circadian rhythm – Knowing Neurons

Comic of a person in bed surrounded by worried faces, witches, out-of-body experiences, and ghosts. Illustrated by Rajamani Selvam.

Sleep Paralysis: What Is It and What Causes It?

December 30, 2019September 1, 2020 Mira Rakicevic 2 Comments Anxiety, Cataplexy, circadian rhythm, EEG, Electromyogram, Genetics, Hallucination, hypnagogic hallucination, Hypnopompic, Insomnia, Narcolepsy, NREM sleep, parasomnia, PER2, Polysomnography, REM sleep, Sleep, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Atonia, Sleep paralysis, stress, Vestibular-motor Hallucination

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

Brain Basics Culture Sleep

The Wisdom of the Sloth: Is Sleep a Lost Virtue?

June 14, 2018October 8, 2019 Joel Frohlich 10 Comments Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid plaques, beta-amyloid, circadian rhythm, dreams, Health, PET, Positron emission tomography, Sleep, sloth

In the sixth century, Pope Gregory I compiled an infamous list of seven deadly sins. Of these seven, sloth is the only sin named for an animal in English. But… Read more

Brain Basics Sensation and Perception

Tick, Tock: Your Brain’s Inner Clock

April 25, 2018April 25, 2018 Jenn Tribble 0 Comments circadian rhythm, David Eagleman, Dopamine, Einstein, emotional state, five senses, Perception, Sensation, stress, temporal pattern, Time

ime: one syllable, four letters, but one of the nebulous constructs of our world. Many bright scholars and philosophers have attempted to understand time as a primary sense, including Albert… Read more

Brain Books Sensation and Perception

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

October 19, 2017October 18, 2017 Joel Frohlich 3 Comments bipolar disorder, circadian rhythm, Clock, Einstein, eternalism, general relativity, metaillusion, metaphysics, Neuroscience, presentism, relativity, special relativity, time machine, time perception

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

Aging Did You Know? Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Sleep

Sweet Dreams or Amyloid Nightmares

November 7, 2013March 5, 2017 Jillian L. Shaw 0 Comments Alzheimer’s disease, Amyloid beta, amyloid-β plaques, Biomarker, circadian clock, circadian rhythm, David Holtzman, dementia, Disruption of the sleep-wake cycle and diurnal fluctuation of beta-amyloid in mice with Alzheimer's disease pathology, Hippocampus, Jee Hoon Roh, Memory, Microdialysis, Science Translational Medicine, Sleep

Sleep deprivation has become a badge of honor in our modern society. Competitions break out in coffee shop lines over who is functioning on the least number of Zzzzzs and… Read more

Neuro News Sleep

Disruption of Circadian Cycles Linked to Weight Gain

March 4, 2013March 5, 2017 Jooyeun Lee 4 Comments biological clock, BmaI1, circadian clock, circadian rhythm, diabetes, glucose, high-fat diet, Hypothalamus, insulin, insulin resistance, obesity, Sleep, sleep-wake cycle, suprachiasmatic nucleus

Every night during finals week, I studied into the wee hours of the morning and caught only a few hours of sleep. It was exhausting! After finals were over, I… Read more

Learning and Memory Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Sleep

Let There Be Light!

December 10, 2012March 5, 2017 JuanVelasquez 0 Comments Aberrant light directly impairs mood and learning through melanopsin-expressing neurons, Brain, circadian rhythm, depression, Fluoxetine, Hattar, ipRGC, Learning, melanopsin, Memory, Nature Neuroscience, Retinal ganglion cells, RGCs, Sleep

When I was an undergraduate student, I was an expert at pulling “all-nighter” study sessions prior to exams and project deadlines. Once everything was said and done the next day,… Read more