Neuroscience

  1. An illustration of a nerve cell with extensions branching out to create connections called synapses.
    Neuroscience

    Adult mouse brains are teeming with ‘silent synapses’

    Nerve cell connections thought to be involved mainly in development could explain how the brain keeps making new memories while holding onto old ones.

    By Claudia López Lloreda
  2. A white rat inside a clear case with a one red dot on its tail and three colored dots in a straight line on its head
    Neuroscience

    Rats can bop their heads to the beat

    Rats’ rhythmic response to human music doesn’t mean they like to dance, but it may shed light on how brains evolved to perceive rhythm.

    By Deborah Balthazar
  3. An illustration of a woman with the top of her appearing to open on a hinge and her pull a thin white string out of a tangled collection of string where her brain would be
    Neuroscience

    New brain implants ‘read’ words directly from people’s thoughts

    In the lab, brain implants can translate internal speech into external signals, technology that could help people who are unable to speak or type.

    By Laura Sanders
  4. A photo of a women asleep in a bed
    Psychology

    A new treatment for debilitating nightmares offers sweeter dreams

    A new study combines standard nightmare disorder therapy with a memory-enhancing technique to create happier dreams and bring greater, lasting relief.

    By Jackie Rocheleau
  5. an organoid made of human nerve cells, shown in bright green, on the upper left side of a rat brain, shown in dark green
    Neuroscience

    Clumps of human nerve cells thrived in rat brains

    New results suggest that environment matters for the development of brain organoids, 3-D nerve cell clusters that grow and mimic the human brain.

    By Laura Sanders
  6. Tua Tagovailoa, wearing a teal jersey with the number 1, tries to throw a football amid a tackle
    Neuroscience

    Why traumatic brain injuries raise the risk of a second, worse hit

    Recent hits to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have reignited discussions of brain safety for professional football players. Brain experts weigh in.

    By Laura Sanders
  7. photo of six gray sperm whales diving down from the ocean surface
    Animals

    ‘Wonderful nets’ of blood vessels protect dolphin and whale brains during dives

    Complex networks of blood vessels called retia mirabilia that are associated with cetaceans’ brains and spines have long been a mystery.

    By Claudia López Lloreda
  8. Emily Jacobs and Caitlin Taylor look at images of the brain on a computer.
    Neuroscience

    Emily Jacobs wants to know how sex hormones sculpt the brain

    Emily Jacobs studies how the brain changes throughout women’s reproductive years, plus what it all means for health.

    By Cassie Martin
  9. blueprint style illustration of a brain with lines and shapes to indicate networks
    Neuroscience

    An AI can decode speech from brain activity with surprising accuracy

    Developed by Facebook’s parent company, Meta, the AI could eventually be used to help people who can’t communicate through speech, typing or gestures.

    By Jonathan Moens
  10. A man has lowered his face mask to smell a sliced lemon.
    Neuroscience

    COVID-19 gave new urgency to the science of restoring smell

    With newfound pressure from the pandemic, olfactory training and a host of other newer treatments are now getting a lot more attention.

    By Laura Sanders
  11. image of the face of someone sleeping in bed under a blue sheet
    Neuroscience

    Sleep deprivation may make people less generous

    Helping each other is inherently human. Yet new research shows that sleep deprivation may dampen people’s desire to donate money.

    By Sujata Gupta
  12. side-by-side microscope images of pigs’ kidneys with actin highlighted in green
    Neuroscience

    An hour after pigs’ deaths, an artificial system restored cellular life

    Sensors, pumps and artificial fluid staved off tissue damage in pigs after cardiac arrest. The system may one day preserve organs for transplantation.

    By Laura Sanders