A “Little Bit” of OCD: When Words Trivialize a Disorder
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…
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Author: Anita
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Science Careers: An Interview with Dr. Rachel Bernstein
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,…
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How to Give Thanks Like a Neuroscientist
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.…
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Mental Health is a Part of Health: A Conversation with Shekhar Saxena
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…
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What Loneliness Looks Like in the Brain
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…
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With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Neural Stem Cells
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.…
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Science Fiction, Serendipity and Interneuron Specification: A Conversation with Dr. Gordon J. Fishell
It is easy to assume that if a car has a gas pedal, it needs to have brakes, and similarly, if our brain has excitatory neurons, it needs inhibition too.…
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Getting Technical: Methods in Neuroscience
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…
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Oh, Rats! They’ll Regret This.
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?…
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Decoding the Brain’s “Low Fuel” Signal
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…
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Fatal Attraction: The Cat-and-Mouse Story with a Twist
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…
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The Newest Cupid on the Block: Epigenetics
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…
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