The Brain
You Look Familiar. Now Scientists Know Why.
The brain has an amazing capacity for recognizing faces. It can identify a face in a few thousandths of a second, form a first impression of its owner and retain the memory for decades.<p>Central to these abilities is a longstanding puzzle: how the image of a face is encoded by the brain. Two Caltech …
Machine PerceptionResearchers develop non-invasive deep brain stimulation method
Researchers at MIT have developed a new method of electrically stimulating deep brain tissues without opening the skull<p>Since 1997, more than 100,000 Parkinson’s Disease patients have been treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS), a surgical technique that involves the implantation of ultra-thin …
NeuroscienceResearchers find new way to stimulate neurons deep in brain
Researchers have discovered a way to stimulate neurons deep within the brain without the invasive, implanted electrodes that physicians currently use …
NeuroscienceMicrosoft gives developers more machine learning ammo
The next version of Microsoft’s open source machine learning tools arrived today to give developers a hand in creating intelligent systems. The Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit (previously known as CNTK) provides a set of tools to help developers build systems based on deep learning, without requiring …
Machine LearningRevolutionary Discovery About the Human Brain Could Lead to Second-Gen AI
Teaching Individual Neurons<p>The Neurophysiology department at the University of Lund has discovered that individual neurons can be taught patterns …
The FutureWant a Healthy Mind? Stop This Habit That Makes Your Brain Literally Eat Itself
Specific cells are meant to help clean and restore the brain, but they can go into overdrive in the worst way.<p>Sleep is one of the body's most important restorative processes, with what's known as the glymphatic system using your snooze time to flush waste out of your noodle and keep it healthy. But …
NeuroscienceScientists discover how the brain recognises faces – by reading monkey's minds
Using brain waves researchers were able to make almost perfect replicas of human faces shown to monkeys – raising prospect of thoughts being accessible to exploration<p>Scientists have created eerily perfect replicas of human faces that were shown to monkeys just from recording the animal’s brain …
BrainwavesCan We Copy the Brain?
Intensive efforts to re-create human cognition will transform the way we work, learn, and play<p>1. A Unique Machine<p>Trying to create consciousness may …
NeurophilosophyTiny blood vessel damage tied to depression among older adults
(Reuters Health) - Keeping tiny blood vessels healthy may be one way to ward off depression later in life, suggests a new analysis of existing research.<p>Damage to the microvascular system - often caused by high blood pressure or diabetes, and made worse by smoking - is tied to an increased risk of …
NeuroscienceHow does the body process pain? Study sheds new light
Currently available pain medications have limited efficacy and numerous side effects. New research, however, provides deeper insights into how our …
PainLIFE Shared This Remarkable Parkinson's Disease Story in 1959. A Lot Has Changed Since Then
Caption from LIFE. Straining to relearn how to speak distinctly after disease had blurred and weakened her voice, the au<p>... VIEW MORE<p>Alfred …
NeuroscienceHow Learning to Read Rewrites the Brain
People who learn to read as adults show profound changes in deep structures of the brain, according to a new study. The findings may change …
Cool StuffColumn: Watchdogs step up U.S. fight against elder financial fraud
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Thieves follow the money, and wealth accumulates as we age. But the aging brain is not always well-suited to financial decision-making - and that creates opportunity for financial fraud and abuse targeting the elderly.<p>“It’s a perfect storm,” said Elizabeth Loewy, general counsel …
Cognitive ImpairmentWhat causes Alzheimer’s disease? What we know, don’t know and suspect
<i>This is a long read. Enjoy!</i><p>Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, which is an umbrella term used to describe general loss of …
DementiaThe epilepsy signs in children you need to watch out for
Some less obvious things to look out for with babies, toddlers and children<p>Epilepsy is a common condition affecting the brain, and almost one in …
NeurologyCommon antioxidant could slow symptoms of aging in human skin
These cross-section images show three-dimensional human skin models made of living skin cells. Untreated model skin (left panel) shows a thinner …
NeuroscienceMy life with Alzheimer’s: Remember, you are not alone
The first inkling I had was in the late 1980s. I was in a hotel room in Washington, D.C., starting to go to a reception. I stopped at the door and …
Neuroscienceperformance, open source, deep learning toolkit is now generally available
Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit version 2.0 is now in full release with general availability. Cognitive Toolkit enables enterprise-ready, …
Machine LearningThis AI Software Can Actually See Your Imagination And Show What You're Thinking
"<p>Stop the world, we want to get off.<p>If you’ve ever worried that in the future, robots would be able to read your mind (and eventually take charge of this mess), then you might want to look away now.<p>This is because Japanese scientists have created an artificial intelligence (AI) that can see into …
Artificial IntelligenceStrange, Violent Dreams Could Be Trying to Warn Us About Future Brain Disease
This is really weird.<p>Researchers have found an unexpected link between strange, physically violent dreaming and the risk of neurological disease, …
Parkinson's DiseaseComplex Brain Evolution In Vertebrates Likely Began With Two Simple Parts, Not Three
The current conventional understanding of brain evolution among vertebrates proposes that current complex brains evolved from simple three-part …
EvolutionBreaking: Former College Football Star Dead At 67
The former star linebacker had brain cancer.<p>Oregon’s football program announced today that one of the best defenders in program history has passed …
Brain CancerHe belted out '80s tunes while undergoing brain surgery
1:52<p>3:13<p>How the GOP health plan would treat the sick<p>1:55<p>South Dade principal Javy Perez speaks at Kendall Regional Hospital<p>2:28<p>Injured baby during …
Cancer8 foods that can increase your focus, alertness and productivity
Monday blues or midweek slacking, everyone has days when they’re not at their productive best. And while multiple caffeine shots might keep you from …
NutritionNew Electrical Brain Stimulation Technique Shows Promise in Mice
Pulses of electricity delivered to the brain can help patients with Parkinson’s disease, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and possibly other conditions. But the available methods all have shortcomings: They either involve the risks of surgery, from implanting electrodes deep within the …
NeuroscienceBrain-Hacking Tech Gets Real: 5 Companies Leading the Charge
There's been a lot of hype coming out of Silicon Valley in recent months about technology that can meld the human brain with machines. But how will …
Cool StuffWorld-First Trials Have Been Launched to Treat Parkinson's And Blindness With Embryonic Stem Cells
This is happening.<p>In a world first, surgeons in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou are planning to inject stem cells derived from human embryos into the …
MedicineCan we taste water after all?
Whether water has a taste of its own or is merely a flavor carrier has long divided the scientific community. Some scientists have proposed that its …
NeuroscienceA Traumatic Experience Can Reshape Your Microbiome
I’m not disputing the scientific soundness of the whole brain-gut connection, but it really does sound a little bit like something out of a …
MicrobiomeWill You Let An AI 'Toddler' Be Your Brand Ambassador?
Being a fast-follower may not work when it comes to artificial intelligence. That’s a potentially huge problem for the vast majority of companies — …
Artificial Intelligence