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This shows a person sleeping and a brain.

·June 26, 2025·5 min read

Short Naps Linked to “Aha” Moments and Creative Insight

A new study suggests that a short nap, especially one reaching deeper N2 sleep, can significantly boost problem-solving insight. Participants who achieved N2 sleep were far more likely to discover a hidden shortcut in a task after napping.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 5, 2025·6 min read

Mice Experience Rubber Hand Illusion

A new study shows that mice, like humans, can experience a sense of embodiment toward an artificial limb—similar to the famous rubber-hand illusion. When their real limb was hidden and both real and fake limbs were brushed in sync, mice visually tracked a threat to the fake limb, indicating perceived ownership.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·May 29, 2025·4 min read

How Personality and Family Shape Athletic Self-Perception

A new study of Japanese undergraduates finds that students' perceptions of their own athletic ability are shaped by a mix of personality traits, childhood environment, and social feedback. Those who rated themselves as more athletic also tended to display grit, resilience, and a growth mindset. Factors like early walking age, athletic parents, frequent sports participation, and being called athletic by others were also linked to higher self-ratings.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 28, 2025·4 min read

Cats Can Recognize Their Owners by Smell Alone

A new study has found that domestic cats can distinguish between their owner’s scent and that of a stranger using their sense of smell alone. When presented with scent samples from familiar and unfamiliar humans, cats consistently spent more time sniffing the unfamiliar scent.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Visual Neuroscience

·May 20, 2025·4 min read

Color Knowledge Tied to Language-Visual Brain Circuitry

A new study shows that our ability to recall details about familiar objects—like a banana’s typical color—depends on strong connections between visual and language-processing areas of the brain. Researchers found that stroke patients with disrupted neural pathways between these regions had weaker object-color knowledge and altered brain activity.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 4, 2025·6 min read

Setting and Mindset Shape Ayahuasca’s Mental Health Effects

New research highlights how ayahuasca’s long-term mental health outcomes depend heavily on individual mental health history and the environment in which it is used. While the psychedelic has shown promise in easing anxiety and depression, adverse mental states—such as feelings of disconnection or hopelessness—were more common among users with pre-existing conditions or those in unsupportive, non-traditional settings. Interestingly, some negative experiences, like visual distortions, were linked to positive outcomes later on, suggesting that so-called adverse effects may hold therapeutic value.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 24, 2025·5 min read

Gun Culture a Key Factor in School Shooter Backgrounds

A comprehensive analysis of all known U.S. school shootings reveals that most shooters grew up in social environments where guns were a central part of family bonding and identity. These cultural meanings of affection, fun, and belonging made firearms easily accessible to the shooters—often without barriers at home. In many cases, parents purchased the firearms used or stored them in places their children could reach.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 18, 2025·5 min read

How Intent Shapes Perception of Action

A groundbreaking study used a brain-machine interface to explore how intentions, actions, and their outcomes are temporally linked in the human brain. By recording single-neuron activity from a paralyzed individual with implanted electrodes, researchers enabled intentional hand movement through machine-learning-driven muscle stimulation.

This shows a person sticking out their tongue and neurons.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 10, 2025·5 min read

Purkinje Cells Control Tongue Precision in Skilled Movements

Researchers studying marmosets discovered that Purkinje cells in the cerebellum help regulate tongue movement by signaling when to stop as the tongue nears its target. These cells were highly engaged during precision tasks, like inserting the tongue into narrow tubes, but not during casual grooming.

This shows a hand holding a brain and another reaching out to touch it.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 9, 2025·4 min read

How the Brain Separates Touch We Choose vs. Touch We Receive

Touch is a vital sense, yet the brain processes active and passive touch using distinct pathways. In mice, researchers found that different regions of the thalamus—the brain’s sensory hub—respond uniquely depending on whether the animal actively explored with its whiskers or passively received a touch.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 1, 2025·4 min read

Protein Imbalance Triggers Autism-Like Behavior

A new study reveals that autism-like symptoms in mice emerge when two nerve proteins—MDGA2 and BDNF—fall out of balance. MDGA2 typically keeps BDNF/TrkB signaling in check, but when MDGA2 levels drop, heightened neuronal activity and social impairments occur.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·March 21, 2025·4 min read

Sleep-Deprived Fruit Flies Show Sharper Memory via PKA Signaling

Fruit flies with genetic mutations that severely reduce sleep show enhanced performance in olfactory memory tasks, challenging assumptions about sleep’s role in cognition. This paradox appears to be driven by increased protein kinase A (PKA) signaling in the mushroom body, a brain region responsible for memory and sleep regulation.

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PLOS

Short Naps Linked to “Aha” Moments and Creative Insight

Mice Experience Rubber Hand Illusion

How Personality and Family Shape Athletic Self-Perception

Cats Can Recognize Their Owners by Smell Alone

Color Knowledge Tied to Language-Visual Brain Circuitry

Setting and Mindset Shape Ayahuasca’s Mental Health Effects

Gun Culture a Key Factor in School Shooter Backgrounds

How Intent Shapes Perception of Action

Purkinje Cells Control Tongue Precision in Skilled Movements

How the Brain Separates Touch We Choose vs. Touch We Receive

Protein Imbalance Triggers Autism-Like Behavior

Sleep-Deprived Fruit Flies Show Sharper Memory via PKA Signaling

Oxytocin Boosts Mother-Infant Bond in Postpartum Depression

Common Pain Medication Linked to Cognitive Decline Risk

Inverse Graphics: How Your Brain Turns 2D Into 3D

Familiar Faces and Fights: What Monkeys Like to Watch Most

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