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Another Tweet Year
No comments yetPosted in Brain Tweet ArchiveJan 31, 2017
The aim of this annual brain post is to make a whole year’s worth of my daily tweets available, all in one place, in case anybody fancies browsing what I considered to be the most interesting, accessible brain research breakthroughs of 2016. It’s not purely neuroscience. There are also tidbits from other realms of science beyond the brain. If you’d like to follow me on Twitter you can find me at @drjacklewis
So, without further ado, here are all my tweets from 2016, in no particular order…
7 not 8 hrs sleep per night appears to be the magic number
The buzz of truly altruistic giving seems to increase with age, according to a new brain imaging study
Could Alzheimer’s boil down to the immune system developing a taste for synapses?
Drug opens blood brain barrier 2 let therapeutic drugs in; huge potential 4treating many brain illnesses
Big data approach indicates that first sign of Late Onset Alzheimer’s is reduced blood flow to the brain
New study in humans with bipolar disorder unexpectedly finds genetic abnormalities in the striatum
High intelligence in tiny bird brain by “packing more neurons into a smaller space than primates”
Why comparisons between brain and silicon-based computing power are just plain silly
Control over hand/arm movements to be regained after neck break via brain chip is spectacular
BrainCraft – a YouTube channel using stop-motion animation to bring neuroscience to life
Neurosurgery retrospective came from Henry Marsh, now prospective view from a brain surgeon in training
Look mum – no hands!! Racing drones with the power of thought alone – the future has finally arrived
Our ability to adapt quickly to new circumstances fades as we age. Pesky brain circuit responsible is identified
Exercise after learning can help you retain information better. To maximise this brain hack – timing is key…
Everyone should know these simple psychological tricks to reduce calorie intake daily
Move aside old fashioned fingerprints, hello new-fangled brain prints
Love this study that used fMRI to figure out what physics concepts volunteers were thinking about
Concussion induced changes in the white matter still evident 6 months after initial injury
It was always just a matter of time before a study emerged indicating that zapping brains boosts creativity
We enjoy making decisions for others more than we do our own
Designer drugs try2retain memory by boosting maintenance of dendritic spines, whilst reducing toxicity
Why do about 80% of elderly people with Alz’s also have diabetes (or similar)
Drugs can screw up your brain. We’re not talking recreational drugs. We’re talking drugs from the pharmacy
Mechanism of action by which long-term memories are erased in the brain has been identified
Even one of neuroscience’s most powerful tools for investigating how brains work was discovered by mistake
I’ve been banging on about the need to exercise body for the brain’s sake for years, NS explains why
Brain area identified in fMRI (pSTS) is particularly interested in emotionally meaningful facial expressions
Allergy-prone? Could your low fibre diet. Give your gut bacteria food they need to calm your immune system
Bug in most popular fMRI analysis software may invalidate findings of over 40,000 brain imaging studies
Why so many of us struggle to NOT eat the things we know we shouldn’t
If you need to tell a lie and want to get away with it then do it on a full bladder
Computers predicting Oscars? Movie directors control audiences’ eye gaze and brain responses…?
Brain to gut and gut to brain in IBS
From the horse’s mouth… what the first ever brain scan of people on LSD actually discovered
In UK where many mums can’t AFFORD full-time infant nurture during pre-school years, this must sting
Precise location/connectivity of “inner compass” defined for the very 1st time
DNA To what degree is intelligence hereditary?
Oh the irony: artificial sweeteners can stimulate our brains to seek out more food
Here’s a thing or six you should know about how your brain does learning
What your child’s brain, needs now, is love, sweet love…
Brains on acid (fMRI study from Imperial)
Protein engineered into brain allows neurons to be switched on/off with the stroke of a bar magnet (sort of)
Young migraineurs often have deficiency in certain vitamins, perhaps same in older migraine-sufferers too?
Before you know it, brain stimulation to improve mood will be as commonplace as laser eye surgery
Small study indicates people with Multiple Sclerosis have different gut bacteria to those with healthy brains
This article about how rapidly our cognitive abilities dwindle through digital multitasking is excellent
Mouse study indicates that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder could be switch on and offable
Degree to which person’s oxytocin gene is switched on/off seems to have fundamental impact on social skills
If brain’s “pain matrix” lights up in people born without a sense of pain, can you still call it a “pain matrix”?
Brace yourself for therapeutic poo transplants for MS&depression! If this way round then why not in reverse?
Why we’d all benefit from napping like a pro – it improves alertness, concentration&attention for 4hrs
Using fMRI to scan a brain at rest predicts much about how it responds to tasks using language, gambling etc
School kid 3D prints bioreactor for studies on mini-brains (cheaper & more efficient than industrial ones)
When contact sports career ravages body, leaving you in constant pain, where should you turn for relief?
A different way of thinking about stress (and how to get the best out of it)
Biohacking in Silicon Valley – rather them than me
Who’d wear a device that can detect when you’re making a decision & nudge you towards the healthy choice?
