Neuroscience

Neural Switch Turns Dreams On And Off

At the flip of a switch, neuroscientists can send a sleeping mouse into dreamland. The researchers did it by inserting an optogenetic switch into a group of nerve cells located in the ancient part of the brain called the medulla, allowing them to activate ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 19 2015 - 6:30am

PSD-95 And Building And Breaking Synapses

Our ability to learn, move, and sense our world comes from the neurons in our brain. The information moves through our brain between neurons that are linked together by tens of trillions of tiny structures called synapses. Although tiny, synapses are not ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 25 2015 - 7:25pm

How The Brain Multitasks

Researchers say they have added to evidence that a shell-shaped region in the center of the mammalian brain, known as the thalamic reticular nucleus or TRN, is likely responsible for the ability to routinely and seamlessly multitask.  The process, they su ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 22 2015 - 1:44pm

Oxytocin, Bliss Molecules, And The Pleasure Of Social Interactions

The hormone oxytocin, which has been associated with interpersonal bonding, may enhance the pleasure of social interactions by stimulating production of marijuana-like neurotransmitters in the brain, according to a new study. The research is the first to ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 27 2015 - 6:09am

Oxytocin Provides Social, Emotional And Behavioral Benefits For Autism In Small Study

Autism is a group of complex brain developmental disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication, and stereotypical and repetitive behaviors. The diagnosed incidence is estimated to be one in 68 children and effective intervent ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 27 2015 - 10:45am

Singing Leads To A Calmer Baby

In a new study, infants remained calm twice as long when listening to a song as when listening to speech. The study involved thirty healthy infants aged between six and nine months. Humans like music biologically, according to one hypothesis. In adults an ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 3 2015 - 7:06pm

Can Humans Hear Distance?

Because light travels far faster than sound, we see distant events before we hear them. Perhaps as a child you learned to count the seconds between a lightning flash and the sound of thunder to estimate its distance.  A new paper says that our brains can ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 4 2015 - 7:00am

Early Life Stress, Adolescent Depression And Impaired Reward Circuits

Early life stress is a major risk factor for later episodes of depression. In fact, adults who are abused or neglected as children are almost twice as likely to experience depression.  Scientific research into this link has revealed that the increased ris ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 30 2015 - 10:21am

Apathetic? It May Be Your Brain Structure

If you are apathetic, it would be a surprise to know your brain is making more effort, but a new study finds that some people traditionally perceived as lazy have a biology problem and not an attitude one. Forty healthy volunteers completed a questionnair ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 13 2015 - 6:47am

Emotional Response To Sounds Shows Up In Brain Scans

Noisy gymnasiums, restaurants where conversations are nearly impossible, and concert halls less than perfect for the music are all engineering problems. What does that have to do with emotions? Perhaps a lot. Penn State acoustical engineers are using func ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 16 2015 - 2:30pm