What determines how generous a person you are? Could it be how much money you have? How kind you are? Or maybe it comes down to your values. These all seem reasonable assumptions, but a new study from Berkeley University suggests something that feels as trivial as how well you’ve slept lately can also affect how willing you are to help other people on any given day. It found sleep deprivation leads to a reduction in generosity.

By transforming our sense of self and meaning, and enhancing our relationship with others and the wider world, awe can improve our mental and physical health.

New research has found that repeated concussions can thicken the structure of skull bones. Previous studies have shown damage to the brain following concussion, but have not looked at the brain’s protective covering.

A brain imaging study published in the journal Neuropsychologia has found evidence that experiences with other cultures might reverse racial ingroup biases in empathy. The findings revealed that White students who had spent extended time in China showed stronger neural responses to pain expressions on Asian faces compared to White faces.

Scientists in Switzerland have discovered that a compound used in electronics is capable of “remembering” previous external stimuli in a similar way to neurons in the human brain. Mohammad Samizadeh Nikoo, a PhD student in electrical engineering at Polytechnic University of Lausanne’s POWERlab, made the chance discovery while conducting research on vanadium dioxide (VO2).

Although it was a small study on 10 patients, researchers at the University of Texas Health–Houston were able to achieve something long out of reach, locating the G-spot where brain stimulators can make a real difference for depression patients.

The translucent chip attached to the mouse’s leg looked nothing like a neuron. Dotted with a series of sensors and channels and smaller than a human finger, it looked—and flexed—like a Band-Aid. Yet when doused with dopamine, the chip worked its magic. The mouse’s leg began to twitch and stretch. Depending on the dose of dopamine, the chip controlled the limb like a marionette.

New research published in the journal Biological Psychology revealed that people who exercise more show increased brain activity when receiving an unexpected reward, specifically in the right medial orbitofrontal cortex. These findings may suggest that regular exercise alters the reward-circuit function, potentially reinforcing exercise behavior.

Self-supervised learning allows a neural network to figure out for itself what matters. The process might be what makes our own brains so successful.

Regardless of disease severity, people who have lingering smell loss after covid-19 are more likely to have cognitive problems than those who regain or never lose their sense of smell  

This is in line with a recent theory on how our brain works: it is a prediction machine, which continuously compares sensory information that we pick up (such as images, sounds and language) with internal predictions.

An analysis of fossils suggests changes in the shape of the braincase during human evolution were linked to alterations in the face, rather than changes in the brain itself

The ability of aromas to bring back highly specific memories is becoming better understood, and could be used to boost and heal our brains.

A new study has identified that variation in genes coding for key receptors in our brains may alter the potency of psychedelic drugs. The research suggests that our genetics should be a factor in future clinical trials of these drugs’ therapeutic potential.

Movement is much more complicated than you might think. Any one activity, whether it's opening your mouth to speak or running a marathon, involves complicated interactions in our brains. This complexity means that there’s still much about movement that scientists struggle to understand.

Improved understanding of a neural pathway connecting light-sensitive cells in the retina with the cortical brain regions involved in mood and cognition has implications for the development of treatments for mood disorders.

The benefits of animal therapy for memory and mental health are well documented. Some agencies are using realistic robotic pets as a therapeutic tool for memory care in older adults. Now, researchers have developed a new protocol for the use of robotic animals to aid in memory care.

There may be no link between serotonin levels and depression, according to an analysis of 17 studies. This raises questions about antidepressants that focus on this brain-signalling molecule, say the authors of the analysis. Not everyone is convinced by the findings, though.

Emilia Clarke has opened up about her experience surviving two brain aneurysms, expressing gratitude that she has been able to recover after losing “quite a bit” of the organ. Clarke recalled her health troubles during an interview with the BBC’s Sunday Morning, in which she promoted her production of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull” at the Harold Pinter Theater. The play marks the actress’ West End debut.