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neurons

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2020 in Review

The Year in Biology

By John Rennie
December 23, 2020
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While the study of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was the most urgent priority, biologists also learned more about how brains process information, how to define individuality and why sleep deprivation kills.

Portrait photo of Catherine Dulac of Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Q&A

Catherine Dulac Finds Brain Circuitry Behind Sex-Specific Behaviors

By Claudia Dreifus
December 14, 2020
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Catherine Dulac is overturning preconceptions about “male” and “female” instincts and opening new avenues to treating postpartum depression.

Yarn models of a deep learning network and a brain.
neuroscience

Deep Neural Networks Help to Explain Living Brains

By Anil Ananthaswamy
October 28, 2020
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Deep neural networks, often criticized as “black boxes,” are helping neuroscientists understand the organization of living brains.

Illustration of red spools with strands of DNA as the thread, with a blue brain in the background.
Quantized Columns

The Epigenetic Secrets Behind Dopamine, Drug Addiction and Depression

By R. Douglas Fields
October 27, 2020
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New research links serotonin and dopamine not just to addiction and depression, but to the ability to control genes.

Illustration of anxious woman surrounded by mitochondria.
physiology

Mitochondria May Hold Keys to Anxiety and Mental Health

By Elizabeth Landau
August 10, 2020
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Research hints that the energy-generating organelles of cells may play a surprisingly pivotal role in mediating anxiety and depression.

Animated illustration of flashing, moving wavelengths and strobing lights surrounding a pair of eyes.
Quantized Columns

Spreading the Word on a Possible Alzheimer’s Treatment

By R. Douglas Fields
May 27, 2020
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Neuroscientists could use brain waves to spur immune cells into action against the disease — but the process is almost too fantastic to believe.

An artist’s conception of how sensory signals from the eye are map onto the brain in a slightly distorted way.
Quantized Columns

The Brain Reshapes Our Malleable Senses to Fit the World

By Richard Masland
March 24, 2020
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How does experience alter our perceptions? This adapted book excerpt from We Know It When We See It describes how the brain’s visual system rewires itself to make the best use of its neural resources.

Micrograph of a cortical neuron, showing its many dendrites.
neuroscience

Hidden Computational Power Found in the Arms of Neurons

By Jordana Cepelewicz
January 14, 2020
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The dendritic arms of some human neurons can perform logic operations that once seemed to require whole neural networks.

A brain full of “explosive” activity may lead to an earlier death than one with steadier “candles” of activity.
aging

Longevity Linked to Proteins That Calm Overexcited Neurons

By Veronique Greenwood
November 26, 2019
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New research makes a molecular connection between the brain and aging — and shows that overactive neurons can shorten life span.


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