Genetics Archives - Knowing Neurons

Infographics Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Gil Torten September 13, 2023September 11, 2023 0 Comments Genetics, lifestyle, migraine, pharmacologics, Sex differences, trigeminal ganglion

Knowing Migraines

Written and Illustrated by Gil Torten Edited by Kayla Lim and Keionna Newton… Read More

Brain Development Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Neuropolicy Paper Competition 2023 Science Policy

Yug Yadava September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 0 Comments Genetics, pediatrics, Policy, United States

The National Expansion of Newborn Screening Tests for Leukodystrophies

Policy Memo by Yug Yadava Executive Summary When a child is born at a hospital in the United States, he or she is tested for genetic, inherited, heart, and hearing… Read More

Infographics Mental Health Science Policy

Gil Torten August 28, 2023August 20, 2023 Genetics, GWAS, LGBTQ, mental health, queer

Queer Science

Written and Illustrated by Gil Torten Edited by Lauren Wagner and Justin McMahon… Read More

Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Neuroscience Techniques Neuroscience Technologies

Justin McMahon August 24, 2023August 23, 2023 Gene therapy, Genetics, Novel Treatment, therapeutics

Gene Therapy: Cutting Edge Neuroscience in Medicine

By Justin McMahon Around 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental illness at some point throughout their lives (World Health Organization, 2022), and unfortunately up to 60% of… Read More

silhouettes of people in blue and yellow against a black and gray city background

Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Neuroscience Technologies

Rebeka Popovic April 18, 2023May 11, 2023 Genetics, GWAS, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, SNPs

What are genome-wide association studies?

by Rebeka Popovic To operate properly, each cell relies on thousands of proteins performing their function at the right time and place within the boundaries of its membrane. The function… Read More

Neuro SciFi Neuroscience Technologies

Lauren Wagner February 7, 2023February 8, 2023 brainwave entrainment, Consciousness, electroencephalography, fNRIS, FUS, Genetics, hybrid, mind-body dualism, Motor cortex, neural transceivers, noninvasive imaging, sensory input, spatial resolution, TMS

The Neuroscience of Avatar – could we really download our brains into a new body?

By Lauren Wagner Thirteen years after the first Avatar movie came out in 2009, director James Cameron invites viewers to journey back to the faraway, lush exo-moon of Pandora with… Read More

Aging Brain Basics Neuro Primer

Marta Garo-Pascual November 29, 2022December 30, 2022 Aging, Alzheimer's, Alzheimer’s disease, cell division, Chromosome, DNA, Enzyme, Genetics, Neurodegeneration, Parkinson's, Parkinson's Disease, replication, telomerase, telomeres, Therapy

By Marta Garo-Pascual Telomeres are the “shoelace caps” of linear chromosomes and, as shoelace caps protect shoelaces, telomeres serve a protective role for chromosomes. Barbara McClintock and Hermann Muller described… Read More

Infographics

Federica Raguseo September 5, 2022September 7, 2022 anti-sickness drugs, chronic migraine, environment, episodic migraine, Genetics, light sensitivity, migraine, nausea, postdrome, prodrome, Sleep, Treatment

Knowing Migraines – Not “Just” Headaches

For Migraine Awareness Week, from September 5-14 this year, Federica Raguseo created an infographic to raise awareness – click here to read more.… Read More

Brain Development Infographics Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Melis Cakar August 1, 2022August 1, 2022 Attention, Fragile X, genes, Genetics, Hyperactivity, Learning Disability, mutation, Neurodevelopmental Disorder, Sensory Sensitivity, synaptic plasticity

Fragile X Syndrome

July is Fragile X awareness month. Learn more about Fragile X with our illustrator Melis Cakar’s new infographic!… Read More

Brain Development Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Lauren Granata December 14, 2021September 14, 2022 Acoustics, cry, Development, Evolution, Genetics, infants, Postpartum, Psychiatric Disorders, Ultrasonic Vocalizations

