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Harvard

·January 20, 2024·6 min read

New Insights Into Early Childhood Language Learning

A new study explores how infants and toddlers acquire language. The research challenges preconceived notions about language development, particularly in low-income families, by analyzing daylong audio recordings of 1,001 children from diverse backgrounds.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·January 5, 2024·5 min read

Soft Robotic Garment Defeats Parkinson’s Freezing

Researchers deploy a soft, wearable robot to combat freezing, a common and debilitating symptom of Parkinson's disease. The robot, worn around the hips and thighs, provides a gentle push during leg swings, helping patients achieve longer strides.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 2, 2024·3 min read

Mind Over Matter: Perception of Time Influences Wound Healing

Perceived time significantly impacts the healing of physical wounds. Researchers found wounds healed faster when participants believed more time had passed, challenging conventional beliefs about psychological effects on physical health.

This shows a child, a book, and a globe.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 15, 2023·4 min read

Global Secrets of Early Language Learning

A new study, involving an extensive international sample of 1,001 children across 43 languages, offers groundbreaking insights into how infants and toddlers learn language. The research utilized day-long audio recordings and machine learning analysis.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·December 14, 2023·8 min read

How Daydreams Shape Our Brain’s Visual Response

Researchers made a breakthrough in understanding how daydreaming affects the brain. By studying mice, they discovered that neurons in the visual cortex fire in patterns similar to when viewing actual images, indicating daydream-like activity.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 8, 2023·5 min read

Did Fermentation Drive Human Brain Evolution?

Recent research proposes that fermentation, rather than cooking, was the crucial dietary change that enabled the significant growth of the human brain. The researchers argue that pre-digested, fermented foods provided more accessible nourishment, bridging the gap between the evolution of larger brains and the later advent of cooking.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 3, 2023·6 min read

Exercise Superpower: Immune T Cells Boost Muscle Endurance

A study offers insights into how exercise may be connected to the immune system. Conducted in mice, it reveals that exertion-induced muscle inflammation triggers the action of inflammation-countering T cells, termed Tregs.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·August 28, 2023·5 min read

New Cell Atlas Signals Hope for Aging Visual Impairments

Researchers created a groundbreaking "cell atlas" of the human eye that could revolutionize treatments for blinding diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration. The atlas identifies nearly 160 unique cell types across different eye structures, and pinpoints which genes each cell type expresses.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·August 27, 2023·9 min read

A Protein Guardian of Our Genes and Immune System Identified

Researchers identified a critical protein called midnolin that degrades short-lived nuclear proteins, solving a long-standing biological mystery. These proteins play essential roles in gene expression, affecting brain development, learning, and immune responses.

This shows a person with neurons over their skin.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 23, 2023·6 min read

Skin Speaks: Directing Nerve Growth for Sensation

Researchers found that the skin, not pre-existing genetic programming, instructs nerve cells on how to mature for specific sensory tasks. The findings showcase that skin cues determine whether nerve endings develop to detect sensations in hairy or hairless skin.

This shows an ai representation of the gut.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 3, 2023·7 min read

Untangling Gut Feelings: Revealing the Colon’s Sensory Neurons

Researchers made a breakthrough in understanding the gut-brain connection by identifying five distinct types of sensory neurons in the colon. The team found these neurons responsible for sending different signals to the brain, with some responding to gentle movements of substances and others reacting to more intense sensations like pain.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·July 12, 2023·7 min read

Unlocking the Secrets of the Blood-Brain Barrier

New research reveals crucial insights about the blood-brain barrier's permeability. Using zebrafish and mice models, researchers identified a neuron-originating signal pivotal for the barrier's formation and maintenance.