FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·November 14, 2022·4 min readA Brain Area Thought to Impart Consciousness Instead Behaves Like an Internet RouterThe claustrum coordinates networks associated with executive commands to work together to accomplish the many cognitively demanding tasks we perform on a moment-to-moment basis.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeurosciencePain·March 29, 2022·3 min readLittle Understood Brain Region Linked to How We Perceive PainStudy reveals how the claustrum plays a vital role in how we experience and perceive pain.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·March 18, 2022·3 min readSwitching off Specific Brain Cells Protects Against StressUsing chemogenetic technology to deactivate a small group of neurons in the claustrum made mice more resilient against chronic stress and reduced anxiety behaviors.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·July 23, 2020·4 min readMysterious Brain Structure Sheds Light on AddictionA new study reveals the role the claustrum plays in cocaine addiction. Inhibiting claustral neurons prevented behavioral responses to cocaine in mouse models of addiction.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·June 5, 2020·4 min readPsychedelic drug psilocybin tamps down brain’s ego centerPsilocybin reduces activity in the claustrum, an area of the brain believed to contribute to consciousness and sense of self. Researchers say the reduced activity may tie in with the reduced sense of self and ego often associated with psychedelic drug use. The study also reports psilocybin alters the way the claustrum communicates with brain areas involved in attention, decision making, auditory processing, and memory.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·May 11, 2020·3 min readA ‘consciousness conductor’ synchronizes and connects mouse brain areasMouse study reveals slow-wave brain activity, which is indicative of sleep and resting states, is controlled by the claustrum. The synchronization of active and silent states across the brain via the slow waves contributes to consciousness.Read More