Neuroscience

A new optogenetic tool, a protein that can be controlled by light, has been characterized by researchers. They used an opsin -- a protein that occurs in the brain and eyes -- from zebrafish and introduced it into the brain of mice. Unlike other optogenetic tools, this opsin is not switched on but rather switched off by light. Experiments also showed that the tool could be suitable for investigating changes in the…

From the thrill of hearing an ice cream truck approaching to the spikes of pleasure while sipping a fine wine, the neurological messenger known as dopamine has been popularly described as the brain's "feel good" chemical related to reward and pleasure.

Researchers have shown how the brain communicates to blood vessels when in need of energy, and how these blood vessels respond by relaxing or constricting to direct blood flow to specific brain regions.

As a newborn mammal opens its eyes for the first time, it can already make visual sense of the world around it. But how does this happen before they have experienced sight?

News and commentary from the world of neurology and neuroscience

Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) in Japan have discovered a new direct genetic link to autism spectrum disorders. The researcher's new study shows that the deficit in…

How My Mindfulness Practice Lead Me To Meltdown

Interactions of two voltage-gated calcium channels and a pump enable separate control of exocytosis and endocytosis at chemical synapses.

Why do people talk to themselves, and when does it become a problem?

Researchers have produced a stem cell model that demonstrates a potential route of entry of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, into the human brain.

Neuroscience Protein synthesis and structural remodeling in dendritic spines mediate synaptic plasticity, the long-lasting changes in neuronal connectivity that underlie learning and memory. Mendoza et al. determined how these processes are coordinated. In mouse hippocampal neurons, glutamate-induced phosphorylation of the translation elongation factor eEF1A2 triggered its dissociation from its activator, thereby…

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine have produced a stem cell model that demonstrates a potential route of entry of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, into the human brain.

Shows promise compared with PCR testing, pilot study found

TrPR Program takes an interdisciplinary and inclusive approach to investigating psychedelic-assisted therapies for higher risk patients.

Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz spoke Thursday at a meeting for UNC's Board of Trustees.

Researchers at UC San Francisco have successfully developed a "speech neuroprosthesis" that has enabled a man with severe paralysis to communicate in sentences, translating signals from his brain to the vocal tract directly into words that appear as text on a screen.

Rationalists complain that most people are too willing to make excuses for their positions, and too unwilling to abandon those positions for ones that better fit the evidence. And most people really are pretty bad at this. But certain stroke victims called anosognosiacs are much, much worse. Anosognosia is the condition of not being aware of your own disabilities. To be clear, we're not talking minor disabilities…

The company's research into a mind-reading device is over, for now. Some scientists said it was never possible anyway.

While it's not for everyone, observing these brawls may stimulate the brain's reward networks. Our enjoyment likely depends on both neurological and cultural factors.

Top neuroscience research papers are eight times more likely to only study male participants or samples compared with female-only studies, a review has found