Breaking Down Neuroscience to Build Up the Next Generation BrainFacts.org 2023-07-06 | French ocean explorer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau’s television series left a lasting impression on Erik Herzog’s journey to becoming a scientist. A professor of biology and neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis, Herzog studies circadian rhythms — the 24-hour internal clock that helps regulate processes like the sleep and wake cycle. He’s experienced how making science accessible can help inform decision-makers to benefit society.
How It Started: The Founding of Black in Neuro BrainFacts.org 2023-03-10 | The murder of George Floyd in May 2020 in Minneapolis sparked protests worldwide and inspired the formation of groups centered on connection and visibility for Black people in predominately white organizations and institutions.Two months later, Angeline Dukes, an assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota, formed Black in Neuro in July 2020 — a nonprofit organization that aims to diversify neurosciences through community-building and celebration.Video produced by Riki Davis, Taylor Johnson, and Emily O’Connor for BrainFacts.org.Storyboarding and editorial production by Tristan Rivera and Juliet M. Beverly.
The Space Between Us: Understanding Personal Space BrainFacts.org 2023-01-25 | Personal space is more than just a social preference or cultural norm. It’s one of the ways our brains try to keep us safe. It involves a series of calculations by different brain regions that take into account not only another person’s proximity, but also the setting and our emotions. We have four distinct zones of personal space, depending on our familiarity with the other person and the context of an interaction. If people intrude on those perimeters, we may feel uncomfortable. This ability to gauge the space around us is an essential survival tactic.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Revathi Nair.
The Musical Brain BrainFacts.org 2023-01-18 | Music influences several different parts of our brains. Our auditory cortex processes sound. Our visual cortex helps us read music. The motor cortex helps us play instruments and tap our toes to a lively beat. Still other parts of the brain record memories associated with a particular tune. This concert of activity helps explain why a marvelous melody can improve our mood and memory, decrease stress, boost creativity, and even help us sleep better. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Katherine McDonald.
Sensing Patterns of the Brain BrainFacts.org 2023-01-11 | There are some parts of the brain and nervous system that we can’t easily study, like a complex process that requires using multiple areas of the brain. For example, studying consciousness, movement, or how babies develop in their first few months involves looking for patterns in data from throughout the brain and nervous system. Data from biosensors can give us a glimpse at these patterns to learn about ourselves.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Hannah Varkey.
Thoughts in Headphones: Brain Wave Music BrainFacts.org 2023-01-05 | The discovery of the electroencephalogram, or EEG, almost a century ago gave us a visual on the activity in our brains. Many years later, scientists and musicians translated those brain waves into music. Researchers are studying if music composed from these EEG signals can have an effect on our brains. In particular, scientists have looked at its effect on cognitive ability, anxiety, pain, and sleep.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Sihe Wang.
Introducing: Common Cells in Our Brain BrainFacts.org 2023-01-03 | Think of the brain like the cast of a play or a musical. It has characters, or specific cell types, some of which are stars while others have supporting roles. They have names like neuron, astrocyte, microglia, interneuron, and oligodendrocyte. Several are utility players, performing different jobs depending on the scene. The cast even has its own cleanup crew, making sure the brain is tidy and free of debris. It’s an elaborate production that plays out every minute of every day in our brains. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Kendra Case.
Grandma Chloe Gets Lost in Her Neighborhood BrainFacts.org 2022-12-20 | Memory loss is just one symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. Depression, anxiety, mood swings, and irritability can all be outward signs. Inside the brain, certain chemical changes cause abnormal structures, called tangles and plaques, to form. These structures disrupt normal function and communication between neurons. Those changes, along with inflammation, cause brain function to worsen over time, resulting in the progressive decline often seen in Alzheimer’s disease. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Grace Osigbo.
Looking Into Psychedelics for Alzheimers Research BrainFacts.org 2022-12-13 | Psychedelic drugs have had a resurgence — but not in the way you might expect. Psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin induce hallucinations that warp perception. But the drugs also have specific biological actions that could potentially treat mental health conditions and impact diseases affecting the brain, including Alzheimer’s disease. Lab studies suggest psychedelics may also improve memory, focus, and learning. And psychedelics may treat the depression that can come along with diseases like Alzheimer’s. Created by Sofia Cruz.
