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Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·March 28, 2024·4 min read

Hereditary Alzheimer’s Transmitted Via Bone Marrow Transplants

Alzheimer's disease, traditionally seen as a brain-centric condition, may have systemic origins and can be accelerated through bone marrow transplants from donors with familial Alzheimer's to healthy mice. A new study underscores the disease's potential transmission via cellular therapies and suggests screening donors for Alzheimer's markers to prevent inadvertent disease transfer.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 22, 2024·4 min read

Canine Cognition: Dogs Match Words with Objects

A new study reveals dogs' ability to understand words as representations of objects, indicating a deeper level of cognitive processing than previously thought. Researchers used non-invasive EEG to measure dogs' brain activity, finding distinct patterns when dogs heard a word and were then shown either a matching or mismatching object.

This shows a woman looking at brain scans.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·March 19, 2024·5 min read

Middle Age is A Critical Window for Predicting Brain Health

A new study highlights the importance of middle age in understanding and predicting future cognitive health. Researchers emphasize that this period, traditionally between 40 and 65 years, is pivotal for identifying risk factors for dementia and represents a crucial phase for interventions.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 23, 2024·5 min read

Neural Decoding Unveils Secrets of Navigation

A new study combines deep learning with neural activity data from mice to unlock the mystery of how they navigate their environment. By analyzing the firing patterns of "head direction" neurons and "grid cells," researchers can now accurately predict a mouse's location and orientation, shedding light on the complex brain functions involved in navigation.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 15, 2024·5 min read

Ancient Viruses Shaped Our Brains

Ancient viruses played a pivotal role in the development of myelin, crucial for complex vertebrate brains. The discovery of "RetroMyelin," a retrovirus-derived element essential for myelin production across mammals, amphibians, and fish, underscores the impact of viral genes on vertebrate evolution.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 9, 2024·4 min read

MiniTouch: Pioneering Thermal Sensation in Prosthetic Limbs

Researchers have unveiled the "MiniTouch," a revolutionary device that equips prosthetic limbs with the ability to convey thermal sensations to amputees, bridging a significant gap in sensory feedback technology. This breakthrough allows a transradial amputee to differentiate between objects of varying temperatures and experience more human-like touch, enhancing both functional use and emotional connection with the prosthesis.

This shows a mouse looking at itself in a mirror.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 5, 2023·6 min read

Mirror Insight: Mice Show Glimpses of Self-Recognition

Mice display behavior akin to self-recognition when viewing their reflections in mirrors. This behavior emerges under specific conditions: familiarity with mirrors, socialization with similar-looking mice, and visible markings on their fur.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 8, 2023·4 min read

Time-Traveling Minds: Decoding History Through Tech

Modern computing methods like text mining, face detection, and melodic extraction are allowing cognitive scientists to analyze historical cultural artifacts at scale, uncovering psychological data of past societies. By studying media consumption, such as the prevalence of sad music or the portrayal of leaders in portraits, researchers can infer societal psychological trends.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology Visual Neuroscience

·September 22, 2023·5 min read

Upside Down World: Unique View Offers Clues to Face Recognition

Claudio's unique head orientation—rotated nearly 180 degrees—allowed researchers to explore the evolutionary and experiential factors in face recognition. While most people struggle to recognize inverted faces, Claudio's distinct vantage point put this ability to the test.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 7, 2023·5 min read

Is the Blood-Brain Barrier a Key to Behavior?

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) in carpenter ants isn't just a protective boundary, but actively shapes ant behavior. The BBB produces an enzyme called Juvenile hormone esterase (Jhe) that degrades the Juvenile Hormone (JH3), which promotes foraging behavior.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 3, 2023·5 min read

Social Media Algorithms Distort Social Instincts and Fuel Misinformation

Social media algorithms, designed to boost user engagement for advertising revenue, amplify the biases inherent in human social learning processes, leading to misinformation and polarization. As humans naturally learn more from their ingroup and prestigious individuals, algorithms capitalize on this, pushing information that feeds these biases—regardless of its accuracy.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 28, 2023·5 min read

Tickling Out the Secrets of Rat Playfulness

In a pioneering study, scientists have successfully simulated playful environments in labs, encouraging playfulness in rats and analyzing the resulting brain activity. Their findings, highlight the crucial role of a structure called the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in rats' brains in play and laughter.