The First Real Reason We Need To Sleep We know we need to sleep. We know our brains and bodies work better after sleep. But what we didn't know, until now, was why. Scientists have just reported the first major mechanical reason our brains need to sleep — certain cleaning mechanisms in the brain work better when we shut the brain down. "This study shows that the brain has different functional states when asleep and when awake," study researcher Maiken Nedergaard, of the University of Rochester said in a statement. We've known that our brains consolidate memories during sleep and perform other important functions. We know that sleep has all of these benefits, but until now we didn't know any of the specific changes that bring about these sleep benefits. Charles Czeisler, a sleep researcher at Harvard Medical School in Boston, told Science Magazine's Emily Underwood that this is the "first direct experimental evidence at the molecular level" for why we need to sleep. The paper was published in the journal Science on Oct. 17. J.
20 Amazing Facts About Your Brain The human brain is amazing and the more I read about it the more fascinated I become with not only it’s limitations, but also it’s immense power. Since I originally wrote the post 30 Amazing Facts About Your Brain I have been on the look out for more amazing tidbits. Here are another 20 for you to wrap your head round, but don’t make the mistake of thinking they don’t apply to you, because they do. 1. Your neocortex (the weird looking bit on the outside of your brain) is only about as thick as a dinner napkin and is made up of 6 layers. However, if you were to pull yours out and stretch out all the folds it would be over 3 feet square. Meet My Wife, Mrs Brownson-Brownson 2. Your brain just loves continuity and it loves familiarity, so even though you may consciously think your partners name had zero to do with you falling in love and it was really their perfectly formed personality, you’d be wrong. 3. Mmmm, Chocolate Cake 4. 5. 6. 7. And The Winner is…….Roland The Rat 8. 9. Read This Blog More
New neurons help us to remember fear Fear burns memories into our brain, and new research by University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists explains how. Scientists have long known that fear and other highly emotional experiences lead to incredibly strong memories. In a study appearing online today (Tuesday, June 14) in advance of publication in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, UC Berkeley’s Daniela Kaufer and colleagues report a new way for emotions to affect memory: The brain’s emotional center, the amygdala, induces the hippocampus, a relay hub for memory, to generate new neurons. The figure shows newly born nerve cells (green) colocalizing with a neuronal marker which indicates immature nerve cells (red). Astrocytes are labelled in blue. In a fearful situation, these newborn neurons get activated by the amygdala and may provide a “blank slate” on which the new fearful memory can be strongly imprinted, she said. “Many affective disorders involve disordered emotional memories like PTSD, depression and anxiety.
How The Brain Processes The #Emotions — P... This Nifty Infographic is a Great Introduction to Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Therapy It's startling to think about how we've got a spaceship billions of miles away rendezvousing with Pluto, yet here on Earth there are major aspects of our own anatomy that we're almost completely ignorant about. We've climbed Everest, sent men to the moon, and invented the Internet — but we still don't know how our brains work. The positive outlook is that many health, science, and research specialists believe we're on the precipice of some major neuroscientific breakthroughs. One example of a recent discovery with major implications is our further understanding of neuroplasticity. Below, broken up into two parts, is a terrific infographic detailing the essence of what we know about neuroplasticity and how it works. Want a high-res, unedited version of the image above? (h/t @DaniMansfield) Want to learn more about neuroplasticity? Top photo credit: Jezper / Shutterstock
Human Thought Controls Neurons in Brain Neuroscience research involving epileptic patients with brain electrodes surgically implanted in their medial temporal lobes shows that patients learned to consciously control individual neurons deep in the brain with thoughts. Subjects learned to control mouse cursors, play video games and alter focus of digital images with their thoughts. The patients were each using brain computer interfaces, deep brain electrodes and software designed for the research. The article below offers more detail. Controlling Individual Cortical Nerve Cells by Human Thought Five years ago, neuroscientist Christof Koch of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) , neurosurgeon Itzhak Fried of UCLA, and their colleagues discovered that a single neuron in the human brain can function much like a sophisticated computer and recognize people, landmarks, and objects, suggesting that a consistent and explicit code may help transform complex visual representations into long-term and more abstract memories.
