Category: Brain
Scientists Explain Why You Wake Up Minutes Before Your Alarm
It might seem strange, but you didn’t wake up by chance.
Stress Levels Predict Cannabis Use
New research shows that rats with naturally higher baseline stress hormone levels are significantly more likely to self-administer cannabis vapor. Over several weeks, rats were allowed to nose-poke for cannabis, and those with elevated corticosterone displayed the strongest drug-seeking behavior.
Boosting Sleep Ripples Helps Preserve Memories Normally Forgotten
A new study shows that precisely manipulating brain activity during sleep can help mice retain memories that would normally fade, offering a potential pathway for treating memory loss conditions. Researchers identified a specific sleep-related pattern—large sharp-wave ripples—that signals when new experiences are being transferred from the hippocampus to the neocortex for long-term storage. By boosting these ripples at just the right moment using optogenetics, scientists enabled mice to remember brief encounters they would typically forget.
Losing Myelin Scrambles the Brain’s Sensory Signals
New research reveals that even a small loss of myelin—the protective coating around neurons—can severely disrupt how the brain sends and interprets sensory information. Studying corticothalamic circuits in mice, scientists found that when the first segment of myelin closest to the neuron’s cell body was degraded, nerve signals slowed and lost their crucial “first wave,” altering how sensory information was encoded.
A creative sweet spot.AI Brain Model Reveals How Fear Works in Real Life
Researchers have developed an AI-driven brain model that can track fear as it unfolds in real-world situations, offering a major shift from traditional lab-based approaches. Classic fear studies often rely on static images, but these do not reflect how the brain processes fear in dynamic contexts.
