Green light reduces migraine headaches
Migraine headaches, or migraines, are defined as an intense throbbing or a pulsing sensation in one area of the head,…
Tylenol and other paracetamol painkillers may hinder the brain’s error-correction mechanisms
It’s been known for more than a century that acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol and marketed as Tylenol and Panadol)…
fMRI data trove yields new insights into consciousness and abstract thought
Using 20 years of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from tens of thousands of brain imaging experiments, neuroscientists at…
Brain inflammation linked to compromised reward circuits in depression
Around one third of people with depression have high levels of inflammation markers in their blood. Now, new research appearing…
New technique for thought-controlled data input almost as accurate as one-fingered typing
When we type or perform other precise tasks, our brains and muscles usually work together effortlessly. But when a neurological…
Stimulant drug abuse appears to reduce brain volume in women but not men
Using MRI to study the brains of cocaine and meth users, researchers found that while the women demonstrated widespread brain…
Blind human echolocators can recognize the shape, size, and material properties of objects, according to new study
New Canadian research into human echolocation suggests that as well as being able to locate objects, some blind people can…
Video game link to Alzheimer’s?
Video gamers spend a collective three billion hours per week in front of their screens. And while the average young…
Premature birth alters key brain connections
New research from King’s College London sheds light on why premature birth is linked to a greater risk of neurodevelopmental…
Mars astronauts will suffer significant brain damage
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have been investigating what might happen to an astronaut’s brain during the long…
Scientists create artificial link between unrelated memories
Working with mice, researchers at the University of Toyama were able to generate artificial links between unrelated pieces of information…
Scientists discover “idiosyncratic” brain patterns in autism
Recent studies into Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have found a lack of synchronization (“connectivity”) between different parts of the brain…
Marijuana’s long-term effects on the brain: do you want the good news or the bad news?
A study by University of Texas scientists has found that chronic marijuana users have a smaller orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), but…
Mis-synced music proves to be a powerful enhancement for TV ads
It turns out that offsetting the music soundtrack of TV adverts by an imperceptible amount makes the adverts significantly more…
This is your brain on dogs
How closely does the relationship between people and their dogs mirror the parent-child relationship? A new study has been investigating…
Scientists demo first direct brain-to-brain communication between humans
Using non-invasive techniques, an international team of researchers have demonstrated direct brain-to-brain communication between two human subjects located 5,000 miles…
Japanese scientists hijack neural signaling to bypass spinal injuries
Spinal cord injuries that result in paraplegia may one day be treatable using a technique that bypasses the damaged neural…
Biological basis for magic mushrooms’ mind-expansion revealed
For the first time, researchers have measured the level of entropy for different networks in the brain under the influence…
Could “free will” arise from random brain noise?
Free will, the ability that we believe we have to make choices – and mistakes – might arise from simple…
Temporary blindness may fix hearing problems
Researchers have long known that young brains are malleable enough to re-wire the circuits that process sensory information. For example,…
Scans reveal frenzied activity inside the autistic brain
Neuroscientists say that the brains of autistic children generate significantly more information in a resting state, a discovery that helps…
Study reveals how ecstasy triggers euphoria
A study in the journal Biological Psychiatryreveals for the first time how the illicit drug ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA)) produces feelings…
Ultrasound used to enhance senses
Ultrasound is widely used in medicine to reveal what’s happening inside the body, but scientists at Virginia Tech have found…
A good book can rewire your brain
The scientists behind a novel study into reading say that when we immerse ourselves into a work of fiction, lingering…
Alzheimer’s may begin in childhood
The people who carry the high-risk SORL1 gene for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease show changes in their brains beginning in early…
Snakes on a brain: slithery reptiles leave lingering imprint on primate genes
A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesappears to confirm a theory that the…
Brain’s processing power vastly underestimated, suggests new study
In work that could change the way we think about how neural circuitry functions in the brain, scientists have shown…
Researchers isolate protein that delivers brain benefits of exercise
A protein produced during endurance exercise has been isolated and given to non-exercising mice, where it switched on genes that…
Brain connectivity may have sparked Einstein’s brilliance
A new analysis technique that compared Albert Einstein’s brain to others of the period shows the left and right cerebral…
Brain mapping gets a reality check
The idea that researchers can unravel different brain functions by performing MRI scans while subjects perform tasks is deeply flawed,…