuroscience, WHO, World Health Organization

In a recent presidential town hall, President Obama looked directly into the camera and made a powerful statement about mental health. “If something inside you feels like it’s wounded, it’s… Read more

Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

What Loneliness Looks Like in the Brain

October 19, 2016June 30, 2017 Anita Brain, Calcium, Dorsal raphe nucleus, DRN, GFP, Green fluorescent protein, Indicator, Loneliness, Neuron, Optogenetics, Reward, Social Rebound, Ventral Tegmental Area, VTA

Consider three scenarios. A kid joins a new high school and eats lunch by herself. A recently separated man is alone for the New Year’s Eve countdown. A prisoner becomes… Read more

Brain Basics Brain Development Did You Know? SfN 2014

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Neural Stem Cells

November 18, 2014March 5, 2017 Anita Fiona Doetsch, Neural Progenitor Cells, Neural Stem Cells, Neuroepithelial Cells, Neurogenesis, Pluripotency, Potency, Presidential Lecture, Radial Glial Cells, Self-Renewal, SfN14, SfN2014, Society for Neuroscience, Stem Cell Niche, subgranular zone, Totipotency, Ventral-Subventricular zone

Stem cells have two characteristic and essential properties: Self-renewal. They can divide to give rise to another stem cell. Potency. They are capable of differentiating into specialized cells.… Read more

Brain Basics Brain Development Interviews SfN 2014

Science Fiction, Serendipity and Interneuron Specification: A Conversation with Dr. Gordon J. Fishell

November 3, 2014March 5, 2017 Anita Conversation, Excitation, GABA, glutamate, Gordon Fishell, Graduate School, Inhibition, Interneuron, Interview, NYU, Presidential Lecture, Research, SfN, SfN14

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/175092412″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /] It is easy to assume that if a car has a gas pedal, it needs to have brakes, and similarly, if our brain… Read more

Brain Basics Did You Know? Neuro News SfN 2014

Getting Technical: Methods in Neuroscience

October 15, 2014March 5, 2017 Anita Biology, Brain, BRAIN Initiative, Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies, Electrophysiology, fMRI, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Genetics, Molecular, Neuroscience, Optogenetics, PET, Positron emission tomography, SfN, SfN14, Single-cell recording, Spatial, Technology, Temporal, TMS, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulaion

It is an exciting time for neuroscience. The BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) is in the spotlight as a part of the new Presidential focus and recently… Read more

Oh Rats Theyll Regret This Knowing Neurons

Brain Basics Neuro News

Oh, Rats! They’ll Regret This.

July 30, 2014March 5, 2017 Anita 2014, A David Redish, Adam P Steiner, Behavioral Neuroscience, Brain, Decision, Decision-making, Food Preference, Nature Neuroscience, Neuroscience, OFC, Orbitofrontal cortex, Regret, Restaurant Row, Reward, Risk, Ventral striatum

We often find ourselves in decision-making dilemmas along the day. For instance, to reach work on time, would you rather take the shorter, faster route or the longer, scenic route?… Read more

Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Decoding the Brain’s “Low Fuel” Signal

May 14, 2014March 5, 2017 Anita Blood-brain barrier, Capillary pericytes regulate cerebral blood flow in health and disease., Catherine Hall, Cerebral blood flow, David Attwell, Ischemic stroke, Nature, Nature 2014, neurovascular unit, No-reflow phenomenon, pericytes, Vasodilation

The human body is an efficient model to explore the popular theory of supply and demand. When you physically exert yourself, your bioenergetic “supply” is down, so you feel hungrier… Read more

Cat and Mouse by Knowing Neurons

Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Sensation and Perception

Fatal Attraction: The Cat-and-Mouse Story with a Twist

October 29, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita Behavioral Neuroscience, Cats, Even after Extensive Parasite Clearance, Mice Infected with Low-Virulence Strains of Toxoplasma gondii Lose Their Innate Aversion to Cat Urine, Michael B. Eisen, PloS one, Predator, Prey, Toxoplasma gondii, Wendy Marie Ingram

The beloved classic cartoon “Tom and Jerry” brings amusement and laughter to the young and old alike. As the house cat Tom attempts to capture the mouse Jerry, we also… Read more

Brain Basics Neuro News Sensation and Perception

The Newest Cupid on the Block: Epigenetics

June 10, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita 2013, Acetylation, Epigenetics, Histone, Histone Acetylation, Histone deacetylase inhibitor, Histone deacetylase inhibitors facilitate partner preference formation in female prairie voles, Histones, Hui Wang, Love, Mohamed Kabbaj, Monogamy, Nature Neuroscience, Nucleus accumbens, Oxytocin, Pair-bond, Pair-bonding, Prairie Voles, Trichostatin A, Vasopressin

Genes are no different from individuals. Sometimes they behave in a simple, logical way. Other times, they are unpredictable and influenced by their surroundings. The central dogma (DNA to RNA… Read more

Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Claustrophobia Can Be Genetic

May 13, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita A single gene defect causing claustrophobia, anxiety disorder, Classical Conditioning, claustrophobia, Ehrenreich, El-Kordi A, elevated plus maze, genetic predisposition, Gpm6a, Max Planck Institute, stress, Translational Psychiatry

As a little girl, my favorite part of an overnight train journey in India was the tunnel. My restless, anxious eyes would await the moment when the train made its… Read more

Brain Basics Did You Know?

