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This shows a brain surrounded by old objects.

·June 26, 2024·5 min read

Discovery of Memory “Glue” Explains Lifelong Recall

A new study reveals the role of the molecule KIBRA in forming long-term memories. Researchers found that KIBRA acts as a “glue,” binding with the enzyme PKMzeta to strengthen and stabilize synapses, crucial for memory retention. This discovery could lead to new treatments for memory-related conditions. The findings confirm a long-standing hypothesis about memory storage mechanisms.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·June 8, 2024·5 min read

Key Protein Essential for Smell and Survival Identified

The Orco protein is crucial for the survival of olfactory neurons in ants. Mutating the orco gene in Harpegnathos saltator ants drastically reduced their number of olfactory neurons, impairing their social interactions. This stud highlights the importance of Orco in neural development and social communication in ants. Understanding these mechanisms can provide insights into sensory-mediated social behavior in both animals and humans.

This shows a woman looking at a model of a brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 7, 2024·4 min read

Brains’ Decision-Making Mechanism Revealed

A new study uncovered neural mechanisms used in planning, revealing an interplay between the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. The study shows how the brain imagines future outcomes to guide decisions. This research sheds light on the cognitive processes behind planning, with potential implications for treating disorders affecting decision-making.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·May 28, 2024·5 min read

How the Brain Distinguishes Music from Speech

A new study reveals how our brain distinguishes between music and speech using simple acoustic parameters. Researchers found that slower, steady sounds are perceived as music, while faster, irregular sounds are perceived as speech.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 30, 2024·4 min read

The Power of Music on Cognitive Arousal

A new study explores the influence of personalized music on cognitive arousal and performance, drawing on the Yerkes-Dodson law's inverted-U theory. The study used participants' physiological and behavioral signals to map arousal levels against performance, revealing that music can significantly affect one's productivity by aligning arousal to an optimal level.

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos

·February 1, 2024·6 min read

AI Learns Language Like a Child

Researchers made a significant breakthrough by training a multimodal AI system using only the input one child received from birth through their second birthday, challenging the notion that AI requires vast data to learn language. Their study demonstrates that the AI model was able to learn words and concepts from a fraction of a child’s experiences, captured through headcam recordings.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 29, 2024·4 min read

Ancient Skulls Unveil Secrets of Human Bipedalism

A recent study using three-dimensional CT scans of the 6-million-year-old ape, Lufengpithecus, offers new insights into the evolution of human bipedalism. By analyzing the ape's bony inner ear region, researchers discovered a connection between its semicircular canals and locomotor behavior, suggesting a three-step evolution of human bipedalism from ancestral arboreal and terrestrial movements.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 25, 2023·5 min read

Can AI Mimic Human Compositional Thinking?

Researchers advanced the capabilities of neural networks to make compositional generalizations, similar to how humans grasp and expand on new concepts. This new technique, named Meta-learning for Compositionality (MLC), challenges decades-old skepticism about the capacity of artificial neural networks.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·October 6, 2023·5 min read

Prediction-Error Neurons Whisper Our Mistakes

A new study identified a distinctive class of neurons, termed "prediction-error neurons," which activate solely when audible expectations are breached, signaling an error in anticipation. These neurons remain dormant and unresponsive to typical sounds, springing to life only when an auditory outcome deviates from the expected.

Featured

·August 31, 2023·4 min read

COVID Pandemic Infants Show Reduced Gut Microbiome Diversity

Infants who spent most of their first year during the COVID-19 pandemic have a less diverse gut microbiome compared to those born pre-pandemic. Researchers found lower levels of certain bacteria, like Pasteurellaceae and Haemophilus, and overall fewer types of bacteria in the gut.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·August 21, 2023·6 min read

Memory’s Future Focus: It’s Not Just What, but Why We Remember

Our ability to process sentences relies on the dynamic nature of working memory, where information is not just stored, but also integrated with our future intentions. New research reveals that visual memories adapt according to our future use of that information.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 21, 2023·5 min read

Children’s Views on Inequality: The Power of Explanation

Researchers revealed that children's perceptions of inequality are shaped by how its origins are explained to them. While adults often attribute social inequalities to structural forces, children interpret these structures differently.