Know Your Neurons: How to Classify Different Types of Neurons in the Brain’s Forest | Brainwaves Previously, on Know Your Neurons: Chapter 1: The Discovery and Naming of the Neuron Chapter 2: How to Classify Different Types of Neurons, or The Dendrology of the Neuron Forest Scientists have organized the cells that make up the nervous system into two broad groups: neurons, which are the primary signaling cells, and glia, which support neurons in various ways. All these cells are packed into a three-pound organ about the size of both your fists stuck together. Different Types of Neurons (click to enlarge). A model neuron. Before exploring the brain's cellular diversity, let's look at a model neuron. Sign up for Scientific American’s free newsletters. Neurons classified by structure. Scientists have classified neurons into four main groups based on differences in shape. Neurons classified by function. Researchers also categorize neurons by function. Do these basic classes account for all types of neurons? So how many different types of neurons have scientists named so far? References
Recent Articles | Brain Most Recent Thoughts Derailed By Tanya Lewis | April 18, 2016 The same brain mechanism by which surprising events interrupt movements may also be involved in disrupting cognition, according to a study. 0 Comments Analyzing resting brain scans, researchers can anticipate the brain activities of a person performing a range of tasks. 0 Comments Neural Basis of Risk Aversion By Catherine Offord | March 24, 2016 Researchers identify and manipulate a signal in the brains of rats that controls risky behavior. 1 Comment More Mini Brains By Jef Akst | February 17, 2016 Simple versions of brain organoids could serve as new models for testing the effects of drugs, researchers reported at this year’s AAAS meeting. 0 Comments Processing Faces By Jef Akst | January 21, 2016 Other people’s faces are mapped onto our brains. 0 Comments Bioresorbable Brain Implants By Catherine Offord | January 20, 2016 0 Comments Practical Proteomes By Ruth Williams | January 1, 2016 0 Comments Brain Fold Tied to Hallucinations 0 Comments
Neuroscience For Kids The smell of a flower - The memory of a walk in the park - The pain of stepping on a nail. These experiences are made possible by the 3 pounds of tissue in our heads...the BRAIN!! Neuroscience for Kids has been created for all students and teachers who would like to learn about the nervous system. Discover the exciting world of the brain, spinal cord, neurons and the senses. Use the experiments, activities and games to help you learn about the nervous system. There are plenty of links to other web sites for you to explore. Can't find what you are looking for? Portions of Neuroscience for Kids are available in Spanish, Slovene, Portuguese, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Serbian, Russian, Slovak, Romanian, Polish, Albanian, Czech, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Punjabi, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Ukranian and Turkish. "Neuroscience for Kids" is maintained by Eric H.
Cooperative Neural Networks Suggest How Intelligence Evolved Working together can hasten brain evolution, according to a new computer simulation. When programmed to navigate challenging cooperative tasks, the artificial neural networks set up by scientists to serve as mini-brains "learned" to work together, evolving the virtual equivalent of boosted brainpower over generations. The findings support a long-held theory that social interactions may have triggered brain evolution in human ancestors. "It is the transition to a cooperative group that can lead to maximum selection for intelligence," said study researcher Luke McNally, a doctoral candidate at Trinity College Dublin. Greater intelligence, in turn, leads to more sophisticated cooperation, McNally told LiveScience. [10 Fun Brain Facts] It also leads to more sophisticated means of cheating, he added. Virtual neurons McNally and his colleagues used artificial neural networks as virtual guinea pigs to test the social theory of brain evolution.
Mind & Brain News -- ScienceDaily May 19, 2017 — A new study has served to identify some genetic mutations that will help to improve the treatment of ... read more May 19, 2017 — Scientists have made an important step in understanding the organization of nerve cells embedded within the gut that control its function -- a discovery that could give insight into the origin of ... read more Scientists to Test Zika Virus on Brain Tumors May 19, 2017 — In a revolutionary first, scientists will test whether the Zika virus can destroy brain tumor cells, potentially leading to new treatments for one of the hardest to treat cancers. ... read more Female Faculty Face Strong Glass Ceiling in Male-Dominated University Environments, Study Concludes May 18, 2017 — Female faculty members hoping to advance to the highest ranks of academia face significant barriers due to male-dominated environments at colleges and universities, according to a new ... read more Consumers See Much Greater Risk Than Reward in Online Ads