Latest

sensory neuroscience

·October 24, 2024·6 min read

Lucid Dreaming Increased with Sensory Cues

A new study shows that a lucid dreaming app, using the method called Targeted Lucidity Reactivation (TLR), can increase lucid dreaming frequency from 0.74 to 2.11 dreams per week. This research demonstrated that sensory cues delivered during sleep significantly enhanced dream awareness, with participants reporting improved emotional states after lucid dreams. The app combines pre-sleep training with auditory cues, showing promise for sleep-based self-improvement.

This shows a man wearing headphones on a cold day.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·August 8, 2024·4 min read

Can We Hear Temperature? New Study Says Yes

Researchers discovered that humans can detect water temperature through its sound. Using machine learning, they analyzed how people perceive thermal properties via auditory cues.

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.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·April 24, 2024·5 min read

How Sensory Experiences Shape Neurons

A new study introduces BARseq—a rapid, cost-effective method for mapping brain cells, revealing new insights into how our brains are structured at a cellular level. Researchers used BARseq to classify millions of neurons across multiple mouse brains, discovering unique 'cellular signatures' that define each brain region.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·April 16, 2024·4 min read

Emotional Bodily Sensations Altered in Parkinson’s Patients

People with Parkinson’s disease experience altered bodily sensations related to basic emotions differently from healthy individuals. Utilizing electronic body maps, participants identified how emotions like anger, happiness, and sadness manifested physically, noting significant shifts in sensation locations, particularly with anger moving from the chest to the abdomen.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·April 12, 2024·6 min read

Proteasomes May Be Key to Sensory Signals

Researchers discovered a novel role of the proteasome, traditionally known as the cell's waste processor, in nerve cells. Their findings reveal that proteasomes in dorsal root ganglion neurons may act more like signal messengers, aiding in the differentiation between pain and itch sensations.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 10, 2023·4 min read

ASMR: Relaxation or Irritation?

ASMR, a phenomenon enjoyed by many for its calming effects, has been scientifically shown to positively alter mood and physiological responses like heart rate and blood pressure in 25-30% of people. Researchers, after reviewing over 1,000 scientific articles, confirmed ASMR's consistent description and experience across individuals, noting changes in delta brain waves and activation in specific brain regions.

This shows a young girl smelling a flower

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 13, 2023·4 min read

Study May Help to Explain Smell Challenges in Individuals With Autism

Study sheds light on why some people with autism experience aversion to certain smells and the neural mechanisms that underlie olfactory processing in those with ASD.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·February 2, 2023·4 min read

New Clues to Sensory Brain Disorders

Researchers have identified two distinct processes that are triggered in the brain when a person is exposed to prolonged or repeated sensory input.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 15, 2023·5 min read

Why Chocolate Feels So Good: It Is All Down to Lubrication

Researchers have decoded the sensory processing mechanisms that make the sensation of eating chocolate so irresistible to most people.

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 13, 2022·6 min read

High-Sugar Diet Decreases Ability to Sense Sweetness in Rats

In rats, high-sugar diets lower the ability of the taste system to sense sweetness. However, curbing high sugar in the diet allowed sensitivity to sweetness to return.