Neurons Archives - Knowing Neurons

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 Development Learning and Memory

Cameron McKay August 15, 2018September 7, 2018 Adult neurogenesis, Axon, Axons, Basic science, Brain, Cells, Connections, Cortex, Dendrite, Dendrites, Dendritic spine, Development, environment, Experience-dependent plasticity, Gray matter, Hippocampus, Human memory, Humans, Juggling, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Marian Diamond, Memories, Memory, MRI, MRI research, Neurodevelopment, Neurogenesis, Neurons, Neuroplasticity, Plasticity, Rats, Research, Science, Synapse, Synaptic pruning, Synaptogenesis, Taxi drivers, TBI, Traumatic brain injury, White matter

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

Neuro Primer Brain Basics

Gabrielle Torre July 13, 2018May 31, 2021 Apoptosis, Axons, Biology, Brain, Brain development, Brain growth, Cell death, Cells, Cortex, Dendrites, Development, Infancy, Knowing Neurons, Learning, neurobiology, Neurodevelopment, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroplasticity, Neuroscience, Plasticity, Science, Synapse, Synapses

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

Big Ideas Consciousness Philosophy

Joel Frohlich February 21, 2018February 21, 2018 Anesthesia, Brain, Cerebellum, Cerebral Cortex, complexity, Conscious, Consciousness, Cortex, Death, Evolution, Giulio Tononi, Human, Information, Integrated Information Theory, Lesions, Life, Neurons, Neurophilosophy, philosophy, Qualia, Seizure, Sleep, Solipsism, Systems, Thomas Nagel, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulaion, Zombies

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 Basics Did You Know?Sensation and Perception

Jenn Tribble January 24, 2018January 23, 2018 Brain, Dopamine, GABA, glutamate, Network, Neuron, Neurons, neurotransmitter, Perception, Receptor, serotonin, Synapse

Neuronal Communication: Electricity and Neurotransmitters

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith approximately 86 billion neurons in the human brain, it is a complex piece of machinery in charge of movement, sensation, decision-making, and more. Behaviors cannot arise from the work… Read More

Weird Animal Brain Did You Know?Sensation and Perception

Kayleen Schreiber September 18, 2017September 17, 2017 Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Lizard, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Science, Vision

Weird Animal Brain: Tuatara Lizard

The tuatara lizard is called a “living fossil” because it is the last surviving member of the Rhynchocephalia order. Learn more about the tuatara in the infographic below!… Read More

Learning and Memory Did You Know?Neuro News

Kayleen Schreiber August 21, 2017August 21, 2017 Brain, Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Memory, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Research, Science

Bite-size science: The brain remembers without staying the same

A new paper published this month in the journal Cell describes an unexpected finding about memory. Researchers used to think that memory required specific activity from the same brain cells… Read More

Neuroscience Technologies Sensation and Perception

Sean Noah August 16, 2017August 16, 2017 Analog, Biomimicry, Brain, Chips, Circuits, Computer, Digital, Engineering, Neuromorphic, Neurons, Sensors, Silicon, Transistors

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

Weird Animal Brain Did You Know?Sensation and Perception

Kayleen Schreiber August 7, 2017August 7, 2017 Brain, Drosophila, Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Nature, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Receptor, Science, Smell, Synapse, taste

Weird Animal Brain: Fly

Fly lips are called labellum and fly feet are called tarsi. Both the labellum and tarsi contain taste receptors which help the fly find food. Think about that the next… Read More

Neuroscience Technologies Big Ideas Neuroscience Art Sensation and Perception

Alexa Erdogan August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 Brain, CLARITY, Cortex, EEG, Fact, fMRI, Greg Dunn, Interview, Knowing Neurons, MRI, Neuroimaging, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Prefrontal Cortex, Research, Science

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

Brain Development Brain Basics Did You Know?Learning and Memory Sensation and Perception

Gabrielle Torre July 26, 2017June 23, 2022 Brain, Cortex, Development, EEG, Fact, fMRI, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Prefrontal Cortex, Reading, Research

Reading: The Brain’s Best Hijacker

What are you doing right now? I’m no psychic, but I can say for certain one thing that you’re doing: reading. You’re reading this sentence, word by word, and extracting… Read More

Weird Animal Brain Did You Know?Sensation and Perception

Kayleen Schreiber July 24, 2017July 23, 2017 Brain, Color, Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Nature, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Research, Science, Vision

Weird Animal Brain: Brittle Star

Brittle stars are covered in protective outer plates, but they also have another structure of internal plates. A particular species of brittle star seems to be able to use these… Read More

Neuroscience Art Did You Know?Interviews 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

Did You Know?Sensation and Perception

Kayleen Schreiber July 17, 2017July 16, 2017 Brain, Immune System, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Receptor, Synapse

Bite-size Science: Immune Cells use Neurotransmitter to Communicate

Researchers have suspected for a few years that neurotransmitters like dopamine play a role in how the immune system functions. But they didn’t know how cells in the immune system… Read More

Did You Know?Weird Animal Brain

Kayleen Schreiber July 10, 2017April 17, 2023 Antenna, Brain, Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Nature, Neuron, Neurons, Perception, Science, Smell

Weird Animal Brain: Moth

These beautiful little creatures are incredibly skilled at sniffing out mates. The pheromone the females release is called bombykol. Scientists are on the hunt for exactly how this pheromone activates… Read More

Weird Animal Brain Did You Know?Movement Neuroscience Art Sensation and Perception

Kayleen Schreiber June 26, 2017June 30, 2017 Brain, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Platypus, Receptor

