Brain

Brain

Expecting pain? That could really make it hurt worse

How much someone expects something to hurt affects how their brain processes the pain, and how well they learn from it.

Brain

Marijuana use may affect decision-making areas in teen brains

Marijuana use during adolescence may damage decision-making areas of the brain, according to a new study in rats.

Brain

Scientists Say: Opioid

Opioid drugs work in the brain to stop pain. But the drugs also produce pleasure, which can make people want to take them over and over again.

Brain

Sleepless nights can leave brains feeling anxious

Pulling an all-nighter boosts anxiety levels — and changes brain activity — the next morning, a new study finds.

Brain

Zaps to spinal cord help paralyzed people walk

Sending electrical pulses to the spinal cord can help paralyzed people learn to walk again, new tests show.

Brain

Young people’s memory improves after stopping marijuana use

Paying teens and young adults to stop using marijuana improved their memory within one week. The results hint that some impairments from pot may be reversible — at least for a time.

Brain

People may be literally led by their noses

The brain links people’s senses of nagivation and smell, according to a new study.

Brain

How your brain is like a film editor

A brain structure called the hippocampus may slice our ongoing lives into distinct chunks so that they can then be stored as memories.

Brain

The immune system has a say in how hard ‘teen’ rats play

“Teen” rats like to wrestle. A new study shows the brain’s immune system might trigger changes that morph this desire for rough-and-tumble play into the calm of adulthood.

Brain

Less screentime linked to better memory, learning in kids

Kids ages eight to 11 spend an average of 3.6 hours a day on screens, a new study shows. But the best thinking scores come from kids who average fewer than two hours a day of screen time.

Health & Medicine

Teens’ cell phone use linked to memory problems

A new study suggests teens who get more exposure to cell-phone radiation — and hold their phones up to their right ear — do worse on one type of memory test.

Brain

Football and hockey don’t necessarily doom players’ brains to serious damage

A broad look at the brains and behavior of retired pro football players and hockey players finds no signs of early dementia.