How exactly do anaesthetic drugs shut down the brain? We still don’t have a complete picture, but a new study just got us a step closer.
A better understanding of dopamine could lead to better treatments for neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases, among others.
Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
From dopamine hacking to dopamine detoxes, some people have sought to harness this brain chemical to improve their mood and productivity. But it’s far more complicated than that.
The microbiome functions as an ‘invisible organ’ but it often makes its presence known by emitting sounds and smells.
(Shutterstock)
The microbiome and its signature smells are crucial for most organisms, whether human, insect or plant. The silent signals sent by the microbiome are essential communications that influence behaviour.
Completely new forms of drugs may soon be available to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Opioid neurotransmitters are located in many areas of the body, including the brain, spine and gut.
ALIOUI Mohammed Elamine/iStock via Getty Images Plus
Unlike opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl that travel throughout the body, the opioids your body produces are released in small quantities to specific locations.
So-called ‘limbic capitalism’ uses social media to target the brain’s reward centres. In the process it escalates health threats to the most vulnerable consumers.
Zebrafish are genetically similar to humans.
Damien Schumann
Scientists still still don’t fully understand how general anaesthesia affects the brain and body. A molecule found in bioluminescent stony coral may shed some light.
The health crisis and confinement of COVID-19 has led to unusual brain activity, causing insomnia, trouble concentrating or agitation.
(Shutterstock)
Nancy Brassard, École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP)
When dealing with a difficult event, such as the current pandemic, the electrical current that governs our brains is altered, affecting behaviour and mood.
The author, Arash Javanbakht, at his gym. Javanbakht did not like to exercise until he found an activity he enjoyed.
Arash Javanbakht
Many doctors believe that exercise is the closest thing to a miracle drug that modern medicine has in its arsenal. But have you ever wondered why that is so? Your brain actually benefits, too.
Tryptophan, found in food, is an important ingredient in the neurotransmitter serotonin. But is that enough to support it as a possible mood booster? The research is decidedly mixed.
One slice is never enough.
Radu Bercan/Shutterstock.com
Pizza might seem like a simple food, but it’s uniquely equipped to excite our brains and thrill our taste buds.
Young adults at a tailgate. Young adults are more likely than older adults to binge drink and are at greater risk when they do.
Monkey Business ImagesShutterstock.com
A Sept. 14 report on drug use suggested that opioid use has declined. But troubling trends in drinking among teens and young adults stood out. An addiction specialist explains the unique dangers.
The longer they keep you plugged in to a game, the better it is for the house.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
When you engage in recreational gambling, you’re not simply playing against the odds – you’re battling an enemy trained in the art of deceit and subterfuge who uses human nature against you.
In an epileptic brain, the neurons fire wildly.
Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock.com
During epileptic seizures, neurons in the brain fire without rhyme or reason. New research identifies a possible way to wrest back control by stopping these signals before they can get started.
A Philadelphia man, who struggles with opioid addiction, in 2017.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
As the nation grapples with its opioid addiction epidemic, an understanding of how the drugs affect people is important. The powerful class of drugs actually can change the brain.
Don’t blame the turkey for those snores coming from the living room!
Shannon Jordan/Shutterstock.com
Remember that story about the molecule found in turkey that makes you drowsy? Research shows it’s a myth – tryptophan doesn’t cause you to nod off, but it may be connected to cooperation.
Hearing can be affected by loud noises, but the mechanisms have not been fully understood. The auditory nerve plays a big role.
9nang/Shutterstock.com
Noise is common, but we don’t fully know what that means for our hearing. A recent study suggests how overstimulation of the auditory nerve may be too much for it to handle.
Some welcome the possibility of drugs altering our brain for the better, others are concerned about altering our brains at all.
Andrew Adermark/Flickr
Scientists seek out drugs to cure what ails us but we now know that some common medications affect our moral capacity. Since it’s happening already, the question is, should we be worried?