Neuron – Knowing Neurons

[Podcast] Uploading the Human Brain

July 19, 2018July 19, 2018 Alexa Erdogan 0 Comments Alzheimer, Alzheimer's, Alzheimer’s disease, Brain, Calcium imaging, Cnidarians, connectome, Consciousness, Cortex, EEG, Epilepsy, Interview, Jurrasic Park, Knowing Neurons, LEGO, long term depression, Long-term potentiation, LTD, LTP, Microscopy, Neuron, Neuroscience, Neurotransmitters, Parkinson's, Parkinson's Disease, Research, Sci-fi, Science, Science Fiction, SOMA, Upload

n a brand new episode of the Knowing Neurons podcast, we explore the concept of “mind uploading”. How would something like a mind upload really work?… Read more

Brain Basics Neuro Primer

Neuro Primer: Neurodevelopment

July 13, 2018May 31, 2021 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

Spanish Translation also available here: Neuro Cartilla: Neurodesarrollo ~~~ How does your brain become a brain? Neurodevelopment is the crucial process through which every brain is formed.… Read more

Did You Know? Sensation and Perception Weird Animal Brain

Weird Animal Brain: Dung Beetle

June 18, 2018June 14, 2018 Kayleen Schreiber 0 Comments Fact, Neuron, Neuroscience, Perception, Science, Vision

he dung beetle has more interesting characteristics than you might think! If you’d like to learn about more animals with amazing vision, check out this article.… Read more

Brain Basics Did You Know? Sensation and Perception

Neuronal Communication: Electricity and Neurotransmitters

January 24, 2018January 23, 2018 Jenn Tribble 0 Comments Brain, Dopamine, GABA, glutamate, Network, Neuron, Neurons, neurotransmitter, Perception, Receptor, serotonin, Synapse

ith approximately 86 billion neurons in the human brain, it is a complex piece of machinery in charge of movement, sensation, decision-making, and more. Behaviors cannot arise from the work… Read more

Did You Know? Sensation and Perception Weird Animal Brain

Weird Animal Brain: Narwhal

December 18, 2017December 18, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 0 Comments Brain, Narwhal, Neuron, Neuroscience, Ocean, Sense, Weird Animal Brain

Narwhal tusks used to be sold as unicorn horns and were believed to contain magical powers. Now we know a little bit more about these unique tusks, and the truth… Read more

Did You Know? Sensation and Perception Weird Animal Brain

Weird Animal Brain: Tuatara Lizard

September 18, 2017September 17, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 0 Comments Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Lizard, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Science, Vision

The tuatara lizard is called a “living fossil” because it is the last surviving member of the Rhynchocephalia order. Learn more about the tuatara in the infographic below!… Read more

Did You Know? Learning and Memory Neuro News

Bite-size science: The brain remembers without staying the same

August 21, 2017August 21, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 0 Comments Brain, Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Memory, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Research, Science

A new paper published this month in the journal Cell describes an unexpected finding about memory. Researchers used to think that memory required specific activity from the same brain cells… Read more

Did You Know? Sensation and Perception Weird Animal Brain

Weird Animal Brain: Fly

August 7, 2017August 7, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 1 Comment Brain, Drosophila, Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Nature, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Receptor, Science, Smell, Synapse, taste

Fly lips are called labellum and fly feet are called tarsi. Both the labellum and tarsi contain taste receptors which help the fly find food. Think about that the next… Read more

Big Ideas Neuroscience Art Neuroscience Technologies Sensation and Perception

How Neuroimaging Changes Our View of Science & Humanity

August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 Alexa Erdogan 0 Comments Brain, CLARITY, Cortex, EEG, Fact, fMRI, Greg Dunn, Interview, Knowing Neurons, MRI, Neuroimaging, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Prefrontal Cortex, Research, Science

Magritte’s comments on our fascination with the unknown rings true not just in artistic surrealism, but also in many of our scientific research endeavors. The human mind is continually fascinated… Read more

Brain Basics Brain Development Did You Know? Learning and Memory Sensation and Perception

Reading: The Brain’s Best Hijacker

July 26, 2017July 28, 2017 Gabrielle Torre 2 Comments Brain, Cortex, Development, EEG, Fact, fMRI, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Prefrontal Cortex, Reading, Research

What are you doing right now? I’m no psychic, but I can say for certain one thing that you’re doing: reading. You’re reading this sentence, word by word, and extracting… Read more

Did You Know? Sensation and Perception Weird Animal Brain

Weird Animal Brain: Brittle Star

July 24, 2017July 23, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 2 Comments Brain, Color, Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Nature, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Research, Science, Vision