Don’t Forget: The Basics of Our Memory BrainFacts.org 2022-12-07 | Why do we remember some things but not others? The answer relates to the process of how our brains encode, store, and retrieve memories. We are more likely to remember something based on how much attention we’re giving it, how engaged we are, and our level of investment in a particular experience. Input from our senses gets stored with memories, too — all contributing to how memorable something may be. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Ayushi Mohanty.
How Creative Ideas are Processed BrainFacts.org 2022-10-20 | You might be at your most creative when you’re hyper-focused and immersed in a task. Or perhaps it’s when your mind wanders, and you shift your attention to another task (or to nothing at all). Three different networks in the brain are likely involved with creativity: the executive attention network, default mode network, and salience network. These networks help you concentrate and detect errors, create pictures in your mind, and filter important ideas from less important ones.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Nathaniel Sabater.
I’ve Seen This Before. Wait, Ive Seen This Before. BrainFacts.org 2022-10-20 | You have probably experienced déjà vu — the feeling that a situation or event happening now is one you’ve experienced before. While scientists don’t know exactly why it happens, there are some theories. One is that your brain confuses similarities in sensory information — a sound or smell, for example — between a new and old event, giving you a sense of familiarity. Another is related to a glitch in how the brain processes short-term and long-term memories. But the true mechanisms for déjà vu largely remain a mystery.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Alexis Celine Kim.
Mysteries Behind Smoking and Drinking - Why the Addiction? BrainFacts.org 2022-10-20 | Smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol have noticeable effects on our bodies and our brains. The same qualities that trigger pleasure and relaxation are also what can make tobacco and alcohol addictive. Both substances may come with short-term pleasure, but they also have long-term effects on health. And each one is a top cause of death worldwide.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Jemima Chukwu.
Spider Webs of Memory: Perineuronal Nets BrainFacts.org 2022-10-20 | Web-like structures in the brain called perineuronal nets (PNNs) surround certain brain cells and play a role in functions like learning and memory. These webs protect structural connections between neurons and act as a physical barrier for new synaptic connections. Lab studies with rodents have suggested that removing these nets aid in the learning of new information. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Natalie Doody.
PTSD and the brain BrainFacts.org 2022-10-20 | People who experience a traumatic event such as abuse, violence, or a natural disaster may develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. In the brain, the stress of the trauma, combined with the memory of it, forms especially strong memories. People with PTSD may experience flashbacks, anxiety, and intense fear when something triggers those memories. Therapy can help people understand their triggers and how to manage the stress responses that come with it.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Rachel Kim.
The Three Ms: Music, Memory, and eMotion BrainFacts.org 2022-10-20 | Music can entertain us, pep up our workouts, and even make us sad. That’s because the auditory network activates several different parts of our brains. One is the system that processes our emotions and long-term memories, explaining why we may feel nostalgic when listening to music. And music can trigger the release of chemicals that ease pain, making exercise easier. Scientists are studying whether music could be used to treat patients with certain memory and movement disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Video: youtu.be/vZKVszmwGQk
What on Earth is Sleep? BrainFacts.org 2022-10-20 | Sleep is a part of our daily routine. We have internal circadian clocks, which help us transition between and maintain our states of sleep and wakefulness. But what happens in our brains as we sleep? A tool called electroencephalography, or EEG, has given us insight into the different stages of sleep and what our brains are doing while we slumber.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Benjamin Breant.
Mans Worst Friend: Stress BrainFacts.org 2022-10-20 | A scary movie and a heavy college course load have something in common: They both can be stressful. But the brain’s response to those to stressors over time will differ. Acute stress, like seeing a scary movie or encountering a bear on a hike, can be a good thing: Our body’s stress response keeps us out of danger. But chronic stress can interfere with a variety of chemical messengers in the brain, affecting sleep, mood, appetite, and more. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Jad JabbourSponsor: Richard Boyle
Your Amazing Creative Brain BrainFacts.org 2022-10-20 | Creativity is an innate human trait: The flexibility in our brains, or plasticity, gives us the ability to adapt, learn, and see multiple solutions to a problem. Research suggests that some people have a natural propensity for creativity, and expressing it depends on a person’s interests and environment. But the good news is, because of our brain’s plasticity, creativity can be learned.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by María Perlado.Sponsor: Inés Maldonado-Lasunción
Peoples Choice BrainFacts.org 2022-09-08 | Welcome to People's Choice voting for the Brain Awareness Video Contest!Watch all of the top 10 videos from the BrainFacts YouTube channel by clicking on the playlist icon.To vote, simply, "like" your favorite video!
