Brain activity

By successfully creating transgenic ants for the first time, researchers discovered that danger-signaling pheromones activate a sensory hub in the ants’ brains.

Small plastic particulates can induce inflammatory responses in the gut and brain, but removing them reverses this damage.

The signature could one day be used to improve treatment planning for people with substance abuse disorders.

If we ask the right questions, modern tools could help researchers solve mysteries such as why many people believe in a God that both provides unconditional love and levies eternal damnation.

The mobility device interprets its paralyzed user’s thoughts to steer through cluttered spaces, a study reports.

A method appears to be the first to noninvasively reconstruct language from brain activity.

By linking blood flow patterns to bioelectric signals in the brains of sleeping volunteers, scientists are studying the order in which brain regions fall asleep and wake up.

While much is known about how the brains of English speakers process language, research has neglected people who speak other languages. The Scientist spoke with one of the authors of a study that seeks to change that.

A study finds that expression levels of certain genes that track with brain activity—particularly those involved in brain development—vary between people with autism and their non-autistic peers.

The cells signal to the brain how hydrating particular beverages are, but it’s not yet clear whether they play a similar role in humans.

Study finds that, contrary to what other research has found, a popular meditation course does not appear to alter brain structure.

The patient, who has ALS, is able to communicate in complete sentences by deliberately altering his brain’s activity.

Injecting oxygen-generating algae into tadpoles allows brain activity to continue in the absence of oxygen, researchers find.

Our perception of quantity, separate from counting or estimation of magnitude more generally, is foundational to human cognition, according to some neuroscientists.

Some nerve cells in the brains of macaques respond selectively to particular numbers, hinting at a specialized pathway for extracting information about numerical quantity.

Researchers have identified specific cells and neuropeptides involved in mediating the sneeze response in mice exposed to allergens or chemical irritants such as capsaicin.

Researchers discover that when the mind wanders or goes blank, some parts of the brain behave as they do during sleep.

A mouse study identifies the brain regions and specific signaling factors that regulate the sneeze response.

Researchers who spoke with Spectrum say that while brain imaging tools have their limitations, they still hold promise in helping to unlock the brain’s secrets.