Tag: neuroscience
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Why we should be more concerned about maternal stress during pregnancy
Marie Poirot reports on a University of Edinburgh study which highlights the connection between stress during pregnancy and the development of the baby’s brain. Pregnancy is a time of immense change for the expecting mother. As we mostly see the positive aspects of this extraordinary event, many can be unaware that it can also bring…
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Tasting by touch, the unique way octopuses explore the world
Imagine you could taste the things your hands touch. You reach out to grab a slice of apple and can already feel its sweetness before it even touches your mouth. Science fiction? Not for the peculiar creature that is the octopus. This invertebrate is able to touch as well as taste its environment through its…
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Zombie neuroscience: it’s all about the braiiiiins
Ellie Bennett uses neuroscience to explore what has gone wrong in the zombie brain to make them the lumbering, flesh-hungry creatures depicted on our screens. A lumbering gait, no recognition of loved ones, the inability to verbalise above moans and grunts, and an insatiable appetite. It’s the archetypal zombie. He’s been staggering his way through…
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Stem cells in Parkinson’s disease: progress and challenges
Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative motor disorder, caused by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. Current treatments only alleviate the symptoms of the disease rather than target the root cause, so they are far from adequate. A cure would require repair of the brain itself. Given that the incidence of this age-related…
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How memory science can help us this semester
With teaching taking place almost exclusively online this semester (if not the whole academic year), many of us will have either very sparse or entirely empty timetables. For some courses, all teaching is taking place asynchronously, meaning that students will need to structure and plan their learning independently. Whilst some may enjoy the new-gained freedom…
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An Alien in Our Sea: A look at the intelligence of an octopus
In 2016, one of my favourite sci-fi films Arrival was released, and – mild spoiler alert – it presented us with an alien species named the heptapods, who challenged human perception of the universe and life. Had these species originated instead from Earth, I wouldn’t blame you for assuming them to be related to the…
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The Million Pound Brain Prize: Edinburgh University Researcher Celebrated as 2020 Prizewinner
Fundamental and pioneering. This is how the selection committee for the prestigious and internationally-recognised Lundbeck Foundation Brain Prize has described the work of 2020 prize-winners Prof. Sir Adrian Bird and Prof. Huda Zoghbi. Having both made outstanding contributions to the field of neuroscience, they will now share the 10 million DKK (around £1.17 million) prize,…
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What does dopamine actually have to do with happiness?
In popular media, neurotransmitters are often viewed as on-off switches for basic human emotions, but how true is this? Neurotransmitters are chemicals that regulate brain activity by facilitating connection between neurons. Dopamine, for example, is considered to be a switch for feelings of pleasure and happiness, but the reality is slightly more complex. It is…
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Let’s talk about autism.
We’re coming to the end of Autism Awareness Month, which has slipped by rather silently – the usual barrage of posters in schools, libraries, shopping centres and swimming pools could of course not happen this year. I often think that, as disorders go, this must surely be one that requires the least awareness raising. After…
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Time for an upgrade? Exploring human neural enhancement
When considering neuroprosthetics and brain-machine interfaces, cyborgs and sentient robots may come to mind – part of a not too distant dystopian future, perhaps. Popular culture leans very heavily upon speculation and the boundless imagination of readers and writers alike, often arousing apprehension and calls to forego innovation for fear of what we may unwittingly…