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
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
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
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
The Brain's Highways: Mapping the Last Frontier Frontiers are in short supply. No explorer will again catch that first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean with “wild surmise,” take the first steps on the moon, or arrive first at the Challenger deep – the remotest corners of the earth are now tourist attractions. Even in science, great mysteries have fallen – life itself has gone from being the subject of metaphysical speculation about vital substances to the biophysical understanding of cellular processes. Uncharted territories, both physical and metaphorical, are hard to find. Yet there is one largely unmapped continent, perhaps the most intriguing of them all, because it is the instrument of discovery itself: the human brain. It is the presumptive seat of our thoughts, and feelings, and consciousness. The problem is that compared to other cells visualized under a microscope, neurons are at the same time very small, and very big. It is worth examining critically the novelty and nature of these striking claims.
Brain Information, Facts -- National Geographic Making sense of the brain's mind-boggling complexity isn't easy. What we do know is that it's the organ that makes us human, giving people the capacity for art, language, moral judgments, and rational thought. It's also responsible for each individual's personality, memories, movements, and how we sense the world. All this comes from a jellylike mass of fat and protein weighing about 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms). It is, nevertheless, one of the body's biggest organs, consisting of some 100 billion nerve cells that not only put together thoughts and highly coordinated physical actions but regulate our unconscious body processes, such as digestion and breathing. The brain's nerve cells are known as neurons, which make up the organ's so-called "gray matter." The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, accounting for 85 percent of the organ's weight. The cerebrum has two halves, or hemispheres. Movement and Balance The diencephalon is located in the core of the brain.
How mapping neurons could reveal how experiences affect mental wiring This article was taken from the July 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online. No road, no trail can penetrate this forest. This forest is majestic, but also comic and even tragic. You may be surprised to hear that it fits in a container less than 30 centimetres in diameter. In the 17th century, the French philosopher Blaise Pascal confessed that he was terrified by the vastness of the universe. As a neuroscientist I have come to know first-hand Pascal's dread. Studying an object as complex as the brain may seem almost futile. Daunted by the brain's complexity, many neuroscientists have chosen to study animals with drastically fewer neurons than humans. What's more, this standardised nervous system has been mapped completely. This word invokes not electrical engineering but the field of genomics. Differences fascinate us.