El legado epigenético del trauma
Artículo original: The Epigenetic Legacy of Trauma Eric Harvey Traducido por Reyna Ediss La tarde del 9 de noviembre de 1938 comenzó con la solemnidad típica del otoño para muchos… Read more
Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders
La excitación y la inhibición: El yin y el yang del cerebro
Artículo original: Excitation and Inhibition: The Yin and Yang of the Brain Joel Frohlich Traducido por Mariangelina Martínez Para crear un sistema nervioso funcional solo se ocupan dos fuerzas: la… Read more
Los microbios que nos hacen humanos
Artículo original: The Microbes that Make Us Human Shuhan He Traducido por Dalí Jiménez Cualquiera que se haya manchado de brillantina sabe que inevitablemente la seguirá encontrando muchos días después… Read more
Iluminando el cerebro con la optogenética
Artículo original: Lighting up the Brain With Optogenetics Brainfacts.org Traducido por Dalí Jiménez Los científicos que estudian el moco de estanque descubrieron su capacidad peculiar de sentir la luz, incluso… Read more
La pesadilla ineludible del insomnio familiar fatal
Artículo original: The Inescapable Nightmare of Fatal Familial Insomnia Sean Noah Traducido por Estefany Ochoa Una maldición familiar A principios de la década de 1980, un médico italiano estaba investigando… Read more
Criminalization is an outdated approach to the US addiction crisis
(And why now is the perfect time to change it) The first time I heard the word prohibition was in eighth grade. The 18th amendment banned alcohol in 1918 in… Read more
Seizure Disorders: An On-Going Mystery
The word “epilepsy” comes from the Greek epilambanein, meaning “to seize, take hold of, or attack” (Baloyannis, 2013). As evidenced by historical accounts and works of art, epilepsy has existed… Read more
Rare Disease Day
It is Rare Disease Day. And to bring awareness to these diseases that have often been understudied, please read this new infographic that discusses a few of these rare conditions.… Read more
Face Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Human beings are a highly social species. In order to survive and thrive, we rely on social exchanges in which we constantly keep track of others’ faces (Leopold & Rhodes,… Read more
Cerebral Organoids Reveal New Angles for Understanding the Human Brain
When you think of researchers growing “mini-brains,” you might picture a mad scientist out of a sci-fi or horror movie. But the reality looks quite different. Cerebral organoids, often colloquially… Read more
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
Hydrocephalus Treatment Advances: time to shunt the outdated shunts
Imagine being in so much pain it is impossible for your brain to shut down and fall asleep. Worse yet, you cannot sit up, stand up, or walk around because… Read more
Depression: The Role of Chronic Inflammation
Depression is a common mental disorder affecting around 4% of the world’s population. Evidence suggests that chronic inflammation plays an important role in the development of depression. Indeed, around one… Read more
The Promise of Service Dogs in Autism
I was in my junior year of college at Ohio State University when my roommate roped me into joining an organization called 4 Paws for Ability, a group that trains… Read more
Dialogues in Music Therapy and Social Neuroscience: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Clinical Progress
In his book “Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain”, the neurologist Oliver Sacks stated that music can “calm us, animate us, comfort us, thrill us, or serve to organize… Read more
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… Read more
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
The Default Mode Network and Depression
The inner landscape of the mind can be a dark and gloomy place for people with depression and anxiety. It is often filled with negative self-talk and repetitions of bad… Read more
Focused Ultrasound: A Stimulating New Strategy To Treat Severe Brain Damage
A year into my doctoral training at UCLA, I escape the noisy hustle and bustle of Ronald Reagan Hospital at midday, into a clean and quiet room in the Intensive… Read more
Can Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Delay Cognitive Decline?
Mental abilities change throughout life, first as a result of brain maturation and later with the ageing of brain cells and their billions of complex interconnections. As we age, our… Read more
Could a computer game help to tackle intrusive memories from traumatic events?
