Mind & Brain
Environmental Enrichment May Help Treat Autism — and Help Us All
Evidence for a surprisingly simple therapy
Neuroscience2848 articles archived since 1845
Cognition
These 5 Illusions Turn Ordinary Humans into Superheroes
Superpower your imagination
Mind & Brain
MIND Reviews: Suspicious Minds
Books and recommendations from Scientific American MIND
Mental Health
Should You Tell Your Boss about a Mental Illness?
Discrimination and stigma are concerns, but coming out can be a boon to your career—if the conditions are right
Mind & Brain
Tell Us How You Would Upgrade Your Brain
Future technologies could enhance your cognitive abilities
Mind & Brain
Living in an Imaginary World
Daydreaming can help solve problems, trigger creativity, and inspire great works of art and science. When it becomes compulsive, however, the consequences can be dire
Neuroscience
Nerve Damage Might Explain Chronic Pain
New clues to fibromyalgia's origins could crack the case of chronic pain
Mind & Brain
The Advantages of Dyslexia
With reading difficulties can come other cognitive strengths
What Makes a Good Scientist? What Makes a Thug?
The other weekend I attended SciFoo Camp at Google in Palo Alto, California. It was a real treat to meet and mingle with nearly 200 other scientists, innovators, science communicators and science facilitators...
Mind & Brain
Nose Knows What the Mind Tells It
When people with asthma think they’re smelling something noxious, their airways become inflamed—even when the odor is harmless. Karen Hopkin reports
Mind & Brain
Childhood Stress Decreases Size of Brain Regions
Children who experience neglect, abuse and/or poverty can have smaller amygdalas and hippocampuses, brain regions involved in emotion and memory, compared with kids raised in nurturing environments...
Mind & Brain
Lucid Dream Analysis Could Ease Anxiety
Becoming aware of your sleeping self could relieve anxiety or tap the creative unconscious
Cognition
Metacognition Is the Forgotten Secret to Success
Insight into our own thoughts, or metacognition, is key to high achievement in all domains
Beyond Classic Brain Illustrations That Make Us Drool
I threw down a bit of a challenge last month at the Association of Medical Illustrators Conference in Minnesota. But first, I had to—somewhat unexpectedly—accept some challenges presented by others...
Mind & Brain
Robin Williams: Depression Alone Rarely Causes Suicide
Several factors, such as severity of symptoms, family history, substance abuse and a “mixed” depressive and manic state may combine to increase the risk for suicide
Mind & Brain
Guys Prefer Electric Shocks to Boredom
Guys would rather zap themselves with electricity than be left alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes. Karen Hopkin reports
Mind & Brain
Genius, Suicide and Mental Illness: Insights into a Deep Connection
The death of actor Robin Williams has raised questions about creativity, bipolar disorder and possible new treatments against profound despair
Robin Williams' Comedic Genius Was Not a Result of Mental Illness, but His Suicide Was
Of course, the media is writing a lot today about the link between mental illness and creativity in light of Robin Williams' suicide. Here's the thing: Williams' comedic genius was a result of many factors, including his compassion, playfulness, divergent thinking, imagination, intelligence, affective repertoire, and unique life experiences...
Mind & Brain
Brainwaves' Propagation May Hinge on Glial Cells
A gamma wave is a rapid, electrical oscillation in the brain. A scan of the academic literature shows that gamma waves may be involved with learning memory and attention—and, when perturbed, may play a part in schizophrenia, epilepsy Alzheimer’s, autism and ADHD...
Mind & Brain
Answers while You Sleep
When you dream, you enter an alternative state of consciousness—a time when true inspiration can strike
