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Cell Press

·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.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·July 6, 2023·5 min read

Schizophrenia Linked to Non-Inherited Genetic Mutations

Researchers found a link between schizophrenia and somatic copy-number variants, mutations occurring post-inheritance. The study scrutinized genotype-marker data from over 20,000 blood samples, identifying two genes, NRXN1 and ABCB11, that correlate with schizophrenia when disrupted during development.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 10, 2023·5 min read

Alzheimer’s Drug Lecanemab Shields Brain from Free-Roaming Amyloid Fibrils

Researchers have unveiled the structure of a unique amyloid beta protein associated with Alzheimer's progression. This protein forms small aggregates that disrupt brain function. Importantly, the study found that lecanemab, a recently FDA-approved Alzheimer's treatment, can neutralize these disruptive aggregates, hinting at its potential to slow down the disease's cognitive decline.

This shows a stressed man and drawings of clocks

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·April 21, 2023·6 min read

Stress Rapidly Increases Biological Age, but Recovery Turns Back the Clock

Stress can cause rapid and transient increases in biological age, which can be reversed upon recovery, according to a new study. Using DNA methylation clocks, researchers found that stress triggers short-term fluctuations in biological age in humans and mice. The findings challenge the idea that biological age has a unidirectional upward trajectory over the life course, and highlights the importance of reducing biological age to improve longevity.