The Why of the Cry

When you hear a baby relentlessly crying on an airplane, even through your noise-cancelling headphones, you can do nothing but sigh in defeat. With all hope of an in-flight nap… Read More

Brain Basics Consciousness Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Sensation and Perception Sleep

Mira Rakicevic December 30, 2019June 3, 2021 Anxiety, Cataplexy, circadian rhythm, EEG, Electromyogram, Genetics, Hallucination, hypnagogic hallucination, Hypnopompic, Insomnia, Narcolepsy, NREM sleep, parasomnia, PER2, Polysomnography, REM sleep, Sleep, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Atonia, Sleep paralysis, stress, Vestibular-motor Hallucination

Sleep Paralysis: What Is It and What Causes It?

Sleep paralysis is a type of REM parasomnia or abnormal behavior that takes place during the REM sleep cycle. Also known as sleep atonia, this condition refers to the feeling… Read More

An artistic take on the "monkey-to-man" cartoon, depicting the final result as a larger human near fast food with a red warning sign around it. Illustrated by McCall Sarrett.

Big Ideas Brain Basics Brain Development Culture

Marco Travaglio November 27, 2019June 3, 2021 Attention, Brain Fat, Cortex, dementia, depression, DHA, Diet, Dopamine, Dorsal Attention Network, EPA, Evolution, Fat, Fish Oil, Frontoparietal Network, Genetics, Monounsaturated Fat, Neurological Disorder, Neurotransmitters, Omega-3, Omega-6, Polyunsaturated Fat, serotonin, supplements

Brain, Healthy Fats, and the Importance of Fitting Into Your Genes

Our brains are extremely rich in fat. Indeed, about two thirds of the human brain is composed of fat, 35% of which consists of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. What are… Read More

Brain Basics Brain Development

Ilaria Vitali February 6, 2019February 6, 2019 Autism, Development, developmental disorders, excitatory, Genetics, glia, Lissencephaly, Neural Progenitor Cells, Neurodevelopment, neuronal migration, Reelin, Schizophrenia, ventricular zone, Wnt

Neuronal Migration: A “Sliding Door” for the Future of the Brain

Have you ever wondered how each cell of our body reaches its correct place? It is even more astounding when you realize that our body is formed from only two… Read More

Image of book with DNA spiraling outwards towards the front cover of Innate

Brain Books

Gabrielle Torre January 23, 2019January 23, 2019 Brain Books, Chromosomes, CRISPR, Gene editing, Genetics, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neurodevelopment

Book Review: Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are

Around the world, all populations of humans are essentially the same. The differences that make us who we are lie in differences among individuals, which result from only 0.1% of… Read More

Learning and Memory Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Popular Articles

Caitlin Aamodt December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 Brain, bullying, Cell signaling, Charles McDowell, G-protein signaling, Genetics, intellectual disability, kinase, Learning, Long-term potentiation, LTP, Meme, Memory, neurodevelopmental disorer, Neuroscience, noonan syndrome, Novartis, phosphatase, Prison, PTPN11, Ras, Rasopathy

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

Evolution of Cognition Language Neuro News

Caitlin Aamodt November 16, 2018April 18, 2019 Evolution, FoxP2, Genetics, Human, language

Study Sheds New Light on FOXP2 in the Evolution of 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

Aging Brain Basics Neuro Primer Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Gabrielle Torre October 10, 2018October 8, 2018 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

Neuro Primer: Aging

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

Brain Basics Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Sleep

Sean Noah October 31, 2017May 27, 2022 Brain, Cortex, Disease, Disorders, Fatal Familial Insomnia, FFI, Genetics, Insomnia, Molecular neuroscience, Neuroscience, Prions, Psychiatry, Sleep, Sleep disorders

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?Interviews Neuroscience Art Sensation and Perception

Kayleen Schreiber July 19, 2017July 16, 2017 Art, Brain, Color, Consciousness, Cortex, Genetics, Interview, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Prefrontal Cortex, Science

