A to Z

Sleep

This shows a man in a plague mask and covid19

·May 15, 2020·8 min read

What pandemic dreams may come

Researchers discuss how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the quality and content of people's dreams. The stress we are experiencing may be manifesting in our dream content as we sleep.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 15, 2016·4 min read

What You Eat Influences How You Sleep

According to researchers, sleep can be impacted due to diets high in fiber, saturated fats and sugar.

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos

·July 26, 2016·4 min read

What’s Going On When Babies Twitch in Their Sleep?

According to researchers, sleep twitches in babies could be linked to sensorimotor development.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·March 15, 2022·3 min read

When It Comes to Sleep, It’s Quality Over Quantity

Researchers have identified five genes across the genome that enable efficient sleep.

This shows the outline of two bodies. One has the head highlighted red, the other has the gut highlighted red

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 7, 2019·4 min read

Where does Parkinson’s disease start? In the brain or gut? Or both?

Lewy body disorders, including Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, comprise of two distinct subtypes. One subtype originates in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) of the gut and spreads to the brain. The other originates in the brain, or enters the brain via the olfactory system, before spreading to the brainstem and PNS.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 8, 2021·4 min read

Which Came First, Sleep or the Brain?

With the help of water-dwelling hydras, researchers discover new evidence that animals acquire the need to sleep before developing a brain.

This image shows the mushroom bodies visible in a Drosophila brain as two stalks.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·January 23, 2015·3 min read

Why All Nighters Don’t Work

Researchers link a single pair of neurons to sleep and memory consolidation in Drosophila.

This image shows the location of the ventral striatum.

Featured Psychology

·September 18, 2017·5 min read

Why Bad Sleep Doesn’t Always Lead to Depression

Researchers from Duke University report people with poor sleep quality were less likely to experience symptoms of depression if they had higher activity in the ventral striatum.

This shows a woman sitting up in a dark room

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 14, 2022·3 min read

Why Do Embarrassing Memories Seem to Surface at Night?

During REM sleep, the locus coeruleus stops releasing noradrenaline. By blocking the cascade, the association between memory and emotional response is broken. This may not occur so frequently in restless sleepers, resulting in rumination and PTSD-like symptoms. For those who usually sleep well, embarrassing feelings experienced at night may be reduced by morning.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 4, 2018·3 min read

Why Do Some Sleep Deprived People Experience Worse Cognitive Function Than Others?

A new study reports microRNAs in the blood are altered as a result of sleep deprivation. Researchers used MiRNA alterations as a biomarker to determine cognitive performance following psychological stress and sleep loss.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 29, 2017·3 min read

Why Do We Fall Asleep When We’re Bored?

According to researchers, the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain associated with pleasure and motivation, can also promote sleep. Researchers believe the findings might help answer why we often fall asleep when we are bored.