Nowadays, experiencing shocking and dangerous situations in which you think yours or someone else’s life is in danger is not rare. People who are exposed to, or have witnessed life-threatening… Read more
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
Cognition in Schizophrenia: The Missing Piece of the Therapeutic Puzzle
What kind of mental image springs to mind upon reading the word ‘schizophrenia’? Many envisage individuals locked in dark institutions, plagued by non-existent voices and vivid hallucinations. Fortunately, modern antipsychotic… Read more
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
Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease [Infographic]
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a peripheral neuropathy disorder that affects various genders and ethnic groups worldwide. Nerve cell abnormalities are associated with this disorder and are linked to symptoms such as… Read more
Autism Spectrum Disorder [Infographic]
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in language acquisition and social communication. The disorder is referred to as a “spectrum,” as individuals can exhibit a… Read more
Alternating Hemiplegia [Infographic]
Alternating Hemiplegia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects children. A characteristic symptom of the disorder is repetitive episodes of paralysis on one side or both sides of the body. The… Read more
Canavan Disease [Infographic]
Canavan Disease is a rare and fatal neurological disorder, in which the ability of neurons to transmit information is impaired due to damaged white matter in the brain. The disorder… Read more
What is Klüver-Bucy Syndrome? [Infographic]
Klüver-Bucy syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that causes damage to the brain’s temporal lobe. However, it is not life-threatening; medications and supportive therapy can help alleviate the symptoms. Learn… Read more
Does Cannabidiol (CBD) Actually Help Anxiety?
Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating compound of the Cannabis plant, has exploded in popularity in recent times, touted as a medical “cure-all”. Retailers promise their products will heal cancer, stop dementia… Read more
Are Foods Addictive or Just Delicious?
We are surrounded by an abundance of delicious food. Throughout the developed world, cooking shows saturate our televisions and streaming video feeds advertise greasy burgers and decadent chocolates. Our addiction… Read more
Neuro Primer: Sleep
Spanish Translation also available here: Neuro Cartilla: El Sueño ~~~ It’s easy to ask: “Why sleep?” But we can also turn the question on its head: “Why wake?” We need… Read more
What is Bell’s Palsy? [Infographic]
Bell’s Palsy is a neurological disorder that causes temporary weakness in the facial muscles and nerves. The disorder can be cured with medications and therapy. In this infographic, neuroscientist Rajamani… Read more
What is Alexander Disease?
Alexander disease is an extremely rare neurological disorder that severely impairs the functions of nervous system leading to intellectual disability and developmental delay. In this infographic, neuroscientist Rajamani Selvam explains… Read more
What is Rett Syndrome?
Rett syndrome is a rare developmental disorder that affects girls primarily. In this infographic, neuroscientist Rajamani Selvam explains about the causes of Rett syndrome, clinical traits, and treatments available for… Read more
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
The Pathology of Alzheimer’s Disease
Whether it be forgetting 20 years of your life or having the same conversation every five minutes only to forget it each time, memory impairment can take a large toll… Read more
Food for Your Brain: Mediterranean Diet May Help Your Neurons Live Longer
Historians consider it one of the ‘cradles of civilization,’ but for many scientists today the real value of the Mediterranean basin does not lie in its contribution to history. Home… Read more
What is Angelman Syndrome?
Earlier this year, in a philosophical post, we considered whether children with a genetic disorder called Angelman syndrome are happy. Angelman syndrome is a rare disorder that many of our… Read more
The Neuroscience of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors
Neuroscience continues to investigate the difference between a bad habit and the spectrum of mental health disorders known as body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). BFRBs afflict less than 3% of the… Read more
Neuro Primer: Glia
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
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
Main Bout: New Hopes in the Fight Against Parkinson’s Disease
Following his Olympic victory in 1960, Muhammad Ali earned the World-Heavyweight-Champion title in 1964 in one of the most celebrated upsets in boxing history. The much-anticipated fight opened with the… Read more
Brain Stimulation: A Learning Method for the 21st Century
hat is happening in the brain when you decide to reach your hand and grasp a cup of coffee early in the morning? First, the posterior parietal cortex of your… Read more
The Law of Attraction, the Placebo Effect, and the Immune-Brain Connection
iomedical researchers call it “the most replicated experiment in the history of science.” Simply put, the placebo effect is a phenomenon where people who believe they are being treated for… Read more
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
Book Review: The Perpetual Now
en years ago, in December 2007, an artist named Lonnie Sue Johnson lost her short term memory. She was admitted to the emergency room in the midst of a blizzard… Read more
When You Split the Brain, Do You Split the Person?
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
Neurolaw: Combining Neuroscience and Criminal Justice
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… Read more
