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Teaching Computers to “See” the Invisible in Living Cells
Caption: While analyzing brain cells, a computer program “thinks” about which cellular structure to identify. Credit: Steven Finkbeiner, University of California, San Francisco and the Gladstone...
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Study Shows Genes Unique to Humans Tied to Bigger Brains
Caption: Cortical organoid, showing radial glial stem cells (green) and cortical neurons (red).Credit: Sofie Salama, University of California, Santa Cruz In seeking the biological answer to the...
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Measuring Brain Chemistry
Anne AndrewsCredit: From the American Chemical Society’s “Personal Stories of Discovery” Serotonin is one of the chemical messengers that nerve cells in the brain use to communicate. Modifying...
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Brain in Motion
Credit: Itamar Terem, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, and Samantha Holdsworth, University of Auckland, New Zealand Though our thoughts can wander one moment and race rapidly forward the next, the...
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How the Brain Regulates Vocal Pitch
Credit: University of California, San Francisco Whether it’s hitting a high note, delivering a punch line, or reading a bedtime story, the pitch of our voices is a vital part of human communication....
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Meeting with Congressman Ro Khanna
We had a great visit with Congressman Ro Khanna (center) of California. Our discussion included recent advances in neuroscience, genomics, Big Data, and research on food allergies. NIH Deputy Director...
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A Scientist and Conservation Photographer
These stunning images of animals were taken by Susan McConnell, whose photographs have appeared in Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, Nature’s Best Photography, Africa Geographic, and a number...
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From Songbird Science to Salsa Dancing
Erich Jarvis spends his days at the Rockefeller University, New York, studying songbirds and searching for clues about the origins of language. But at least two nights a week, you won’t find this...
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Performing at the Kennedy Center
I had a fantastic time participating in the Music and the Mind concert at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., on September 7, 2018. It was part of the Sound Health initiative, which brings together...
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Can a Mind-Reading Computer Speak for Those Who Cannot?
Credit: Adapted from Nima Mesgarani, Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute, New York Computers have learned to do some amazing things, from beating the world’s ranking chess masters to providing...
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Taking Brain Imaging Even Deeper
Thanks to yet another amazing advance made possible by the NIH-led supported the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative, I can now take you on a 3D...
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The Brain Ripples Before We Remember
Credit: Thinkstock Throw a stone into a quiet pond, and you’ll see ripples expand across the water from the point where it went in. Now, neuroscientists have discovered that a different sort of...
View ArticleFinding Beauty in the Nervous System of a Fruit Fly Larva
Wow! Click on the video. If you’ve ever wondered where those pesky flies in your fruit bowl come from, you’re looking at it right now. It’s a fruit fly larva. And this 3D movie offers...
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Honoring a Champion of Biomedical Research
It was my great pleasure on May 9, 2019 to help dedicate a new exhibit honoring Congressman John Edward Porter (left) for his strong leadership on behalf of NIH research. The exhibit is located at the...
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Singing for the Fences
Credit: NIH I’ve sung thousands of songs in my life, mostly in the forgiving company of family and friends. But, until a few years ago, I’d never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to do a solo...
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Anesthesia Study Yields New Insights into Neuroscience of Sleep
Credit: iStock/herjua General anesthesia has been around since the 1840s, when most people still traveled by horse and buggy. Yet, in this age of jet planes and electric cars, there are still many...
View ArticleThe Amazing Brain: Shining a Spotlight on Individual Neurons
A major aim of the NIH-led Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative is to develop new technologies that allow us to look at the brain in many different ways on...
View ArticleThe Amazing Brain: Mapping Brain Circuits in Vivid Color
Hop aboard as we fly up, down, left, and right through the information highways of the human brain! This captivating and eye-catching video was one of the winners of the 2019 “Show us Your Brain!”...
View ArticleThe Amazing Brain: Making Up for Lost Vision
Recently, I’ve highlighted just a few of the many amazing advances coming out of the NIH-led Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative. And for our grand...
View ArticleNew Grants Explore Benefits of Music on Health
It’s not every day you get to perform with one of the finest voices on the planet. What an honor it was to join renowned opera singer Renée Fleming back in May for a rendition of “How Can I Keep from...
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Gene Therapy Shows Promise Repairing Brain Tissue Damaged by Stroke
Caption: Neurons (red) converted from glial cells using a new NeuroD1-based gene therapy in mice. Credit: Chen Laboratory, Penn State, University Park It’s a race against time when someone suffers a...
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Defining Neurons in Technicolor
Credit: Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle Can you identify a familiar pattern in this image’s square grid? Yes, it’s the outline of the periodic table! But instead of organizing chemical...
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What a Memory Looks Like
Credit: Stephanie Grella, Ramirez Group, Boston University Your brain has the capacity to store a lifetime of memories, covering everything from the name of your first pet to your latest computer...
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Exploring the Universality of Human Song
It’s often said that music is a universal language. But is it really universal? Some argue that humans are just too culturally complex and their music is far too varied to expect any foundational...
View Article3D Neuroscience at the Speed of Life
This fluorescent worm makes for much more than a mesmerizing video. It showcases a significant technological leap forward in our ability to capture in real time the firing of individual neurons in a...
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Seeing the Cytoskeleton in a Whole New Light
It’s been 25 years since researchers coaxed a bacterium to synthesize an unusual jellyfish protein that fluoresced bright green when irradiated with blue light. Within months, another group had also...
