A to Z

midbrain

This shows a head and strings coming from it.

·May 29, 2026·9 min read

A Biological Signature of Consciousness Found

By capturing these pristine intracranial signals, the study introduces an objective, measurable biomarker to optimize deep-brain therapies and revolutionize our clinical understanding of conscious states.

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·April 29, 2017·6 min read

A New Study Revises the Development and Evolutionary Origin of the Vertebrate Brain

Researchers believe findings may shed light on how the vertebrate brain may have evolved.

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·January 23, 2020·4 min read

A rat had basically no brain, but it could still see, hear, smell, and feel

Rat R222 was born with hydrocephalus. Neuroimaging revealed most of its brain had compressed and collapsed as it filled with fluid. However, despite its condition, the animal was still able to see, hear, smell, and feel like other animals. The study sheds new light on neuroplasticity, and the findings could have implications for the development of new machine learning technologies.

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·September 21, 2016·3 min read

Ancient Brain Area Controls Eye Movements

Researchers report an ancient area of the midbrain in all vertebrates can independently control and re-orientate the eyes.

This shows the outline of a head. Caption reads "Decoding the Neural Machinery Behind Collective Escape."

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 23, 2026·5 min read

Ancient Midbrain Circuit Decodes Social Escape Cues

Scientists discover an ancient midbrain circuit in transparent glassfish that detects escaping or vanishing peers to coordinate collective defense.

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·February 23, 2016·3 min read

Bat Brain Behavior Offers Insights Into How Humans Focus Attention

Researchers discover how a bat's brain determines what's worth paying attention to.

Image shows a brain scan of a person with tourette.

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·October 26, 2016·5 min read

Brain Scans of Children with Tourette Offer Clues About Disorder

A new neuroimaging study identifies differences in brain areas in children with Tourette syndrome compared to peers without the disorder.

Image shows the brain tissue in a petri dish.

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·April 13, 2017·5 min read

Brain Tissue From a Petri Dish

Researchers successfully transform stem cells derived from skin cells into cells that behave similarly to the human midbrain.

This is a cross section of a mouse brain

Featured Neuroscience

·April 5, 2023·4 min read

Danger or Pleasure? How We Learn to Tell the Difference

Scientists have discovered that somatostatin-expressing neurons in the amygdala help distinguish between good and bad stimuli, responding differently to rewards versus punishments and even different types of rewards. Inhibiting these neurons in mice resulted in an inability to learn to associate sounds with rewards or punishments, providing potential insight into addiction and opportunities for new treatments.