neuroscience

How do we make sense of all that chatter?

How People Learned To Recognize Monkey Calls Reveals How We All Make Sense Of Sound

5:31pm April 18, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

A brain imaging study of grown-ups hints at how children learn that "dog" and "fog" have different meanings, even though they sound so much alike.

Queue Listen Now

A hippocampal neuron seen in culture. Dendrites are green, dendritic spines are red and DNA is blue.

Sorry, Adults, No New Neurons For Your Aging Brains

6:15pm March 07, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

The brains of birds and mice continue to produce new nerve cells in the hippocampus throughout life. But research now suggests the human brain stops doing this around adolescence.

Queue Listen Now

This light micrograph of a part of a brain affected by Alzheimer's disease shows an accumulation of darkened plaques, which have molecules called amyloid-beta at their core. Once dismissed as all bad, amyloid-beta might actually be a useful part of the im

Scientists Explore Ties Between Alzheimer's And Brain's Ancient Immune System

5:00am February 18, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

Their first epiphanies came during musings over beer, and evolved into a decade of teamwork. Two Harvard researchers explain why they think Alzheimer's disease may be traced to an immunity glitch.

A promotional still from Skunk Bear's newest episode "A Neuroscience Love Song."

Your Besotted Brain: A Neuroscience Love Song

12:47pm February 13, 2018

A Valentine's music video from Skunk Bear explores the ways your brain and body change when you fall in love — and change again as love deepens and matures.

A still from the alien hand syndrome episode of Invisibilia.

'Invisibilia': The Otherworldly Alien Hand Syndrome, Animated

6:00pm February 09, 2018

by Menaka Wilhelm

Imagine trying to play the piano or button a shirt, while one hand does something else, entirely of its own volition. Invisibilia explored this phenomenon. More stories are coming in the new season.

Trauma or abuse can trigger seizures in people with psychogenic non-epileptic seizure disorder.

Her Seizures Looked Like Epilepsy, But Her Brain Looked Fine

4:37pm February 01, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

For a surprising number of people who appear to have epilepsy, the real problem is psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, a little-known condition.

Queue Listen Now

Scientists zeroed in on specific neurons in the brains of mice to gain insights into how anxiety is triggered and suppressed.

Researchers Discover 'Anxiety Cells' In The Brain

8:53pm January 31, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists who identified specific brain cells in mice that control anxiety say the discovery could provide insights that might eventually help people with panic disorder and social phobia.

Neuroscientist Joseph Jebelli says that while a certain amount of memory loss is a natural part of aging, what Alzheimer's patients experience is different.

Neuroscientist Predicts 'Much Better Treatment' For Alzheimer's Is 10 Years Away

7:21pm January 02, 2018

by Terry Gross

"Just the last few years alone have seen some serious breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research," Joseph Jebelli says. His new book is The Pursuit of Memory.

Queue Listen Now

Carl Luepker, his son Liam, 12, and daughter Lucia, 11, light the menorah during Hanukkah in their home in Minneapolis, Minn. Carl and Liam both have a degenerative nerve disorder called dystonia.

Could Brain Surgery Save A Father And Son?

7:57am December 25, 2017

by Michael May

Bit by bit, dystonia was stealing Carl Luepker's ability to use his hands and talk. But his biggest fear was that his children would inherit the disorder. Then he saw his son Liam's foot twitch.

Queue Listen Now

Researchers have identified a pattern of brain activity that precedes impulsive behavior like binge eating.

Could A Zap To The Brain Derail Destructive Impulses?

3:45pm December 18, 2017

by Esther Landhuis

A brain implant already used to treat severe epilepsy might also help fend off impulses to abuse drugs or overeat before they happen, researchers say. But so far it's been tested mostly in mice.