Brain

Aboard the International Space Station, astronauts experience near-weightlessness—and fluid accumulates in their heads as a result, which could potentially be one cause of headaches.

Most Astronauts Experience 'Space Headaches' While on the ISS, Study Finds

Surveys of 24 astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station found that nearly all of them reported headaches, and many of these occurred past the first week in space

Hand washing is one of the simplest ways to prevent disease transmission.

The Dirty Secret About How Our Hands Spread Disease

The human hand is an incredible tool—and a deadly threat

Roger Federer hits a forehand shot at Wimbledon. The tennis great has called his racket an extension of his arm.

How Did Humans Evolve to Use Everyday Tools?

An anthropologist explains why we experience many objects, from tennis rackets to cars, as extensions of our bodies

Sports psychology research has increased dramatically in the last decade or so. 

What We've Learned Through Sports Psychology Research

Scientists are probing the head games that influence athletic performance, from coaching to coping with pressure

A Parkinson’s patient in Nice, France, is prepped for a surgery to implant electrodes into the brain. The technique, called deep brain stimulation, is being used experimentally or in small studies to treat addiction.

Can a Brain Implant Treat Addiction?

Some experts tout deep brain stimulation as a lifeline for people struggling with opioid use. Others question the hype

While they chew their cud, reindeer brains shift into a state of non-REM sleep.

Reindeer Sleep and Eat Simultaneously, Saving Precious Time in the Short Arctic Summer

While the animals chew their cud, they also enter a state of rest

Researchers studied brainstem activity of mice while the animals were awake and eating.

Scientists Examine Brain Cells That Control How Much Mice Eat

The study—the first to look at these neurons while animals are awake and consuming food—could tell us about our own appetites

Illustration of the thalamus, a region of the brain linked to learning and memory.

Brain Implants Show Promise for People With Traumatic Brain Injuries in Small Study

Electrodes placed in the brains of five patients led to "profound" improvements in cognitive function, even years after their injuries

Around 40 percent of people experience a fainting spell at some point in their lives.

Here's What Causes Fainting, According to New Research

Scientists have discovered a pathway between the heart and brain in mice that appears to be involved during loss of consciousness

A museum visitor wears the new headset, which collects brainwave data that is used to create real-time images visualizing their response to art.

See What Your Brain Does When You Look at Art

A new device translates museum-goers' brainwaves into a simplified real-time visualization

New research suggests rats can mentally navigate to locations they've visited before.

Rats Can Use Imagination to Navigate in Virtual Reality, Study Finds

Like humans, the rodents appear to be able to visualize walking through locations they've previously visited

The life cycle of the parasitic rat lungworm involves rats spreading it to snails and slugs, which pass it back to rats.

Parasitic, Invasive Worm Found in Rats in Georgia

While the worm can sicken people, few human infections have been reported in the U.S., and it typically doesn’t require treatment

Study participants experienced cardiac arrest while in the hospital and received CPR in an attempt to resuscitate them.

Scientists Search for Near-Death Experiences of Cardiac Arrest Patients

Through survivor interviews and brain scans during CPR, researchers looked for evidence of awareness when people's hearts had stopped

Ann, 47, suffered a stroke that caused paralysis in 2005. The interface in the new study aims to help people who are unable to speak to communicate verbally.

Woman With Paralysis Can Speak By Thinking With a Brain Implant and A.I.

The experimental interface allows the patient to communicate through a digital avatar, and it's faster than her current system

Pink Floyd performs c. 1972 in London, England. Researchers used a computer model to try recreate one of their songs using the brain signals of people listening to it. 

Scientists Recreated a Pink Floyd Song From Listeners' Brain Waves

Electrodes collected brain signals while people listened to "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1," then computers produced a garbled but recognizable track

Smoke rises from buildings destroyed in the town of Lahaina last week by the Maui wildfires. A new study ties long-term exposure to smoke from wildfires to increased risk of dementia.

Long-Term Wildfire Smoke Exposure Linked to Dementia Risk, Study Finds

Among nine sources of particle pollution, fires and agriculture had the strongest link to dementia, according to a new analysis of a national survey

Wispy gold interneurons and astrocyte cells surround large cortical neurons in this painting of the brain’s inner circuitry.

See Seven Stunning Gold Paintings Inspired by the Brain

Artist Greg Dunn creates breathtaking renderings of neurons and their surrounding anatomy

Rats make a high-pitched sound similar to laughter when they're being tickled.

Tickling Rats Reveals a Brain Region Linked to Laughter and Play

This group of neurons could someday inform the treatment of depression and anxiety in humans, scientists say

A woman with long Covid, suffering symptoms including extreme fatigue and brain fog, rests on her couch on February 3, 2022.

Long Covid's Brain Fog Is Akin to 'Aging Ten Years,' Study Finds

Scientists tested the cognitive function of more than 3,000 participants and found those with longer-lasting Covid symptoms had the strongest decline

Scientists found that sending electricity into a brain region called the anterior precuneus created sensations of floating.

Have Scientists Found the Source of Out-of-Body Experiences?

Researchers identified a brain region that can create sensations of weightlessness or falling, and it could help develop new forms of anesthesia

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