How to turn a mouse transparent and make its neurons glow so you can see whole nervous system in 3D
How your working environment can impact brain function – for better and for worse
Evidence continues to build attesting to the rejuvenating impacts of meditation on the very fabric of the brain
Give your gut bacteria a little TLC and they might just help you dodge a stroke
Why a walk in the woods really does help your body and your soul
“Since its formation, our solar system has orbited the Milky Way 20 times..”
In the 1900s, Being a ‘Cigarette Fiend‘ Was a Legitimate Defense for Murder
High tech approach to treating phantom limb pain
Dr Tamminen’s article How a lack of sleep affects your brain – and personality
Why are gambling machines so addictive?
Controlling pain in phantom limb patients via robotics
UKBigBrainData study suggests interesting positive correlations between alcohol and white matter reduction, also smoking and iron deposits
I love that a few cunning multisensory illusions can help to relieve some forms of chronic pain – so clever
@LlianaBird & I wrote a book based on 100+ stories from our Geek Chic Weird Science podcast
Mo Costandi’s book, NEUROPLASTICITY, is now available on Amazon amzn.to/1WSUfUp
First case of a ‘monkey midwife‘ seen in golden snub nosed monkeys – the monkeys that act as midwives
How much is 1 more year of your life worth? That’s exactly what health services must decide
The enormous power of the unconscious brain
The space submarine hunting the solar system for aliens
The art of brain function and dysfunction
Oxford Uni study finds that stroke patients given electrical brain tingle (tcDCS) plus intensive rehab recover best
Another nutbag decides to devote his life & fortune to uploading his brain to a computer
Congratulations Cardiff on your sparkly new Connectom brain scanner. Hubble telescope of the human brain, huh?!
British memory researchers win prestigious Brain Prize
RIP Terry Brain author of Trapdoor stop-motion children’s animations
Orangutan ‘copies human speech‘, offering “new clues to how human speech evolved”
Increased amygdala activity related to more heart disease (prob via elevated white blood cell-induced inflammation)
Don’t be surprised in 2025 when our high streets start to become eerily empty. Coming soon to a living room near you bit.ly/1L73T15
Small numbers processed in the right side of the brain, large numbers on the left, but the goalposts move…
Your brain’s constant gardener
Either the most amusing, or the most terrifying, promotional video I’ve ever seen. What do you think?
It’s heart-warming to see that we’re probably all hard-wired for altruism;sad that so many bury it under selfishness
That there are this many brain cells in a dust mite-sized chunk may help us to fathom the complexity of a full brain
On the role of meat in evolution of the modern brain – exquisite
Higher fluid intelligence – for problem solving – is associated with greater energy turnover in specific brain areas
“..shunned in the mistaken belief they have biological defects.In fact..evidence shows that most’ve endured traumas”
Measuring brainwaves of expert pilots with EEG to guide the stimulation of novice pilots with tcDCS, speeds learning bit.ly/1oUAs86
Monkeys fitted with brain machine interfaces can manoeuvre their electric wheelchairs with thought alone
Staggering to think of all the cash made by companies selling as-yet-unproven performance improving neurostimulation
New hippocampal neurons in the adult brain for the first time sheds light on their importance in learning
Maple syrup might help to stop brain proteins getting in a tangle
Breaking bad (habits)
Epicentre of aggression pinpointed in mice; does human violence stems from similar brain structures?
Immersive Virtual Reality 3D art is here…
Clinical trials to experiment with bringing (freshly) dead people back to the land of the living
Treating sugar addiction like drug abuse
What you know fundamentally impacts upon how you see
7T+ magnets might be just the ticket for MRI scans that type for you as you imagine each individual letter
Prosthetic arms that allow users to feel touch at the finger tips so they can handle delicate objects
A nice summary of the current state of play in the world of brain training
Homing in on important brain mechanisms involved in triggering migraines
When i was being electrocuted for my latest TV show – anticipation of infrequent shocks was the worse
Crossing the uncanny valley in VR – it’s coming…
Scientists show that rubber-hand illusion can be produced by smartphones
Why most people close their eyes when kissing? Pretty obvious isn’t it. Do we really need this to explain?
Believe it or not, children who intensively play video games actually seem to do pretty well at school after all..
Sugar—the addictive enemy hiding in plain sight
Could hypnosis banish the worried well from GP waiting rooms?
Why do sunbathers live longer than those who avoid the sun?
How the acoustics in musical spaces can impact on the emotional experience
Interactive blog post shows what it’s like reading with dyslexia
Strength training helps older adults live longer
Kavli Neuro Prize to Eve Marder, Michael Merzenich & Carla Shatz for experience-dependent plasticity work
Early Alzheimer’s supplement drink helps to maintain brain volume but has little effect on cognition
For a youthful brain – stay in school for as long as possible and avoid the sedentary lifestyle like the plague
Did human-like intelligence evolve to help us care for helpless babies?
