Do you smell what I smell?
Small changes in a single olfactory receptor gene can affect how strong, or how pleasant, a person finds a particular odor.... Read More...
perception
The brain’s imperfect execution of mathematically optimal perception
Perception is founded on Bayesian principles, even though the brain's execution of strategies appears to be imperfect. Researchers say the view perception is an imperfect Bayesian inference can provide a middle ground between traditional and anti-Bayesian models.... Read More...
How Attention Helps the Brain Perceive an Object
Low-frequency optogenetic stimulation of the visual region of the brain impairs an animal's ability to make fine sensory discriminations. ... Read More...
Our Brains Reveal Our Choices Before We’re Even Aware of Them
Researchers find neural activation patterns were predictive of the contents of voluntary visual imagery as far as 11 seconds before the choice of what to imagine. These results suggest that the contents of future visual imagery can be biased by current or prior neural representations.... Read More...
Brain Represents Optical Illusion as Delayed Reality
Researchers report the same subset of neurons encode actual and illusory flow motion, supporting the concept Jan Purkinje proposed 150 years ago, that "illusions contain visual truth".... Read More...
Myth of Mona Lisa’s Gaze Debunked
A new study reveals the 'Mona Lisa Effect', the perception that the eyes of a painting follow the viewer as they move closer to it, does not occur with da Vinci's famous work. The study debunks a long standing myth about the famous painting.... Read More...
Human Brain Allocates Attention Based on Known Size of Objects
Researchers report our knowledge about the real world size of an object, and not its visual size, helps to guide our attention.... Read More...
How Brain Cells Filter Information in Groups
A new study reports the neurons that focus on coarse visual details could change to prefer finer details under different conditions. The findings shed new light on the neural mechanism that helps shape our perception of the world.... Read More...
A Tilt of the Head Facilitates Social Engagement
A new eye tracking study reveals left gaze bias is replaced by an upper eye bias when we look at faces tilted to an eleven degree angle. Researchers say the findings could help social engagement in those with ASD as the head tilt helps people focus more on the eyes, making others seem less threatening and more approachable.... Read More...
What if Consciousness is Just a Product of Our Non-Conscious Brain
Researchers explore consciousness and argue our conscious processes may be formed by efficient non-conscious brain systems. ... Read More...
Pain: Perception and Motor Impulses Arise in Brain Independently of One Another
Study reveals the brain yields at least three different responses to pain, and these responses are independent of each other.... Read More...
Your Brain on Imagination: It’s a Lot Like Reality
A new neuroimaging study reveals imagination may help people with fear or anxiety disorders overcome them. The study reports imagining a threat can alter the way it is represented in the brain.... Read More...