How do we measure pain, anyway?
By Jeremy Delahanty Imagine you have been asked to define pain by your doctor. They might have asked for a rating on a scale from zero, no pain, to ten, unbearable pain. Or you chose from a selection of faces ranging from happy to tearful. Maybe you answer with your...
Why is it so hard to find a cure for Alzheimer’s?
By Norman A. Paradis Norman A. Paradis investigate why it is so hard to find a cure for Alzheimer’s after a century of research into the brain disease. Biogen recently announced that it was abandoning its late stage drug for Alzheimer’s, aducanumab, causing...
Is mind control possible?
By Lily Toomey Reading minds seems to be a common part of the science-fiction canon—a genre much loved by actual scientists. But even as someone who turned their love of Kurt Vonnegut, John Wyndham and H.G. Wells into a career as a neuroscientist, I hadn’t considered...
Do dogs really, truly understand what we tell them?
By Lauren Mackenzie Reynolds Do dogs really, truly understand what we tell them? Scientists trained some pups to endure MRIs to help find out as Lauren Makenzie Reynolds explains. Scrolling back through my Instagram posts recently, I came across a short video I took...
Are hallucinations a disease?
By Yewande Pearse Hallucinations may be a symptom of mental illness, but they are not necessarily harmful as Yewande Pearse explains. As late as the 18th century, hallucinations in their various forms were considered independent diseases or syndromes. In 1821, Alexis...
Pulling all-nighters may damage your brain
By Hannah Thomasy Doctoral candidate Hannah Thomasy discusses the impacts of all-nighters on the brain. Is staying up late a health-risk? For decades, scientists have suspected that there is a connection between poor sleep and neurodegenerative diseases like...
What is a hallucinogen? What these mind-altering drugs do in our brains
By Benjamin Bell What is a hallucinogen? Benjamin Bell explores what these mind-altering drugs do in our brains. The term “drug” applies to all substances that can induce any biological changes in any of our bodies’ functions. But that label doesn’t differentiate at...
Can MDMA help people with autism overcome social anxiety?
By Benjamin Bell Benjamin Bell lays out a cautiously optimistic case for using the psychedelic in therapy for social anxiety. For the nightly news and cop shows, Ecstasy is the scourge of music festivals, the substance of interest in raves and DEA raids. For veterans...
What is neuroscience and how far can it take us? 🔊
Neuroscience has uncovered so many clues about human attitudes and behaviours that have far-reaching consequences. But scholars and doctors disagree about what it does and does not tell us about what it means to be human. Are we our brains? Do we have free will? How...Subscribe by Email
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