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Tag: brain

Heart rate variability: What it is and how it relates to mental health

Posted December 10, 2022 by Eric Larson

[Two red heartbeat waves extend from a black-and-white outline of a brain.]

A healthy heart is not a metronome. Even though most of us can follow our heartbeat with ease, in between each heartbeat is a period of time that varies in duration from one beat to the next. This difference in time between any consecutive heartbeat is known as heart rate variability (HRV), and researchers are increasingly using it as a tool to understand mental health…

Potluck of neuroscience: Meet microglia, your brain’s National Guard

Posted March 12, 2022 by ScIU Editorial Team

[An illustration of a microglia.]

One of the first things you’ll learn about if you start studying the brain is that it is made of cells called neurons. While neuroscientists have a decent understanding about how neurons work, it turns out that at least half of the brain is actually made of non-neuronal cells called glia*. Glia, named based on the Greek word for ‘glue,’ were initially thought to be a type of connective tissue in the nervous system, acting just as scaffolding, while the neurons did all the communicating. In the last couple decades, the growing field of neuroimmunology has highlighted the importance of a certain kind of glia: microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells…

A study on grammar and the bilingual brain

Posted October 2, 2021 by Guest Contributor

[A cartoon of the brain, with pictures of a heart, a thought bubble, music notes, numbers, a molecule, and words.]

We humans have a unique capacity to acquire language, even as adults. However, if you have ever used Duolingo, you might have realized that children are more successful at acquiring languages than adults. This observation is puzzling; since adults are smarter than children, shouldn’t it be the other way around? One set of explanations for this paradox focuses on parsing — that is, applying our knowledge of grammar as sentences unfold incrementally…

Potluck of neuroscience: Meet microglia, your brain’s National Guard

Posted March 6, 2021 by Taylor Woodward

[An illustration of a microglia.]

One of the first things you’ll learn about if you start studying the brain is that it is made of cells called neurons. While neuroscientists have a decent understanding about how neurons work, it turns out that at least half of the brain is actually made of non-neuronal cells called glia*. Glia, named based on the Greek word for ‘glue,’ were initially thought to be a type of connective tissue in the nervous system, acting just as scaffolding, while the neurons did all the communicating. In the last couple decades, the growing field of neuroimmunology has highlighted the importance of a certain kind of glia: microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells.  

Brain technology in Black Mirror: Technological myths or real possibilities? Part III

Posted December 28, 2019 by Abolfazl Alipour

a futuristic digital head is split into 4 parts, with light coming out of the center

In the third part of this blog series, we will finish looking into human consciousness by thinking about what happens to it after death. If you have not seen the episodes, do not worry, spoilers are kept at a minimum! You can read parts 1 and 2 here. San Junipero is a virtual afterlife into… Read more »

Brain technology in Black Mirror: Technological myths or real possibilities? Part II

Posted December 7, 2019 by Abolfazl Alipour

futuristic outline of a human head with the brain outlined

In the second part of this blog series, we will look at three episodes where proposed technologies involve human consciousness. We will see if these technologies can become real possibilities in the near future. If you have not seen the episodes, do not worry, spoilers are kept at a minimum! You can also read part… Read more »

Brain technology in Black Mirror: Technological myths or real possibilities? Part I

Posted October 19, 2019 by Abolfazl Alipour

Computer central processing unit wrapped in neurons

If you happen to watch Black Mirror, it is quite likely that you have been scared by the brain implant technologies depicted in the show. In fact, almost a quarter of this show—at least five episodes of the current 22— illustrate the dangers of brain implants. The horror stories range widely, from transferring someone’s consciousness into… Read more »

What music does to your brain: A neuroscientist’s perspective

Posted April 2, 2019 by Taylor Woodward

An artist’s rendition of a brain, in which a large number of musical notation marks are arranged to form the silhouette of an anatomically accurate human brain.

Why do we like music? Music is interwoven into almost every aspect of our lives. We hear it at the grocery store and in every single video we watch. We listen to it when we exercise, and we pay boatloads of money to go see our favorite artists in concert. We love all kinds of… Read more »

A moving target: How reliable are dementia assessments?

Posted September 25, 2018 by ScIU Editorial Team

MRI scanner photographed from inside.

This post is from ScIU’s archives. It was originally published by Emily Byers in February 2017 and has been lightly edited to reflect current events. “We’re going to do a few tests to see whether your mother is showing typical signs of dementia.” The word conjures chilling images of loved ones’ lives reduced to confusion… Read more »

Feeling stressed? Researchers at IU are studying how stress reshapes the brain

Posted June 19, 2018 by ScIU Editorial Team

An illustration of the brain surrounded by a pattern of multicolored squares

This post is from ScIU’s archives. It was originally published by Rachel Skipper in January 2017, and has been lightly edited to reflect current events. This post is also part 1 of a two part series. Check out part 2 here! Imagine it’s 9:45 am. You have a meeting across town in 15 minutes and you… Read more »

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