Breathing polluted air during pregnancy leads to kids w/ poor self-regulation issues
Zapping brains with electricity (tDCS) may exert various benefits by triggering calcium release in astrocytes
Antimatter changed physics: the discovery of anti-memories could revolutionize neuroscience
Heart-warming to know that pinky and the brain still get on after all this time
Same sex brains sync up better than different sex brains when performing a joint task
Brain Topiary: new neurons in adult brains proliferate before being pruned back 2right shape
Skynet Is Coming… Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks program receives $100M
How awareness of your heartbeat may be tweaked in order to reduce anxiety
Brain benefits of NOT watching TV
Reward pathways of cannabis smokers respond strongly to a image of a joint
Study on cadaver w/ electrodes on inner surface of skull suggests tcDCS has no effect on the brain
The importance of bromance
The weirdest senses animals have that you don’t
I love it when my “frontal lobe just goes on holiday… and it lets the sensory cortex just do what it wants”
There are many roads to fear. Twins with no amygdalae both still feel anxiety when exposed to certain drugs
When you get interrupted when in the middle of something and struggle to remember where you were at..?
Sleep deprivation increases pleasure derived from eating food through similar mechanism to cannabis
Being in clinical trials may seem like easy money, but tragic off-target side effects are always a possibility
Just imagine what will happen when parkour enthusiasts get their hands on these robotic exoskeletons
Keeping busy is good for the brain, but chronic stress is bad for health of body & brain
Why Your Profile Picture Doesn’t Reveal the True You
Looking back at Sci-Fi literature that predicted modern VR tech
Ep 2 of my new TV series is all about faces…available to stream, anywhere in the world, at your leisure, here
In ep4 of SotB I meet a man who hallucinates in his blind patch & a surgeon who fits bionic lenses
Ciliated cells control the flow of cerebrospinal fluid through brain ventricles
Gut bacteria gobble GABA – helping to explain how what goes on in our bellies can influence our moods
Improved visual acuity that lasts two hours with just 20 mins of electrical brain zapping
Researchers find that children’s brains develop faster with music training
In ep7 of my new series i conquer fear&pain with help of Wim Hof, stream in 4k definition, at your leisure
How the brainstem regulates breathing
The Physical damage racism inflicts on your brain and body
Multiple drones controlled by a brain-computer interface
People with anger problems seem to have less white matter connecting their frontal lobes and parietal lobes
What goes on in the brain as you learn a brand new language…?
How laughing gas inspired early psychedelic literature
We’re discovering new ways to detect if someone is lying. And finding old ways are wrong
New tricks to peer deep into the brain with yet more precision
A few simple questions can help anyone disarm anxiety before it strikes
3D imaging of amyloid-beta plaques in the brains of deceased Alzheimer’s patients
New study reveals a link between circadian clock disruption and tumor growth
Similar deficits in white matter tracts connecting left and right sides of brain in autistic, OCD & ADHD kids
Seeking Clues to Stuttering Deep Within the Brain
The Strange Brain of the World’s Greatest Solo Climber
Doggy fMRI study reveals that, like us, canine brains process word meaning on left & intonation on right
Fusiform gyrus – containing region (FFA) for recognising faces – is ~13% larger in adults than kids
Believe it or not foetal fMRI has arrived! Yes, that’s right, brain imaging in the womb
Gaming that can help depressed people to feel better by helping them to focus
Will nose-witnesses soon play a role in our courts of law? (“Eyewitnesses” are so 20th century)
Prof Van der Meer (Norwegian University) offers science-based tips for optimal ways to raise infants
Mini-brains grown from stem cells taken from milk teeth can tell you a thing or two about their actual brains
You can tell how old a person is from their brain’s glial cell health
Neuroscience in practice to enhance your star gazing experience
Antibody targeting protein in Blood Brain Barrier reduces signs of brain ageing
Some people (3-5%) simply get no joy from listening to music – now we know why
What happens in the brain when people’s beliefs are challenged?
Carbon nanotube electrodes much better than conventionals, but how to jam a “wet noodle” into the brain?
Reduced blood flow to Broca’s area (key area in speech production) in stutterers
Memory & cognition improvements in 65+ year old people if they take regular 1-hour long siesta after lunch
If learning a 2nd language is one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2017, this might be motivating for you
Interfering w/ vagal nerve function can help various health conditions – now can be done w/ greater precision
tcDCS therapy overview: depression/addiction/fibromyalgia (good news) tinnitus/stroke (bad news)
Facebook wants in on Brain Control Interfaces
16 year old’s ovarian tumour found to contain brain tissue that resembles a cerebellum and brainstem
Genetically-speaking you are 10% retrovirus – deal with it!
Peripheral neuropathy ( seen in diabetes, chemo, HIV) could be helped by anti-muscarinic agents
CBT for psychosis found to be associated with measurable changes in brain connectivity
No meaningful difference in amygdala sizes in male vs female brains across 30yrs of MRI studies
Dreaming (REM) sleep accelerates pruning of certain brain connections, vital to reshaping teenage brains
Resensitising brain cancer to chemotherapy using old school anti-malaria drug
A study of 500 MRI scans reveals the links between personality traits and brain structure
I’ve often wondered why so many schizophrenic people smoke&smoke so hard;they might be self-medicating
We’ve known for a while that Zika shrinks foetal brains, now tech is helping science to figure out why
WHO said Brazil Olympics must be cancelled or zika virus will spread all over world at home time.
How serious Rio Olympics Zika problem could be for global health? Read this Harvard Public Health Review.