I Can See Clearly Now, The Brain is Gone BrainFacts.org 2022-09-01 | I Can See Clearly Now, The Brain is Gone: Tissue Clearing as a Tool To Visualize Neuronal Projections and PathwaysWhat looks like a video of a dense cloud of bright stars in the night sky is actually thousands of glowing neurons in a three-dimensional mouse brain. This universe of imaging has been made possible by new techniques that can turn brain tissue translucent. Scientists can then use chemical labels to light up specific types of cells or activity in 3-D. These techniques reveal details such as the path of a single neuron in the brain or what areas of the brain are active under various conditions. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Preston Siegler, Stephanie Jones, Sarah Jo Sleiman, and Erin Harris
Whos in Control: Insights into Movement Coordination BrainFacts.org 2022-09-01 | Reaching for a glass of water and lifting it to take a sip is a simple action, but it takes intricate coordination of joints and muscles. Exactly how you execute that movement is determined unconsciously by communication between your brain and your spinal cord. Networks in the spinal cord can control certain innate movements — such as breathing, chewing or walking — independent from the brain. Scientists are exploring these networks to develop better treatments and enhance recovery from nervous system injuries.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Cady Seavey
Can Your Computer Read Your Mind BrainFacts.org 2022-09-01 | Reading minds may seem like science fiction. But by eavesdropping on specific connections in the brain, scientists can translate certain signals into text, speech or even movement using brain-computer interfaces. Those brain recordings also drive neuroprosthetics, which use signals in the brain or other nerve cells to move a robotic prosthetic in real time. In addition to translating signals in the brain, scientists are studying how bioelectric medicine can stimulate the nervous system to communicate with other systems in the body, an approach that one day may be used to treat certain diseases.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Kiara Quinn
Neuroscience for Kids: How Does Our Brain Create Flavor? BrainFacts.org 2022-09-01 | We tend to think about our senses individually — how a tree looks, a flower smells, or an apple tastes. But our brains often combine information from different senses in what’s called multisensory perception. Here, simple experiments you can try at home show how, by tricking our senses, smell and vision can change how we perceive taste. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Nicolette Frazer
Lab Grown Mini Brain BrainFacts.org 2022-09-01 | There’s nothing quite like a human brain. Its unique complexity, as well as the difficulty of studying human brains as they develop, means we can only learn so much by studying the brains of other animals or brain tissue. Scientists have developed a technique for growing mini brains, called cerebral organoids, in the lab. These mini brains provide a new way to study the developing brain and certain brain diseases. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Arpan Parichha
The Brain Behind a Kickflip BrainFacts.org 2022-09-01 | The first time you try a new activity — say, a dance move or a skateboard trick — it might feel awkward, and you probably won’t get it right. But if you practice, it gets easier. Why is that? Scientists have found that a fatty substance called myelin plays a key role. Myelin coats the long part of neurons called the axon, which transmits signals to other cells. Studies have found that repeating a motion over and over increases the myelin coating on axons along a particular circuit, which makes it easier for the neurons to transmit signals — and for you to land your trick. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Ines Pinto De Almeida
Flow: The Science Behind Deep Focus BrainFacts.org 2022-09-01 | Athletes often describe being “in the zone” when doing their sport. This is known as the flow state: You’re completely focused on the task at hand, all other worries disappear, you work with confidence, and you enjoy what you’re doing. Studies are revealing how chemicals in the brain affect specific brain regions to allow for this state of intense focus and gratification.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Disha Choksi
Circadian Rhythm: The Clock that Keeps on Ticking BrainFacts.org 2022-09-01 | Most of us keep a pretty steady schedule of when we wake up and when we go to sleep. It’s not just the sun and the clock that sets that routine. Biological processes called circadian rhythms dictate our 24-hour schedule. Controlled by biological clocks in our cells and influenced by the world around us, circadian rhythms affect our mood, energy level, appetite — and when we sleep and wake.This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Elissavet Chartapila and Sean Gay
