The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a crucial part of the mammalian brain, known to be involved in decision-making, planning, complex social behavior and integrating the activity of other brain regions. While countless neuroscience studies have investigated the function...
New technologies can greatly advance research in various fields, including medicine and neuroscience. In recent years, for instance, engineers have created increasingly sophisticated devices to record brain activity and other biological signals with high precision.
Humans perceive tactile information, including pressure, pain, itch, temperature, vibration and movements, thanks to an intricate network of neurons situated in the brain and spinal cord. This network, referred to as the somatosensory system, is now known to be...
In recent years, many roboticists and psychologists have been assessing the value of social robots as companions and assistants for older adults. Although some findings suggest that they could be useful, so far, they have only been implemented in a few elderly care...
Past neuroscience and psychology research has repeatedly demonstrated the crucial role of rewards in how humans and other animals acquire behaviors that promote their survival. Dopaminergic neurons, neurons that produce dopamine in the mammalian central nervous...
The Piezo-type mechanosensitive ion channel component 2, or PIEZO2, is a protein coding gene that has been linked to mechanically-activated (MA) cation channels, which connect mechanical forces to biological signals. The PIEZO2 encoded protein can quickly adapt MA...
The prefrontal cortex (PFC), the part of the cerebral cortex that covers the mammalian brain's frontal lobe, is implicated in the mental planning of complex behavior, decision-making and the moderation of social behavior. Studies suggest that the PFC is also the...
To examine the human brain and better understand its functions, neuroscientists have so far used a variety of methods to record the electrical activity of brain cells. Traditionally, these methods were either able to record the activity of a few individual neurons at...