New Atlas

Biology Audio available

New research indicates we transition between 19 different brain phases when sleeping

Rich Haridy March 24, 2019

New research examining the brain activity of subjects sleeping suggests that instead of the traditional four sleep stages we generally understand the brain moves through, there are 19 identifiable brain patterns transitioned through while sleeping.

A new study outlines at least 19 different whole brain activity patterns that occur while we ...

Science Audio available

Brain imaging reveals how sleep deprivation makes pain feel worse

Rich Haridy January 28, 2019

A new study has homed in on the relationship between sleep and pain using brain imaging to identify the differences in neural activity while processing pain. The results revealed sleep deprivation seems to block the parts of the brain that release natural analgesics in relation to pain sensitivity.

Sleep deprivation seems to block the parts of the brain that release natural analgesics in relation ...

Health & Wellbeing

Phobias treated by "reading the brain"

Ben Coxworth March 6, 2018

There may be new hope for people with severe phobias, thanks to a system devised by scientists in Japan and the US. It's based around using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to actually see when a patient is envisioning the thing that they fear.

Participants in the study became less afraid of previously-feared animals, such as snakes

Biology

"Iceman" Wim Hof undergoes scans to reveal extreme cold resistance

Michael Irving March 2, 2018

Wim Hof is an “extreme athlete” from the Netherlands, best known for his apparently superhuman ability to withstand intense cold for long periods of time. To observe what might be going on in his brain and body, scientists have now run a series of scans during these icy exposures.

"Iceman" Wim Hof dons a temperature-controlling bodysuit ahead of an fMRI test

Science

The neuroscience of creativity: How the brains of innovators are wired differently

Rich Haridy January 17, 2018

The brain is more complicated than the simplistic adage that left-brain thinking is logical while right-brain thinking is creative and new research is showing how creative thought is determined by how effectively the brain can communicate between different regions that usually work separately

A new study suggests a person's creativity can be identified by examining how connected neural activity ...

Science

Suicidal patients identified through brain scans

Rich Haridy October 30, 2017

Following some compelling research suggesting brain inflammation is linked to suicidal thoughts, a team of scientists has now used a machine-learning algorithm and brain imaging to accurately identify whether a person is considering suicide.

A new study suggests a simple brain scan could identify whether a person is having suicidal ...

Medical

Mid-surgery sax solo sounds success for retaining musical ability

Michael Irving August 29, 2017

An operating theater isn't somewhere you'd normally expect to see someone belt out a saxophone solo lying on the table with their brain exposed. But that's exactly what musician Dan Fabbio did, as surgeons removed a tumor from his brain without disrupting his professional skills.

Musician and music teacher Dan Fabbio played the saxophone during brain surgery, to help prevent doctors ...

Computers

"Mind reading" technology can now decode complex thoughts

Michael Irving June 27, 2017

In the past, “mind reading” systems have been able to guess a number, but deeper thoughts have been beyond the technology’s reach. Now, a team from Carnegie Mellon University has developed a way to accurately read more complex concepts from a brain scan, and even piece together entire sentences.

Using machine learning, researchers have been able to read more complex thoughts from brain scans

Good Thinking

Criminal Minds: Brain scans spot the difference between intent and recklessness

Michael Irving March 14, 2017

A criminal who knew what they were doing was wrong faces harsher penalties than someone who was acting recklessly, but it's hard to know where that line is. In a move that could help clear things up, neuroscientists have found that brain imaging techniques can tell the difference.

Brain scans could help scientists and lawyers determine a suspect's criminal intent

Medical

Could brain stimulation make us more susceptible to hypnosis?

Anthony Wood July 28, 2016

A team of researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine has identified key areas of the human brain that, under stimulation, could make a person more susceptible to hypnosis.

The study aimed to identify the regions of the brain that behave and communicate differently as ...