Can You Hear It? The Journey of the Sound BrainFacts.org 2022-09-01 | When you’re in a busy, noisy place like a coffee shop, there’s a lot of sound to process. A cacophony of conversation, clinking dishes, and the hiss and grind of the coffee machine blends together in the background. How we process what the individual sounds are, hear it all together, and determine where they are coming from takes a collaboration between our ears and our brain — the auditory system. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Nurfaizatul Aisyah Ab Aziz
The Science Behind the Cocktail Party Effect BrainFacts.org 2022-09-01 | Say you’re having a conversation with a friend at a noisy party. You stop suddenly when someone across the room shouts your name. Your ability to focus on your conversation while filtering out others is known as executive attention, while your response to the shout is known as stimulus-driven attention. In this case, the shout calls to action brain areas normally suppressed while you were initially focused on the conversation. Research shows the prefrontal cortex plays an important role in directing both forms of attention across a range of scenarios. This is a video from the 2022 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Piper Rennerfeldt
Brain Trivia: Anatomy, Cells, and Molecules BrainFacts.org 2022-03-24 | This Brain Awareness Week webinar originally aired on March 16, 2022. About how many neurons does the human brain contain? Which neurotransmitter is involved in the brain’s reward system? What part of the brain controls our rational and logical decision-making? Test your knowledge, and find out the answers in the first Brain Trivia game from BrainFacts.org with moderators Audrey Chen Lew, assistant professor of teaching, and Andrea Nicholas, associate professor of teaching, from the Department of Neurobiology & Behavior at the University of California, Irvine.
Brain Trivia: Sleep, Senses, and Disorders BrainFacts.org 2022-03-24 | This Brain Awareness Week webinar originally aired on March 16, 2022.What hormone does the pineal gland produce? Which neurotransmitter do lower motor neurons use? Which cortical lobe is primarily responsible for controlling movement?Test your knowledge and find out the answers in the third Brain Trivia game from BrainFacts.org with moderator Bill Griesar, senior instructor in Psychology at Portland State University, and the neuroscience coordinator and co-founder of Northwest (NW) Noggin, an art and neuroscience outreach nonprofit.
Brain Trivia: Movement, Senses, and Diseases BrainFacts.org 2022-03-24 | This Brain Awareness Week webinar originally aired on March 16, 2022.What type of information from the outside world is processed in the occipital lobe? What type of function does the basal ganglia coordinate? What is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain?Test your knowledge, and find out the answers in the second Brain Trivia game from BrainFacts.org with moderator Chanel Matney, program officer in the Forum for Neuroscience and Nervous Systems Disorders at The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
How Light Exposure Affects Your Sleep Schedule BrainFacts.org 2021-12-17 | Every cell in your body runs on a roughly 24-hour clock. This internal clock, or circadian rhythm, determines when you feel most alert and productive and when it’s time to hit the hay. While these rhythms are baked into our genes, there’s also a powerful reset button: light. Once upon a time, that meant the sun. But today, with increased access to artificial light, we have a bit more control over our internal clocks and can shift our sleep cycles away from the natural daylight schedule.Storyboard and animation produced by Midnight Snacks for BrainFacts.org.Scripting by Chia-Yi Hou.Editorial Production by Tristan Rivera and Juliet M. Beverly.Scientific Review by Ryan Logan.
Why Can’t You Tickle Yourself? BrainFacts.org 2021-12-02 | Pressure on certain sensitive parts of the body can lead to a tickling sensation. Yet even the most ticklish person will have a hard time trying to tickle themselves. That’s because our brains anticipate our touch, effectively canceling out our own tickles.Storyboard and animation produced by Midnight Snacks for BrainFacts.org.Scripting by Tristan Rivera.Editorial Production by Tristan Rivera and Juliet M. Beverly.Scientific Review by Konstantina Kilteni.
This Is What Happens in Your Brain During a Hot Flash BrainFacts.org 2021-11-04 | Hot flashes hit your body with an immediate sense of warmth. They can range from mild to severe, last anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes, and can pop on rare occasions or recur repeatedly for years. This unexpected warm feeling stems from lower levels of estrogen, which fire off neurons in the hypothalamus that control temperature regulation.Storyboard and animation produced by Midnight Snacks for BrainFacts.org.Scripting by Chia-Yi Hou.Editorial Production by Tristan Rivera and Juliet M. Beverly.Scientific Review by Pauline Maki
Oreo Cookies - Why its hard to stop with one? BrainFacts.org 2021-10-25 | In a small study in 2013, researchers fed rats Oreo cookies. The rats loved them. In fact, they reacted to Oreos the same way they reacted to cocaine. That’s because eating tasty food activates the brain’s reward system.This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Claris Winston.
