Neuroscience

Brain Organoids: How Soon Before Lab Grown Mini Brains Achieve Consciousness?

The cutting-edge method of growing clusters of cells that organize themselves into mini versions of human brains in the lab is gathering more and more attention. These “brain organoids”, made from stem cells, offer unparalleled insights into the human bra ...

Article - The Conversation - Oct 26 2019 - 5:00am

Scared Out Of Your Mind: Halloween, Fear And The Brain

Children and adults alike are digging out those spooky costumes ready for a celebration. We’ve reached that time of year again: Halloween. October 31 is dedicated to remembering the dead. We’ve all experienced fear, but Halloween is the particular time of ...

Article - The Conversation - Oct 31 2019 - 9:02am

Mouse Study Claims Mediterranean Diet Causes Endogenous Cannabinoid Changes Which They Link To ADHD In Human Offspring

An exploratory study in cell cultures and mice finds that in their rodents high-fat diets throughout pregnancy (rich in polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids) impacted fetal brain development.  Don’t be alarmed, mice are not little people so a mouse study ca ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Nov 18 2019 - 1:01pm

The Biology Of That Hangover You Have

It’s that time of year when we raise a glass to celebrate Christmas, the beginning of holidays, the new year, or simply to join with our friends. Many of us will pay a price, even if it’s “just” in the form of a hangover. ...

Article - The Conversation - Nov 25 2019 - 10:34am

The Origin And Evolution Of The Homunculus

How did the most famous concept devised in neurobiology--the homunculus of neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield- originate? Some answers derive from assessing Penfield's archives at the Osler Library of McGill University, as well as the only known copy from w ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 9 2019 - 5:37pm

When What Goes Up Feels Down Is Not Postmodernism, It's Seeing Gravity Rather Than Feeling It

People can deny a lot of science without making a huge difference in their lives; no one will die if they deny evolution. Gravity, on the other hand, will kill you. You can't just jump off a building and deny it exists and expect a positive outcome. T ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 25 2020 - 10:51am

Soldiers With Traumatic Brain Injury Have High Rates Of Mental Health Disorders

An exploratory result, published in Military Medicine, finds that soldiers with traumatic brain injury are more likely than soldiers with other serious injuries to experience a range of mental health disorders. The retrospective analysis examined the cases ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 28 2020 - 7:27pm

Do You Like To Smell An Absent Partner's Clothing?

Having trouble sleeping? Nervous about an important interview? Smelling your partner’s worn clothing may help improve your sleep and calm your nerves. While it may sound strange to smell your partner’s clothing, these behaviors are surprisingly common. In ...

Article - The Conversation - Feb 13 2020 - 3:54pm

Folk Wisdom Is Not Right About Left Brains

We know the left and right side of our brain are specialized for cognitive abilities like language (left hemisphere) and the right hand. That functional lateralization is reflected by morphological asymmetry too. The left and right hemispheres differ subt ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 16 2020 - 8:00am

Protein Dispersing Factor May Be Key To Erasing Traumatic Memories

Drosophila flies lose long-term memory of a traumatic event when kept in the dark, and the authors of a new study link that to a specific molecular mechanism responsible.  Memories are difficult to erase but breakthroughs could be important for sufferers o ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 16 2020 - 11:35am