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
Your brain responds differently to love for a child, a partner, or a pet
A Finnish team used fMRI while 55 adults in relationships with children heard short stories about love toward a partner, a child, friends, strangers, pets, or nature, then held each feeling during a brief imagery period. Interpersonal love engaged social-cognition regions more than pet-only or nature love; during imagery, parental love showed striatum and thalamus activation not reported for the other love types; pet owners differed from non-owners on pet trials. Results reflect one cohort, culture, and task design.
Neuroplasticity and aging: your brain can still change
Neuroplasticity and aging show the brain can still change in adult life. Practice, challenge, and attention help, but plasticity is not magic.
Being open to new things helps creativity and learning, and may keep the brain healthier with age
Openness is a personality trait that means seeking and enjoying new and unfamiliar things. Research in psychology and neuroscience links…
Ultra-processed foods trigger addiction-like behavior in one in seven adults
A broad review of 281 studies from 36 countries concludes that some ultra-processed foods (UPFs), such as soft drinks, ice-cream…
The best way to quiet your mind: reduce multitasking
Multitasking creates cognitive fatigue and reduces focus. Research shows task switching incurs measurable costs, and phone interruptions fragment attention. Reducing multitasking and creating distance from devices helps quiet the mind and improve concentration.
Exploring more new places is linked to higher happiness
Most people cycle through a small set of familiar places. Research in human mobility suggests that, at any given time,…
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.