How Does Caffeine Affect Your Brain? BrainFacts.org 2021-10-20 | Caffeine is the most widely use mind-altering substance in the world. By blocking a brain chemical that makes us feel sleepy, it helps us feel more awake and alert. This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Saanika Gupta.
CBD and the Endocannabinoid System BrainFacts.org 2021-10-19 | Products containing cannabidiol, or CBD, have become wildly popular in recent years. However, many of the purported therapeutic benefits remain unproven. Existing research hints at some benefits, but only time and more research will paint a fuller picture.This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Andrew Solway
Locked Inside - The Neuroscience of Social Isolation BrainFacts.org 2021-10-19 | The COVID-19 pandemic forced many of us to stay home. Office work and social gatherings shifted to remote spaces to mitigate the spread of the virus. That sparked increased interest in the effects of social isolation and feelings of loneliness on our brains and mental health. This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Lorena Ragonesi.
Alzheimers Disease Empathy Kit BrainFacts.org 2021-10-18 | More than just memory loss, Alzheimer's disease can make daily living more difficult, often in ways that are hard to see. The exercises in this video will help you explore what it feels like to have Alzheimer’s for a single day. This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Erin Clarbough
Regaining Control BrainFacts.org 2021-10-15 | Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) such as electroencephalograms (EEGs) and electrocorticograms (ECoGs) can provide more detailed information about the brain. This information can help guide more tailored treatments following injury from events such as a stroke. As these techniques develop, so do potential ethical challenges alongside potential life-changing treatments.This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Konstantin Mueller.
How Playing Video Games Affect Your Brain BrainFacts.org 2021-10-15 | Depending on the types of video games you play and time you spend playing, your brain may be changing in a variety of ways. This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Sujan Vijayraj Shadrak.
Parkinsons Disease Empathy Kit BrainFacts.org 2021-10-15 | Shared experiences and perspective-taking can foster empathy and understanding. The exercises in this video will help you understand what it’s like to live with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder that destroys nerve cells in a part of the brain that controls movement.This video placed second in the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Erin Clabough
What Happens in the Brain During ASMR? BrainFacts.org 2021-10-14 | For some people, soft sounds and gentle touches trigger pleasant tingles on the scalp and neck — a sensation known as ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response. Scientists are learning what happens in the brains of people who experience ASMR.Storyboard and animation produced by Midnight Snacks for BrainFacts.org.Scripting by Chia-Yi Hou.Editorial Production by Tristan Rivera and Juliet M. Beverly.Scientific Review by Craig Richard.
Alzheimers Disease: A Tale of Two Proteins BrainFacts.org 2021-10-13 | A hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease is atrophy of the brain. Scientists have attributed this to dysfunction of two proteins: beta-amyloid and tau. This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video ContestCreated by Veda Dayananda.
Huntingtons Disease Empathy Kit BrainFacts.org 2021-10-12 | Shared experiences and perspective taking can foster empathy and understanding. The exercises in this video will help you understand what it’s like to live with Huntington’s disease, an inherited disorder that destroys nerve cells in the brain.This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest.Created by Erin Clabough
Trust your Gut: How the Brain-Gut Connection Helps Us Decide Intuitively BrainFacts.org 2021-10-01 | The two-way communication between the brain and the gut does more than help us digest a meal — it also assists with higher cognitive functions like intuitive decision-making. And, these “gut decisions” may be our best bet when we don’t have time to carefully consider our options.This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Aline Ivy Salillas.
I love You With My Whole Brain: The Neuroscience of Love BrainFacts.org 2021-09-30 | Contrary to what pop culture and colloquial expressions tell us, love really resides in the brain. Surges of different neurotransmitters give rise to the emotional whirlwind that characterizes the early stages of romantic relationships.This is a video from the 2021 Brain Awareness Video Contest. Created by Marina Rodriguez Lopez.
