Home of the Stanford Neuroblog. Scientists writing about science, for a general audience.
Have a question about the brain? Ask a neuroscientist a question.
While on the subject of decision making...
Today, our guest is Anne Churchland, Associate Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. We’ll be speaking with her about finding science by teaching kids math, the neural basis of multisensory decision making, and the benefits of lab blogging.
We make decisions from the moment we get up (what to eat for breakfast? what should I wear today?) until the moment we go to sleep (do I actually need to brush my teeth?). Decisions are important – some of them guide the course of our entire lives. How does our brain carry out this complex and highly important process?
Read MoreExcited to present the first episode of the season!! In this episode, our guest is Jie Shen, a Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. We speak with her about her education in China, figuring out your true love for science (even if you're not yet sure!), and the role of presenilins in Alzheimer’s disease.
Stick with us next week for an interview on decision making with Anne Churchland, Asst. Professor at CSHL.
What classes should undergraduates interested in a career in science take?
We asked a bunch of Stanford neuroscientists, and their answers will probably surprise current/aspiring Biology majors. (Hint: Statistics. Definitely statistics.)
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Our friends at UCSF's Carry the One Radio have put together an awesome podcast, with a fresh new format. The podcast team explores a single theme in Neuroscience, in this case, the brain and communication, and interviews three neuroscientists with diverse approaches to exploring this essential topic. Check it out here:
How does the brain produce thought? Where is memory encoded in the brain? How do we reconstruct images in our brain?
These are some brain questions that fascinate my neighbor Rob, who has studied engineering and now works in photonics. He has no background in neuroscience, but wants to learn about it. Sure, he has the Internet, but it's really a jungle out there. I think a compact book is always a better map to begin exploring uncharted territory, so I suggested him to check out the 30-Second Brain. Although brief on content, it is a book with a wide and riveting helicopter view of neuroscience.
Read MoreWhat are the brain mechanisms at work when playing the children's game "Concentration"? Do adults benefit from playing it?
Kids seem to remember the tiniest of details from everywhere. But as adults we’ve all had our blurry moments – when all that information gets lost in the jungle of neurons and refuses to leave the tip o’ the tongue, driving us a little crazy. Tinkering with memory using simple card games and extensive brain training has been under the lens lately. But could a game like Concentration help you concentrate? Let’s find out.
Read MoreDoes chewing gum help with memorization? Can chewing gum during a test improve your test scores?
Well ... maybe.
There is a strong effect of context on memory recall. You'll probably perform better on a test if you take it in the same room where you memorized the information included in the test. The same holds true for chomping on a stick of Juicy Fruit. ...
Read MoreWhat if our brains had too many neurons? What would happen? In this Ask a Neuroscientist response, we discuss how making too many neurons is a natural part of brain development, and the (controversial) theory that overgrown brains are a marker for autism spectrum disorders.
Image Source: Wellcome Trust
Read MoreThe brain is a gas-guzzler. Weighing in at only 2% of the mass of your body, the brain consumes over 20% of the body’s energy. The idea that high-activity regions of the brain need more blood is the principle behind human neuroimaging techniques like PET and MRI, but how do neurons ask for more blood when they need it?
Read MoreHome of NeuWrite West and the Stanford Neuroblog.
Do you have burning questions about how the brain works? You’ve come to the right place! Submit all your questions to NeuWrite West and we will have a neuroscientist research and answer your question.
Note: The NeuWrite West team consists of research scientists. Therefore, we can not provide answers to questions of a medical nature; we are not medical doctors.
Questions will have a turn-around time of approximately one month.
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