Did You Know? Archives - Knowing Neurons

Knowing Neurons

Did You Know?Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

June 24, 2025 Tony Nguyen

The Sentinels You’ve Never Heard Of: Border-Associated Macrophages

By Tony Nguyen Every fortress needs watchmen, sentinels who don’t just sound the alarm, but sense when danger is approaching. For decades, we believed the brain’s sentinels were microglia alone,… Read more

An image of light purple spikes against a dark background

Did You Know?Neuroscience Technologies

June 12, 2024 Dhruv Mehrotra

The Eclectic Nature of Electric Fish: Lessons for Neuroscience and Beyond

By Dhruv Mehrotra Electricity is an essential component of modern life that is oftentimes taken for granted. However, there used to be a time when human civilization did not know… Read more

Knowing Love infographic about how our brains react to love

Culture Did You Know?

February 13, 2024 Divi Bhaireddy

Knowing Love

Written and Illustrated by Divi Bhaireddy Edited by Vidya Saravanapandian, Justin McMahon, and Gil Torten… Read more

Brain Basics Collaborations Did You Know?Infographics

January 25, 2024 Johanna Mayer

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Infographic

Written and Illustrated by Johanna Mayer Edited by Melis Cakar & Keionna Newton. References Schwarz DS, Blower MD. The endoplasmic reticulum: structure, function and response to cellular signaling. Cell Mol Life… Read more

five bubbles with people inside of them are pictured

Brain Basics Did You Know?Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

December 15, 2023 Johanna Popp

Exploring 5 Bizarre Brain Disorders: Unraveling Mysteries of the Mind

By Johanna Popp The human brain is highly intricate and there are a lot of mysteries that still need to be uncovered when it comes to its structure and function… Read more

Did You Know?Evolution of Cognition

November 7, 2023 Lupita Valencia

Facing the Uncanny Valley: Pareidolia and Face Recognition

By Lupita Valencia Evolution has made us experts at recognizing faces. We are innately social creatures and are hard-wired to detect faces in the environment. From the moment we are… Read more

a woman in a lab coat looking at an image of the brain on a computer

Did You Know?

October 30, 2023 Caitlin Goodpaster

The Neuroscience of Zombies: Unmasking the Zombie Mind

By Caitlin Goodpaster As spooky season descends upon us, it’s intriguing to explore the connections between neuroscience and a Halloween classic: the zombie. While the introduction of zombism to fiction… Read more

modern nurse taking a medical tool from someone in 2000 BC

Neuroscience Techniques Did You Know?

August 18, 2023 Julia LaValley

Need it like I need a Hole in the Head: A History of the World’s Earliest Neurosurgery

By J. LaValley Often, when we discuss medical practices of the past, we do so with a certain level of scorn, horror, and disgust. These aren’t unreasonable reactions when thinking… Read more

knowing myalgic encephalomyelitis infographic

Infographics Did You Know?Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Sleep

May 15, 2023 Kayla Lim

Knowing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

In this infographic, Kayla Lim discusses the basics of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and intricacies related to long COVID! Edited by Zoe Dobler, Vidya Saravanapandian, and Julia LaValley… Read more

Brain Development Cognition Did You Know?Psychedelics

May 11, 2023 knowingneurons

What Nicotine Does to the Brain, and the Science of Smoking Cessation

By William Pollard According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, success rates for cessation remain low, with only 7.5% of smokers managing to quit smoking entirely. The need… Read more

Psychedelics Did You Know?Neuro News

April 25, 2023 Andrew Bontemps

Taking a “trip” inside the cell: New research shows how psychedelics promote neuroplasticity

By Andrew Bontemps Original article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adf0435 “Perspectives” article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg2989 Maxemiliano Vargas and colleagues from UC Davis and Medical College of Wisconsin recently released a paper describing some of the interesting… Read more

Brain Development Did You Know?

January 6, 2023 Mary Bullock

New Year, New Neurons: The History of Neurogenesis

By Mary Bullock “New year, new me,” is a thought we may have had around the start of a new year. Maybe we want to be stronger, healthier, or smarter… Read more

Big Ideas Did You Know?

