AutismFeaturedNeuroscience·June 8, 2025·5 min readListening to the Voices of AutismA massive study of over 700,000 Reddit posts has given researchers a unique window into the lived experiences of autistic individuals, revealing a focus on community, personal interests, and coping strategies. Using natural language processing, the team grouped posts into recurring themes like music, food, friendships, and emotional challenges.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·June 7, 2025·4 min readRobot Yawns Spark Contagious Yawning in ChimpsChimpanzees have been observed yawning and lying down after seeing a humanoid android mimic a yawning facial expression, indicating contagious yawning triggered by an artificial agent. This study is the first to show yawn contagion in response to an inanimate model, suggesting that yawns may serve as a rest cue in addition to a social reflex.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·June 7, 2025·2 min readConquering Nightmares and Insomnia with ScienceA new workbook offers science-backed strategies to help individuals overcome chronic nightmares and insomnia. Using proven therapeutic approaches, it teaches readers how to rewrite distressing dreams and develop healthier sleep patterns.Read More
Neuroscience·June 7, 2025·6 min readSymptom Provocation Boosts Brain Stimulation EffectivenessA new meta-analysis suggests that provoking symptoms just before delivering repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve clinical outcomes for OCD and nicotine dependence. Researchers examined data from multiple studies and found that rTMS was nearly twice as effective when paired with targeted symptom provocation.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·June 6, 2025·5 min readObeying Orders Lowers Moral Responsibility Perception in the BrainA new brain imaging study reveals that the sense of agency—our feeling of being responsible for our actions—decreases when we follow orders, regardless of whether we are civilians or military officers. Participants were asked to make moral decisions involving inflicting harm either freely or under coercion, and fMRI results showed reduced neural markers of agency during coerced actions.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·June 6, 2025·7 min readBrain Area Stores and Resolves Hypotheses for Landmark AmbiguityResearchers have discovered that the mouse brain can simultaneously encode multiple hypotheses about its spatial location while navigating environments with ambiguous landmarks. In a complex task requiring mice to distinguish between identical cues, neurons in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) exhibited distinct activity patterns reflecting different possibilities of where the mouse might be.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·June 6, 2025·4 min readSleep-Wake Perception Intact in Many With InsomniaA new study finds that patients with insomnia often retain accurate sleep-wake perception and intact regulatory systems, despite feeling as though they sleep poorly. Using serial awakenings during sleep lab monitoring, researchers found no significant difference in sleep perception between healthy individuals and those with insomnia.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·June 6, 2025·4 min readSkin Aging Reduced by Molecules from Bacteria in the BloodResearchers have identified three anti-aging compounds produced by Paracoccus sanguinis, a bacterium found in the bloodstream. These indole-based metabolites reduced inflammation and oxidative stress in human skin cell cultures—key contributors to skin aging.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·June 6, 2025·6 min readStudy Links Gut Bacteria to MS Risk and Reveals Key TriggersA new twin study has identified specific gut bacteria that may contribute to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), the most common inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. By comparing identical twins where only one has MS, researchers reduced confounding genetic and environmental factors and pinpointed 51 bacterial taxa with different abundances.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceVisual Neuroscience·June 6, 2025·5 min readNanowire Retinal Implant Restores Vision and Sees InfraredResearchers have developed a retinal prosthesis made of tellurium nanowires that restores partial vision in blind mice and enables near-infrared vision in primates. The implant, woven into a lattice of light-sensitive nanowires, converts both visible and near-infrared light into electrical signals for the brain.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·June 6, 2025·5 min readBrain’s Reward Center Tracks Not Just What, But When Rewards ArriveThe brain’s ventral tegmental area (VTA) encodes not only the value of anticipated rewards but also the precise timing of when those rewards are expected. Long known for its role in producing dopamine and guiding reward prediction, the VTA is now shown to process reward expectations on multiple time scales.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·June 5, 2025·5 min readHow the Brain Tells Imagination from Reality, And When It FailsA new study identifies the brain mechanisms that help us distinguish real experiences from imagined ones. Researchers found that the fusiform gyrus—a region involved in visual processing—plays a key role in telling reality from imagination, especially when we mentally picture something vividly.Read More