Mind, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 27, 2023

Why don't we remember being babies?

Your mother's smile as you say your first word or the smell of the candles on your second birthday cake are memories many people would love to hold onto. But almost nobody can recall memories from very early childhood — a phenomenon known as infantile amnesia. So why do we...

Dec 1, 2023

Tinnitus may stem from nerve damage not detectable on hearing tests

People with tinnitus experience persistent ringing or buzzing in their ears that can significantly impact their quality of life — and now, scientists think they finally know what causes the condition. A new study revealed that people with tinnitus have damage to specific fibers within their auditory nerve that is...

Dec 4, 2023

Traumatic memories are processed differently in PTSD

People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) process sad, non-traumatic memories differently to traumatic memories, new research suggests. People with PTSD experience intrusive, recurrent flashbacks of traumatic events that are often accompanied by high levels of anxiety and emotional distress. When people with PTSD experience a flashback, they feel as though...

Dec 5, 2023

Electrical stimulation could treat traumatic brain injuries

Stimulating part of the brain with electricity could improve the cognitive function of patients who've experienced debilitating traumatic brain injuries (TBI), an early clinical trial suggests. TBI is caused by a severe blow to the head or body that damages neurons in the brain, or by an object directly penetrating...

Dec 8, 2023

Scientists debunk myth that human brains are 'underdeveloped' at birth

Newborn babies' brains aren't underdeveloped compared with those of other primates at birth, a new study suggests. In the past, scientists typically compared brain development between species by measuring how much each species' newborn brain size differs from its adult brain size. Compared with other primates, human babies' brains are...

Dec 12, 2023

In a 1st, scientists combine AI with a 'minibrain' to make hybrid computer

To boost the computing power of artificial intelligence (AI), researchers have combined run-of-the-mill machine learning with a sophisticated 3D model of the human brain made of different types of brain tissue grown in the lab. These miniature models of the brain, known as cerebral organoids or minibrains, have existed in...

Dec 17, 2023

It's not 'all in your head' — neurologist Suzanne O'Sullivan on psychosomatic illness

U.K. neurologist Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan has spent her life treating psychosomatic illnesses, or disorders in which people suffer from debilitating physical symptoms that cannot be explained by a physical examination or medical investigation. Psychosomatic illnesses may overlap with what are termed functional disorders, though the latter may not have any...

Dec 22, 2023

18 brain studies that blew our minds in 2023

Perhaps the most mysterious organ in the body, the brain continues to astound scientists despite the countless hours they've spent attempting to decipher its inner workings. Each new discovery about the brain brings a thousand new questions in its wake. Here are 18 things we learned about the brain in...

Jan 3, 2024

How long can the brain survive without oxygen?

The human brain is an immensely complex and fragile organ that depends on a constant supply of oxygenated blood. Without oxygen, the brain's cells, including the signal-sending neurons that enable us to think and feel, begin to die. But exactly how long can the brain go without oxygen? The answer...

Jan 5, 2024

Electric pulses to the brain may make people easier to hypnotize

Electrical brain stimulation could temporarily make patients with chronic pain more susceptible to hypnosis, new research suggests. The researchers behind the study argue this could potentially offer patients a safer alternative to long-term opioid treatment for fibromyalgia, a chronic-pain condition. Opioids are not recommended to treat fibromyalgia under current guidelines....

Mar 21, 2013

How the Brain Remembers Your Sister's Cousin's Boyfriend

Quick, what's your oldest cousin's daughter's husband's name? Remembering social ties like this is a tough task for the brain — so it cheats. New research finds that the brain takes shortcuts in remembering the ties in a person's social networks. The trick is not remembering every individual link separately....

May 24, 2013

Menopausal 'Foggy Brain' Confirmed in Tests

Memory problems are a common complaint of women going through menopause, and now a new study provides more evidence linking mood and hot flashes to loss of memory abilities during menopause. Researchers found that women who felt their memory wasn't functioning well scored lower in a series of psychological tests...

May 30, 2013

Good News for Moms: Having a Kid Boosts Your Memory

ORLANDO, Fla. — Having a child may improve a woman's memory, a new study suggests. In the study, women who were new mothers scored better on tests of visuospatial memory — the ability to perceive and remember information about their surroundings — compared with women who didn't have children. The...

May 30, 2013

Want a Younger Brain? Try Eating Omega-3

Your brain may look and act older than it really is if your diet is low in omega-3 fatty acids, a new study suggests. The nutrient is often found in fish. Researchers found that people with low omega-3 fatty acid levels had smaller brains, and did worse on tests of...

May 30, 2013

Memory, Attention Problems Persist into Adulthood for Tiniest Preemies

Adding to mounting evidence that the effects of prematurity last well beyond infancy, a new study suggests that babies born at very low birth weights are more likely to suffer from memory and attention problems, at least into early adulthood, than peers born at low or normal weights. Study participants...