Faster is not always better: How a faster kinesin motor does more harm than good

Moving cargo along axons requires extreme precision, where timing and pacing are just as critical as raw function. Moving too fast or too slow cause problems. This article explores how a KIF1A moto…

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Caught a case of the yawns?

Can you make it through this article without yawning? Scientists are still trying to understand the neuroscience behind contagious yawns. Let’s discuss the most prominent theory.

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My buddy Claude, friend or foe?

While Claude, ChatGPT and other generative AIs are doing the work, what’s happening (or not happening) in your brain?

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Becoming man’s best friend: Biology’s survival guide for animals in a world with humans

Many animals have evolved to coexist with—or even rely on—humans. A few key changes in neurobiology may explain how evolution has shaped dogs and other animals into human companions.

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Out of thin air: The brain at high altitude

Lower oxygen at high altitude poses a serious danger to climbers, but some populations have adapted to thrive in these conditions. What differences in the brain and body confer protection to inhabi…

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The missing community in the link between hearing loss and dementia

Acquiring hearing loss later in life is one of the strongest risk factors for dementia, a condition that affects cognitive abilities, like memory, in aging adults. Yet as researchers attempt to und…

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Use it or lose it: How a lifetime of challenging our brains may slow the onset of dementia symptoms

Not everyone whose brain shows physical changes associated with dementia experiences symptoms. Some scientists believe that a lifetime of keeping our minds active may make our brains more adaptable…

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All roads lead to Rome: How neurons use different strategies for the same result

Have you ever wondered why, in some cases, people respond differently to the same thing? The answer might lie in crabs! Scientists studying crabs found that neurons doing the same job can be wired …

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Gyrification: How the brain gets groovy

Why is the human brain wrinkled, rather than smooth like the brain of a mouse? Explore how evolution solved a space problem by folding the cerebral cortex, creating the ridges and grooves that help…

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Trust you gut: How your favorite protein source may contribute to Parkinson’s disease

Staying healthy is about more than just eating from every food group on the food pyramid. Your diet may also play a role in your long-term brain health, including your risk of developing Parkinson’…

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This is your brain on drugs, but at different doses

Why does the same drug act so differently depending on the dose? The brain does not always respond in a simple “more drug, stronger effect” way. Neuroscientists have recently begun to explore that …

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The neuroscience of nostalgia

Have you ever caught yourself reminiscing over a fond memory and felt a sudden rush of emotions? Keep reading to learn more about what (and where) in your brain contributes to this experience and t…

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Lights-out in your brain: Sleeping one region at a time

Your brain does not fall asleep all at once, but rather different brain regions fall asleep at different times. That’s why you forget parts of that TV show you watched last night as you were fallin…

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Ahem, ahem… Let me tell you about coughing

Ever had a stubborn cough? Wonder why it won’t just go away? Cure your curiosity and learn about why we cough, how the brain is involved, and how cough remedies work.

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Pins and needles

Why do your limbs go numb or “fall asleep” after sitting in the wrong position?

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Clever creatures and the tools they use

Tool use is often seen as a defining human trait, but animals from chimpanzees to crows also use tools. Explore how diverse species use tools and what that may reveal about intelligence across the …

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Play on the brain

What can rats playing hide-and-seek tell us about the brain?

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“What was I doing again?” The neuroscience behind losing your train of thought

Have you ever walked into a room, been momentarily distracted, and then completely forgotten why you went into that room in the first place? You may be surprised that a seemingly small part of your…

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How our brains may influence our physical endurance

Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Find out how our brain may be operating in the background to mediate our physical endurance.

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Tunnels between neurons: How dendritic nanotubes are reopening an age-old debate

Most neurons communicate by releasing chemicals across a small gap. But newly discovered tube-like structures are causing neuroscientists to reconsider whether direct connections between neurons ma…

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Cognitive aging and neurogenesis: Insights from superAgers

Age-related memory loss and cognitive decline are increasingly prevalent in our rapidly aging population. However, some “SuperAgers” seem to escape developing these deficits–but how? Studying the b…

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Driving you mad: Understanding the rabies virus

People have lived in fear of rabies for thousands of years, but it’s only recently we’ve started to learn how it works.

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Your daily D.O.S.E of happiness: Uncovering the complexities of the “happy hormones”

A group of brain chemicals that play a role in promoting happiness have earned the nickname the “happy hormones”, but there’s much more to them than that! Let’s dive into their diverse biological f…

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Your daily D.O.S.E of happiness: Uncovering the complexities of the “happy hormones”

A group of brain chemicals that play a role in promoting happiness have earned the nickname the “happy hormones”, but there’s much more to them than that! Let’s dive into their diverse biological f…

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Thinking with your stomach: A newly discovered neural pathway related to food comas

Ever wondered why sometimes a full stomach makes you sleepy? One new paper has a compelling answer!

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Thinking out loud: How inner speech can transform brain-computer interfaces

What if the voice in our heads had the potential to revolutionize communication for people with paralysis or progressive disease that affected their ability to speak? Recent research shows that inn…

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More than meets the eye: How different animals see the world

What would it be like to see through the eyes of another animal? Learn how different animals see the world.

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Adolescent nicotine exposure fundamentally changes the brain to make subsequent morphine use in adulthood more rewarding — GLIA

or technically, Paradoxical Ventral Tegmental Area GABA Signaling Drives Enhanced Morphine Reward After Adolescent Nicotine [See original abstract on Pubmed]

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KIF1A: The neuron’s marathon runner

To function properly, neurons need supplies- but how do all these supplies make it from one end of a neuron to another?  This article explores the incredible protein that gets the job done, aptly n…

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When insects lose their minds: The fascinating world of parasitic fungi

You might think mind control is the stuff of science fiction, but for many fungi it’s just what they do. Explore how parasitic fungi control the insects they infect.

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