Here in the U.S., this coming Monday marks the observance of Memorial Day. Many of us think of it as just another long weekend and an extra day off from work, but I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what Memorial Day means. Originally called “Decoration Day”, the first recorded observance was in [...]

Last week I started discussing the social implications as they relate issues of neuroimaging and gender. If you haven’t read that article, you can access it here for the background and introduction to this topic. Here’s another example of the neuroscience of gender at work: As of 2009, an estimated 360 public schools in the [...]

New research shows that people 50 and over are happier and less stressed than younger cohorts.

Ben Gordon lost his eyes at age 2. Thanks to a dedicated mother and a good attitude, he learned to “see” using echolocation.

On the road in Tampa to explain brain fitness.

Researcher Dan Buettner talks about some of the world’s identified “blue zones”–areas of the world in which people live to be over 100 and remain mentally and physically healthier than the rest of us even into very old age.

Lately, I’ve read about quite a few interesting brain imaging studies, on all sorts of topics. Collectively, these have sparked my curiosity about this question: how might brain imaging technology transform our culture far beyond its medical applications? While many of the possibilities are exciting, others make me nervous–especially those that threaten hard-won equalities by [...]

I walked by our research area today, and was surprised to see this… What is going on here? Costume party? Alien invasion? Diabolical plotting? Nope… just esteemed guest scientist Philippe Goldin being outfitted by research assistants with an EEG (electroencephalogram) cap for some testing. It’s pretty exciting to work at Posit Science, where we get [...]

The brain has an important role in our sense of smell … and demonstrates plasticity in another sense.

The brain fitness market has expanded rapidly in recent years, and there is now a large selection of computer and on-line brain training exercises to choose from. At one end of the spectrum are games that are purely for entertainment purposes. At the other end are exercises that have been scientifically validated in clinical trials. [...]