Brittle stars are covered in protective outer plates, but they also have another structure of internal plates. A particular species of brittle star seems to be able to use these… Read more

Did You Know? Interviews Neuroscience Art Sensation and Perception

Self Reflected: The Best of Neuroscience and Art

July 19, 2017July 16, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 0 Comments Art, Brain, Color, Consciousness, Cortex, Genetics, Interview, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Prefrontal Cortex, Science

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

Did You Know? Sensation and Perception

Bite-size Science: Immune Cells use Neurotransmitter to Communicate

July 17, 2017July 16, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 0 Comments Brain, Immune System, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Receptor, Synapse

Researchers have suspected for a few years that neurotransmitters like dopamine play a role in how the immune system functions. But they didn’t know how cells in the immune system… Read more

Did You Know? Uncategorized Weird Animal Brain

Weird Animal Brain: Moth

July 10, 2017July 9, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 0 Comments Antenna, Brain, Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Nature, Neuron, Neurons, Perception, Science, Smell

These beautiful little creatures are incredibly skilled at sniffing out mates. The pheromone the females release is called bombykol. Scientists are on the hunt for exactly how this pheromone activates… Read more

Did You Know? Movement Neuroscience Art Sensation and Perception Weird Animal Brain

Weird Animal Brain: Platypus

June 26, 2017June 30, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 0 Comments Brain, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Perception, Platypus, Receptor

The platypus and the echidna are the only mammals that have the power of electroreception, which means they can sense electrical changes. Check out this new Weird Animal Brain to… Read more

Aging Did You Know? Learning and Memory Movement Neuro News

Bite-size Science: Epigenetics help protect the aging brain

June 19, 2017June 30, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 2 Comments Alzheimer’s disease, Brain, Cortex, DNA, Epigenetics, gene, Genetics, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Memory, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Prefrontal Cortex, Receptor, Research, Science

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

Did You Know? Movement Neuroscience Art Sensation and Perception Weird Animal Brain

Weird Animal Brain: Sea Squirt

June 12, 2017June 30, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 0 Comments Brain, Development, Infographic, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Ocean, Perception, Receptor, Sea Squirt

The brain is one of the most complex and amazing structures in the universe. It allows us to experience the world, feel, remember, and plan for the future. But for… Read more

Brain Basics Brain Development Did You Know? Learning and Memory Neuro News Neuroscience Technologies Sensation and Perception

How does fundamental research help you?

March 15, 2017June 30, 2017 Kayleen Schreiber 3 Comments 2017, Alzheimer’s disease, Brain, Conference, Development, Fact, Florida, Infographic, Institute, Knowing Neurons, Learning, Max Planck, Memory, Neuron, Neuroscience, Perception, Receptor, Research, Science, Sunposium, Synapse

Sometimes it’s hard to understand why scientists do what they do. Why spend a career studying cells, fungus, or flies? Other than being nerdy and wanting to learn about our… Read more

Did You Know? Movement Sensation and Perception Weird Animal Brain

Weird Animal Brain: Octopus

January 9, 2017June 5, 2019 Kayleen Schreiber 0 Comments Brain, Fact, Infographic, Knowing Neurons, Neuron, Neurons, Neuroscience, Octopus, Perception, Weird Animal Brain

The octopus almost reaches alien status when it comes to its brain and nervous system. And yet, the differences can help us understand more about the human brain as well… Read more

Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

What Loneliness Looks Like in the Brain

October 19, 2016June 30, 2017 Anita 2 Comments Brain, Calcium, Dorsal raphe nucleus, DRN, GFP, Green fluorescent protein, Indicator, Loneliness, Neuron, Optogenetics, Reward, Social Rebound, Ventral Tegmental Area, VTA

Consider three scenarios. A kid joins a new high school and eats lunch by herself. A recently separated man is alone for the New Year’s Eve countdown. A prisoner becomes… Read more

52 Brain Facts

Myth or Fact? The nematode is the only organism with a complete neuronal map.

May 2, 2016May 3, 2016 knowingneurons 0 Comments 52 Brain Facts, Brain, C. elegans, Caenorhabditis elegans, connectivity, connectome, Diagram, Map, nematode, Neuron, Synapse, worm

52 Brain Facts

Myth or Fact? Information travels at one speed in your brain.

