Neuroscience
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Health & MedicinePlastic shards permeate human brains
A study of microplastics and nanoplastics in brains shows an astonishing increase over time.
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Health & MedicineWelcome to The Deep End, a new podcast about brain implants and depression
This new six-part podcast follows the lives of people with severe depression who volunteered for deep brain stimulation.
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NeuroscienceScratching an itch is so good, and so bad
The motion kicks off inflammation but may also combat harmful bacteria
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NeuroscienceHow people suppress memories may be key to PTSD recovery
People who recovered from PTSD changed the way their brains handle intrusive thoughts, a study of survivors of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks shows.
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NeuroscienceThe unique neural wiring of the human hippocampus may maximize memory
Living tissue from the memory centers of people’s brains reveals sparse nerve cell connections that provide strong, reliable signaling between cells.
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NeuroscienceThe message-sending part of neurons may be blobby, not smooth
Axons can be shaped like strings of pearls, research in mice and people show. How that shape may influence brain signaling is not yet clear.
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AnthropologyHumans have linked emotions to the same body parts for 3,000 years
3,000-year-old clay tablets show that some associations between emotion and parts of the body have remained the same for millennia.
By Jason Bittel -
NeuroscienceElectronic ‘tattoos’ offer an alternative to electrodes for brain monitoring
A standard EEG test requires electrodes that come with pitfalls. A spray-on ink, capable of carrying electrical signals, avoids some of those.
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NeuroscienceLike brain cells, kidney cells can form memories
Scientists found memory’s molecular machinery at work in cells outside the nervous system.
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NeuroscienceSome people don’t have a mind’s eye. Scientists want to know why
The senses of sight and sound are usually mingled in the brain, but not for people with aphantasia.
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NeuroscienceYour brain can perceive subtle odor changes in a single sniff
The speed at which our brain can tell smells apart is on par with color perception, a new sniff device shows.
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NeuroscienceHair pulling prompts one of the fastest known pain signals
The ouch of hair pulling is transmitted with the help of a protein used to sense light touches. These details could lead to new treatments.