December 24, 2022 DanielToker

No somos tan racionales como creemos: la filosofía política y la ciencia de la irracionalidad

Artículo original: No Somos Tan Racionales Como Creemos: La Filosofía Política y La Ciencia de la Irracionalidad, Daniel Toker Los científicos cognitivos han sabido por décadas que los humanos son… Read more

Big Ideas Consciousness Did You Know?Evolution of Cognition Joel's Pick Neuro News Philosophy

June 8, 2021 Joel Frohlich

How Floating in Darkness Takes the Body off the Mind

What happens when your mind disconnects from all outside sensations? First, you undress, put in earplugs, and step into a floatation tank, the water warmed to the temperature of your… Read more

Big Ideas Brain Basics Did You Know?

May 31, 2021 Himani Arora

Gut Feelings: The Connection With The Brain

Picture this: You are encountering some dilemma. You call your friend, and they advise you to go with your “gut feelings”. These are perceived to be some sort of miraculous… Read more

Big Ideas Brain Development Did You Know?Evolution of Cognition Language

April 27, 2021 Aurore Bargat

Vocabulary Retention In Adult Language Learners

What can we learn and implement from neuroscience to support long-term vocabulary retention in adult language learners? Brain and Language Neuroscience focuses on how different regions of the brain work… Read more

Collaborations Did You Know?Interviews Podcast

April 22, 2021 Elizabeth Burnette

Songbirds and Vocal Learning: Interview with Dr Stephanie White

Knowing Neurons interviews Dr. Stephanie White, Professor of Integrative Biology and Physiology at UCLA, about her work studying vocal learning in songbirds as well as her role as the Assistant… Read more

Did You Know?Mental Health Neuro Primer Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

March 22, 2021 Elizabeth Burnette

Neuro Primer: Addiction Basics

Spanish Translation also available here: Neuro Cartilla: Los principios básicos de la adicción ~~~ From alcohol to opioids to cocaine, most of us are familiar with addictive substances. But how does… Read more

The Blood Brain Barrier – Is it Really All it’s Described to Be?

Big Ideas Brain Basics Did You Know?

March 15, 2021 Abdullah Iqbal

The Blood Brain Barrier – Is it Really All it’s Described to Be?

Spanish Translation also available here: La Barrera Hematoencefálica – ¿Realmente funciona como su nombre indica? ~~~ One of the mantras in neuroscience is that the blood brain barrier (BBB) protects… Read more

Big Ideas Brain Basics Did You Know?Sensation and Perception

February 21, 2021 Mariella Careaga

Invisible Modulators of Fear: How the Gut Microbiome Alters Fear Extinction

Learning to avoid a threat as well as knowing when something is no longer dangerous is crucial for an organism’s survival. Being able to shake off fearful memories after a… Read more

Brain Basics Collaborations Did You Know?Interviews Neuro News

February 15, 2021 Arielle Hogan

Sex Differences in the Neural Control of Thermogenesis: An Interview with Dr. Stephanie Correa

Understanding the complexity of the human mind and body is a feat that some would say is impossible. While the scientific community forges on despite the immense expanse of the… Read more

Big Ideas Brain Basics Did You Know?Mental Health Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

January 3, 2021 Elizabeth Burnette

The Nocebo Effect

Most of us have heard of the placebo effect – the phenomenon in which patients experience improvements in health simply due to their belief in the efficacy of a medical… Read more

Artificial Intelligence Big Ideas Did You Know?Evolution of Cognition Neuro SciFi Neuroscience Technologies

December 7, 2020 Arielle Hogan

The AMI Procedure- Gateway to a Cyborg Future

Advances in bioengineering and robotics have delivered incredible devices capable of partially restoring functionality to those who suffer from movement related disabilities. However, this technology is not perfect. Patients still… Read more

Big Ideas Did You Know?Science Policy

October 31, 2020 Zoe Guttman

Evidence-Based Solutions to the Mass Incarceration Crisis: Neuroscience and Cash Bail

Mass incarceration is a public health crisis with particular relevance to the neuroscience community. Much of our work as neuroscientists revolves around the criminal justice system, including mental illness, adolescent… Read more

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