Genetics Archives - Knowing Neurons

An image of a glowing purple key unlocking a brain

By Monserrat Orozco Imagine if scientists could control specific brain functions with the ease of flipping a switch. This vision is closer than ever, thanks to chemogenetics—a tool that allows… Read more

October 17, 2023 Suhanee Mitragotri

Cracking the Genetic Code: A New Way to Diagnose Infantile Epilepsy

By Suhanee Mitragotri When your infant wakes up from a nap, all you want is to be able to hold them close and give them all of your love. While… Read more

Infographics Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

September 13, 2023 Gil Torten

Knowing Migraines

Written and Illustrated by Gil Torten Edited by Kayla Lim and Keionna Newton… Read more

Brain Development Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Neuropolicy Paper Competition 2023 Science Policy

September 12, 2023 Yug Yadava

The National Expansion of Newborn Screening Tests for Leukodystrophies

Policy Memo by Yug Yadava Executive Summary When a child is born at a hospital in the United States, he or she is tested for genetic, inherited, heart, and hearing… Read more

Infographics Mental Health Science Policy

August 28, 2023 Gil Torten

Queer Science

Written and Illustrated by Gil Torten Edited by Lauren Wagner and Justin McMahon… Read more

Neuroscience Technologies Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Neuroscience Techniques

August 24, 2023 Justin McMahon

Gene Therapy: Cutting Edge Neuroscience in Medicine

By Justin McMahon Around 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental illness at some point throughout their lives (World Health Organization, 2022), and unfortunately up to 60% of… Read more

silhouettes of people in blue and yellow against a black and gray city background

Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Neuroscience Technologies

April 18, 2023 Rebeka Popovic

What are genome-wide association studies?

by Rebeka Popovic To operate properly, each cell relies on thousands of proteins performing their function at the right time and place within the boundaries of its membrane. The function… Read more

Neuro SciFi Neuroscience Technologies

February 7, 2023 Lauren Wagner

The Neuroscience of Avatar – could we really download our brains into a new body?

By Lauren Wagner Thirteen years after the first Avatar movie came out in 2009, director James Cameron invites viewers to journey back to the faraway, lush exo-moon of Pandora with… Read more

Aging Brain Basics Neuro Primer

November 29, 2022 Marta Garo-Pascual

Neuro Primer: Telomeres

By Marta Garo-Pascual Telomeres are the “shoelace caps” of linear chromosomes and, as shoelace caps protect shoelaces, telomeres serve a protective role for chromosomes. Barbara McClintock and Hermann Muller described… Read more

Infographics

September 5, 2022 Federica Raguseo

Knowing Migraines – Not “Just” Headaches

For Migraine Awareness Week, from September 5-14 this year, Federica Raguseo created an infographic to raise awareness – click here to read more.… Read more

Infographics Brain Development Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

August 1, 2022 Melis Cakar

Fragile X Syndrome

July is Fragile X awareness month. Learn more about Fragile X with our illustrator Melis Cakar’s new infographic!… Read more

Brain Development Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

December 14, 2021 Lauren Granata

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

Sleep Brain Basics Consciousness Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Sensation and Perception

December 30, 2019 Mira Rakicevic

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

An artistic take on the "monkey-to-man" cartoon, depicting the final result as a larger human near fast food with a red warning sign around it. Illustrated by McCall Sarrett.

Big Ideas Brain Basics Brain Development Culture

November 27, 2019 Marco Travaglio

Brain, Healthy Fats, and the Importance of Fitting Into Your Genes

Our brains are extremely rich in fat. Indeed, about two thirds of the human brain is composed of fat, 35% of which consists of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. What are… Read more

Brain Basics Brain Development

February 6, 2019 Ilaria Vitali

Neuronal Migration: A “Sliding Door” for the Future of the Brain

Have you ever wondered how each cell of our body reaches its correct place? It is even more astounding when you realize that our body is formed from only two… Read more

Image of book with DNA spiraling outwards towards the front cover of Innate

Brain Books

January 23, 2019 Gabrielle Torre

Book Review: Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are

Around the world, all populations of humans are essentially the same. The differences that make us who we are lie in differences among individuals, which result from only 0.1% of… Read more

Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Learning and Memory Popular Articles

December 12, 2018 Caitlin Aamodt

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

Language Evolution of Cognition Neuro News

November 16, 2018 Caitlin Aamodt

Study Sheds New Light on FOXP2 in the Evolution of Language

Language is a uniquely human trait, and how it evolved is one of the greatest unanswered questions in neuroscience. Spoken and written language facilitate much of what makes up human… Read more

Aging Brain Basics Neuro Primer Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

October 10, 2018 Gabrielle Torre

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 Basics Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Sleep

October 31, 2017 Sean Noah

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

Neuroscience Art Did You Know?Interviews Sensation and Perception

July 19, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber

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

Aging Did You Know?Learning and Memory Movement Neuro News

June 19, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber

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

Brain Basics Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

March 8, 2017 Eric Harvey

The Epigenetic Legacy of Trauma

The evening of November 9th, 1938, began with typical fall solemnity for many Jews living across Germany: closing up their shops and businesses, returning home from school, and preparing family… Read more

Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Did You Know?

September 21, 2016 Rachel Jonas

Copy Number Variants: A Window into Psychiatric Illness

The human genome consists of nearly 25,000 protein-coding genes – and a mutation in just one of these can have dramatic effects on our brains. Remarkably, one tiny change in… Read more