Neuroscientifically Challenged
Neuroscience made simpler.
The brain, explained — reference entries and stories, written and reviewed by people who study it.
In focus
John O'Keefe found cells in a rat's hippocampus in 1971 that fired whenever it was at one place in a room while others fired at other places, and concluded they formed a map of the room
Women who say they were never quite the same after having children aren’t exaggerating. Research suggests pregnancy reshapes parts of the brain involved in reading other people, and the changes are still visible two years later
People who still want to hear their mother’s voice after a hard day aren’t being childish. In a study of young girls, a mother’s voice on the phone calmed stress almost as well as a hug, and a text from her didn’t come close
In the 1920s, a Moscow reporter named Solomon Shereshevsky was sent to a psychologist because he never took notes, and after 30 years of tests nobody could find the limit of his memory
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Your brain in 12 lessons
Twelve short lessons that start where you do — with what you see, feel, remember and forget — and show you the brain behind it. No background needed.
Know Your Brain
Explore all entries →Explore the structures of the brain, one entry at a time.
Latest Stories
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The grandmother who babysits one day a week may be doing as much for her own brain as for her children. Research suggests one day a week keeps the mind sharpest, but minding grandchildren five days a week tips it the other way
Older people who pause to find the right word usually aren’t losing their sharpness. Research suggests they know far more words than they did at 25, and a brain holding a lifetime of knowledge has much more to search through
People who write a to-do list before bed aren’t just being organised — in a Baylor sleep lab, young adults who spent five minutes listing upcoming tasks fell asleep in about 16 minutes on average, compared with 25 for those who listed what they’d already done
In a Baylor sleep lab, five minutes spent listing upcoming tasks was followed by faster sleep than listing finished ones. But both groups wrote,…
