Mind & Brain

study · 4h ago

Finding the Brain’s Mood Switch in Bipolar Disorder

What causes the sudden transition between depression and mania in bipolar disorder? Researchers at USC, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins received a $4.5M BD² grant to study "retrosplenial switch cells"—a unique neuronal population that may control mood switching.

· 4h ago

How Ego and Self-Image Change Brain Sync

Why do some individuals struggle with genuine empathy? Brain scans show that people with high grandiose traits fail to synchronize their brain activity with others when watching someone lose face or experience social vulnerability.

· 5h ago

Walking Speed Sharpens Visual Sensitivity to Backward Motion

Why is the brain extra sensitive to backward motion while walking? Research shows that at typical walking speeds, our visual system detects smaller speed changes in contracting optic flow, functioning as a vital reflex to prevent backward falls.

· 7h ago

Why the Left Brain Controls the Right Body

Why does the left side of your brain control the right side of your body? Neuroscientists at the University of Minnesota propose that the brain’s cross-wiring originated from the optical inversion of ancient eyes, which forced motor and sensory circuits to follow a contralateral map over 500…

· 7h ago

Wearable Vagus Nerve Devices Rewire Depressive Brains

Vagus nerve stimulation is a proven treatment for depression, but it has historically required surgery. A comprehensive review in Med-X shows how wearable ear and neck bioelectronics are transforming non-invasive VNS into an accessible, AI-guided home therapy.

· 1d ago

Brain Stimulation Stops Sexual Objectification

Sexualized images of women are often processed visually like objects rather than people. A new study shows that 10 minutes of non-invasive brain stimulation restores holistic human recognition, temporarily erasing this objectification bias.

· 1d ago

The Brain Anchors Others’ Experiences to Our Own Mental Maps

How does watching someone else get hurt teach us to avoid danger? Researchers at the Social Brain Lab discovered that hippocampal place cells link spatial coordinates to another individual's emotional distress, consolidating the memory during rest and shedding light on vicarious PTSD.

· 1d ago

Cocktail Party Effect: Why Emotion Cuts Through Noise

How does your brain pick out one voice in a crowded room? A new study reveals that emotional relevance amplifies neural speech tracking, while fragmented topic changes force the brain to work harder and longer to decode meaning.

· 1d ago

Daily Exercise Weakens the Grip of Genetic Risk for Depression

Can daily movement offset your DNA? A nationwide study of NIH All of Us data published in Nature Mental Health reveals that higher daily steps and moderate-to-vigorous exercise significantly reduce depression severity in people with high genetic risk.

· 1d ago

Amyloid Fibrils Protect the Father’s Genetic Message

Amyloid proteins are infamous for driving Alzheimer's disease, but neuroscientists discovered they play a vital role in reproduction. In semen, amyloid fibrils act as natural escorts that bind, protect, and deliver epigenetic RNA directly into sperm cells.

study Netherlands· 1h ago

Structural brain indicators of cognitive performance in middle and late adulthood: The Human Connectome Project in Aging/Aging Adult Brain Connectome cohort

Publication date: January 2027 Source: Neurobiology of Aging, Volume 169 Author(s): Yue Hong, Christa Michel, Gabriele Maria Gassner, Yiwen Zhang, Courtney Accorsi, Beau M. Ances, Lauren M. Antonucci, Steven E. Arnold, Ganesh M. Babulal, Susan Y. Bookheimer, Randy L. Buckner, Carlos Cruchaga…

study Netherlands· 1h ago

Neuropathology of centenarians and supercentenarians: An autopsy study

Publication date: January 2027 Source: Neurobiology of Aging, Volume 169 Author(s): Shino Magaki, Spencer Tung, D. Jason Sinclair, Christopher K. Williams, Annlia Paganini-Hill, Adrian Murillo, Su Aung, Jeffrey Goldstein, Diana Vulcain, Noriko Salamon, Ariadna Martinez, Leopoldo Valiente Banuet…

podcast · 1d ago

How To Stay Sane, Rested, and Useful During Hard Times | Katherine May

Winter is coming. The author of Wintering on weathering the cold, dark seasons, literally and otherwise, with rituals, cold-water swimming, reading in the middle of the night, and a lesson from a hibernating dormouse. Katherine May is the New York Times bestselling author of Wintering: The Power of…

· 2h ago

Neural network spots previously missed epilepsy signs on brain MRIs

Researchers from the joint Biomedically-Informed AI Laboratory of Skoltech (a VEB.RF Group institution) and the University of Sharjah and their colleagues have improved the performance of computer vision algorithms that look for signs of epilepsy and multiple sclerosis on brain MRI scans. Rather…

explainer · 4h ago

What is the best way yall have found to lower cortisol / stress?

I realized my cortisol and stress was pretty high a little while back and I’ve reduced a lot of it my supplementing l theanine, magnesium glycinate and optimizing my sleep. But I want to lower it more. submitted by /u/EndAggravating5093 [link] [comments]

· 7h ago

Extreme brain fog and head pressur

I take 5mg Tadalafil occasionally, but the side effects on my head and cognitive function are really rough for one to two days. I experience heavy brain fog, sluggish thinking, and poor verbal recall as if my working memory is blocked. Along with that comes a mild headache combined with an annoying…

· 9h ago

‘They cast no reflection, yet they are a mirror’

Illustration by Liz Zonarich/Harvard Staff Arts & Culture ‘They cast no reflection, yet they are a mirror’ Monsters take many forms in our Halloween book recommendations — from vampires to demonic cats to ancient sea reptiles Sy Boles Harvard Staff Writer October 27, 2026 long read What do…