Weird Animal Brain: Platypus

The platypus and the echidna are the only mammals that have the power of electroreception, which means they can sense electrical changes. Check out this new Weird Animal Brain to… 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

Weird Animal Brain Did You Know?Movement Neuroscience Art Sensation and Perception

Kayleen Schreiber June 12, 2017June 30, 2017 Brain, Development, Infographic, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Ocean, Perception, Receptor, Sea Squirt

Weird Animal Brain: Sea Squirt

The brain is one of the most complex and amazing structures in the universe. It allows us to experience the world, feel, remember, and plan for the future. But for… Read More

Weird Animal Brain Did You Know?Movement Sensation and Perception

Kayleen Schreiber January 9, 2017June 5, 2019 Brain, Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Octopus, Perception, Weird Animal Brain

Weird Animal Brain: Octopus

The octopus almost reaches alien status when it comes to its brain and nervous system. And yet, the differences can help us understand more about the human brain as well… Read More

Weird Animal Brain Did You Know?Movement

Kayleen Schreiber September 19, 2016June 30, 2017 Brain, Bug, Cockroach, Disease, Fact, Infographic, Insect, Knowing Neurons, Neurons, Neuroscience, Pain, Science, Wasp, Weird Animal Brain

Weird animal brain: Jewel wasp

The jewel wasp’s venom is potent on two levels. … Read More

Big Ideas

Joel Frohlich July 20, 2016June 30, 2017 Brain, Calcium, Carol Jung, Chaos, Chinese, Claude Shannon, Entropy, Experiments, Granule, Imaging, Information, Information theory, inhibitory, Komiyama, Mice, Mitral, Neurons, Neuroscience, Odor, Olfaction, Olfactory Bulb, paradox, Research, Seizure, Sleep, Sparse coding, theory, Videos, x, YouTube, z, Zebrafish

Learning from Disorder: The Paradox of Information in the Brain

In Dante’s Inferno, the fifth circle of Hell is a place where the wrathful fight each other for eternity. Similarly, I often consider YouTube comments to be an extracanonical circle… Read More

52 Brain Facts Sleep

knowingneurons July 4, 2016June 30, 2017 52 Brain Facts, Brain, Disease, Fatal Familial Insomnia, FFI, gene, Insomnia, Misfolded, mutation, Neurons, Prion, Protein, Sleep, Thalamus

Myth or Fact? A misfolded protein can cause you to never sleep again.

Neuro News SfN 2014 Sleep

Kate Fehlhaber November 15, 2014March 5, 2017 Amita Sehgal, Awake, Brain, Circadian, Circuits, Clock, Cycle, Drosophila, Fruit fly, GABA, HHMI, Johns Hopkins, Large ventrolateral neurons, Neurons, SfN14, Sha Liu, Sleep, WAKE, Wide awake, Wu Lab

WIDE AWAKE at #SfN14

There’s always one person snoring through the talk you’re trying to listen to at SfN. That person might even be you at some point during this meeting! Whether you are… Read More

Did You Know?Interviews Sensation and Perception SfN 2014

Kate Fehlhaber November 10, 2014March 5, 2017 @KnowingNeurons, Art, Brainstem, Creativity, Grad School, Intuition, Mechanosensory, Neurons, Organization, Postdoc, Sense, Sensory, SfN14, Spinal cord, Touch

Science with a Touch of Art: A Conversation with David Ginty

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/176184172″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /] If you think about it, the surface of the human body, the skin, is actually one huge sheet of tactile receptors. The dozens… Read More

Brain Basics Did You Know?Popular Articles SfN 2014

Kate Fehlhaber October 29, 2014March 5, 2017 1981, Activity, Columns, David Hubel, Electrophysiology, Neurons, Neuroscience, Nobel Prize, Recording, SfN14, Topographical map, Torsten Wiesel, Vision, Visual, Visual cortex

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

Did You Know?Interviews SfN 2014

Jillian L. Shaw October 22, 2014March 5, 2017 and Synapses, Conversation, DNA, Eric Kandel, gene, Interview, Kelsey C. Martin, Kelsey Martin, Learning, M.D./Ph.D., Memory, Neurons, Peace Corps., Plasticity, SfN14, Synapse, Synapses, The Living Record of Memory: Genes, UCLA

From Stevens to Synapses: A Conversation with Kelsey Martin

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/173263228″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /] Take your wildest guess. How many neurons make up the human brain? You’re not guessing wild enough if you said anything less than… Read More

Did You Know?Learning and Memory Movement Sensation and Perception

Ryan Jones April 10, 2013March 5, 2017 Amnesia, Dostrovsky, Epilepsy, Hippocampus, Memory, Mouse, Neurons, O'Keefe, Place Cell, Place Field, Schnitzer, Space, Stanford, University College London

Forming Memories, One Neuron at a Time

On Monday, Knowing Neurons highlighted a recent research article that described a new miniature microscope that was small enough to sit on a mouse’s head and light enough to allow… Read More

Neuroscience Technologies

Ryan Jones February 8, 2013March 5, 2017 Algae, Boyden, Channelrhodopsin, Deisseroth, genetically targeted optical control of neural activity, Halorhodopsin, Light, Millisecond-timescale, Multimodal fast optical interrogation of neural circuitry, Neurons, Neuroscience, Optogenetics

What do single cell green algae have to do with the state of the art of neuroscience?

Well, a lot actually! Green algae, or Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to be formal, are the unicellular organisms with a unique trait that has been helping make huge advances in modern neuroscience… Read More