Our thoughts and decisions appear to follow a logical thread, a well-defined trajectory dictated by the brain’s stable organization. For decades, neuroscience has sought to map this organization, identifying specialized networks that activate depending on the task at hand. When we make a decision, whether by scanning a set of visual elements or analyzing a…
For millennia, fasting has been practiced across cultures and traditions as an act of discipline and spiritual elevation. Far more than mere deprivation, it represents a return to the essentials, an exercise in self, mastery and detachment from the material world. Beyond its spiritual significance, modern science is now uncovering the profound effects of this…
Childhood is often viewed as a time of innocence and discovery, a period in which the developing brain absorbs every experience to shape future personality and cognitive abilities. However, it is also a phase of profound vulnerability. When a child is exposed to abuse or chronic stress, the effects extend far beyond psychology, reaching into…
The human brain, with its remarkable architecture of billions of interconnected neurons, was long considered to be fixed once maturity was reached. For decades, scientists believed that, unlike other tissues in the body, the brain lacked any real regenerative capacity. However, that view was overturned with the discovery of neural stem cells (NSCs)—unique cells capable…
Auditory attention is a remarkable feat of our brains, striking a delicate balance between focus and sensory filtering. In a bustling café, surrounded by lively conversations and the clatter of cups, we manage to follow a single discussion while ignoring the background chatter. However, what happens when, within this tangled web of sound, a familiar…
We often believe our past shapes who we are, but what happens when this belief collapses in the face of a fear that seems to arise out of nowhere? Why do certain stimuli provoke profound anxiety, even when they have never been associated with any real danger in our personal experience? Among these modern-day terrors,…
Mrs. B, age 68, is hospitalized after a bilateral stroke affecting her occipital lobes. When asked if she can perceive her surroundings, she confidently replies that she sees perfectly well. However, she bumps into furniture, misses a glass of water placed in front of her, and invents imaginary scenes when asked about what is in…
Language learning is often viewed as an asset, an opportunity to broaden cultural and cognitive horizons. However, many polyglots report a peculiar challenge. As they acquire a new language, they sometimes struggle to recall words in the languages they had already mastered. This intriguing phenomenon raises a fundamental question: Is our brain designed to accumulate…
For a long time, we believed that neurons alone were responsible for shaping our thoughts, memories, and adaptive capabilities. This perspective, firmly rooted in classic neuroscience research, led to the significant undervaluation of glial cells, particularly astrocytes. For decades, these cells were merely regarded as structural support, a biological scaffold meant to hold neurons in…
In the popular imagination, the goldfish has become the quintessential symbol of forgetfulness, an animal seemingly bound to an eternal present. Common lore holds that it has a mere three-second memory, a notion so widespread that it has evolved into a universal metaphor for fleeting recall. However, is this actually true? Does scientific evidence support…