Knowing Neurons

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Neurological and Psychiatric DisordersLearning and MemoryPopular Articles

Understanding Noonan Syndrome

This past November the mug shot of Charles McDowell went viral after viewers noticed that the man in the photo had an unusual phenotype- specifically a larger than average neck.… Read More
Big IdeasBrain BasicsDid You Know?Neuroscience TechnologiesPhilosophyPopular Articles

How Do We Know? The Value of Scientific Models.

Last month, astronomers announced the prediction of a new giant planet in our solar system dubbed Planet IX, a genuine ninth planet with ten times the mass of Earth.  The… Read More
Did You Know?Popular ArticlesSensation and Perception

Digging Out the “Earworms:” Involuntary Musical Imagery Correlates with Cortical Structure

You don’t know you know this song, but you definitely know this song: “Hey Mickey you’re so fine, you’re so fine you…” Did the end of the lyric materialize in… Read More
Big IdeasBrain BasicsDid You Know?Neurological and Psychiatric DisordersPopular Articles

The Fugue of Life: Why Complexity Matters in Physiology and Neuroscience

People like simplicity. Each decade, corporate logos grow progressively minimalistic, pop songs use ever simpler melodies, and visual art embraces simpler compositions, as Monet gives way to Picasso and Picasso… Read More
Big IdeasBrain BasicsDid You Know?Popular Articles

Scale Invariance: A Cautionary Tale Against Reductionism

How long is the coast of Britain?  It doesn’t matter how good your geography is — the answer depends on the size of your measuring stick.  The coast of Britain… Read More
Brain BasicsDid You Know?Popular ArticlesSfN 2014

Inhibitory Neurons: Keeping the Brain’s Traffic in Check

Imagine that you’re driving down a road undeterred, no red lights or stop signs to slow you down. While that may seem like a very exciting idea, it is obviously… Read More
Brain BasicsDid You Know?Popular ArticlesSfN 2014

Hubel and Wiesel & the Neural Basis of Visual Perception

Snap!  Crackle!  Pop! Those are the sounds that Professors David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel heard in the early 1950s when they recorded from neurons in the visual cortex of a… Read More
Learning and MemoryNeuro NewsPopular ArticlesSensation and Perception

Heightened Senses: Cross-Modal Neuroplasticity

Envision this scenario.  It’s the end of a grueling hike and you’re racing back to civilization along a trail in the mountains as darkness falls.  You’ve become separated from your… Read More
Neuro NewsNeurological and Psychiatric DisordersNeuroscience TechnologiesPopular Articles

Reverse Inference: Neuroscience’s Greatest Fallacy?

The recent unveiling of the BRAIN Initiative promised a greater understanding of cognition through improved imaging techniques.  However, the biggest problem in neuroscience is not the limits of technology, but… Read More
Brain BasicsDid You Know?Learning and MemoryPopular ArticlesSensation and Perception

The amygdala: a full brain integrator in the face of fear

You are sitting at your computer quietly reading this article when – BOOM! – there is a sharp loud noise behind you! You instinctively stop what you are doing, jump… Read More
Did You Know?Popular ArticlesSensation and Perception

Social Grooming: It’s not just for monkeys and prairie voles!

Have you ever noticed how much time cats spend cleaning themselves? I’m sure they believe that “cleanliness is next to Godliness,” but spending 15% of their day grooming seems a… Read More