- the “one brain rhythm - one function” idea: oscillations like theta, alpha, and gamma have been linked to many behaviors, but there’s rarely a unique match. Rhythms seem to support general organizing principles that get reused across many cognitive and behavioral processes. 4/4
#neuroskyence

- the “one brain area - one function” idea: while some brain regions are more involved in certain functions, the brain operates as a network. Functions are distributed, flexible, and often supported by overlapping regions depending on the task, context, and individual experience. 3/4

Some examples:
- the “one gene - one psychiatric disorder” model: it turns out psychiatric disorders are complex conditions caused by an interplay of genetic, environmental, developmental, and social factors. Even the same genetic variants can lead to different outcomes depending on context. 2/4

Day 14: There seems to be a common theme in neuroscience: start from the view that we can map things in the brain with clean, one-to-one correspondences, then find out that reality is a lot more complex and nothing works in isolation. Again. And again. And yet again.

1/4

Decided to challenge myself to share more often online without filtering and overthinking, so starting a 365-day challenge where I’ll post a neuro fact once a day.

#ShyButSharing365 (Feel free to join, doesn’t have to be neuro-related)

Day 13: Pain is essential for survival. As annoying as a sprained ankle is, that pain forces you to rest until it heals. People who can't feel pain often face serious risks, as they may not realize when they're injured, and their bodies don’t get the signals to stop harmful actions.
#neuroskyence

“As a therapist, you’re often a container. With time, that kind of chips away at you.”

We talked to Ana Dumitru, clinical psychologist trainee in the UK, about therapy, training, life, and cultural differences.

#psychology #therapy #MentalHealth #interview #journey #neuroskyence #talk #life

Day 12: Simply showing an image of a brain scan with "activity" overlaid can make people trust neuroscientific results more, no matter whether the results actually make sense. I came across this study in undergrad and I still find it mind-blowing how much of a difference such a small detail makes.

Day 11: The longer you spend thinking about falling asleep, the more difficult it will be to do it. If you find yourself tossing and turning in bed, it’s better to get up and distract yourself for a while rather than stress about how many hours of sleep you’ll manage to get.
#sleep #insomnia #rest

I'm near speechless. @awaisaftab.bsky.social heard was I was trying to say (and added his own insights). Thank you for engaging with Elusive Cures so thoughtfully, Awais. I'm so appreciative.

The exact role is currently unclear, but after learning tasks, retrotransposition
increases, suggesting a link to #memory formation. Retrotransposons might help #neurons adapt by altering #gene expression or facilitating functional diversity, supporting the flexibility for learning and memory.2/2

Day 10: Retrotransposons are genetic elements that copy and insert themselves into other parts of the genome. They are highly active in the hippocampus. Their activity is particularly high during neurogenesis, as the hippocampus is one of few areas in the adult brain where new neurons are formed.1/2

”Do you remember that episode from the PowerPuff girls in which the colorful clown is accidentally bleached, turning into an evil mime, and he starts absorbing all the colors from Townsville, stunning everyone into sadness? That’s how I feel lately.”

#empathy #neuroskyence #positivity #hope

The type of #light can also influence how much the #pupil dilates. Changes in lighting can cause larger pupil responses than cognitive load, making it hard to isolate mental effort without careful controls. Other factors like emotion, fatigue, can also affect pupil size, adding even more #noise. 2/2

Day 9: Your pupil size can offer information about your cognitive load, making it a seemingly accessible marker for tracking mental effort. But using that information outside of the lab is more challenging than it sounds.

The pupil also changes size in response to light. 1/2

The results are still mixed and more research is needed to optimize such protocols, but that hasn’t stopped the development of commercial applications that claim unproven benefits. Yet here’s the kicker: when tested in the lab, some of these commercial devices led to worse memory. 2/2 #neuroskyence

Day 8: Still on memory - a lot of people want to have a “better” memory. Improving memory is also an active research topic, with tremendous potential in disorders such as dementia. One method that is currently being studied is transcranial stimulation - applying small currents to the scalp. 1/2

Myelination appears to happen at different rates between sexes, yes, with brain maturation happening somewhat earlier in females.

Secondhand smoke is definitely harmful and I’d say it counts as an air pollutant.

We’ve known for some time that air #pollution is bad for human #health. But the focus was mostly on the lungs and heart. Yet somewhere along the way, it became more mainstream to consider how air pollution might affects brains too. What I found surprising was the recency of that.
#neuroskyence

Day 7: #Forgetting is crucial for memory. It‘s counterintuitive and def annoying, but it reduces interference from outdated/irrelevant info, which helps in remembering what matters. Also useful in emotional regulation, as it softens unpleasant memories. And it helps in creating generalizations.

Day 6: A good night’s sleep is your best bet for learning. During sleep, the brain consolidates memories and transfers them into long-term storage through dialogue between hippocampus (short-term) and neocortex (long-term), mediated by the thalamus.

So instead of cramming before exams, #sleep well!

Absolutely! Not so familiar with the RT research, but in the sleep domain, there is some emerging evidence showing a link between myelination and propagation patterns of slow oscillations. Still some way to go before linking that with changes in memory performance though.

German is expanding! Thanks to @christophmetzner.bsky.social, you can now read about fMRI neurofeedback in German as well:
neurofrontiers.blog/de/fmrt-neur...

As usual, don’t forget to share with your friends!

And if you’d like to join, details below.

#neuroskyence #SciComm