Neuroscience research has come a hell of a long way since the days of scalpels and electrodes. While some research teams are exploring the molecular machinery that churns at the hearts of nerve cells, others are working to assemble wiring diagrams for whole regions of the human brain. Just as biological science never looked the [...]
Posts Tagged ‘neurochemistry’
Three Big Doubts About Brain-Mapping Efforts
April 14th, 2013 
The Connectome 
Posted in Feature Stories, Featured 
Tags: connectomics, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurons, neurophysiology, synapses, technology 
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The Top 5 Neuroscience Breakthroughs of 2012
December 21st, 2012 The Connectome More than any year before, 2012 was the year neuroscience exploded into pop culture. From mind-controlled robot hands to cyborg animals to TV specials to triumphant books, brain breakthroughs were tearing up the airwaves and the internets. From all the thrilling neurological adventures we covered over the past year, we’ve collected five stories we want [...]
Posted in Feature Stories, Featured Tags: consciousness, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurons, neurophysiology, technology, technosophy 10 Comments »
Deciphering Sleep: Our Interview with David Rye
December 17th, 2012 The Connectome Why do we need to sleep? In all of human biology, few questions are more persistent – or more mythologized – than this one. Almost as puzzling as sleep itself are sleep disorders like narcolepsy and insomnia, which make us wonder why some of us need so much more sleep than others do. David Rye, [...]
Posted in Feature Stories, Featured Tags: biochemistry, biology, consciousness, dreams, neurochemistry, neuropharmacology, sleep 1 Comment »
The Listeners from Below
August 15th, 2012 The Connectome Deep within your brain, they are listening. In still silence, they await signals from afar – dim echoes of distant calls. And when they hear what they’ve been waiting for… they will awaken. They are known as neural stem cells – and not only are they real; researchers have just made some major discoveries about [...]
Posted in Brain News, Featured Tags: biochemistry, biology, neurochemistry, neurons, neurophysiology No Comments »
Aliens in the Lab
June 19th, 2012 The Connectome Researchers are creating new lifeforms that are chemically unrelated to any other life on earth. In fact, for the first time ever, scientists in Japan have built an artificial synapse, from the molecules up. What?! How can this be? Read on, intrepid voyager of the unknown, and discover for yourself. The basic idea is that [...]
Posted in Brain News, Featured Tags: biochemistry, biology, learning, neurochemistry, neurons, technology No Comments »
Podcast 3 – Habits: Making ‘Em & Breaking ‘Em
June 15th, 2012 The Connectome On episode 3 of the Connectome podcast, Ben digs into our habits: why they form, why they stick, and how to break ‘em. But he also shares some insights on making your habits work for you – to motivate you to stay fit and productive. Click here to subscribe in iTunes. Here’s a direct [...]
Posted in Featured, Podcasts Tags: anxiety, habits, learning, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurophysiology, psychology 1 Comment »
3 Popular Neuroscience Ideas…That Aren’t Really True
March 28th, 2012 The Connectome Like science? Sure – we all do. And you like to stay informed about it – but it’s not like you’re going to set aside hours of your time for studying scholarly journals, when you could be…eating ham, or whatever it is you enjoy doing. And who could blame you? Science journals don’t have that [...]
Posted in Feature Stories, Featured Tags: biochemistry, hormones, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurophysiology, science to the rescue! 2 Comments »
Reward Lasers
March 21st, 2012 The Connectome Our ability to feel pleasure in rewarding situations depends on a delicate balance of two specific types of brain circuits, a new study reports. By using targeted lasers to activate specific cells in a mouse brain, researchers can disrupt and reactivate small sections of that brain’s reward pathway, causing mice to drastically change their behavior. [...]
Posted in Brain News, Featured Tags: biochemistry, biology, depression, drugs, learning, memory, neurochemistry, neurophysiology, technology 4 Comments »
Podcast 2 – Consciousness, Dreams & Drugs
March 6th, 2012 The Connectome On the second Connectome podcast, Ben muses about three of the hottest topics in neuroscience today: what “consciousness” might be, how it relates to dreams, and how drugs can play some strange tricks on that relationship. Click here to subscribe in iTunes. Here’s a direct link to download the mp3. Enjoy, and feel free [...]
Posted in Featured, Podcasts Tags: consciousness, dreams, drugs, neurochemistry, psychology, senses, sleep 1 Comment »The Memory Master
January 18th, 2012 The Connectome A gene that may underlie the molecular mechanisms of memory has been identified, says a new study. The gene’s called neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (Npas4 to its friends). When a brain has a new experience, Npas4 leaps into action, activating a whole series of other genes that modify the strength of synapses – the connections [...]
Posted in Brain News Tags: biochemistry, learning, memory, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurons, neurophysiology, synapses 1 Comment »
