In this episode, Jan Naegele, PhD, and her former graduate student, Meghan Van Zandt, PhD, discuss strategies for building confidence and public speaking skills as a scientist, touching on personal ...

Everyone experiences cramps. But we know less about their causes than you might expect.

The first new antidepressant medication in decades, ketamine is a game changer for depression treatment.

Alpha rhythm (8–13 Hz) is linked to a relaxed mental state in humans. Prior studies have shown that individuals can increase their alpha power when provided with valid feedback, compared to controls ...

Smelling salts can revive someone who fainted, and some athletes have been spotted taking a whiff during games. How does this centuries-old treatment work?

For years, anecdotal reports suggested microdosing can improve mood and reduce depression and anxiety. Now, scientists are trying to figure out whether it’s all hype, a salve for our unhappiness, or ...

The human brain is wired for complex communication — just right for moving speeches and zingy one-liners.

The body is a fine-tuned machine. Like any machine, it breaks down if the environment becomes too extreme. Our internal systems operate best at 98.5 degrees Fahrenheit (36.9 degrees Celsius). Under ...

Motor neurons carry movement instructions from the brain and spinal cord to muscles throughout the body. Their nerve fibers are the longest in the body — a single axon can stretch from the base of the ...

Railroad foreman Phineas Gage survived a horrific brain injury that left him with an altered personality. His story revealed the complex functions of the frontal lobe decades before scientists began ...

A 52-year-old white man visits his physician because he’s experiencing occasional blurry vision, muscle spasms, and increased fatigue. A bit unsteady on his feet, his coordination has been off. He’s ...

Sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and vomiting — migraines are much more than a bad headache. Researchers have found migraine sufferers experience and respond to pain differently than those who ...