Our memories provide us with insight into events, knowledge of the world around us and influence our actions and behaviours – forming important aspects of our personality.
Our mood is a transient frame of mind that influences how we think and view the world.
David Schap/Unsplash
Genevieve Rayner, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Many regions fundamental to mood are buried deep in the most primordial parts of the brain; that is, they are thought to have been among the first brain regions to develop in the human species.
Could the not-too-distant future hold “brain chip” technologies that we could all use to enhance our memories to the point of perfection? Not so fast: there are big benefits to forgetting.
Brain damage is caused by persistent depression rather than being a predisposing factor for it, researchers have finally concluded after decades of unconfirmed hypothesising.
A Western diet may be negatively affecting your brain not just your belly.
Jams
Do you eat only when you’re actually hungry? Many of us eat even when our bodies don’t need food. Just the thought of food entices us to eat. We think about food when we see other people eating, when we…
Our brain puts us on the map.
Lightspring/Shutterstock
If you have taken a walk and would like to return home you need to have an idea of where you are in relation to your destination. To do this, you need to know which way you are facing and also in which…
We all know that exercise is good for our bodies, but current research is revealing that it is also good for our brains. Exercise has been shown to boost executive functions such as planning, working memory…
The hippocampus has been object of scrutiny since the days of Gray’s Anatomy.
This year’s Nobel Prize in medicine recognises work on “cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain.” Those cells are found in the hippocampus. It is just one tiny part of the brain, but this…
Research shows that our memories are not direct representations of past occurrences.
Flickr/kharied
Memory is an essential part of our existence. Who we are, what we know and what we think can all be derived from our ability to remember. How reliable, though, are our memories? A study, published in the…
Would you prefer a beer right now or a bottle of champagne next week? So begins an interesting new study published today in the journal PloS Biology. Of course these kinds of choices feature throughout…
Completely immersive virtual reality is still a little way off - unless you have room to move.
Trypode
Have you ever noticed that even detailed, sophisticated virtual reality experiences don’t feel completely “real”? It all comes down to your inner ear - and a study published earlier this month using rats…