The Blood Brain Barrier: Authorized Molecules Only

April 24, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita astrocytes, Berislav Zlokovic, Blood-brain barrier, endothelial cells, Neuron, neurovascular unit, pericytes, The blood-brain barrier in health and chronic neurodegenerative disorders., Tight junctions

Brain Development Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Of Grandfathers, Fathers, and Children: The Coming-of-Age of Autism

April 15, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita Autism, Autism Risk Across Generations. A Population-Based Study of Advancing Grandpaternal and Paternal Age Autism Risk, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Christina M. Hultman, de novo mutation, Emma M. Frans, grandfather, JAMA Psychiatry, paternal age, sporadic mutation

Genetics, although ostensibly complicated, is all around us. In our immediate social circle, we often come across genetics at display. Some examples are obvious: The kids wear glasses because both… Read more

Did You Know? Sensation and Perception

Flavor is in the Brain

April 3, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita flavor, gustatory, olfactory, retronasal olfaction, taste, taste buds, taste receptors

Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

From Neurons to Astrocytes: The Shift of Focus in Stroke

March 18, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita astrocytes, excitotoxicity, gliotransmitters, glutamate, Haydon P.G., Hines D.J., Inhibition of a SNARE-Sensitive Pathway in Astrocytes Attenuates Damage following Stroke, ischemia, Ischemic stroke, Journal of Neuroscience, SNARE, tripartite synapse

If you think about it, blood vessels are the freeways of the body. The vast array of vasculature enables molecules to reach important destinations (organs) quickly. But, if a small… Read more

Did You Know? Sensation and Perception

The Hunger Games of The Second Brain

March 6, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita enteric nervous system (ENS), Ghrelin, Gut feelings: the emerging biology of gut-brain communication, hunger center, lateral hypothalamus, Leptin, satiety center, second brain, ventromedial hypothalamus

If you’ve sensed “butterflies” in your stomach before a stage performance, felt your “stomach churn” upon hearing a horrifying story, or simply made a decision based on your “gut feeling,”… Read more

Neuro News Sensation and Perception

Not just skin deep: Neurons detect pleasurable touch

February 18, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita C fibers, Conditioned place preference, David J. Anderson, Genetic identification of C fibres that detect massage-like stroking of hairy skin in vivo., Insular cortex, Massage, Nature, Somatosensation, Sophia Vrontou, Tactile fibers, Touch

What separates us from our physical environment is our skin. From the minute we wake up, we use our somatosensation to start our tangible interaction with the world. Is the… Read more

Aging Movement Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Treating the diseased brain with artificial stimulation

January 14, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita Antidromic spikes, Basal ganglia, DBS, Deep Brain Stimulation, Dopamine, Neuron, Parkinson's Disease, Qian Li, Substantia Nigra, Subthalamic nucleus, Therapeutic deep brain stimulation in parkinsonian rats directly influences motor cortex., Wing-Ho Yung

We often fail to appreciate the small and precise functions of our motor system. How effortless and smooth our movements are when getting up from a chair! How quick and… Read more

A New Year. A New You.

January 2, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita New Year's Resolutions, PFC, Prefrontal Cortex, Ventromedial prefrontal cortex, vmPFC

Yesterday, millions of people across the world made New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, or follow their dreams. Chances are that this isn’t the first time they made… Read more

Neuro News Sensation and Perception

"Feeling" music

December 17, 2012March 5, 2017 Anita Auditory cortex, Beat, Feeling music: integration of auditory and tactile inputs in musical meter perception, Juan Huang, Limbic system, Melody, Music, Music meter, PloS one, Steven Hsiao

The chorus of “Gangnam Style” makes us promptly break into a dance! Adele’s “Someone Like You” brings tears to our eyes. An electrifying rock concert brings shivers down our spines!… Read more

Did You Know? Learning and Memory

Quick buzz. Slow learning.

December 5, 2012March 5, 2017 Anita Alcohol, Binge, Current Biology, Ethanol, Fruit Flies, Hangover, Learning, Memory, negative association task, Neural Adaptation Leads to Cognitive Ethanol Dependence

Beer and wine are quite possibly the oldest known man-made beverages. Anthropologists have discovered beer jugs that date back to the Neolithic period (10,000 B.C.), and Egyptian pictographs clearly show… Read more

Aging Did You Know? Learning and Memory

Leisure for the Body. Labor for the Brain.

November 28, 2012March 5, 2017 Anita Activity, Aging, Cognitive Reserve and Lifestyle, Leisure, Memory, Scarmeas

What do you do when you take a break from work? In your leisure time, what is something that you routinely find yourself doing? What is your default solution to… Read more

Aging Learning and Memory Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Solving the Alzheimer’s Puzzle: One Piece at a Time

November 19, 2012March 5, 2017 Anita AD, Alzheimer amyloid-β oligomer bound to postsynaptic prion protein activates Fyn to impair neurons, Alzheimer's, amyloid-β, cellular prion protein, kinase-signaling, lactate dehydrogenase, Nature Neuroscience, NMDA receptors, Strittmatter, synaptic plasticity

Based on the recent statistics, one in eight individuals over the age of 65 has Alzheimer’s disease, and for every 68 seconds that pass, yet another individual in the United… Read more

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