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

Aging Did You Know?Learning and Memory Movement Neuro News

Kayleen Schreiber June 19, 2017June 30, 2017 Alzheimer’s disease, Brain, Cortex, DNA, Epigenetics, gene, Genetics, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Memory, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Prefrontal Cortex, Receptor, Research, Science

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 Basics Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Eric Harvey March 8, 2017June 30, 2017 Anxiety, depression, DNA, Epigenetics, Genetics, Holocaust, Kristallnacht, Methylation, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, Rachel Yahuda, Trauma

The Epigenetic Legacy of Trauma

The evening of November 9th, 1938, began with typical fall solemnity for many Jews living across Germany: closing up their shops and businesses, returning home from school, and preparing family… Read More

Did You Know?Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Rachel Jonas September 21, 2016March 18, 2018 ADHD, Autism, Bipolar, Brain, CNV, Copy number variant, Deletion, DNA, gene, Genetics, Genome, LCR, Low copy repeat, Map, mutation, Population, Psychiatric, Schizophrenia, Syndrome

Copy Number Variants: A Window into Psychiatric Illness

The human genome consists of nearly 25,000 protein-coding genes – and a mutation in just one of these can have dramatic effects on our brains. Remarkably, one tiny change in… Read More

52 Brain Facts

knowingneurons March 28, 2016April 3, 2016 52 Brain Facts, Biology, Brain, Chromosome, Disease, DNA, gene, Genetics, Manhattan, Method, Neuroscience, Plot, Scatter, Science, Significance, Skyline, SNP, Trait, Value

Myth or Fact? When geneticists talk about Manhattan, they don’t mean NYC.

Brain Basics Did You Know?Neuro News SfN 2014

Anita October 15, 2014March 5, 2017 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

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… Read More

(Transneuronal) Attack of the Mutant Huntingtin! Knowing Neurons

Did You Know?Movement Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Jillian L. Shaw September 17, 2014March 5, 2017 2014, Autosomal dominant, Botulinum neurotoxin, CAG, Chorea, Disorder, DNA, gene, Genetics, HD, HTT, Huntingtin, Huntington’s disease, mHTT, Movement, Nature Neuroscience, Trinucleotide repeat disorder

(Transneuronal) Attack of the Mutant Huntingtin!

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an incredibly debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. Currently, there is no treatment that effectively reverses the progression of the disease or delays its onset. Huntington’s is a particularly… Read More

Brain Basics Did You Know?Movement

knowingneurons August 25, 2014March 5, 2017 ALS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Genetics, Ice Bucket Challenge, Infographic, Lou Gehrig's Disease, motor neuron, Muscle, Neurodegeneration, Neurodegenerative disease, Riluzone, SOD1

ALS: An Infographic and the Ice Bucket Challenge

The Knowing Neurons team accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge!… Read More

Zinc finger nucleases: genomic scissors via Knowing Neurons

Did You Know?Neuroscience Technologies

Jooyeun Lee October 24, 2013March 5, 2017 AIDS, CCR5, Expression, Fok1, gene, Genetics, HIV, Homologous recombination, Infographic, mutation, Non-homologous end-joining, ZFN, zinc finger nuclease

Zinc Finger Nucleases: Genomic Scissors

The potential to manipulate DNA sequences and insert genes with the use of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) has huge implications for human genetic disease therapeutics. One exciting example is a… Read More

Brain Basics Did You Know?

knowingneurons June 13, 2013March 5, 2017 5hmC, 5mC, CpG, DNA, Epigenetics, genes, Genetics, Gibb, hydroxymethylcytosine, Khare, Methylation, methylcytosine, Mychasiuk, Tice

Your Brain on Epigenetics

Scientists have debated the importance of nature vs. nurture for years. For the first time, however, both sides have shaken hands and acknowledged a tie. The burgeoning field of epigenetics… Read More