Neuroscience

Why You Can't Recognize Other People's Faces

Studies suggest as many as 1 in 50 people have prosopagnosia

By Kate Samuelson July 14, 2017

Why Your Bad Memory Can Be a Good Thing, According to Science

You know those people who always boast about having a perfect memory? Maybe they shouldn't, because having total recall is totally overrated. That's according to a new paper in the journal Neuron, which concludes that...

By Amanda MacMilan / Health.com June 23, 2017

Local Gyms Can Help Spot Eating Disorders

These are today's best ideas

By The Aspen Institute June 13, 2017

Why the Summer Solstice May Be the Happiest Day

The first day of summer brings extra sunlight

By Rosalie Chan June 19, 2016

Here’s What LSD Does To the Brain

There's a reason it makes people feel more connected to the universe

By Mandy Oaklander April 13, 2016

The 5 Habits That Will Make You Happy, According to Science

So what’s going to make you happy? Let’s get more specific: what’s going to make your brain happy? And let’s focus on things that are simple and easy to do instead of stuff like winning...

By Eric Barker December 16, 2015

Live Tapeworm 'Still Wiggling' When It's Pulled Out of Man's Brain

The creature was apparently "still wiggling" during the surgery

By Sarah Begley November 6, 2015

The 5 Best Ways To Improve Your Memory

Forget flashcards: The latest research reveals some surprising new techniques

By Mandy Oaklander September 29, 2015

How a Man Paralyzed With a Spinal Cord Injury Is Learning to Walk Again

Researchers at the University of California Irvine combined virtual reality with brain-computer interfaces for a promising result.

By Tanya Basu September 24, 2015

Why Would Steve Rannazzisi Lie About Being On the Ground On 9/11?

Experts point to narcissism as a potential reason.

By Tanya Basu September 17, 2015

The Science Behind Max Richter's 8-Hour Album, "Sleep"

Richter collaborated with a neuroscientist to create an album he hopes you fall asleep to.

By Tanya Basu September 4, 2015

Feeling Sad Turns Your World Gray — Literally

"Feeling blue" and "seeing red" might be more literal than we think, suggests a new study about color

By Tanya Basu September 3, 2015

Blame Smartphones for Your Decline in Leisure Time

A combination of anxiety for work during non-work hours and emails make for stressed out workers.

By Tanya Basu August 7, 2015

Writing By Hand Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be

A new Bic commercial claims four benefits to writing by hand.

By Tanya Basu August 3, 2015

How Exercise Helps Curb Alzheimer’s Symptoms

Most studies so far have focused on the importance of physical activity before you develop Alzheimer’s. But can it treat the disease once you are diagnosed? Two studies hint that may be the case

By Alice Park July 23, 2015

Diabetes Drugs May Offer Hope for Parkinson's

Diabetes patients who took these medications had a 28% lower chance of developing Parkinson's

By Justin Worland July 22, 2015

Green Spaces at School May Help Kids' Brains Develop

A significant increase in exposure to green spaces resulted in a 5% increase in the development of children's working memory

By Justin Worland June 15, 2015

Game-Changing Discovery Links Brain and Immune System

New research could affect how we approach everything from Alzheimer's to autism

By Alissa Greenberg June 3, 2015

You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish

No longer can we boast about 12 seconds of coherent thought

By Kevin McSpadden May 14, 2015

Air Pollution May Make Your Brain Age Faster, Study Says

Air pollution can also increase your risk of a stroke

By Jack Linshi April 29, 2015

Alzheimer's May Be Caused by Misfiring Immune System

Breakthrough may lead to innovative approaches to treatment

By Kevin McSpadden April 15, 2015

Here's a New Trick to Help Babies Learn Faster

Surprise them. Not by jumping out of a closet but by challenging her developing notions about the world, and avoiding the same-old same-old

By Alice Park April 2, 2015

How Air Pollution Affects Babies in the Womb

A new study finds evidence that prenatal exposure to common pollutants can contribute to hyperactivity, aggression and more in kids

By Alice Park March 25, 2015

Your Brain Learns New Words By Seeing Them Not Hearing Them

To be a really proficient reader, it’s not enough to “hear” words. You also have to see them

By Alice Park March 24, 2015

Five Best Ideas of the Day: March 12

1. Protecting whistleblowers protects national security. By Mike German at the Brennan Center for Justice 2. Could we treat pain by switching off the region of the brain controlling that feeling? By the University of...

