Issue 12 OCD and the Immune System Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which a person experiences excessive unwanted thoughts, urges, or impulses that may or may not be followed by repetitive, compulsive behaviors [1]
Issue 12 The Brain on Porn Since the advent of the internet, pornography’s involvement in the lives of the public continues to increase. 66% of men and 41% of women view pornography monthly in the
Issue 11 Cutting for the Competition: How Dehydration Affects the Brain Modern athletes do everything in their power to improve their performance. They follow intense training regimens, adhere to strict diets, and always look for an additional edge over their competition,
Issue 11 Rest Assured Sleep sets people back. Every night, people stop and doze off; they don’t eat, work, or learn. Evolutionarily, it should be a recessive trait—after all, non-sleepers could get
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
Issue 11 Power Play Introduction Many people are familiar with phrases like “top dog” and “alpha male,” whether in reference to a pack of wolves or a competitive workplace environment. These are colloquial portrayals
Issue 11 Moving Toward Motion Introduction One of the major functions of the nervous system is to control muscles and coordinate their activity to generate movement. Most motions we execute are a product of sensory
Issue 10 The Night Shift “Rise and shine!” Or, better said, “shine and rise!” The sun provides a central cue for waking hours because the light it emits serves as a regular signal that enforces
Issue 10 Distorting Perception The ability to see is often attributed to the eyes, but this is only the beginning of visual processing. It is estimated that one-third to one-half of the human brain
Issue 10 Wordplay: The Neural Networks of Word Processing As we go through our daily routines, whether they be in a bustling coffee shop packed with sleep-deprived students or in the high-ceilinged library reading room, we are surrounded by
Issue 9 Through the Eyes of the Mantis Shrimp Crawling on the bottom of the Indian and Pacific Ocean are many species of colorful stomatopod crustaceans, commonly known as mantis shrimp. For a species to occupy such a bustling
Issue 9 Proprioception: The Sixth Sense Touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing: many believe these are the limits of the nervous system’s sensory capabilities. However, the complexity of the brain and its interaction with the
Issue 9 Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder: A New Name A concise definition is a powerful tool in medicine and medical science. As we learn more about the biomedical world, our ability to better
Issue 6 Isolating the Brain from Sensory Input Our capacity to respond to, and communicate with, the outside world is contingent on the brain’s ability to both consciously and unconsciously process sensory information. While sensation may seem
Issue 6 Sensory Substitution: The Brain's Ability to Adapt to Loss The adult brain weighs about three pounds and looks fairly unassuming. The organ’s seemingly uniform appearance does little to betray its underlying complexity. Over a period of several years,
Issue 6 Honeybee Cognition The term “worker bee” has become synonymous with a person who spends their days toiling away without thinking at all about the task at hand. However, this idea simply does
Issue 6 Default Mode Network: Running on Default It seems intuitive that the brain is active when one is engaged in tasks like studying, and less active when taking a break. But what actually happens in the brain
Cover Article The Pleasure of Music Introduction Ask any person to name the things in life that bring them pleasure, and chances are good that they will mention music. Music is a universal source of enjoyment
Issue 4 Bacteria and the Brain Microbiome research is taking neurobiology to an unexpected place: the gut. Recent research has demonstrated a link between the microorganisms that live in the stomach and seemingly unrelated conditions like
Issue 4 The Placebo Effect: An Illusionary Treatment with Real Results Every year, over half a million Americans suffering from osteoarthritis undergo pain-reducing arthroscopic surgery of the knee [1]. Surgeons clean out loose fragments of cartilage surrounding the knee joint in
Issue 3 Building Palaces of Memories: A Glimpse at the Method of Loci In 6th century Thessaly, the poet Simonides of Ceos is leaving a nobleman’s banquet hall after a rather unfortunate lyrical poem performance. As he steps outside, a loud crash
Issue 3 White Matter and Early Childhood Neglect Just last month, a study was published in JAMA Pediatrics that took a new approach to studying the neurological effects of long-term early childhood neglect. Unlike previous studies conducted on
Issue 3 Mysterious Microglia In April 2013, President Barack Obama announced an initiative to fund approximately one hundred million dollars of neuroscience research, called the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative (BRAIN). By
Issue 3 Prosopagnosia The human face is the index of the mind. We differentiate between individuals and recognize familiar faces based on one’s distinctive facial structure. You identify your mother from your
Issue 3 Amusia In 1878, Professor Grant Allen reported a man who was unable to perceive differences in pitch. The subject described that attending concerts was similar to sitting in a room for
