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University of Chicago

This shows the colored bars of a musical equalizer

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 31, 2021·6 min read

Why Can’t We Identify Music Notes as Well as Colors? Pitch Perfect Study Provides Answers

Frequency follow response (FFR) is a strong predictor of a person's ability to recognize and name musical notes, and may be an accurate metric for understanding a person's ability to recognize sounds. FFR may not be a fixed trait and can be improved over time.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 17, 2021·6 min read

Emotion in Stories Gets Our Attention, and Attention Affects Our Memories

Self-reported engagement in the narrative of a TV show synchronizes across people at the same points in the storyline. The synchronization was driven by the emotional content of the narrative. Neuroimaging reflected the similarities in brain activity synchronization at the same points of the story across the subject participants.

Featured Psychology

·June 9, 2021·4 min read

Low Doses of “Laughing Gas” Could Be Fast, Effective Treatment for Severe Depression

Nitrous oxide, a common anesthesia most often associated with dental procedures, may have a new purpose. Researchers found a single inhalation of 25% nitrous oxide gas was effective at alleviating symptoms of depression in those with a treatment-resistant form of the mental health disorder.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 22, 2021·5 min read

Fly Brains Make Predictions, Possibly Using Universal Design Principles

Findings suggest prediction may be a general feature of animal nervous systems in supporting quick behavioral changes.

This shows a woman walking down a graffiti covered alleyway

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·March 11, 2021·5 min read

‘Hunker Down’ Stress Genes Boosted in Women Who Live in Violent Neighborhoods

Gene activity in immune cells is altered as a result of chronic stress for women who live in areas high in violence and poverty.

This shows motor neurons in green and purple

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience

·February 17, 2021·6 min read

How Some Neurons Compensate for Death of Their Neighbors

Some neurons have the ability to detect and compensate for neighboring neurons, while others do not. The findings shed new light on synaptic plasticity.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 5, 2021·6 min read

Increase in Pleasurable Effects of Alcohol Over Time Can Predict Alcohol Use Disorder

People who are most sensitive to the pleasurable and rewarding effects of alcohol are at greater risk of developing alcohol use disorders.

This shows a bedroom scene and drawings from those who can and can't visualize

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·December 27, 2020·6 min read

Can’t Draw a Mental Picture? Aphantasia Causes Blind Spots in the Mind’s Eye

While people with aphantasia lack visual imagery ability, they have intact spatial memory. Findings suggest mental imagery recall and spatial memory may be stored differently in the brain.

This shows a diagram of a hand and a man with a bionic arm

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Neurotech

·December 23, 2020·5 min read

Even After Long-Term Exposure, Bionic Touch Does Not Remap the Brain

After a year of using a bionic arm, patients report subjective sensations did not shift to match the location of the touch sensor on their prosthetic device.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 17, 2020·5 min read

The Neural Mechanisms Behind Support for Political Violence

People with strong moral and political convictions who saw images of protestors congruent to their own views showed activation in the brain's reward system. The study suggests violent acts in political protests can arise as a desire to act morally, rather than from bad intentions.

Featured Neurology

·October 13, 2020·4 min read

New Therapy Improves Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis

By fusing a cytokine to a blood protein, researchers have developed a new therapy to help treat multiple sclerosis.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 11, 2020·4 min read

New Vaccine Design Reduces Inflammation and Enhances Protection

By adding a molecule that disrupts certain pathways in cells, researchers have discovered a new way to limit inflammation from adjuvants in vaccinations.

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