By The Aspen Institute March 12, 2015

Teen Pot Smokers Have More Memory Damage, Study Says

Chronic pot smoking may alter the shape of a region in the brain involved in memories

By Alexandra Sifferlin March 12, 2015

Drug Found to Relieve Alzheimer's Precursor

Researchers now want to proceed to substantial clinical trials

By Kevin McSpadden March 12, 2015

Alzheimer’s Protein Found in Young Brains for the First Time

The brain-damaging protein in Alzheimer’s disease may start accumulating as early as in our 20s

By Alice Park March 2, 2015

Three Amputees Get Bionic Hands, Become Cyborgs

The bionic hand allows the patients to perform everyday activities

By David Stout February 25, 2015

A Simple Skin Test May Detect Alzheimer’s

There’s new hope that the first signs of these brain disorders may lie in the skin

By Alice Park February 24, 2015

Famed Scientist Oliver Sacks Reveals He Has Terminal Cancer in Soulful Op-Ed

The neurologist and author writes in the New York Times that he feels "intensely alive" in the face of death

By Noah Rayman February 19, 2015

Even More Bad News For Young Football Players

Former NFL players performed below expectations for their age groups on cognitive assessments

By Justin Worland January 28, 2015

Dogs Can Get Dementia Too

Dogs are living longer — and a veterinarian finds himself diagnosing canine dementia at least once a day

By Zócalo Public Square January 9, 2015

This Is How Music Can Change Your Brain

Actively learning to play an instrument can help a child's academic achievement

By Melissa Locker December 16, 2014

Football Head Impacts Can Cause Brain Changes Even Without Concussion

New study looks at high school athletes

By Melissa Locker December 1, 2014

Why We're Falling Behind On Brain Innovation

A series of reports explains the decline

By Alexandra Sifferlin November 5, 2014

Can Neuroscience Debunk Free Will?

Some research shows that brain activity behind a decision occurs before a person consciously apprehends the decision

By David DiSalvo October 21, 2014

Study Yields Insight Into Gamblers' Brains

New research presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress in Berlin sheds light on what happens in the brains of gamblers. Pathological gambling is a difficult condition to classify. Though the Diagnostic and Statistical...

By Mandy Oaklander October 19, 2014

Terminally Ill Woman Explains Her Decision to Die

"I don't want to die"

By Justin Worland October 14, 2014

Ann Romney Launches Center, Says Family 'Done' With Campaigning

“Not only Mitt and I are done, but the kids are done. Done. Done. Done”

By Justin Worland October 14, 2014

This Alzheimer's Breakthrough Could Be a Game Changer

Scientists recreated what goes on in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients in a 3D culture dish that could speed development of new drugs for the disease

By Alice Park October 13, 2014

Steven Pinker's Ultimate Writing Guide

You wouldn't ordinarily take literary advice from a neuroscientist—but Pinker's new book will make you think otherwise

By Michael D. Lemonick October 8, 2014

How A Girl’s Brain Changes After a Traumatic Brain Injury

Concussions may influence girls differently than boys

By Alexandra Sifferlin September 30, 2014

Curry Spice Could Help the Brain Heal Itself

A chemical commonly found in turmeric was shown to encourage nerve-cell growth in rats

By Sam Frizell September 28, 2014

One Dose of Antidepressant Changes the Brain, Study Finds

One dose of antidepressant is all it takes to change the brain, finds a small new study published in the journal Current Biology. The study authors took brain scans of 22 healthy people who weren't...

By Mandy Oaklander September 19, 2014

Report: 3 in 10 Ex-NFL Players Suffer From Brain Conditions

That's at least twice the rate at which the general population experiences the same diseases

By Justin Worland September 12, 2014

Neuroscience

The New Science of Forgetting

How Neuroscience Could Explain the Rise of Addictions, Heart Disease and Diabetes in 21st Century America

Does Listening to Music Stimulate Creative Thinking, or Stifle It?

Why Not Everyone Should Sleep with a White Noise Machine