Neuro Primer Archives - Knowing Neurons

Feature image of a labryinth next to an ear (as a play on the inner labryinth of the ear). Illustrated by McCall Sarrett.

Neuro Primer: Vestibular System

June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 Alexa Erdogan 1 Comment balance, BPPV, Cupula, Endolymph, Gravity, Microgravity, Movement, Orientation, Otolithic Organs, Otoliths, Saccule, Semicircular Canals, Sensation, Space neuroscience, Utricle, Vertigo, Vestibular Ocular Reflex, Vestibular system, VOR

Have you ever watched shaky camera footage taken by someone running frantically through the forest? The camera shot shakes and bounces, making it difficult to get a clear view of… Read more

Brain Basics Neuro Primer Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Neuro Primer: Sleep

March 20, 2019June 5, 2019 Joel Frohlich 1 Comment Adenosine, Alzheimer's, Alzheimer’s disease, ascending activating system, atonia, Brainstem, Caffeine, Coffee, Dreaming, dreams, general anesthesia, Hypnogram, Hypothalamus, locus coeruleus, NREM, Optic Chiasm, parasomnia, Raphe Nucleus, rapid eye movement sleep, REM, REM sleep behavior disorder, Sleep, Sleep paralysis, suprachiasmatic nucleus, synchronization, tuberomammillary nucleus

It’s easy to ask: “Why sleep?” But we can also turn the question on its head: “Why wake?” We need to be awake, among other reasons, to find and eat… Read more

Brain Basics Neuro Primer

Neuro Primer: Hormones and Body Weight

January 16, 2019January 28, 2019 Daniela McVicker 0 Comments cortisol, Estrogen, Hormones, insulin, Leptin, Neuro Primer, obesity, Stress hormone, Thyroid, Weight

People all over the globe have the perception that being overweight or obese is caused by eating too much junk food, drinking sugary drinks, or not exercising enough. People with… Read more

Knowing Neurons - Artistic illustration of three different types of glial cells (astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes)

Aging Brain Basics Brain Development Neuro Primer Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Neuro Primer: Glia

October 25, 2018October 25, 2018 Alexa Erdogan 0 Comments Alzheimer’s disease, Astrocyte, Ependymal cells, glia, homeostasis, Immune cells, Lou Gehrig's Disease, Microglia, Neuro Primer, Neurodegenerative disease, Neurodevelopment, Neuroglia, Neuroscience history, Neurotransmitters, Oligodendrocyte, Rene Dutrochet, Rudolf Virchow, Santiago Ramon y Cajal, Synapse, synaptic plasticity, Synaptogenesis

Every single day, a group of cells work tirelessly to monitor and protect the neural architecture of your brain. Some of them even move around, scanning neural networks like recon… Read more

Aging Brain Basics Neuro Primer Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Neuro Primer: Aging

October 10, 2018October 8, 2018 Gabrielle Torre 0 Comments 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

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 Neuro Primer

Neuro Primer: Neurodevelopment

July 13, 2018July 13, 2018 Gabrielle Torre 1 Comment 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

How does your brain become a brain? Neurodevelopment is the crucial process through which every brain is formed.… Read more

Brain Basics Neuro Primer

Neuro Primer: Cerebral Organoids

June 27, 2018April 18, 2019 Caitlin Aamodt 3 Comments Biology, Brains in a dish, Cell, Cell cultures, Cell signaling, Cells, Chimeras, Microcephaly, Nature, Neuroscience, Organoids, Rodent, Rodents, Sentience, Zika, Zika virus

t may sound like something Dr. Frankenstein himself would be envious of, but scientists can now create miniature “brain” organoids in a dish.… Read more

Brain Basics Consciousness Neuro Primer

Neuro Primer: Attention

May 31, 2018March 3, 2019 Sean Noah 3 Comments Attention, Brain, Brain Basics, Consciousness, Focus, Perception, Vision

magine suffering through a 2pm class on a sweltering day in early June. Summer’s almost arrived, and it’s hard not to let your mind wander away from the dull information… Read more