Hypothalamus – Knowing Neurons

Neuro Primer: Sleep

March 20, 2019December 20, 2020 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

52 Brain Facts

Myth or Fact? A little stress is good for the brain.

May 9, 2016June 4, 2016 knowingneurons 4 Comments 52 Brain Facts, Benefit, Brain, Dread, glucocorticoid, Hippocampus, Hormone, Hypothalamus, LTP, Memory, Neuroscience, Plasticity, Risk, Roller coaster, stress, Synapse, Time

Did You Know? Sleep

Messing with the ‘Flip-Flop’ Switch: Why Getting Sick Makes You Sleepy

August 26, 2015March 5, 2017 knowingneurons 0 Comments Brainstem, Cytokines, Flip-flop, Grossberg, Histamine, Hypothalamus, Imeri, Narcolepsy, Neurotensin, Nishino, Orexin, Raphe Nucleus, Saper, serotonin, Sick, Sickness, Sleep, Switch

We all know how it feels to be sick. The fatigue, increased sleep, and general malaise that accompany a cold are the primary reasons people stay bedridden when ill. Even… Read more

Did You Know? Learning and Memory

Blondes or Brunettes: It’s All About Conditioning

May 13, 2015March 5, 2017 Jenn Tribble 0 Comments Brom, c-Fos, Classical Conditioning, Hypothalamus, Kippin, learning and dopamine in sexual behavior, Limbic system, Pavlov, Pheromone, Sexual preference, The nature of the conditioned response mediating olfactory conditioned ejaculatory preference in the male rat, The role of conditioning

Like it or not, we all have preferences in choosing romantic partners. Piercings, freckles, hair color, eye color, body physique – through adolescence and into adulthood, we begin to develop… Read more

Neurobiology of Depression Knowing Neurons

Did You Know? Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Depression and Inspiration

October 10, 2013March 5, 2017 Kate Fehlhaber 3 Comments Amygdala, Cg25, Deep Brain Stimulation, depression, Dopamine, Ghrelin, Hippocampus, HYP, Hypothalamus, Kevin Breel, Leptin, Major depressive disorder, MDD, NAc, Neurogenesis, Nucleus accumbens, stress, Subgenual cingulate cortex, Ventral Tegmental Area, VTA

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

Neuro News Sensation and Perception

Love is in the air! Or is that oxytocin?

February 11, 2013March 5, 2017 Jooyeun Lee 3 Comments 2012, Hormone, Hurlemann, Hypothalamus, Journal of Neuroscience, Love, Oxytocin, Oxytocin Modulates Social Distance between Males and Females, Scheele, Valentine’s Day

Have you noticed the chocolates wrapped in bright red paper, teddy bears holding pink hearts in all the stores, and the endless supply of diamond commercials on television? Indeed, this… Read more