YouTube video by BrainPrize

YouTube video by BrainPrize

Our world is filled with beautiful rhythms. Some of which we see and feel, such as the change of day and night and the rhythms of our music. Others are invisible to us—like radio waves, but are still very useful to our lives. In this article, I want to tell you about the rhythms we have in our brains—we do not feel them, yet they are crucial for us. I will explain what they are, what they do, and how they create the internal language of the brain. You will also get to know the special rhythms in your brain that help you remember what you read in this article!

Understanding how the brain works is one of the most complex and exciting challenges in science. If we succeed, we can better grasp what it means to be human, help “fix” the brain when diseases cause it to malfunction, and inspire better artificial intelligence. To gain this understanding, we need tools that let us break the brain down into its building blocks, see how they work, and control their activity. In this article, I describe optogenetics—a method for controlling brain activity with light—and how combining optogenetics with other tools may bring us closer to truly understanding the...

How can scientists watch the brain while it is working? In this article, I will tell you about a special research tool called two-photon microscopy. You will learn the basic idea behind how this technique works, why it can see deeper into tissues and more clearly than regular microscopes can, and how it helps researchers view tiny details inside the living brain without damaging the delicate tissues. I will also describe how two-photon microscopy came about almost by accident, and how new lens designs are now letting us study how the brain learns in real time.

In this article, you will discover how studying one unusual family led us to identify CADASIL, a genetic disease that damages the brain’s small blood vessels. You will learn how we found that changes in a protein called NOTCH3 cause it to build up around these vessels, forming clumps that lead to the loss of important vessel cells. You will also explore how this discovery helped solve a 25-year mystery about how the disease works. Finally, you will read about the biggest open questions in the field and how this research is guiding new treatments and helping us understand many other brain...

Everything you do is movement—walking, breathing, talking, or even just moving your eyes across this page. Scientists who study movement explore how these actions are made possible by the coordinated activity of millions of brain cells called neurons. We now understand that movement is like an orchestra: different parts of the nervous system each play their own role to make the “music” of movement, but they must work together in harmony. In my lab, we focus on the brainstem, a key structure that links the brain to the spinal cord and ultimately to the muscles. By listening to neurons “talk”...

Imagine your brain as a busy company with many departments working together—co-ordinating your memory, movement, and emotions. To keep everything running smoothly, the brain needs a leader. A brain area called the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is your brain’s chief executive officer or CEO. The PFC oversees what are called the executive functions—the mental skills that allow you to make smart decisions that help you reach your goals. In this article, you will learn about some key executive functions and discover how they help you manage temptations, think creatively, and stay calm even when you...

The brain is full of billions of healthy cells—but sometimes a few of them can start growing out of control and become cancerous. The cells that “go bad” can form brain tumors called gliomas. We discovered that glioma cells actually connect directly with healthy brain cells and “hijack” the brain’s normal communication system. They use the same electrical signals and chemical messengers that usually help the brain grow and learn to fuel their own growth instead. In this article, I will explain what we currently know about how glioma cells communicate with healthy brain cells, and how this...

The brain is an amazing communication network made of hundreds of billions of cells working together to help us learn, remember, and experience the world. Key to this network are neurons, the cells that send and receive messages. Scientists once thought neurons worked like simple factories, where all the products are made in one central spot. But surprising discoveries revealed a very clever system: neurons can also build what they need right where they need it—near the points where they connect to other neurons, which are called synapses. This lets synapses adjust quickly, keeping the...

What made you start reading this article? Was it a desire to learn about how people make decisions, or was it just a feeling that you could not put into words? And how did you choose what to wear this morning for school? Did you consider different outfits, or did you choose the first item you found in your closet? In the study of decision making, we try to understand and model the brain mechanisms that are involved. In this article, we will explain how your brain makes decisions and share some tricks on how you can become a better decision maker in your daily life. We hope that your...

Computation is not just something computers do—it is happening everywhere, from inside our cells to the circuits of artificial intelligence. It is the foundation of our greatest superpower: learning—and now, it is becoming the superpower of machines too. Did you know that AI systems learn by mimicking how our brains work, and can even create brand-new ideas from past experiences? In this article, we explore how learning unfolds through “recipes” called algorithms—in both brains and machines—and why AI is not here to replace us, but to work with us. As these tools become part of our daily...

<a href="https://brainprize.org/"><img src="https://kids.frontiersin.org/files/Brain Prize.png" alt="Brain Prize" style="width:25%"></a> <br/><br/>Our brains are one of the great frontiers of human research – from understanding human function, such as thoughts and behaviors, to treating neurological and psychiatric disorders, supporting mental health, and unravelling new mysteries of our brain’s inner workings. <br/><br/>This fascinating field of research is rapidly growing, including new advances in technology for innovative diagnostic and therapeutic tools, and providing new insights...

YouTube video by BrainPrize