A bigger role for the little brain?
In the early 19th century, neuroanatomist Franz Joseph Gall believed that the cerebellum, the little attachment to the brain that packs half of the neurons in our head, is the “organ of the instinct of...
View ArticleDo long-term memories punch holes in the brain?
How the brain encodes and stores memories is one of the enduring mysteries of neuroscience. Memories are thought to be encoded by the strengthening of synaptic connections, and many researchers believe...
View ArticleFreud was a pioneering neuroscientist
Before gaining worldwide recognition as the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud made an important contribution to early modern neuroscience
View ArticleBrainy processing at your fingertips
The nerve endings in your fingertips can perform complex neural computations that were thought to be carried out by the brain, according to new research published in the journal Nature Neuroscience....
View ArticleBlowing up the brain to reveal its finer details
Children of all ages enjoy growing and hatching dinosaur eggs. These fun little toys are made of a material that is absorbant and expandable. When placed in a glass of water, the rubber dino begins to...
View ArticleBrain’s immune cells hyperactive in schizophrenia
The brain’s immune cells are hyperactive in people who are at risk of developing schizophrenia, as well as during the earliest stages of the disease, according to a new study by researchers at the MRC...
View ArticleSleep may help us to forget by rebalancing synapses
We spend one third of our lives sleeping, but we still do not know exactly why we sleep. Recent research shows that that the brain does its housekeeping while we sleep, and clears away its waste....
View ArticleHow to become a super memorizer – and what it does to your brain
To many of us, having to memorize a long list of items feels like a chore. But for others, it is more like a sport. Every year, hundreds of these ‘memory athletes’ compete with one another in the World...
View ArticleNon-invasive deep brain stimulation
Since 1997, more than 100,000 Parkinson’s Disease patients have been treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS), a surgical technique that involves the implantation of ultra-thin wire electrodes. The...
View ArticleThe evolution of super-toxic flesh-eating venom in spitting cobras
Of the nearly 4,000 species known to science, about 600 are venomous, and the vast majority of these use venom to immobilize and digest their prey. But some cobras have independently evolved the...
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