Neuroscience
Insights into the biological foundations of consciousness and the human experience.
Level 1
Virtual avatars rewire body perception and ease trauma through brain plasticity
When people use virtual reality (VR) to embody avatars, such as taller, younger, or more muscular versions of themselves, their…
We create a false self in early life to meet external expectations and cope with childhood experiences – James Hollis
James Hollis explores the psychological and spiritual upheaval of midlife as a necessary and meaningful rite of passage. Drawing from…
Learning a second language early strengthens brain connections and efficiency
Learning a second language is linked to a more efficient brain network. A research team reports that people who speak…
Psychological abuse leaves real trauma effects
Psychological abuse and coercive control are linked to PTSD, depression, and measurable trauma-related brain changes. The evidence is strong, but it does not show identical or permanent damage in every survivor.
Learning multiple new skills can produce test scores comparable to adults 30 years younger
Older adults who learn multiple new skills simultaneously can achieve cognitive performance similar to adults 30 years younger. A UC Riverside study found that 3 months of intensive learning improved memory, attention, and cognitive control, with gains maintained up to one year later.
Level 2
Five simple brain habits can help leaders unlearn bias and lower conflict
Leaders often carry unconscious bias, meaning fast, automatic judgments about people that operate outside awareness. The Inc. piece distills five…
Pausing five seconds before reacting can prevent most relationship fights
Recent psychological research demonstrates that taking just a five-second pause during tense moments in a relationship can significantly reduce aggression…
Our sense of now is a best guess the brain builds from the recent past
Our experience of the present is not a direct readout of the world. Signals from the eyes and other senses…
Bilingual brains show structural changes, and multilingual teams may innovate more
Research in brain imaging links bilingual experience to changes in brain structure. Studies using MRI report denser grey matter in…
Chronic stress alters the brain, but recovery is possible
Chronic stress can alter memory, fear, mood, and sleep circuits in the brain. That matters because these changes can raise anxiety and cognitive strain, but the evidence does not show permanent damage in everyone.
AI unveils how the brain predicts thoughts and processes information
Researchers at FAU have used AI to analyze brain activity, uncovering that spontaneous brain signals (local field potentials) help predict…
Level 3
Fixing one gene’s activity reversed anxiety signs in mice
Researchers identified regular-firing neurons in the centrolateral amygdala that drive anxiety behaviors. Normalizing GRIK4 gene dosage in basolateral amygdala pyramidal cells reversed anxiety, depression, and social deficits in mice overexpressing the gene, suggesting a targeted treatment approach for anxiety disorders.
Amygdala circuit tweak clears anxiety signs in mice
A May 2025 iScience mouse study (online 13 May 2025; print issue 20 June 2025) reports that normalizing Grik4 in basolateral amygdala pyramidal cells reversed anxiety-like behavior, depression-like behavior, and social deficits in a transgenic model, while object recognition stayed impaired. In non-transgenic mice that were already highly anxious on screening, the same approach yielded only partial relief of anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus maze, not a broad reversal across domains. The work is preclinical and does not establish a human treatment.
Neurons employ multiple learning rules simultaneously
Brain learning involves multiple simultaneous synaptic rules, challenging traditional models New research reveals that the brain does not use a…
Childhood trauma linked to smaller hippocampus after romantic breakups
A new study links romantic breakups to smaller hippocampal brain volume in adults with childhood trauma, showing how early adversity heightens stress sensitivity.
Gamified app helps reduce depression by breaking ruminative thought loops
A new gamified app reduces depression by speeding up thought progression and breaking ruminative loops, a clinical trial finds.
The self might be an illusion or a quantum process, say experts
Sam Harris and Roger Penrose debate if the self is real. Harris calls it an illusion, while Penrose looks to quantum physics and split brains.