Awesome: “artificial neuron that switches between crystal and glass-like states as information comes in”
What’s your #littlelifesaver ? When i feel blue, i get on my skates
Once a year I pick up my mouth organ, give it a sniff & put it right back down again – probably for the best
Beware the backup plan
5 books on the brain review by Scientific American
Ever thought of depositing your brain in a brain bank when you’re done with it. You should. You really should
“Lab tech to lab leader” tale of scientist striving to identify molecular secateurs for trimming the brain bush
Ep5 of my new series Secrets of the Brain is all about Time Perception. Stream it anytime, anywhere…
Nature have made a nice 2min video to explain why the new improved brain map is so cool
Souped up MRI shows newly discovered rubbish disposal system in action as it pumps waste materials out of the brain
New research has “uncovered stress&depression connectome” .. multiple routes from brain2adrenal glands
Breast feeding boosts neurodevelopment aged 7 for pre-term babies
“New” study shows Brain Training improves dementia outcomes? Dodgy reporting strikes again
Brushy One String always makes me smile. Amazing what you can do with a guitar that has 5 strings missing
Precise imprint of brain on inner skull enables comparison of today’s brains to those of 17,000 yrs ago
I thought I knew a thing or two about Cognitive Ease, now thanks to @veritasium I know a thing or two more
Human brain enlargement was driven by social comparison skills to aid strategic helping
Don’t call it a comeback, it’s been here for years. ElectroConvulsiveTherapy for major depression, would you?
Being overweight in middle age seems to rob humans of brain white matter compared to normal weight peers
Learning to be generous, it’s all in the brain
Gene therapy for Parkinson’s patients with goal of reviving the early benefits of L-Dopa drug treatments
Greater past / future happiness = delusional
What happens in brains of hypnotised people (vs those who can’t be)? Newly published fMRI study reveals all
High fat/sugar diet in pregnancy linked to higher rates of ADHD in kid in later life
Meditators may have greater awareness of subconscious will – that’s one way of interpreting these results…
Some people are over-reliant on internet to supplement memory – imagine if Google started charging
Morphine – gold standard of pain relief – has side effects ranging from annoying to deadly. Now a new option
Neanderthals not bright enough to be schizophrenic
Olympians zap brains in hope of improving performance despite no independent evidence to show it works
Role of oxytocin in optimism (it seems to place the focus on desirable rather than undesirable feedback)
Physics intuition and action planning are “intimately linked in the brain”
Some interesting neuroscience-based speculations on Pokemon Go – why has it become so popular?
Exposure therapy helps people get over arachnophobia. Now a simple tweak has been found to make it last
Poor sleep may partly cause PTSD, not just symptom, so improve sleep (via brain zap) to reduce PTSD cases
Honestly officer, it’s not my fault, I keep flying into these rages because of a parasite that’s living in my brain
Scanning kids brains before they can read predicts how well areas that support reading will develop by age 8
Reorientation Cost (my term) seems to be the difference between older and younger brains in elite gaming
Unexpected ability to feel touch / muscle control when spine injury patients learn to use exoskeleton to walk
Stock market prediction involves brain areas usually recruited when wondering what others are thinking
Method for measuring synaptic density without having to chop up a brain
How to make low calorie food taste better? Tweak the odour
Window into teenage brain development – all about developing hubs (through which so much traffic passes)
Ever imagined being able to make music with lightening? Someone’s cracked it..
Specific brain rhythm observed in EEG data when people write a text on their smartphone
“[the temple] is the perfect window to the thalamus, which lies seven centimetres below”
UltraSoundAwakening: man emerges from minimally conscious state after having thalamus ping’ed with US
Quote of the week: “Who needs legs when you’ve got chemistry”
Where does the instinct to be altruistic come from in the first place? As with everything… it promotes survival
Why do we sleep? If we don’t: our synapses get saturated and brains become overly excitable
Real-life zombie cockroach, courtesy of the emerald wasp.
We’re making great progress in understanding what drives risky choices using very latest neuroscience tools
Motivation boost …anyone?
Facebook’s #ArtificialIntelligence Research lab releases open source #fastText on GitHub
The orbits of the stars in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy
Neuroscientists create ‘atlas’ showing how words are organised in the brain
A cautionary tale about the promises of modern brain science
What really happens to food when you drop it on the floor…
To increase productivity take some breaks (and sleep better)
What Teens Need Most From Their Parents
Beautiful images from futuristic work. The tools of neuroscience get evermore powerful
Who better than Russ Poldrack to review a book about what MRI can and can’t do?
Could brain stimulation help people with anorexia?
Stop blaming mental illness for violent crimes | Dean Burnett
Gut bacteria regulate nerve fibre insulation
Race & DNA & Neanderthals & sex & the new book & stuff.
MoCostandi’s book NEUROPLASTICITY is out now in the UK
The brain becomes more modular and integrated in development
LatitudeTalks is back with its second episode, ‘The Porn Perspective’ Listen here
Why billionaires have more sons
The viruses that may save humanity
Africa’s sunshine could eventually make the continent a supplier of energy to the rest of the world
How we built machines that can think for themselves
The Spartan launch system could radically reduce the costs of blasting satellites into orbit
Next generation of flexible robots w/ stretchable sensors
Teaching old dogs new tricks (literally)
How problems with spelling provide evidence to suggest separate systems for long term vs working memory
Dogs and some primates may have a magnetic compass in their eyes
New research suggests that “modern men increasingly value brains over beauty in their long-term partners”
Concerned about drones snooping on your city? Might time to take up the art of falconry
Iceman Wim Hoff is teaching science a thing or two about mind over matter
MRI parts are being recycled to help discover the fundamental forces of nature
Vagus nerve stimulation results in significant relief of depressive symptoms versus sham stimulation
“Nanoscale implants that are inserted into the brain but which interact with cells optically”
Understanding the human brain – the story so far…
“excessive synaptic pruning model..far from new..was proposed in 1983 &..discussed in 3580 papers”
Babies can categorise colours before language… which I don’t find surprising at all but apparently it is
Who would’ve thought brushing your teeth could help you avoid a stroke!
“Japanese already had a name for the experience of well-being in nature: shinrin-yoku or ‘forest bathing’”
Why being sceptical of anyone claiming to be a “great multitasker” makes sense
Sleep deprivation leads to higher rate of false confessions
Half the population of the globe will be short sighted by 2050 =5Bn of 10Bn
Midlife physical activity is associated with better cognition in old age
‘Gambling’ wolves take more risks than dogs
Big neuroscience is going global
Mice who sing for sex in the ultrasound range use vocal cords arranged like a bit like a jet engine
Preventing obesity with mindful eating
London Eye tastes like lumpy mashed potato and baked beans to a lexical-gustatory synaesthete
Brain size and the risk of getting shot – Size does matter
Mice fall for rubber hand illusion just like us
Show me the former pro footballers with accelerated age-related cognitive decline, then i’ll stop heading balls
Irrational decisions neatly explained by reward driven behaviour + biases
Little did we know how big a role immune cells play in everyday brain function; in health not just in sickness
Tesla unveils its new line of camouflaged solar panels
Cognitive benefits in later life for mum’s who have their last kid after 35, but why…?
The world in 2076: Genetically engineered people are everywhere
Connectome fingerprinting can identify people with 100% accuracy
Staying socially active can slow decline in older adults’ ability to function
Remote-controlled optogenetic mice
Winners of the 2016 BioArt competition include this image of a spinal neuron in culture
Eternal Sunshine is here. Rather than erasing painful memories,mightn’t this result in a penchant for BDSM?
The Eye As a Biomarker for Alzheimer’s Disease
Musical training creates new brain connections in children
Obituaries are often written before celebs have died. Turns out brains do a similar thing with DNA
Double-blind trial shows that single dose of psilocybin can give 6 months relief from cancer-related anxiety
Levels of IL-6 inflammatory cytokine in blood at 9 years old used to predict bipolar symptoms in adulthood
Your not just imagining it – people’s aggression really does manifest itself in the way they walk: agro-swagger
One day, logging into your computer, email, twitter etc may require you to don a hatful of EEG electrodes
Your brain’s structural connections are as unique as your fingerprint. No surprises there then
“Cloudy with a chance of pain” Study investigates potential link between the weather and pain conditions
Using MRI to distinguish between depression subtypes to predict whether TMS might be useful or not
Hippocampal detonator synapses
http://bit.ly/DrJEEGcntlRobt Dear Santa, If I’ve been good enough this year, please may I have a robotic arm controllable via 64 electrode EEG?
How the brain juggles tradeoffs between effort and reward in decision making
“Individuals may engage in geek culture in order to maintain narcissistic self-views”
Star-shaped glial support cells form chain to bridge L/R halves of the brain for baby neurons to grow along
The world’s first home-made brain implant
Ban digi-media use 1hr before bedtime, keep bedrooms, mealtimes & parent-child playtime screen free
Don’t mesmerise under-3’s with screens – chances are you’ll be doing them a great disservice in long run
Insightful video about how to make see-thru brains & what we can learn. Karl Deisseroth on CLARTY
Although “Princess Leia brainwaves” is unashamedly headline grabbing – science itself is pretty fascinating
The most self-ruinous way of consuming social media? Lurking: observing without contribution
Ability to make new memories, but keep the old prob relies on multiple synaptic “dials”
@LlianaBird & I are delighted to announce our new book #MiceWhoSing available now at Waterstones
Hopefully this will dispel the widespread myth that it takes a lot of mindfulness practice to gain any benefit
Porn Brain: some teens are over-consuming porn to the extent that it effects normal sexual function
TV/radio off please: tough to separate speech/noise for older people, even in those who aren’t hard of hearing
Schizophrenics more likely to try cannabis. Why would delusional people crave greater distance from reality?
Maybe I won’t be saving up my $200k to hitch a ride to Mars with Elon after all… space brain sounds nasty!!
Stress and conception don’t mix: one of the dark sides of mind over matter
Boys & girls brains change as a result of extreme stress: insula volume is reduced in girls, increased in boys
Male/female brains, more similar than dissimilar, but why stereotypical gender differences in behaviour…?
