This is the first in a series of essays on consciousness & how it is fundamental to our understanding of reality. Make no mistake, reality is strange. Consciousness research, although in its infancy, is attempting to make sense of it. Something so fundamental can hopefully put the whole calamitous shit show into some kind of graspable order. So, consider this part 1.

Experiencing three or more traumatic brain injuries was linked with lower cognitive function later in life.

A study shows that two actions may help in tackling procrastination — setting reminders and envisioning your future self.

A new study has found that children from disadvantaged families tend to sleep less, and that this lack of sleep is linked to reduced cortical thickness in areas related to language, self-control, and movement. Cortical thickness refers to the measurement of the thickness of the cerebral cortex, the outermost layer of the brain. It is often used as an indicator of brain development and maturation, and can be measured using imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Neurosurgeons are using focused ultrasound, a noninvasive brain surgery, to treat essential tremor and other conditions. Here's how it works.

A new study uncovers a link between astrocytes derived from patients with schizophrenia and the formation of narrower blood vessels in the brain. Findings suggest the astrocytes from those with schizophrenia promote less vascularization.

Parkinson's disease may start in the gut and spread to the brain, a new study from the University of Surrey suggests.

Police say a 6-year-old in Virginia shot his elementary-school teacher intentionally. But scientists say that's not how kids' brains are wired.

Learning to program can accelerate knowledge acquisition by developing cognitive skills. As a result, we remember the information much better, and the brain subjected to constant exercise is much healthier.

More and more pro and college athletes are trying on the Q-Collar as they search for something, anything, that might keep their brains safe. But does it work?

Scientists say test could replace a costly brain scan or painful lumbar puncture and enable earlier detection of disease

One of the hottest tickets at this year's Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego was a session on psychedelic drugs. About 1,000 brain scientists squeezed into an auditorium at the San Diego Convention Center for the symposium, called Psychedelics and Neural Plasticity.

A new study published in Brain Imaging and Behavior searches for the potential relationship between childhood trauma, social anhedonia, and brain gray matter volume. The research found individuals with moderate to severe childhood trauma experienced higher levels of social anhedonia and exhibited differences in gray matter.

A new study of alpha leaders underscores a strange link between entrepreneurship and an infection caused by cat poop

A 17-year neuroimaging study of persons diagnosed with depression as children found differences in white matter in the dorsal cingulum bundle region of the brain compared to persons without depression of similar age. The emergence of these differences was first detected in adolescence. The study was published in Depression and Anxiety.

Yes, “try-harding” in Mortal Kombat or Call of Duty will improve your mental functions and values in life. Even if you do not play video games, this post will show you how impactful video games, but even more specifically, competitive video games are to your well-being.

Individuals with long COVID, sometimes referred to as “long-haulers,” experience symptoms that may persist for weeks, months, or even years after their acute viral infection. While symptoms vary widely, a common complaint among patients is “brain fog”—a colloquial term for significant, persistent cognitive deficits, with consistent impairment of executive functioning and working memory.

A new study published in the journal PLoS ONE has reported on the first human tests of an experimental therapy using sound and light to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). The initial findings are promising.

A study in Thailand using electroencephalography (EEG) and cognitive tests showed that working memory improved after drinking a caffeinated drink in the morning. Additionally, EEG recordings showed a reduction of alpha wave activity, a type of brain activity often associated with drowsiness, after drinking the caffeinated drink compared to the activity level before. The study was published in Physiology & Behavior.

During a show and tell, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk showed off what his brain computer interface (BCI) startup Neuralink has been working on.