Research Articles

Research Articles are summaries of an area of cutting-edge neuroscience research. They range in length from short summaries to much deeper dives into an area of neuroscience, or even a series of articles, but their goal remains to communicate current issues in neuroscience in an interesting and digestible way to a general audience.

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How being sick could make you sicker: The role of peripheral inflammation in depressive disorders.

Mental health is a topic that is becoming increasingly important in everyday life. Presently, 1 in 6 children between the ages of 5 and 16 struggle with mental health issues, with the NHS reporting mental health problems to be the biggest cause of disability in the UK. It is often said that physical exercise is important for mental well-being. Taking this idea further and looking at current research, it becomes clear that a sick body could severely harm your mental health.  Read More…

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The Mad King of England: Neuroscience behind the Royal Malady

George III was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1820. He ascended the throne of Britain when he was only 23 years old and he reigned for just over 40 years – making him one of Britain’s longest ruling monarchs. His reign was marked by great national unrest, including the loss of the American War of Independence and then – only a few years later – the constant threat of invasion by Napoleonic France. Under his leadership, Britain navigated through the storm of war, eventually triumphing over France in 1815, and this brought about a 100-year long peace in Europe – known as ‘Pax Britannia’.Now, I know what you are thinking – what does this have to do with neuroscience and the brain? Read More…

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Why do we Parent? Ancient Brain Circuits for Parental Care

I for one predicted that all the extra time that couples have spent inside last year would result in a 2021 baby boom. In fact, PwC predicts that we might actually be facing a baby bust, since couples are postponing their pregnancy plans to later dates. While the factors causing couples to delay or pushforward pregnancy are interesting, the question that interests me as a neuroscientist is perhaps more fundamental – I want to understand what happens in our brain to motivate us to care for our children. Essentially – what is parenting and why do we do it? Read More…

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All Research Articles

• Why do we Parent? Ancient Brain Circuits for Parental Care
• The Sixth Sense: How Your Brain Tells Time
• Life of Prion
• Can’t or Won’t – An Introduction To Apathy.
  
• The Story of Adult Human Neurogenesis or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb
  
• Reading Without Seeing
  
• It’s Fright Night!
  
• Square eyes and a fried brain, or a secret cognitive enhancer- how do video games affect our brain?
• Can’t hear someone at a loud party? Just turn your head!
• Microglia: Guardians of the Brain
• The healing power of companionship
• Can we solve problems in our sleep?
• How to read a baby’s mind
• Brain-controlled mice face robobugs
• The Neuroscience of Mindfulness: What Happens When We Meditate?
• The indirect applications of leisure technology
• Perceptions of mental illness: Do biological explanations reduce stigma?
• Achy-breaky heart? Try touchy-feely brain!
• Understanding Social Behaviour in Research–Why we should remember RAT PARK
• Who the hell is MEG, and how can she help us understand the brain?
• Happy Halloween!
• A Step-by-Step Guide to convincing Mom it’s Dad’s fault–with Science!
• What is neuroimmunology and why should I care?
• Your cat is trying to control your mind! (Inadvertently).
• Is spider venom the future of pain relief?
• Organ Donation: A No-Brainer, Right?
• Graphene and the Cyborg Circuit Board
• Killing cancer with your brain!
• There is more than one scientist