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Learning and MemoryNeurological and Psychiatric DisordersPopular 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
AgingCultureNeurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Food for Your Brain: Mediterranean Diet May Help Your Neurons Live Longer

Historians consider it one of the ‘cradles of civilization,’ but for many scientists today the real value of the Mediterranean basin does not lie in its contribution to history. Home… Read More
Brain DevelopmentCulture

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

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 DevelopmentLearning and Memory

A Tale of Plasticities

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
Big IdeasConsciousnessPhilosophy

Measuring Consciousness in Bits

Consciousness is an ambiguous concept. It can mean a lot of different things, depending on the context. For example, I can say that I am conscious of something, as in, “I am… Read More
Big IdeasConsciousnessInterviewsNeuro SciFiPhilosophyPodcast

[Podcast] Uploading the Human Brain

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n a brand new episode of the Knowing Neurons podcast, we explore the concept of “mind uploading”. How would something like a mind upload really work?… Read More
Brain BasicsNeuro Primer

Neuro Primer: Neurodevelopment

Spanish Translation also available here: Neuro Cartilla: Neurodesarrollo ~~~ How does your brain become a brain? Neurodevelopment is the crucial process through which every brain is formed.… Read More
ConsciousnessSleep

Our Dreams Have Many Purposes, Changing Across the Lifespan

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]lthough radically different in terms of their content and feel, the range of dream states are just as complex as waking states. If we look across an individual’s lifetime, we… Read More
Big IdeasConsciousnessPhilosophy

Consciousness: The Final Frontier

When I walk through my kitchen, I smell fresh food and feel warmth radiating off of it. These internal, subjective experiences are called qualia. I assume that my refrigerator, my… Read More
Brain BasicsNeuro SciFi

The Life and Times of the 10% Neuromyth

How much of your brain are you using right now? The science fiction answer would be “10%.” And, if you’ve watched enough bad sci-fi, using 100% of your brain would… Read More
Brain BasicsNeurological and Psychiatric DisordersSleep

The inescapable nightmare of fatal familial insomnia

A family curse During the early 1980’s, an Italian physician was investigating a mysterious and dreadful disease that had long plagued his family. In earlier generations, this disease had killed… Read More
Did You Know?MovementNeurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Bite-size science: Cell replacement therapy for Parkinson’s Disease

In Parkinson’s Disease, specific cells in the brain die. Over time, this makes basic movements like walking and reaching for a cup impossible. Researchers are racing to find effective treatments.… Read More
Brain BasicsBrain DevelopmentNeurological and Psychiatric DisordersSensation and Perception

Schizophrenia in a Vial? The Story of Ketamine

Note: Ketamine is a controlled substance in the US and many other countries. Do not use ketamine illicitly. [dropcap]I[/dropcap]magine an injection that briefly gives you schizophrenia. Now imagine that this… Read More
Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

The Quest for a Successful TBI Treatment

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] military veteran who survived a gunshot wound to the head suffers from frequent seizures and memory problems. A motorcycle crash survivor experiences chronic depression and is unable to hold… Read More
Big IdeasScience PolicySensation and Perception

Risky Business, or Is It?

[dropcap]B[/dropcap]iologist Marston Bates once described research as “the process of going up alleys to see if they are blind.” Bates was referring to the inherent uncertainty in predicting and managing… Read More
Brain DevelopmentNeuro News

Mind the Gap: New Evidence on How Neurons Connect Left and Right Brain Halves

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ur brains are split into two halves, a left hemisphere and a right hemisphere. While the left brain specializes in languages, the right brain specializes in faces. But the two… Read More
Neuroscience TechnologiesSensation and Perception

Neuromorphic Engineering: Biomimicry from the Brain

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hat is the brain? Researchers conceive of neurons as information processing units, meaning that the circuits formed by neurons support logical and mathematical operations. In this view, the brain is… Read More
Big IdeasNeuroscience ArtNeuroscience TechnologiesSensation and Perception

How Neuroimaging Changes Our View of Science & Humanity

Magritte’s comments on our fascination with the unknown rings true not just in artistic surrealism, but also in many of our scientific research endeavors. The human mind is continually fascinated… Read More
Did You Know?InterviewsNeuroscience ArtSensation and Perception

Self Reflected: The Best of Neuroscience and Art

The phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” seems especially true for scientists. What we study becomes not only intellectually beautiful, but also literally beautiful: the form is… Read More
AgingDid You Know?Learning and MemoryMovementNeuro News

Bite-size Science: Epigenetics help protect the aging brain

Epigenetics change which genes are active and which are inactive. Research over the past few years has shown that these changes are important for protecting the brain from neurodegeneration and… Read More
Brain BasicsBrain DevelopmentDid You Know?Learning and MemoryNeuro NewsNeuroscience TechnologiesSensation and Perception

How does fundamental research help you?

Sometimes it’s hard to understand why scientists do what they do. Why spend a career studying cells, fungus, or flies? Other than being nerdy and wanting to learn about our… Read More
Did You Know?Neuroscience Technologies

Stimulating Neural Circuits with Magnetism

Brain stimulation might sound like some Frankensteinian demonstration from a Victorian science fair. But in reality, it is a contemporary technique making a huge impact in neuroscience by addressing a… Read More
Brain Basics

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.… Read More