February 29, 2016March 6, 2016 knowingneurons 1 Comment Brain, Fiber, Information, myelin, Neuron, Senses, Speed, Unmyelinated

Brain Books Consciousness Philosophy

Double Book Review: The Emperor’s New Mind and Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

January 13, 2016July 10, 2017 Joel Frohlich 1 Comment Artificial Intelligence, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, Book, Brain book, Can machines think, cognitive science, Douglas Hofstader, Escher, Gödel, Hofstadter, Is the brain a computer, Kurt Gödel, logic, mathematician, mathematics, mind, Neuron, paradox, physicist, quantum, riddle, Roger Penrose, Shadows of the Mind, Stuart Hammeroff, The Emperor's New Mind, theorem, Tubulin

“A barber (who is a man) shaves all and only those men who do not shave themselves. Does he shave himself?” If you can’t solve the above riddle, don’t worry… Read more

Learning and Memory Movement Neuro News

The Departure of Skill Memories from Motor Cortex: Deeper Directions for Neuroscience

October 7, 2015March 5, 2017 knowingneurons 2 Comments 2015, Basal ganglia, Brainstem, Cerebellum, Episodic memory, Kawai, Learning, Memory, Motor cortex, Neuron, Olveczky, Procedural memory, Rat Lesion, Semantic memory, Skill learning, Thalamus

You probably have certain skills that I don’t. Each of us, having spent enough time practicing something new, can become an expert. A simple, ubiquitous example is driving a car… Read more

Neuro News

Choose Your Own (Prion) Adventure: Memory or Madness

September 16, 2015March 5, 2017 Jillian L. Shaw 1 Comment CPEB, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Eric Kandel, Fioriti, Hippocampus, Long-term memory, mad cow disease, Neuron, Prions

In the early ‘80’s ranchers in Great Britain began to notice strange behaviors in their cows. What began with increased aggression and an inability to walk turned into a strange… Read more

52 Brain Facts

Myth or Fact? The number of neurons in the brain is comparable to the number of stars in our galaxy.

August 31, 2015 knowingneurons 2 Comments 52 Brain Facts, Galaxy, Knowing Neurons, Neuron

Movement Neuro News Sensation and Perception SfN 2014

What Zebrafish Teach Us About Touch

November 12, 2014March 5, 2017 knowingneurons 0 Comments 2014, Corollary discharge, Frontiers in Neural Circuits, Glycine, Interneuron, Laura Kngloer, Motor, Movements, Neuron, Reflex, Sensory, SfN14, Zebrafish

Unlike the sense of vision, which is perceived only by light-sensitive photoreceptors in our eyes, the mechanoreceptors that respond to light touch are located in sensory neurons all over the… Read more

Neuro News Sensation and Perception

Itching to Understand Dynorphin

July 16, 2014March 5, 2017 Jillian L. Shaw 0 Comments 2014, Bernard, Bhlhb5, Dynorphin, Inflammation, Itch, Kappa, Kardon, Limbic system, Mu, Neuron, Opioid, Pain, Spinal cord, Spinal dorsal horn

Bzzzzzz! Splat! Ugh! Anyone who has ever been around a campfire during the summer months is familiar with this progression of noises. Mosquito bites and the resulting welts provide unwelcome… Read more

Neuro News Neuroscience Technologies Sensation and Perception

Turning On A “Photoswitch” Helps Blind Mice See The Light

March 5, 2014March 5, 2017 Kate Fehlhaber 1 Comment 2014, Blind, Cis, DENAQ, Dirk Trauner, Endorphins, G-protein coupled receptor, Ganglion cell, Gene therapy, GPCR, Neuron, Pain, Photoisomerization, Photoreceptor, Photoswitch, Retinal, Retinal prosthesis, Richard Kramer, See, Senses, Stem cell, Trans, Vision

Our senses connect us to the world. Your visual system lets you know that there is a yellow car ahead of you, and your auditory system lets you know that… Read more

Neuro News Sensation and Perception Sleep

Sleep ‘til you’re Hungry. Eat ‘til you’re Sleepy.

November 25, 2013March 5, 2017 Kate Fehlhaber 0 Comments 2013, Brandeis, Drosophila, Fruit fly, Ghrelin, Hunger, Insomnia, Leslie Griffith, Neuron, Neuropeptide Y, NPY, obesity, Short Neuropeptide F Is a Sleep-Promoting Inhibitory Modulator, Sleep, sNPF

Have you ever tried to go to sleep hungry? Believe me, it doesn’t work. You just end up lying in bed, listening to your stomach growl, and dreaming about your… Read more

Brain Development Learning and Memory Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Genetic Tricks To Reverse Schizophrenic Symptoms

June 3, 2013March 5, 2017 Jooyeun Lee 3 Comments 2013, Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Develop, Development, Down syndrome, doxycycline, Fragile X syndrome, genetic, Mei L, Neuregulin-1, Neuron, NRG-1, Reversal of Behavioral Deficits and Synaptic Dysfunction in Mice Overexpressing Neuregulin 1, Schizophrenia, synaptic plasticity, Yin DM

The human brain continues to develop and form new connections from birth until as late as the mid-20s. During this time, billions of connections are made and broken as the… Read more

Brain Basics Did You Know? Learning and Memory

What a Coincidence!

