Neuroscience

It sounds like harmless fun, letting users “buy” food, clothes or other products with no real-world cost, since most of these apps are free. But even when an app or website costs you nothing, they help advertisers better target you in real life.

Scientists have discovered a neural mechanism that shapes our aversion to individuals we have experienced as a threat, opening the door to understanding how our brain drives dislike in others. It could help us treat conditions such as social anxiety.

A new treatment has shown promise in reducing migraine pain with targeted ear acupuncture, opening the door to therapy that could be used as a complementary procedure alongside existing medication prescribed to those with the debilitating condition.

If you've ever wonder why you remember surprise events more vividly than the predictable, new research has uncovered how the brain encodes novel information in more detail than the familiar, allocating energy away from what it already knows.

Researchers have developed a urine-based screening tool that may help identify individuals who are most likely to later receive an autism diagnosis. It potentially opens the door to earlier, more accessible assessment and support networks.

One of the biggest mysteries in neuroscience is why women account for nearly two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases. Now, we may be a step closer to understanding it, as an overlooked part of the brain appears to fail as estrogen abandons it.

If you've wondered why you procrastinate with doing your taxes early or starting mundane jobs, it's not because you dislike them. New research has uncovered a specific pathway in the brain that slams the brakes on investing energy in these tasks.

A recent discovery suggests a hit of the brain’s "feel-good" chemical, dopamine, may have a rather surprising effect on our perception of past experiences, drawing out novel moments in our memories while letting more dull experiences become condensed.

A tool long used to probe neural circuits in the lab is now being floated as a new way to treat human patients. The technique uses light to turn specific neurons on or off, and it could be used to treat everything from chronic pain to epilepsy.

Nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, has shown rapid antidepressant effects in people with depression, with symptoms easing within hours of inhaling it. The treatment involves breathing in a mix of nitrous oxide and oxygen for up to an hour.

Scientists have, for the first time, developed functional, brain-like tissue without relying on animal-derived materials or biological coatings. The innovation offers a new, fully synthetic platform for neural tissue engineering.

US brain-computer-interface startup Paradromics is establishing itself as a major player in the neural-device space, with the Food and Drug Administration green-lighting a human trial to test its ability in restoring speech to people with paralysis.