The amygdala is a small part of the brain that plays a big role in how people interact with others. Specifically, the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is thought to help figure out how close or distant someone feels to another person. This is important for deciding how generous to be. But does the BLA actually control how kind people are to others? Researchers wanted to fi...
The importance of specialized care for brain injury patients is becoming increasingly clear. A recent study looked at the outcomes of patients with severe brain injuries. These patients had conditions like strokes, bleeding in the brain, or injuries from trauma. The study compared patients treated in dedicated neuroscience intensive care units (NSUs) with thos...
A tiny piece of a mouse’s brain has just given scientists a massive breakthrough in understanding how our brains work. This isn’t just any piece; it’s a speck smaller than a grain of sand from the mouse’s visual cortex. Inside this tiny speck, there are 84, 000 neurons connected by about half a billion synapses. That’s roughly 5. 4 kilometers of neuronal wiring! Thi...
Eye-tracking technology is a hot topic in the worlds of virtual reality, neuroscience, and psychology. It's crucial for making VR experiences more immersive and for helping researchers understand how we process information. However, creating an eye-tracking system that is both accurate and speedy is no easy task. Current methods, like glint tracking, have their limit...
Epilepsy monitoring units (EMUs) are crucial for managing epilepsy patients. These units often require nurses to handle complex evaluations that can increase risks for patients. To address this, the National Association of Epilepsy Centers has set up guidelines for training nurses in advanced epilepsy care. The American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN) step...
In Uruguay, the study of the brain is booming. The Sociedad de Neurociencias del Uruguay is marking 30 years of progress. This progress is fueled by over a century of neuroscience work in the country. This work has used many different methods and creatures to explore the brain. One standout is the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This tiny fly has been a big deal...
Religion is a big part of life for many people around the world. It's not just about beliefs, but also about actions. These actions, or "religious motor behaviors, " can be anything from quiet rituals to lively dances. They can be voluntary, like when you choose to pray, or involuntary, like when you feel possessed by a spirit. Neuroscience, the study of the...
Imagine being able to move a robotic arm just by thinking about it. That's exactly what a man who was paralyzed by a stroke achieved. This wasn't a short-lived experiment, but a seven-month journey using a brain-computer interface (BCI) enhanced with AI. The BCI worked by picking up signals from the brain when the man imagined moving his body. The AI part of the sys...
Every two years, a unique event brings together people from all corners of the globe. This event is not a sporting competition or a scientific conference. It's an art competition. The theme? Neuroscience. The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience hosts this international art competition. It's open to anyone who has been touched by neuroscience in some way. This coul...
The brain's decision-making process is a complex dance involving many different areas. It's like a big, fancy party where everyone's invited. The guests include both the cortex, which is the outer layer of the brain, and the subcortical regions, which are deeper inside. These areas work together, but we don't fully understand how they do it. It's like trying to figur...