fbpx
Friday, March 29, 2024
In mice, anxiety isn’t all in the head. It can start in the heart

In mice, anxiety isn’t all in the head. It can start...

0
When you’re stressed and anxious, you might feel your heart race. Is your heart racing because you’re afraid? Or does your speeding heart itself contribute to your anxiety? Both could be true, a new study in mice suggests. By artificially increasing the heart rates of mice, scientists were able to increase anxiety-like behaviors — ones…
Scientists have mapped an insect brain in greater detail than ever before

Scientists have mapped an insect brain in greater detail than ever...

The wiring of one insect’s brain no longer contains much uncharted territory. All of the nerve cells — and virtually every connection between them — in a larval fruit fly brain have now been mapped, researchers report in the March 10 Science. It’s the most complex whole brain wiring diagram yet created.  Previously, just three…
Are left handed people more creative? Brain scans reveal why these individuals might be wired differently

Are left handed people more creative? Brain scans reveal why these...

Brain scans indicate that left-handed people think differently from right-handed people. They tend to activate the right half of their brain more for certain tasks and functions. Experts suggest that this difference in brain function could make creativity come more easily. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a…
How meningitis-causing bacteria invade the brain

How meningitis-causing bacteria invade the brain

Bacteria can slip into the brain by commandeering cells in the brain’s protective layers, a new study finds. The results hint at how a deadly infection called bacterial meningitis takes hold. In mice infected with meningitis-causing bacteria, the microbes exploit previously unknown communication between pain-sensing nerve cells and immune cells to slip by the brain’s…
‘Mommy brain’ doesn’t capture how the brain transforms during pregnancy

‘Mommy brain’ doesn’t capture how the brain transforms during pregnancy

0
Pregnancy shrinks parts of the brain. That sounds bad. Throw in the forgetfulness and fogginess, or “momnesia,” that many moms report, and what’s left is the notion that for the brain, the transition to motherhood is a net loss. “I see it on social media all the time,” says neuroscientist and therapist Jodi Pawluski of…
The mind-bending dangers of Elon Musk’s brain-chip revolution

The mind-bending dangers of Elon Musk’s brain-chip revolution

0
Elon Musk wants to put a computer chip in your brain. Well, maybe not in your brain, but in the brain of some human somewhere. Musk's neurotech startup, Neuralink, has been working toward implanting its skull-embedded brain chip in a human since it was founded in 2016. After years of testing on animal subjects, Musk announced in…
What happens to the human brain during a near-death experience that can trigger vivid memories and bizarre spiritual encounters

What happens to the human brain during a near-death experience that...

0
During a near-death experience, people often recall feeling calm and love instead of pain or fear. Scans of people recalling an NDE indicate increased activity across multiple parts of the brain. Seeing vivid memories flash before your eyes or encountering a spiritual being or aliens are common. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up!…
Why We Actually Need More Mindless Activities

Why We Actually Need More Mindless Activities

0
Photo: fizkes (Shutterstock)Staying focused in a world of nonstop work emails and social media notifications is a never-ending challenge. As much as we talk about the importance (and difficulty) of sustained, deep focus, there are other types of attention, all of which have their usefulness. There’s the creativity that springs from boredom; the comfort of…
The FDA just approved a new Alzheimer’s drug that’s set to be a blockbuster

The FDA just approved a new Alzheimer’s drug that’s set to...

0
The FDA just approved a new treatment for Alzheimer's disease from Eisai and Biogen.  In a large study, the drug slowed the rate of cognitive decline in patients by 27%. Alzheimer's disease affects roughly 6.5 million Americans and has no cure. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a…
Adult mouse brains are teeming with ‘silent synapses’

Adult mouse brains are teeming with ‘silent synapses’

0
Learning lots of new information as a baby requires a pool of ready-to-go, immature connections between nerve cells to form memories quickly. Called silent synapses, these connections are inactive until summoned to help create memories, and were thought to be present mainly in the developing brain and die off with time. But a new study…

Recent Posts