Peripersonal space (PPS) is a mental space defined by the brain immediately around body parts used when interacting with people and objects. Recently, researchers have shown that some neurons in the primate brain respond to an infringement of another person’s PPS as if their own space was being encroached upon. To determine how this “PPS […]

New research using machine learning techniques shows that it’s possible to harvest minimal data from animal brains during periods of rest to shed light on how the brain forms and retains memories. The researchers’ work employs hidden Markov models commonly used in machine learning to study sequential patterns. (June 7, 2018) Read the full article […]

In contrast to unpaired organs like the heart, liver or appendix, the brain is recognizable as a roughly symmetrical organ. Consciousness is a seemingly unpaired phenomenon created by this paired organ. One way to explore consciousness is to force it to choose between two paired stimuli in a binocular rivalry experiment. (June 7, 2018) Read […]

Peripersonal space (PPS) is the area immediately around your body used when interacting with people and objects. Recently, researchers have shown that some neurons in the primate brain respond to an infringement of another individual’s PPS as if their own space was being encroached upon. Now, a Japanese researcher studying human behavior has shown that […]

Unless you’re a werewolf or a superhero, you can’t easily transform into something you’re not — but your cells can. Scientists recently found a way to convert an immune-system cell into a neuron — two cells with totally different shapes and very different functions. The hope is that the technique could help researchers study a […]

You go to the gym to make your muscles bigger, but what if you want to bulk up your brain to help you stay sharp? New research suggests you might want to head to the produce aisle.. “Adhering to an overall healthy diet supports brain health and might be a suitable preventive strategy to maintain […]

Teens and young adults often crank up the volume on their iPods or smartphones or stand near the speakers at rock concerts or nightclubs, all in the name of chilling out or having a good time. Even if they have the foresight to realize these choices could be damaging to their hearing, what neither they […]

It’s difficult not to give in to the allure of a plate of french fries, with their enticing smell and beautiful golden color. But whether you succumb to that delicious temptation may have something to do with the shape of your brain — more specifically, how much gray matter you have up there. (June 5, […]

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have uncovered a mechanism involved in visual awareness that gives people confidence that what they see is real. The scientists found that two brain regions work together to produce this visual confidence. The phenomenon the researchers observed is as a form of metacognition, which is broadly defined as […]

Our ability to remember past events develops rapidly in the first couple of years of life, but it’s not clear exactly how this happens. Researchers at the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California, Davis have now been able to carry out functional MRI brain scans of sleeping toddlers, and show for […]