Sleep paralysis in Brazilian folklore and other cultures
Brain-inspired intelligent robotics: The intersection of robotics and neuroscience
This mental quirk could explain why you’re always running late
There was I thinking MRI was terrible at monitoring for specific emotions – not according to this…
A few words from the man behind Google’s brain
In this week’s @GCweirdscience podcast we discuss a miracle cure for cancer, gravity waves and horses
WeirdScience Ep51 podcast: newly discovered planet in our solar system, head transplants & ejaculating bees
Episode 62: Tribute to John Glenn, Preserved Dino-Tail, Pubic Hair grooming / STD’s & Magic Mushrooms
11 out of 10 on the geek-o-meter: Milky Way over the Pinnacles
How to stimulate deep brain areas without having to open the skull to implant electrodes – very clever work
Too many neurons spoil the memory
Leave my iPhone alone: why our smartphones are extensions of ourselves
Music therapy can reduce pain and anxiety; improve quality of life for people w/dementia
Learning from experience of others (single cell recordings in the human AC)
Thought that learning to get around was all about the hippocampus? Think again…
Imagine being able to feel sensation of touch through a robotic finger…BCI makes it reality
Global connectivity differences in brain scans of PTSD vs no-PTSD kids traumatised by Sichuan Earthquake
1st 2 months of human embryonic development in womb with amazing new accurate 3D interactive atlas
Tuning brains to banish pains: alpha freq light / sound pulses induce activity observed in placebo analgesia
Study investigates how far electrical current applied at human brain surface travels via phosphene mapping
Deep brain stimulation soon to use tiny coils to influence neurons with magnetism rather than electrons
If the way we breathe influences what we remember, are there breathing techniques to help students revise?
Starting with the world’s first city in 3700 BC, this map visualizes the history of urbanization
Explore how the brain is computing the mind
When does brain development reach completion?
In Cambridge? You can contribute to cutting edge @The_MRC cognitive neuroscience research.
How to get Artificial Intelligence to tell us when it’s not sure anymore and needs some human help
Ditch that sense of entitlement – it’s an illusion and will just make you perpetually miserable
“..a lesion..can disrupt the brain’s familiarity detector and reality monitor simultaneously”
Multilab study indicates that pulling smiling/frowning facial expressions does NOT induce emotions after all
How many different types of neurons there in the brain (even just the hypothalamus) blows my mind
Experts: “almost twice as likely to remember incidents relating to..topic that never happened”
Might stoned drivers be more cautious?
Mouse study suggests Omega-3 may promote brain toxin removal by helping out the glymphatic system
Could the impact of oxytocin on human behaviour boil down purely to synchrony
Psychobiotics – science of figuring out what to feed your gut bacteria so they influence the brain positively
Psychics used as controls for schizophrenia studies! Both hear voices, psychosis only present in latter group
Turns out people high on psychopathy scale ARE capable of regretting past actions, just don’t learn from it
How sleep affects responses to anti-depressant medication
Drugs for ex-convicts to reduce violent reoffending
See how superagers brains compare2young ones. Figure out how they keep their brains so plump&juicy
fMRI measures impact of antidepressant drugs on serotonin and dopamine levels in discrete brain areas
Could NA hold the key to coordinating integration of different brain areas according to task demands?
Preference lag for previously pleasure-giving things
UK Biobank imaging study finds links between brain anatomy and cognitive decline
Toddler robots help solve how children learn
First pop song ever written by artificial intelligence. The singularity is coming!
One day BRAIN may replace Google
“The Irrational Idea That Humans Are Mostly Irrational“
Now you see ‘em, now you don’t: Visual illusion 12 ever-present black dots cannot be seen at the same time
Being bored is good for children – and adults
The best-known homunculus diagram was actually drawn by Penfield’s secretary
Could ultrasound therapy activate immune cells to increase toxin removal, thereby slowing brain ageing?
I am Groot: Plants can do associative learning
Secrets for how to master your #intuition and trust your gut from @bakadesuyo
Yoshinori Ohsumi gets Nobel medicine prize
Rhesus monkey with damaged spinal cord moves leg via remote (brain) control
Deep brain ultrasound procedure zaps thalamus to abolish Cornish man’s uncontrollable tremor
Iron-based pollution nanoparticles found in the brains of deceased; from Mexico City to Manchester
Incredible: switching just one pair of nucleotides in an ancient ancestor’s DNA trebled our brain volume
Loneliness is endemic among older people, with deep cuts to befriending and daycare services
Why women feel cold more than men? (and why are many women advised that it’s in just their head!?)
Why childbirth is so painful
“Big-brained adults start out life as big-brained babies, so evolution came into conflict with itself.”
Why do paper cuts hurt so much!?
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-37988197?post_id=1119922004725090_1275515435832 BBC News – Dementia game ‘shows lifelong navigational decline’
Ketamine for Depression: An Update
Radio interview on new paper on decision making in traders, gut instinct and interoception
“Assorted mammalian brains, roughly to scale.”
Science must take risks/push boundaries to advance. Can psychedelics open new window into mental health?
