The COVID-19 lockdown resulted in an abrupt, unprecedented social isolation. How do our brains react to social isolation? What do we know about the neuroscience behind social isolation and loneliness?
Where do we go when we fall asleep?
What happens in the brain while we sleep? As it turns out, a lot: learning and memory, waste clearance, and metabolism.
How did the chicken cross the road?
There’s a reason chickens have their unique strut. The “bob” of a chicken’s head as it walks allows it to see, and is enabled by some amazing neural systems.
The role of early life trauma in binge eating
Trauma puts individuals at higher risk for developing an eating disorder. But what’s happening in the brain to cause it?
Video Supplement: “Learning to Read the Mind”
Can neuroscientists read your mind?
A window of opportunity for learning
How our early life experiences during “critical periods” permanently shape our brain
Growing evidence for a link between viral infections and brain diseases
A new study finds links between several viruses and brain diseases. We’ll break down what this study does and doesn’t tell you about what to think next time you get the flu.
The case for turning up the bass
Music is more than just hearing sound; it’s also feeling it. Scientists have shown that feeling the bass makes music more enjoyable and causes people to dance more.
When did you become you?
We all have something about us that makes us unique. Find out how scientists are using fish to uncover when in life this individuality emerges.
Sex differences in pain
Do males and females experience physical pain differently?
We have the technology!
Neuroscientists often develop entirely new tools to better understand the brain. Neuropixels is one such technology that is helping neuroscientists answer major questions.
2022 Neuroscience Year in Review
Read about what excited our writers about neuroscience this year.
Brush it real good!
Scientists find a link between oral bacteria and the brain
Video Supplement to Electroconvulsive Therapy: The Mystery of Mechanism
Do doctors still use electroconvulsive therapy?
When you add two halves, do you get a whole?
Who are you when you're split in two? When it comes to your brain, two halves do not make a whole. Learn about how the two halves of your brain communicate and what happens when they stop.
What is a headache?
Migraines impart an incredible amount of pain, but where is the pain coming from and how can it be controlled?
Cutting through the “noise”
Learn about 1/f, the static that’s anything but random
Why do we get the hiccups?
… and other brain reflexes that we may have inherited from our distant ancestors.
Octopus: the animal that keeps itself company
The fox’s nine tails and the cat’s nine lives are mythical. What about the octopus’s nine brains?
The lies our eyes tell us
What we think we see isn’t always what’s really in front of us. Scientists use optical illusions to demonstrate how our brains use quick tricks to shape how we see the world.
You are what you eat: Exploring fecal microbiota transplant
Microbes in our gut (and our poop) can impact our brain and our behavior. Could we treat brain diseases and disorders by swapping “unhealthy” microbes for “healthy” ones?
The placebo effect and pain relief
For a patient experiencing pain, the belief that a pain treatment will work can be enough to reduce their pain.
Much ado about microglia
Microglia are the brain’s immune cells, but what do they do when they’re not hunting down foreign bacteria or munching on debris in the brain? Can they even influence how you sleep?
How are neurons categorized?
There are 100 billion neurons in the human brain. How can we possibly categorize all of them, and why is it important?
What we can learn from the fly on the wall
They might be small, but fruit fly research has led to wide-reaching discoveries in science and six Nobel Prizes!
The curious thing about a tickle
Have you ever tried and failed to tickle yourself? Learn about how your brain stops you from tickling yourself by expecting what it will feel like.
What’s going on in an axolotl brain?
A recent study genetically sequenced the axolotl brain to understand how they can regenerate parts of their brain!
Glutamate: Hungry for more
A second helping of knowledge about this key ingredient in our bodies and brains.
Seeing the forest for the trees
Neurons come in all shapes and sizes, forming a diverse ecosystem in the brain.
A bug’s life: 3D vision in humans and praying mantids
Just like humans, praying mantids can see in 3D. Studying how their brains accomplish this might help us build machines that can do the same.