Stories by Simon Makin

Old animals injected with the hormone component klotho learn and remember better

Researchers scour datasets for clues to autism—needles in a genetic haystack  of 20,000 people 

The genetic makeup of any given brain cell differs from all others. That realization may provide clues to a range of psychiatric diseases

Researchers may have an overconfident view of their profession's objectivity

Elderly rodents that received human umbilical cord blood improved significantly in memory tests

An internal filing system sorts events for short- or long-term use 

A shady government influences the moral behavior of its citizens

A new interface system allowed three paralyzed individuals to type words up to four times faster than the speed that had been demonstrated in earlier studies

Asking people how many others agree with them could yield more accurate estimates

Research suggests our tolerance for leaving kids alone depends on the reason for the parent’s absence

When the body’s biological clock goes awry, insomnia and related disruptions may be an early sign of pending cognitive decline 

A brain plaque inhibitor developed by Merck is now being tested in larger studies for efficacy against the still unstoppable neurodegenerative disease

Neural responses decline after repeated acts of dishonesty, research suggests

Words with like meaning switch on overlapping brain areas to produce false memories

Semantic information lives all over the cortex

Ultrasound powers wireless devices that can monitor nerves deep in the body

As U.S. men fall behind and South Korean and Latvian women get taller, researchers suggest using height as a measure of development

Researchers say child care demands created a need for higher IQs—a hotly disputed view 

Brain scans of a person doing nothing at all can predict how neural circuits will light up when that same individual is gambling or reading a book  

Psychiatrists are looking to sophisticated computational tools that may be able to disentangle the intricacies of mental illness and improve treatment decisions

A new finding suggests the cognitive effects of an unpredictable childhood are not all bad

New implants made of fine, flexible mesh last longer and cause less damage than current ones do

A new initiative gets us closer to understanding how our brain cells communicate

Each person’s mind exhibits a distinct pattern that could be used as a distinguishing feature