May 30, 2013March 5, 2017 Ryan Jones 0 Comments Alzheimer, Alzheimer’s disease, Brain, Coincidence, Donald Hebb, Health, Hebbian, Learning, Long-term potentiation, LTP, Magnesium, Memory, Mg2+, Neuron, Neuroscience, NMDA, NMDA receptor

Coincidence is a peculiar thing. We typically think of a coincidence as the occurrence of two events that happen to occur at the same time, but that have no underlying… Read more

Aging Learning and Memory Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Magnesium Supplement to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease

May 27, 2013March 5, 2017 Ryan Jones 4 Comments AD, AD-mice, Age, Aging, Alzheimer's, Alzheimer’s disease, and Synaptic Plasticity in the Infralimbic Prefrontal Cortex and Lateral Amygdala, dementia, Effects of Elevation of Brain Magnesium on Fear Conditioning, Elderly, Elevation of Brain Magnesium Prevents and Reverses Cognitive Deficits and Synaptic Loss in Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model, Emotion, Enhancement of Learning and Memory by Elevating Brain Magnesium, Enhancement of Synaptic Plasticity through Chronically Reduced Ca2+ Flux during Uncorrelated Activity, Fear Extinction, Journal of Neuroscience, Learning, Liu, Magnesium, Memory, Mg2+, MIT, Neuron, NMDA, NMDA receptors, Old, Slutsky, Supplement, Synapse, Synaptic function, Synaptic loss

The human brain contains roughly eighty-six billion (~10^10) neurons, each of which forms approximately ten thousand (10^4) synaptic connections with other neurons. Therefore, on average, there are one hundred trillion… Read more

Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

The Drosophila Odyssey: Spartin Insight into Troyer Syndrome

April 29, 2013March 5, 2017 Jillian L. Shaw 0 Comments 2013, BMP, Bone morphogenetic protein, Broadie, Drosophila, Fragile X, Fruit fly, Futsch, Gbb, Glass bottom boat, Nahm, Neuron, Null mutation, Spartin Regulates Synaptic Growth and Neuronal Survival by Inhibiting BMP-Mediated Microtubule Stabilization, Troyer syndrome, Wishful thinking receptor, Wit

We are all guilty of cursing at those pesky fruit flies that annoy us as they zip around the room just out of reach of being swatted. Rarely, it seems,… Read more

Brain Basics Did You Know?

The Blood Brain Barrier: Authorized Molecules Only

April 24, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita 0 Comments astrocytes, Berislav Zlokovic, Blood-brain barrier, endothelial cells, Neuron, neurovascular unit, pericytes, The blood-brain barrier in health and chronic neurodegenerative disorders., Tight junctions

Learning and Memory Movement Neuro News Neuroscience Technologies

You Are Here: Mapping The World With Neurons

April 8, 2013March 5, 2017 Ryan Jones 0 Comments 2013, fluoresce, Here, Hippocampus, Location, Map, Mapping, Maze, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, Optogenetics, Place, Place Cell, Schnitzer, Stanford, World

“You are here.” It’s the phrase that you’ll find on almost any map, punctuated with the ubiquitous oversized arrow. It is the salient mark in a sea of confusing lines,… Read more

Aging Movement Neuro News Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

Treating the diseased brain with artificial stimulation

January 14, 2013March 5, 2017 Anita 1 Comment Antidromic spikes, Basal ganglia, DBS, Deep Brain Stimulation, Dopamine, Neuron, Parkinson's Disease, Qian Li, Substantia Nigra, Subthalamic nucleus, Therapeutic deep brain stimulation in parkinsonian rats directly influences motor cortex., Wing-Ho Yung

We often fail to appreciate the small and precise functions of our motor system. How effortless and smooth our movements are when getting up from a chair! How quick and… Read more

Did You Know?

Chance Connections

December 26, 2012March 5, 2017 Jooyeun Lee 1 Comment BBP, Blue Brain Project, connectivity, connectome, cortical column, Model, morphology, Neuron, random, supercomputer

Before virtual brains could see and perform motor tasks as Kate described in the last post, large-scale brain models were being developed in order to identify the synaptic connections between… Read more

Brain Basics Did You Know? Learning and Memory Movement Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

My, oh myelin!

November 7, 2012March 5, 2017 Ryan Kast 1 Comment Brain, glia, multiple sclerosis, myelin, Neuron, Neuroscience, oligodendrocytes, saltatory conduction

How many neural processes are going on within your body as you read this sentence? The answer to this question is hard to fathom, I know, but give it a… Read more