Issue 20

How a Signal is AMPA'fied

Find out the role of the NMDA-AMPA receptor system in our ability to associate the occurrence of two events, allowing our brains to learn and form memories.

Issue 18

Livin’ the Dream

For most of us, dreaming is a normal and unremarkable facet of life. But, what if this didn’t have to be the case? What if instead of waking up

Issue 18

An Immune Attacker: T-Cells Gone Wrong

Our immune system is perhaps one of the most important evolutionary benefits granted to us; our body’s ability to defend against infection and disease is one of the reasons

Featured Article

Mind Your Language

One of the most fundamental things separating humans from all other species on Earth is our ability to use language. While other living things may be able to communicate brief

Featured Article

Code of Conduct: Bayesian Predictive Coding

To correctly interpret sensory data, the brain is faced with solving an inverse problem: one where the causes need to be inferred from the perceived outcomes [1]. There are many

Featured Article

Mind and Matter

It is impossible to ignore the association that exists in the modern era between meditation and the calming of one’s mind and emotions––the image of a lackadaisical hippie

Cover Article

With a Grain of Salt: The MSG “Menace”

“No MSG”—two simple words plastered across food packaging and restaurant windows have consumers feeling relieved. MSG has long been criticized by consumers; some charge it as guilty for causing

Issue 15

Computing a Better Diagnosis

In the early 20th century, the primary purpose for mental disorder classification was to organize asylums.{[1]  The process for categorizing symptoms lacked standardization and thus was inconsistent. Even so,

Issue 15

Biomaterial Scaffolds

Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs at an estimated global incidence rate of 250,000 to 500,000 every year, with causes such as car collisions, falls, and violence [1]. Currently,

Issue 15

Bug Off: The Neural Effects of Insecticides

The first thing that comes to mind when people think of insects is probably not their tiny brains. However, scientists have been studying and taking advantage of the relatively simple

Cover Article

In Your Dreams: Insights from Dream Research

Why Do We Dream? Dreams have held cultural and religious significance throughout history, and in some cases, they have influenced history or culture themselves. James Watson, who won the Nobel

Issue 12

Walking Away from Parkinson’s

Transporting ourselves from one place to another can seem rather simple to the majority of individuals. We whiz from one class to the next without much conscious regard for our

Issue 12

Crossing the Blood Brain Barrier

Over a century ago, Paul Ehrlich injected blue dye into the bloodstream of mice to view their biological structures. After dissecting the mice, he was surprised to find that all

Issue 12

Teaching Machines

Using machine learning techniques, today’s computer algorithms are capable of solving problems previously thought to be exclusively within the capabilities of human beings. Modern machine learning algorithms have shown

Cover Article

Finding Your Way: The Neuroscience Behind Mental Maps

Think back to the most memorable place you’ve been. Whether it be the alleys and roads that bisect to make up your childhood neighborhood or a distant country you

Featured Article

A Royal Pain

The Concussion that Caused a Commotion: A Look at King Henry II of France Clad in armor and lances at hand, two jousters mounted their steeds. The competitors aimed their

Issue 9

Neuroscience and Public Health: A Look at the Zika Virus

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the end of the international public health emergency for the Zika virus (ZIKV), ZIKV remains a public health challenge requiring effective action

Featured Article

The “Magic” Behind Magic Mushrooms

Take a moment to read these quotations: “I try to judge less and forgive more. I no longer worry about money.” “I think my heart is more open to all

Featured Article

Art Neureau 2015

On a lovely Tuesday evening, a unique art event took place in the Fremont Abbey Arts Center. Art Neureau is a one-of-a-kind intersection between art and neuroscience—two disciplines which

Featured Article

Attention: How a Possible Function of SSRIs Could Be Staring Us in the Face

When TV commercials sing the famous jingle, “Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea,” Pepto Bismol fans rejoice. There’s an appreciation out there when multiple problems have a single solution.

Featured Article

Food for Thought: How Your Brain Controls What You Eat

One of the most frequent decisions we make is what to eat, but just because it’s a common task doesn’t mean it’s a simple one—at least

Featured Article

A Bee’s Perspective: Cocaine and Reward Processing

Cocaine affects reward processing in the brain resulting in feelings of well-being and euphoria. Because of such effects, the drug is helping researchers interested in how reward centers are related

Featured Article

Tapeworms on the Brain

For most people, the mere thought of a parasite setting up residence in their tissues is enough to induce a serious case of the creeps. There is something particularly horrifying

Featured Article

Know Your Claustrum!

Figure 1  A general schematic of the claustrum, as shown in the Crick and Koch paper “What is the function of the claustrum?” It seems like consciousness is always on

Featured Article

Meditation: Mind Over [White] Matter

It has long been thought that behaviors involving diet and exercise can be used to change the shape of one’s body; however, is it possible to use behavior to