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Artificial Intelligence Speeds Brain Tumor Diagnosis
Caption: Artificial intelligence speeds diagnosis of brain tumors. Top, doctor reviews digitized tumor specimen in operating room; left, the AI program predicts diagnosis; right, surgeons review...
View ArticleA Real-Time Look at Value-Based Decision Making
All of us make many decisions every day. For most things, such as which jacket to wear or where to grab a cup of coffee, there’s usually no right answer, so we often decide using values rooted in our...
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Largest-Ever Genetic Study of Autism Yields New Insights
Anyone who’s spent time with people affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can tell you that it’s a very complex puzzle. The wide variability seen among individuals with this group of...
View ArticleWhy Flies and Humans Freeze When Startled
When faced with something unexpected and potentially ominous, like a sudden, loud noise or a threat of danger, humans often freeze before we act. This is colloquially referred to as the “deer in the...
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Understanding Neuronal Diversity in the Spinal Cord
Credit: Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA The spinal cord, as a key part of our body’s central nervous system, contains millions of neurons that actively convey sensory and motor (movement) information to...
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From Electrical Brain Maps to Learning More About Migraines
Credit: University of Iowa Health Care One of life’s greatest mysteries is the brain’s ability to encode something as complex as human behavior. In an effort to begin to unravel this mystery,...
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Celebrating the Fourth with Neuroscience Fireworks
There’s so much to celebrate about our country this Fourth of July. That includes giving thanks to all those healthcare providers who have put themselves in harm’s way to staff the ERs, hospital...
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Decoding Heart-Brain Talk to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Deaths
Credit: Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand As a cardiac electrophysiologist, Deeptankar DeMazumder has worked for years with people at risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Despite the latest medical...
View ArticleThe Amazing Brain: Toward a Wiring Diagram of Connectivity
It’s summertime and, thanks to the gift of COVID-19 vaccines, many folks are getting the chance to take a break. So, I think it’s also time that my blog readers finally get a break from what’s been...
View ArticleThe Amazing Brain: A Sharper Image of the Pyramidal Tract
Flip the image above upside down, and the shape may remind you of something. If you think it resembles a pyramid, then you and a lot of great neuroscientists are thinking alike. What you are viewing...
View ArticleThe Amazing Brain: Tracking Molecular Events with Calling Cards
In days mostly gone by, it was fashionable in some circles for people to hand out calling cards to mark their arrival at special social events. This genteel human tradition is now being adapted to the...
View ArticleThe Amazing Brain: Motor Neurons of the Cervical Spine
Today, you may have opened a jar, done an upper body workout, played a guitar or a piano, texted a friend, or maybe even jotted down a grocery list longhand. All of these “skilled” arm, wrist, and...
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First Comprehensive Census of Cell Types in Brain Area Controlling Movement
Credit: SciePro/Shutterstock; BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network, Nature, 2021 The primary motor cortex is the part of the brain that enables most of our skilled movements, whether it’s walking,...
View ArticleGroundbreaking Study Maps Key Brain Circuit
Biologists have long wondered how neurons from different regions of the brain actually interconnect into integrated neural networks, or circuits. A classic example is a complex master circuit...
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Human Brain Compresses Working Memories into Low-Res ‘Summaries’
Credit: Adapted from Kwak Y., Neuron (2022) You have probably done it already a few times today. Paused to remember a password, a shopping list, a phone number, or maybe the score to last night’s...
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The Amazing Brain: Seeing Two Memories at Once
Credit: Stephanie Grella, Boston University, MA The NIH’s Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative is revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain. As...
View ArticleThe Amazing Brain: Capturing Neurons in Action
Credit: Andreas Tolias, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston With today’s powerful imaging tools, neuroscientists can monitor the firing and function of many distinct neurons in our brains, even while...
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The Amazing Brain: Tight-Knit Connections
Credit: Sahar Ahmad, Ye Wu, and Pew-Thian Yap, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill You’ve likely seen pictures of a human brain showing its smooth, folded outer layer, known as the cerebral...
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The Amazing Brain: Where Thoughts Trigger Body Movement
Credit: Nicolas Antille, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY You’re looking at a section of a mammalian motor cortex (left), the part of the brain where thoughts trigger our body...
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How the Brain Differentiates the ‘Click,’ ‘Crack,’ or ‘Thud’ of Everyday Tasks
Credit: Donny Bliss, NIH; Shutterstock/Vasyl Shulga If you’ve been staying up late to watch the World Series, you probably spent those nine innings hoping for superstars Bryce Harper or José Altuve to...
View ArticleFrom Brain Waves to Real-Time Text Messaging
For people who have lost the ability to speak due to a severe disability, they want to get the words out. They just can’t physically do it. But in our digital age, there is now a fascinating way to...
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This Is Why NIH Invests in Global Health Research
Caption: Global partnerships fostered by NIH’s Fogarty International Center speed translation of scientific discoveries into lifesaving biomedical products. Credit: Gabe Bienczycki, PATH, Seattle...
View ArticleCelebrating the Power of Connection This Holiday Season
Happy holidays to one and all! This short science video brings to mind all those twinkling lights now brightening the night, as we mark the beginning of winter and shortest day of the year. This video...
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How Neurons Make Connections
Credit: Emily Heckman, Doe Lab, University of Oregon, Eugene For many people, they are tiny pests. These fruit flies that sometimes hover over a bowl of peaches or a bunch of bananas. But for a...
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