Knowing Neurons

Neuroscience

InfographicsDid You Know?Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)

~ Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by abnormal levels of impulsive and hyperactive behaviors which occurs in both children and adults. Symptoms appear around 3-… Read More
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
AgingBrain BasicsNeuro PrimerNeurological and Psychiatric Disorders

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 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
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
PodcastBig IdeasConsciousnessInterviewsNeuro SciFiPhilosophy

[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
Neuro PrimerBrain Basics

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
SleepConsciousness

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
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 DevelopmentBig IdeasLearning and MemoryNeurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Are children with Angelman syndrome really happy?

This post was updated on April 24, 2019 to incorporate feedback from parents. Names have been changed to protect anonymity. What is health? What is happiness? We generally imagine the… Read More
ConsciousnessLearning and MemoryNeurological and Psychiatric Disorders

When You Split the Brain, Do You Split the Person?

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he brain is perhaps the most complex machine in the Universe. It consists of two cerebral hemispheres, each with many different modules. Fortunately, all these separate parts are not autonomous… Read More
Science PolicyBig IdeasNeurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Neurolaw: Combining Neuroscience and Criminal Justice

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he number of U.S. judicial opinions citing neuroscience more than doubled in the seven years from 2005 to 2012, according to an analysis in the Journal of Law and the Biosciences.… 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
Brain BooksSensation and Perception

Book Review: Your Brain is a Time Machine: The Neuroscience and Physics of Time

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n a recent family trip, I persuaded my dad to continue on from Grand Teton to Yellowstone National Park. Time was short before driving back to our lodging in Idaho.… Read More
Big IdeasDid You Know?

You’re Not as Rational as You Think: Political Philosophy and the Science of Irrationality

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]ognitive scientists have known for decades that humans are inherently irrational when it comes to making economic decisions. This may seem obvious to a good poker player, who will likely… Read More
Neuroscience TechnologiesBig IdeasNeuroscience ArtSensation 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
Neuroscience ArtDid You Know?InterviewsSensation 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
Neuroscience TechnologiesBrain BasicsBrain DevelopmentDid You Know?Learning and MemoryNeuro NewsSensation 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