science
It was only halfway through the twentieth century that autism was given a clear name and definition. Yet doctors at that time already noticed that some autistic children also had epileptic seizures. Today we know that this connection is no coincidence: autism and epilepsy have more in common than once thought.
New research shows that even so-called “aligned” AIs — trained to follow human values and avoid harmful outputs — still reflect stereotypes. Even GPT-4, one of the most advanced models, repeats the very biases it was meant to suppress.
Fictional characters intrigue us not only because of their stories, but also because they reflect deep truths about human nature. In this series, we explore the minds of iconic characters from film and television, analyzing their behavior through the lens of neuroscience and psychology. In this edition, we turn our attention to Homer from The Simpsons.
From the moment you are born, you live in one body. This body grounds your perspective: you see, hear, and feel the world from this single point of view. Yet this also means you are stuck inside it. You can never truly know what it is like to be someone else. Or can you? With a few clever tricks, your brain can be persuaded that you have stepped into another body. This is the body-swap illusion.
Microplastics from everyday containers can harm not only the environment but also the human brain by triggering inflammation and disrupting cognitive and emotional functions. While complete avoidance is difficult, switching to reusable alternatives like glass or stainless steel can help reduce exposure and protect brain health.
“Humans are social animals” is an understatement. In this blog, we dive into why humans are super-social animals and why we need to study the human brain beyond the individual and in the context of the culture that has evolved it.
In recent years, many cool techniques have been developed for brain research and for the treatment of all kinds of psychological and neurological disorders — such as focused ultrasound, deep brain stimulation, or laminar fMRI. Another brand-new method is neurofeedback, where you receive direct feedback about your brain activity and can thus create immediate connections between the inside and outside of your skull. This offers a new way to gain direction and control in your brain.
Many young people between 16 and 25 years suffer from psychological symptoms such as anxiety or sadness. Research shows that mindfulness training can have positive effects in adults with mental disorders such as depression, but the effect in youth remains understudied. In this article, we discuss whether mindfulness could possibly help young people become more resilient to mental illness.
It is time to rethink our approach to mental health treatment. As depression rates rise
In previous blogs, we explored several types of MRI: structural imaging, diffusion imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and functional MRI (fMRI). This post focuses on a unique and powerful type of fMRI: resting-state fMRI.