Word: neural
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...nice that they have an award that lets people do unconventional things,” said Pioneer recipient Aravinthan D.T. Samuel, a professor in the physics department whose lab is developing new microscopes to record neural activity in larvae. “One nice thing about the Pioneer award is that it works at the interfaces of the disciplines between chemistry, physics, biology...
...many disabling side effects. Impaired memory and judgment, dizziness, drowsiness and other complications made them ill suited for troops in combat. The newer drugs have fewer side effects and, unlike earlier drugs, are generally not addictive or toxic, even when taken in large quantities. They work by keeping neural connections bathed in a brain chemical known as serotonin. That amplifies serotonin's mood-brightening effect, at least for some people...
...drug, while people with genetic variants that improve cell communication - also called adhesion - seem to have an easier time overall in quitting. That makes sense, since addictive behaviors such as smoking are deeply ingrained in the brain, and are strongly tied to social and environmental triggers. That network of neural connections, once cemented, is tough to break. But having certain versions of genes that facilitate neural flexibility - easing the uncoupling of certain brain connections and replacing them with new habits - could, says Rose, help people to quit smoking more quickly. "It may be that connection-forming genes are involved...
...volume is not the only thing responsible for this brain-boosting. Also at work is the fact that exercise increases what's known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that stimulates the birth of new brain cells and then helps them differentiate and connect. BDNF also enhances neural plasticity, the process by which the brain changes in response to learning. In diseases like Alzheimer's, depression, Parkinson's and dementia, BDNF levels are low. In people who exercise, BDNF levels rise...
...erect around each other, much of what makes marriage so healthy for us takes place within our own bodies, entirely without our knowledge. A lot of those benefits come down to stress--or, specifically, the management of it. Stress puts into motion a biological cascade involving hormones, glands and neural circuits, all activating one another in a complex feedback loop. When you are stuck in traffic or overwhelmed at work or worn down by the kids, the hypothalamus--a structure buried deep in the midbrain--tells your adrenal gland to pump out a supply of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol...