Past neuroscience research has pinpointed many of the neural processes through which the human brain forms, stores and retrieves important information, such as domain-specific knowledge and memories. One dimension of human memory is the ability to link various aspects...
When we listen to a song or musical performance, out-of-tune singers or instruments are generally perceived as unpleasant for listeners. While it is well-established that mistuning can reduce the enjoyment of music, the processes influencing how humans perceive...
During their lives, humans and other mammals tend to bond in different ways with others. Psychological theories suggest that individual humans attribute varying values to their social experiences, yet the values they assign to specific interpersonal relationships have...
Recent neuroscience studies have been investigating how the stimulation of some nerves, particularly the vagus nerve, using electrical pulses affects neural activity in the mammalian brain. The vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve in the human body, is known to play...
Chemical changes to histones, the proteins that help to pack and organize DNA inside cells, play a key role in determining what genes will be consistently activated over the course of an animal or human's life. Past studies have shed light on some chemical alterations...
Past neuroscience research has identified patterns in neural activity typically observed when humans are engaged in value-based decision-making. This is the process through which humans choose between options that could be linked to different costs and rewards,...
A key objective of several neuroscience studies is to understand and model how the dynamics of distinct populations of neurons give rise to specific human and animal behaviors. Many existing methods for exploring the link between neural activity and behavior rely on...
The activity of neurons in the mammalian brain is known to contribute to the development of the brain at the early stages of development. While past neuroscientific studies have gathered evidence supporting this notion, the extent to which early neuronal activity...
The brains of mammals expend a significant amount of energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This is the molecule that cells use to transfer energy, ultimately fueling several biological processes.
Chronic stress can have adverse effects on both the minds and bodies of affected individuals. Past studies suggest that particularly stressful life events can also impact people's cognitive abilities, for instance, producing changes in their memory and sometimes...