Scientists have identified specialized brain cells that create two distinct kinds of thirst. Some cells respond to a need for water alone, while others produce a craving for water and salt.
After a decade of failure in treating Alzheimer's with drugs, the National Institutes of Health is funding a five-year effort in Seattle to learn more about how the disease starts in the brain.
As many Americans start thinking about what a self-quarantine might look like, author Celeste Headlee has some advice: Put down your phone. Her book explains how we're "overdoing and underliving."
Scientists say certain brain wave patterns can predict whether a person is likely to respond to a common antidepressant, or would do better with non-drug therapy.
According to the facial feedback hypothesis, the simple act of putting a smile on your face can boost your mood. But recent research shows pasting on a grin can have mixed results.
The cells regained a startling amount of function, but the brains didn't have activity linked with consciousness. Ethicists see challenges to assumptions about the irreversible nature of brain death.
Whether it's exercise or housework, older Americans who move their bodies regularly may preserve more of their memory and thinking skills, even if they have brain lesions and other signs of dementia.
Alzheimer's prevention specialist Jessica Langbaum says that like most working people she gets plenty of mental exercise without playing crossword puzzles or brain games. She says work is the key.
Two herpes viruses that cause skin rashes in toddlers may accelerate Alzheimer's disease when they infect brain cells. The finding suggests antiviral drugs might help protect the brain.
Neuroscientist Barbara Lipska describes in a new memoir surviving 20 brain tumors, and what the eight-week nightmare of psychological symptoms taught her about mental illnesses she's long studied.
High School athletes often raise money door-to-door for their teams. In Newton, Mass., a football player rang the doorbell of a leading brain injury researcher. Instead of money, he got a talk.
The brains of birds and mice continue to produce new nerve cells in the hippocampus throughout life. But research now suggests the human brain stops doing this around adolescence.
Thirst is what compels us to start hydrating. Now scientists have found a brain circuit in mice that seems to switch off thirst when they've taken in enough fluid and before it gets dangerous.
A Valentine's music video from Skunk Bear explores the ways your brain and body change when you fall in love — and change again as love deepens and matures.
Technology that uses electrical stimulation to tweak the brain may eventually help people with memory problems caused by a brain injury or Alzheimer's disease.
Scientists are keen to figure out how diet influences aging, including brain health. A 5-year study of healthy seniors found those who ate a serving or two of daily greens had less cognitive decline.
Researchers say it takes a lot of brainpower to stop an action, once it's underway. A study found that when people have to change a planned movement, 11 different brain areas have to get involved.
We are still as ignorant about the "passage from the physics of the brain to the corresponding facts of consciousness" as John Tyndall and his Victorian colleagues were, says Marcelo Gleiser.
A comparison of brain tissue from monkeys, chimps and humans suggests that our brains produce the chemical messenger dopamine, which plays a major role in pleasure and rewards, far differently.
Acts of altruism — like saving swimmers caught in a riptide from drowning or donating a kidney to a stranger — are among the thorniest puzzles of human nature, says guest blogger Abigail Marsh.
People can't simulate realistic, internal sensations, like temperature change or pain — which is a reason why more people aren't terrified by climate change, says guest blogger Lisa Feldman Barrett.
When temperatures soar, there's nothing like a frozen treat to take off the edge. But if we dive in too fast, our brains are thrown for a distressing and sometimes painful loop. Here's why.
When we see a familiar face, we know instantly if we can remember that person's name. That's because the human brain has an ability called metamemory. Looks like rats may have that higher power, too.