The truth behind new mum’s baby brain
The well-designed city is a healthy city, all over the world
Brain Books of 2016
Walk more, it’s good for your brain
Drink for joy, not to drown woes – boozing under duress may reverberate through your brain in later weeks
People tweaking doses of multiple nootropics with no concept of drug-drug interactions is terrifying
Buffalo worms for dinner. They have as much biovailable iron as sirloin
What is a SuperRecogniser?
Illuminating the realities of “flashbulb” memories – not as reliable as once thought
Areas critical for consciousness identified in human brain
Gene editing now works on cells that have stopped multiplying, prospect of fixing adult DNA malfunctions
The latest memristors – materials that mimc behaviour of synapses – are becoming incredibly sophisticated
Potential for MDMA (ecstasy) as a therapeutic agent for PTSD to be investigated in a proper clinical trial
Swimming… good for your brain, it seems
Added sugar in our diet is bad, but I didn’t realise range of negative impacts, like reduced oxytocin!
How genes can influence music’s impact on mood
Imagine if middle-aged people were one day prescribed nicotine to slow brain ageing?
Improved muscle strength via weight training “significantly improved global cognition” in mild cog. impaired
Talk about getting the wrong end of the stick…
How brains restore masked speech
Cross-species studies of orbitofrontal cortex & value-based decision-making
Whole new neuroscience-based perspective on adage: “not the size of the boat but the motion in the ocean”
Sharks like listening to AC/DC and heavy metal music, says #MiceWhoSing
“People who speak two languages often outperform monolinguals on general measures of executive function”
Article on helping kids with dyslexia & brain changes that result is great lesson in using animated gifs
What placebo/belief can and can’t heal
The marriage of technology and young brain, for better and for worse…
“Like many of my friends, I spent years using prescription stimulants… Then I tried to get of”
NYT highlights problems UK faces –Brexit May Hurt Britain Where It Thrives: Science and Research
Bonobos become long-sighted when middle-aged too
How to get adolescents to eat healthily? Make it a joint act of rebellion against the food industry…
Fast fMRI can detect oscillatory neural activity in humans
Why do we kill? Controversial study blames our distant ancestors
Lithium (yes the element) useful treatment for various psychiatric conditions & we’re finally figuring out why
Most influential neuroscientists from the world of brain imaging? A computer programme has worked it out
Kahneman and Tversky’s errors in understanding human error
Yawning cools brain? Do they need to cool a bit to get off to sleep, or in an effort to postpone sleep?
Researchers translate bat talk. Turns out bats spend most of their time arguing and complaining
How memory actually works is deeply counter-intuitive and constantly fascinating.
The Sahara desert could advance into Southern Spain
Tories just quietly put £7.9 BILLION worth of #NHS contracts up for sale
Apart from getting readers to consider TMS/ tDCS these reminders re: improving brain function ain’t too bad
Brain soup anyone? Apparently the best way to compare cortical neuron number across different species.
Our little black box podcast where we chat with neurologist+neuroscientist @DuzelLab is up
“Fisher gave scientists a mathematical machine for turning baloney into breakthroughs..flukes into funding”
How video games unwittingly train the brain to justify killing
So this is what adolescence is all about
Neuroscientist who spanned intellectual divide offers some thought-provoking new perspectives
“Rotating waves during human sleep spindles organize global patterns of activity…”
Wonder how many other podcasts talk about cuttlefish who count and growing sperm!?
GC EP 56: Green Slime with sight, Paracetamol lies and Pigtails!
Brain Game Claims Fail A Big Scientific Test
Your brain has a physics engine & helps you avoid causing chaos in the grocery aisle
New drug improving longevity & memory in animal studies of prion disease brings hope for fight against Alz’s
How subtle changes in our bodies affect awareness & confidence
Structural changes in the brains of teens are highly correlated with genes linked to schizophrenia
Winners of the 2016 British Wildlife Photography Awards
Teens perform better at reinforcement learning than adults (NB main difference in hippo not striatum)
Higher BMI-> More inflammation-> poorer cognitive function according to new study
Before you start zapping your brain why not wait until science has actually researched what it does to us?
How to manage the global Neuro-Tsunami
Sleep deprivation associated with increased calorie consumption the following day
“Delta waves represent slow wave activity that increases after brain injuries.”
Time passes fast, time passes slow. Neuroscience may finally have pinpointed brain areas that influence this
If you want to hang onto your crystalline intelligence in later life don’t forget to eat your greens
Some wise words on ToDo lists
You can’t work people to death just because you pay them lots
The brain’s stick (as in carrot and stick) of decision making resides in the globus pallidus
Images of neurons migrating within brain tissue of newborn babies (mostly completed by ~5 months old)
Would you let someone implant a $100 million dollar brain chip if would make you more intelligent?
Feel like you’re addicted to your prescription medicine? You’re not alone…
Cancer surgeons can tell healthy from cancerous cells with audio signal generated by laser reflection analysis
The plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s disease don’t necessarily result in symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
Injecting blood plasma of human teenagers into “old” mice rejuvenates their cognition
New approach halts spread of Alzheimer’s via tau protein tweak to prevent tangles
Quite possibly the strangest sex study i’ve ever read about.. and there’s a lot of competition for that accolade
A musical about cancer, playing at National Theatre from tomorrow until the end of November… who’s in??
