Neuroscience

  1. Neuroscience

    Playful behavior in rats is controlled by a specific area of their brains

    Cells in a brain region called the periaqueductal gray are activated by chasing and tickling, a study finds. Blocking their activity reduces play in rats.

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  2. Neuroscience

    Elyse G.’s brain is fabulous. It’s also missing a big chunk

    A new project explores interesting brains to better understand neural flexibility.

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  3. Neuroscience

    Brain cavities that swell in space may need at least 3 years to recover

    MRI scans of astronauts show that duration in space and time between flights affect how much the brain’s fluid-filled cavities expand during missions.

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  4. Neuroscience

    A brain implant helped a man with paralysis walk more naturally

    A successful test of a system that restores communication between the brain and spine could ultimately help many people with paralysis.

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  5. Neuroscience

    Brain implants have revealed a signature for chronic pain

    Brain implants in four people with chronic pain gave researchers an inside look at the debilitating condition.

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  6. Neuroscience

    A rare mutation helped one man stave off Alzheimer’s for decades

    The brain of a Colombian man with an inherited form of Alzheimer’s may hint at ways to halt or slow the progression of the disease.

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  7. Tech

    A flower-shaped soft robot could make brain monitoring less invasive

    Once inserted in the skull, the device unfurls flexible sensors that can monitor the brain's electrical activity less invasively than current methods.

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  8. Neuroscience

    Neuroscientists decoded people’s thoughts using brain scans

    The finding may lead to better communication aids for people who can’t communicate easily. It also raises privacy concerns.

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  9. Neuroscience

    The classic map of how the human brain manages movement gets an update

    Functional MRI scans provide a new version of the motor homunculus, the mapping of how the primary motor cortex controls parts of the body.

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  10. Neuroscience

    Scientists triggered the flow of spinal fluid in the awake brain

    If future studies confirm these waking waves wash away toxic proteins from the brain, the finding could lead to new treatments for brain disorders.

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  11. Neuroscience

    Your brain wires itself to match your native language

    MRI scans of nearly 100 native speakers of either German or Arabic revealed differences in how the language circuits of their brains are connected.

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  12. Animals

    Scientists have now recorded brain waves from freely moving octopuses

    The data reveal some unexpected patterns, though it’s too early to know how octopus brains control the animals’ behavior, a new study finds.

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