Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Serotonin lies at the intersection of pain and itch

Serotonin may help relieve pain, but it also causes itch. A study shows why scratching just makes it worse.

Genetics

Human thoughts control mouse genes

Human brain waves trigger light that activates protein production in rodents.

Neuroscience

Chronic marijuana use may alter the brain

Long-term marijuana use may lead to reduced gray matter and increased white matter connectivity in the brain.

Neuroscience

Brain regions linking odors to words pinpointed

Scientists have pinpointed two brain regions involved in linking odors to their names, with implications for why smells are hard to identify.

Neuroscience

For a friendlier zebra finch, just add stress

Adding stress hormones to the diet of developing zebra finches produced birds that were social butterflies.

Psychology

With a tap on the back, researchers create ghostly sensation

Experimentally induced illusion probes supernatural experiences, hallucinations.

Animals

Hermit thrushes, humans share some musical basics

The melodious birds share a humanlike bias for notes mathematically related by simple integers.

Neuroscience

A species of invention

From early humans painting on cave walls to modern-day engineers devising ways to help people move better, the drive to innovate is simply part of who humans are.

Neuroscience

At-home brain stimulation gaining followers

People are building at-home electric brain stimulators in hopes of becoming better gamers, problem solvers, and even to beat back depression.

Neuroscience

Study of psychiatric disorders is difficult in man and mouse

Studying human psychiatric disorders in animals presents a challenge. A new study highlights one of the ways scientists can study human mutations by slipping them into mice.

Neuroscience

Scratching releases serotonin, making you itch more

Scratching an itch releases serotonin in the brain, which can eventually make the itch sensation worse, a new study shows.

Neuroscience

Brain difference found in people with chronic fatigue

Abnormality found in the brains of a small number of people with chronic fatigue syndrome is intriguing, but needs to be confirmed with more patients.