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$This shows a math equation$

·August 10, 2019·6 min read

We like our math like we like our art: Beautiful

The average American can assess mathematical arguments for beauty just as they can for art or music. Using nine criteria for beauty, including elegance, intricacy, and universality, people were more likely to agree about the specific ways four different proofs were beautiful. The study sheds new light on broader issues in how and why humans have aesthetic experiences of abstract ideas.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 26, 2019·2 min read

The secret of autobiographical memory is in assembly of cells

The size and shape of neural assemblies, and not the strength of signals processed by neurons or the order in which they fire, is the most critical element of recording episodic memory.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 25, 2019·3 min read

How the brain helps us make good decisions, and bad ones

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) appears to play a significant role in our ability to make decisions. A network connecting the OFC and nucleus accumbens translates negative outcomes into values, while the OFC-amygdala circuit helps stabilize action values.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·June 18, 2019·3 min read

How common gut bacteria trigger a lethal autoimmune disease

A common gut bacterium can trigger antiphospholipid syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects young women, in those with a genetic predisposition.

This is a drawing of a swiss army knife covered in bacteria

Featured Neuroscience

·June 4, 2019·3 min read

Gut check: Researchers describe role of gut bacteria in drug response

Researchers have identified causal links between microbiota gene content and metabolic activity which impacts personal differences in drug metabolism. The findings help explain why some people don't respond to, or have adverse side effects from taking medications, while others don't.

This shows brain scans of people with PTSD

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 14, 2019·2 min read

Biomarker reveals PTSD sufferers at risk of suicide

PET imaging study reveals higher levels of mGluR5 in those with PTSD who had suicidal thoughts. The findings could serve as a biomarker to assess suicide risk in people with PTSD.

Brain Cancer Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 30, 2019·3 min read

New technique may improve detection and treatment of advanced brain cancer

Researchers discovered changes in thousands of genes induced by the tumor microenvironment. The study may help in identifying new biomarkers for the early detection, and subsequent treatment, of brain cancers.

This shows a teenaged girl sitting alone on a swing in a park

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 26, 2019·3 min read

Another victim of violence: Trust in those who mean no harm

Those who have experienced community violence or abuse may have problems when it comes to trusting new people, even those who are deemed 'good' or morally righteous.

This shows two heads and networked lines

Autism Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 19, 2019·3 min read

Behavioral disorders in kids with autism linked to reduced brain connectivity

Reduced connectivity between the amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex has been identified in children on the autism spectrum who exhibit disruptive behaviors, compared to those on the spectrum who do not. Findings suggest this distinct brain network could be independent of core autism symptoms.

This shows how NV-5138 affects dendrites

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 17, 2019·3 min read

New drug mimics benefits of ketamine for depression

NV-5138, a small molecule drug that mimics the action of ketamine, provides fast-acting antidepressant responses in rodent models of depression. The drug is currently undergoing Phase 1 testing in humans.

This shows neurons and astrocytes before and after reanimation

Featured Neuroscience

·April 17, 2019·5 min read

Scientists restore some functions in a pig’s brain hours after death

Yale researchers successfully restored cellular activity and circulation to a pig's brain, four hours after its death. The research challenges the assumption about both timing and the irreversible nature of the cessation of some brain functions following death.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 22, 2019·2 min read

Researchers Create Organoid of a Brain Region to Study Cognitive Disorders

Researchers have created an organoid of the thalamus, which they have fused with an organoid of the frontal cortex in order to study ASD, depression and other neuropsychiatric conditions.