Mind, features and articles | Educational Science

May 9, 2023

Even mild concussions can 'rewire' the brain, possibly causing long-term symptoms

Even light bumps on the head can cause long-term problems, and researchers may now have an idea why: The brain's wiring can change in the aftermath of mild concussions. Prior studies suggested that even mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI) that don't cause any observable structural damage can still trigger symptoms...

May 11, 2023

Daily smoking linked to brain shrinkage in massive study

Daily cigarette smoking reduces the size of your brain, a new study of more than 28,000 people suggests. Scientists have previously found that people who smoke tend to have smaller brains compared to non-smokers, in terms of volume, but it was unclear whether smoking causes the brain to shrink or...

May 18, 2023

Musician's head injury triggered rare synesthesia, causing him to 'see' music

After a musician suffered a head injury in a motorcycle accident, something unusual happened: He began to see music and developed heightened creativity for a few months, according to a new report of the case. The man's traumatic brain injury (TBI) apparently caused him to develop synesthesia, a rare neurological...

May 22, 2023

Brain signals underlying chronic pain could be 'short-circuited,' study suggests

People with chronic pain are often asked to rate their discomfort on a crude 10-point scale. Now, in a first-of-its-kind study, scientists have shown that the fluctuations in pain severity that patients report can be tied to distinct patterns of activity in their brains. The goal of the research is...

May 22, 2023

Spanish Civil War soldier saw the world 'backward' after bullet pierced brain, historic case report reveals

After being shot in the head in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War, a soldier began seeing the world backward and upside down. According to a new report of the historic case, published April 1 in the journal Neurologia, when doctors examined the 25-year-old Spanish soldier, known as Patient M,...

Jun 2, 2023

Elon Musk's Neuralink 'brain chips' cleared for 1st in-human trials

Elon Musk's brain-implant company Neuralink has been given clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to carry out its first trials in humans, according to news reports. Neuralink aims to use its brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to restore movement in people with quadriplegia, meaning complete or partial paralysis...

Oct 11, 2023

The brain has a 'tell' for when it's recalling a false memory, study suggests

Your brain activity changes depending on whether you're recalling a true or a false memory, new research suggests. A false memory refers to when you remember something that didn't happen or that actually occured at a different time or place. Remembering past events, experiences or information tied to a specific...

Oct 13, 2023

Most detailed human brain map ever contains 3,300 cell types

Scientists just unveiled the largest and most detailed atlas of the human brain ever created. It details the arrangement and inner workings of 3,300 types of brain cells, only a fraction of which were previously known to science. The research was released Thursday (Oct. 12) in the form of 21...

Oct 17, 2023

New 'atlas' of a monkey brain maps 4.2 million cells

Scientists have revealed an unprecedented atlas of a primate brain that maps the organ in greater resolution than ever before, on the scale of single cells. The U.S.-based team used the latest molecular biological techniques to map the brain architecture of an adult rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), a monkey commonly...

Oct 28, 2023

Menstrual cycle linked to structural changes across whole brain

Hormones that fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle might change the brain's structure, a new study suggests. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), reveals subtle changes in the brain structure of 30 women throughout their menstrual cycles. These changes matched up with fluctuations in...

Nov 7, 2023

3D map plots human brain-cell 'antennae' in exquisite detail

Tiny, hairlike antennae protrude from the surface of brain cells, and now, scientists have unveiled a detailed map of these wires across the whole human cortex. They hope the new map will guide future research into a class of diseases that cause these structures to malfunction. The hairlike structures, known...

Nov 10, 2023

Scientists discover new way humans feel touch

Humans have an attuned sense of touch that connects us to our surroundings, and now, scientists think they've discovered a previously unknown way that we use this sense. A new study has revealed that cells within the outer layer of our hair follicles, the tiny tubes in our skin that...

Nov 11, 2023

Consciousness can't be explained by brain chemistry alone, one philosopher argues

The science of consciousness has not lived up to expectations. Over the summer, the neuroscientist Christof Koch conceded defeat on his 25-year bet with the philosopher David Chalmers, a lost wager that the science of consciousness would be all wrapped up by now. In September, over 100 consciousness researchers signed...

Nov 13, 2023

The brain may interpret smells from each nostril differently

Although humans smell with two nostrils, we can only detect a given scent as a whole — a steaming cup of coffee or pungent skunk, for instance. But your brain might interpret things differently, a new study suggests. The research, conducted with hospital patients with electrodes implanted in their brains,...

Nov 24, 2023

Human brains aren't as plastic as you might think

The human brain's ability to adapt and change, known as neuroplasticity, has long captivated both the scientific community and the public imagination. It's a concept that brings hope and fascination, especially when we hear extraordinary stories of, for example, blind individuals developing heightened senses that enable them to navigate through...