Molecular clusters on glial cells show they are more than our brain’s ‘glue’

Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113844 Neuroscientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center have found that an often-overlooked type of brain cell called glia has more of a role…

Researchers model blood-brain barrier using ‘Tissue-in-a-CUBE’ system

The modular Tissue-in-a-CUBE platform for drug screening, a new alternative model for animal testing. Credit: RIKEN A research team at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) in Japan…

Imperfect Harmony: Rethinking Pythagoras’ Musical Consonance

Summary: New research challenges Pythagoras’s ancient theory on musical consonance, revealing our preference for slight imperfections in chords rather than the perfect integer ratios traditionally associated with beautiful music. The…

Prevalence of Female Psychopaths: More Common than Believed

Summary: Researchers provide novel insights into female psychopathy, challenging the conventional 6:1 male-to-female psychopath ratio with new evidence suggesting a closer 1.2:1 ratio. The research indicates that societal gender biases…

AI Tunes into Emotions: The Rise of Affective Computing

Summary: Affective computing is transforming how machines understand human emotions, enabling them to respond to our feelings in real-time. This interdisciplinary field merges computer science, psychology, and neuroscience, aiming to…

Live Music’s Unique Spark: A Brain’s Emotional Journey

Summary: Live music significantly amplifies emotional responses in the brain compared to recorded tunes. By measuring amygdala activity, researchers found that live performances evoke stronger emotional reactions, fostering a deeper…

Music’s Universal Pulse: Body and Emotions Unite Across Cultures

Summary: A groundbreaking cross-cultural study has revealed that music universally influences bodily sensations and emotions, transcending cultural boundaries. Researchers from Western and East Asian backgrounds discovered that emotional and structural…

First-in-humans discovery reveals brain chemicals at work influencing social behavior

Scientists discuss their work to discover insights into the complexities of the brain and mind. Recently, the researchers, including (from left) Dan Bang of Aarhus University in Denmark, Ken Kishida…

A Prelude to Speech: How the Brain Forms Words

Summary: Researchers made a groundbreaking discovery on how the human brain forms words before speaking. By utilizing Neuropixels probes, they’ve mapped out how neurons represent speech sounds and assemble them…

Shaping Empathy: Adult Brains Can Learn Compassion

Summary: Empathy, often considered a fixed trait, has been shown to be malleable in adults, influenced by observing the empathetic reactions of others. The study utilized Computational Modeling and functional…