Further financial boost for NIH BRAIN Initiative
Congrats @kmdouglass et al for winning the image contest
The biology of bigotry (is prejudice in your genes?)
Time to revise how we think about the cerebellum (role extends far beyond balance and muscle coordination)
TMS reawakens access to latent memory (link to orig Science paper at end of article)
Train the parents to train the child. A successful strategy for improving autistic kids’ communication abilities
How to grow your own brain
A common diabetes drug may stave of dementia even in nondiabetics
Now the human brain’s beauty is available for all to see (in great detail) thanks to the Allen Institute
Any book by Steven Rose =winning for me
Promising Links Found Between Different Causes of Parkinson’s
Magnetic pulse (TMS) applied at border between temporal/parietal lobes hobbles perspective taking ability
Why ice skaters don’t get dizzy when they spin
How do we track the evolution of myths and folktales over time? Anthropologist Julien D’Huy explains
Bigger the brain, longer the yawn
Growing up, my mother seemed lost in her own world. Then I discovered why. She had a lobotomy
Injectable electrode mesh could revolutionise deep brain stimulation
Can you boost your brain power by making yourself ambidextrous?
Where in your brain do all those virtual maps of space live?
What living with Lewy Body disease was like in Robin Williams’s last months on Earth
High incidence of brain injuries among homeless is not being addressed by NHS
If you want to practise mindfulness, the garden is the place to be
Could thinning of the grey matter really account for risk aversion in older adults?
An fMRI study that shines some light on why negative stereotypes stick (clue: it’s easier)
What’s different about the brain of a man who can play 33 games of chess simultaneously (and blindfolded)?
Lie to me: first a little, then more and more – it will become easier as your amygdala adapts to the habit
Stem cells from schizophrenics produce fewer neurons
These monkeys are creating tools thought to be unique to humans – by accident
Building a building so high that the roof spins around earth at the speed of light?
This #selfie single-handedly justifies the existence of selfie-sticks. #slothselfie @reddit
Oversharing on Facebook – my brain made me do it… again!
Dear fans of MMA, If you repeatedly punch someone in the head this kind of thing is inevitable
Might diabetics of the future be treated with an injection directly into the brain?
A single species of gut bacteria can reverse autism-related social behavior in mice
Longer maternity leave linked to better infant health
Neurofeedback during fMRI scan enables volunteers to learn to crank up their reward pathways
Best of both worlds for Middle Aged brains (better emotional regulation techniques&crystalline intelligence)
Nice synopsis of a few of the more notable achievements in neuroscience to arise over the course of 2016
Turning mice into killers at the flick of an (optogenetic) switch
Mixing up names of nearest & dearest probably due to them being stored in ur “people I love” brain directory
“I did what honour dictated and that belief sustains me, except for a slight desire to be dead, which I’m sure will pass” Brando re: Bounty
“In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn’t read all the time, none, zero” —Charlie Mungern
Read this & you’ll find clues re: why mixing up your exercise regime is a good way2promote neuroplasticity
A new study indicates that taking up yoga can have a very positive impact on the brain
Go inside the lab with the world’s largest collection of brains affected by the disease CTE
Could Alzheimer’s stem from toxic remnants of the brain’s attempt to fight off infection?
I hope my retirement home is as brain health-centric as this one…
Earth and the moon – as seen from Mars
SkyWall gun stops drones dead, then gives a parachute landing
Cocoa benefits turn out to be a bit of a chocolate teapot, upon closer inspection
Interesting perspective from a man with a rare form of synesthesia
Finally FDA restrictions on antibiotic use in livestock. Can’t use the medically important ones anymore.
The brain looks like a forest but the forest works like a brain! Brilliant @Radiolab episode
Today’s route to work involves driving thru’ mountains of Spain – who knew neuroscience would be so jetset?
Make the best out of any situation!
With 4 new elements discovered Asia enters the hall of fame and the USA jumps to 2nd place
Analysis of MDMA studies suggests ‘ecstasy’ can damage brain’s serotonin system
Smell you later, stranger
How brains respond to being insulted and laughed at
You can draw a straight, uninterrupted line across the sea from Newfoundland to Australia
Confused about mixed messages regarding differences between male & female brains?
Jamie Oliver praises “brave” sugar tax move in #Budget2016
Could “vesicle trafficking” be at the root of the brain disease that so afflicted the great Ali in his later years?
Why do we make bad choices? It’s all relative. As in, quite literally…
That powered exo-skeleton from Aliens? Yep. We got that now
The mysterious science of hiccups: why we get them and how to stop them
Just how smart is an octopus? Smarter than you think
New Chinese supercomputer is world’s most powerful
Success! Nasa’s #Juno craft is now in orbit around #Jupiter
Bacteria can turn cylindrical rotors and provide a steady power source
Ingestible batteries and robots in the bloodstream could be future treatment solutions
Sugar tax will raise £520m for primary school sports
A glia chased by three axons! It doesn’t end well. 40 hours time-lapse from the archives