The abuse of alcoholic beverages can increase the risk of numerous serious mental and physical health problems, including addiction, liver diseases, heart disease, strokes, and cancer. Identifying cues and contexts that promote alcohol consumption, as well as the...
When humans and other mammals perform voluntary movements, a series of neural processes take place. The cerebral cortex, the outer region of the brain, sends signals to motor units (i.e., neurons) in the spinal cord, which in turn activate individual muscles.
When humans and animals face a specific situation or problem, they typically have an overall idea of how to approach it. For instance, when walking into a shop, humans will know that they should tell a shop assistant what they are looking for or simply browse the...
Past neuroscience and psychology studies have found that having power over others can have profound effects on humans, sometimes changing the way they think, their behaviors, and how they perceive themselves, other humans, and social relationships. For instance, some...
People often need to adapt to unexpected and sudden events, such as a road construction or a road accident while driving, a broken automatic payment or ATM machine, and changes in weather. To effectively deal with these events, they must possess what is known as...
Oxytocin is a hormone produced in the brain of humans and other animals, specifically in a region known as the hypothalamus. Also known as the hormone of love, it plays a crucial part in social bonding, reproduction, and childbirth.
Neuroscientists have been trying to understand how animals and humans process sensory information for several decades now. While their work has led to many important discoveries, many questions remain unanswered.
In the past, many neuroscientists have investigated the potential therapeutic value of classical music and other types of music or sounds for alleviating some of the symptoms or deficits associated with different neuropsychological disorders. While some studies have...
Over the past decades, many neuroscientists have investigated how the mammalian brain modulates pain, trying to uncover the neural mechanisms underpinning chronic pain. Chronic pain is pain in specific parts of the body, that persists for long periods of time,...
Neurons in the cerebral cortex, a region in the mammalian brain involved in complex motor functions, sensory perception and cognition, can have very different qualities and characteristics. These neurons are known to be formed during embryonic development, and their...