BRAIN INFO blog
Our blog
Here you will find some popular questions and their corresponding responses that we have answered so far!
January 2021
Neuroscience, in general, is the study of the nervous system and its related functions and dysfunctions. The nervous system is made up of the brain, the spinal cord, and the nerves, and neuroscientists study them anywhere from the microscopic (ie. cells and their components) to macroscopic (ie. whole brain networks) level.
January 2021
Modern neuroscience has developed many tools for manipulating the function of brain cells, and consequently the resulting behaviors, in a variety of animal models ranging from fruit flies to mice. One such technique is “optogenetics”, in which laboratory animals are genetically modified to express light-sensitive proteins in the neurons in their brains. The proteins allow ions to pass through them when they are exposed to light. This enables neuroscientists to switch neurons “on” and “off” by shining light on them. This in turn can modify the behavior of the animal.
January 2021
The field of “neuromarketing” utilizes technologies from neuroscience to gain insights into consumer behavior. Along with the closely related field of “consumer neuroscience”, neuromarketing seeks to harness the power of brain imaging methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) to understand the brain activity underlying consumer response to products, pricing, advertising, etc.
What makes a dog brain different from a human brain?
March 2021
A dog’s brain is anatomically quite different than a human’s brain. The relative sizes of different brain regions also vary when compared to the human brain. This gives us interesting clues about how the dog’s brain may work differently than ours, because different brain areas are generally associated with different functions. To explore how the world looks from your dog’s point of view, I will focus on the senses, specifically on sight—because it’s our strongest sense, the one we rely on the most, and smell—which is our furry friend’s sharpest sense.
What are the long-term impacts of depression on short-term memory?
July 2021
Depression is a psychiatric illness affecting an estimated 322 million people globally, making it one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Although depressive disorders are often associated with mood-related symptoms, such as severe sadness or a general loss of interest, depression can also cause a range of other symptoms that are less well known, but just as real2! For example, this illness can affect cognition, which includes all of our brain's abilities to learn and understand.