All Things Brain

Collection by Jane
San Francisco Chronicle
How COVID affects the brain: Bay Area doctors hunt for answers4 min read · Oct 10th · In one of the hottest areas of coronavirus research, scientists want to unlock the...
brain
Men's Journal
The Blind Man Who Taught Himself to See20+ min read · 2020-02-23 ·  Click. Click. To Daniel Kish, that’s the sound of sight. He was born with retinoblastoma, and doctors had to remove his eyes to save him. As a child, Kish started clicking his tongue to navigate the world. Many blind people spontaneously start using echolocation – snapping, clapping, clicking their tongues – in childhood, but their parents, doctors and teachers generally put a stop to it because they fear the social stigma its strangeness elicits. Kish wants to change that. 
NPR
New brain maps could help the search for Alzheimer's treatments4 min read · Oct 6th · Scientists have created detailed maps of the brain area that controls movement in mice, monkeys and people. The maps could help explain human ailments like Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease.
The New York Times
A ‘Pacemaker for the Brain’: No Treatment Helped Her Depression — Until This9 min read · Oct 4th · It’s the first study of individualized brain stimulation to treat severe depression. Sarah’s case raises the possibility the method may help people who don’t respond to other therapies.
brain
The Conversation
Even mild COVID-19 can shrink the brain, preliminary research finds5 min read · Sep 24th · It resembles brain changes seen in older adults.
brain
coronavirus
Most highlighted
Interestingly, when the researchers separated the individuals who had severe enough illness to require hospitalization, the results were the same as for those who had experienced milder COVID-19. That is, people who had been infected with COVID-19 showed a loss of brain volume even when the disease was not severe enough to require hospitalization.
Finally, researchers also investigated changes in performance on cognitive tasks and found that those who had contracted COVID-19 were slower in processing information, relative to those who had not.
Salon
Why is walking so good for the brain? Blame on the "spontaneous fluctuations"4 min read · Aug 28th · Going on a walk makes your mind wander in ways that neuroscience is only just coming to terms with
brain
Most highlighted
Spontaneous fluctuations are like the dark matter or "junk" DNA of the brain. They make up the vast majority of brain activity but are shrouded in mystery.
Fractal patterns are easy on the eyes, endlessly fascinating to see and hear and even inspire feelings of beauty. 
A lot is happening to our bodies and brains on a walk, but one fascinating thing stands out. They are all related to an increase in what neuroscientists call "spontaneous cognitive fluctuations."
VICE
People Born Blind Are Mysteriously Protected From Schizophrenia9 min read · 2020-12-03 · The possible explanations could help us better understand the condition.
nature
COVID and the brain: researchers zero in on how damage occurs5 min read · Jul 7th · Growing evidence suggests that the coronavirus causes ‘brain fog’ and other neurological symptoms through multiple mechanisms.
brain
NPR
To Remember The Moment, Try Taking Fewer Photos5 min read · Aug 5th · Research shows that snapping too many pictures may harm your ability to retain memories. But selfie addicts, don't despair! There are techniques to make photography enhance memory, not undermine it.
digital life
brain
photography
Most highlighted
Take a few good pictures; then put down the phone.
"When people rely on technology to remember something for them, they're essentially outsourcing their memory,"
As with information, when we take pictures we're offloading the responsibility of remembering onto an external device
Tricycle Magazine
Inside the First-Ever Scientific Study of Post-Mortem Meditation6 min read · Jul 28th
mindfulness
spirituality
Most highlighted
“If the thinking was that thukdam is something we can measure in the brain, this study suggests that’s not the right place to look,”
“If we find some kind of post-mortem signal and can say, that’s consciousness, that would be earth-shattering,”
As Tibetan Buddhists have long believed, biological death is more like a process—or a journey through various states—than a simple on/off switch. 
NPR
Doctors Worry That Memory Problems After COVID-19 May Set Stage For Alzheimer's4 min read · Jul 26th · Some patient's who've had COVID-19 develop symptoms resembling early Alzheimer's. Researchers are trying to figure out whether these people are more likely to develop the disease itself.
brain
The New York Times
How Walking Can Build Up the Brain4 min read · Jul 14th · Older men and women who walked for six months showed improvements in white matter and memory, while those who danced or did stretching exercises did not.
brain
Most highlighted
white matter, which connects and supports the cells in our brains, remodels itself when people become more physically active
our brains retain lifelong plasticity, changing as we do, including in response to how we exercise
our brains retain lifelong plasticity, changing as we do, including in response to how we exercise
brainandlife.org
How Yoga Can Help People with Traumatic Brain Injury4 min read · Jul 5th · Yoga can help patients connect with their bodies and relax in the face of tough symptoms.
brain
yoga
neuroscience
The Atlantic
The Beautiful Summer Day When My Family Almost Died8 min read · Jun 17th · Of all the injuries we suffered, mine is the worst. My brain injury has shaken my confidence in my own personality, my own existence.
relationships
Most highlighted
For now, in this liminal space between the old life and the new one, I often catch myself staring at my children. They have never been more beautiful.
They are beautiful because they are alive. I look at them, and I sit with the silence. Today, it is mine. Tomorrow, it may not be.
The New York Times
The Secrets of ‘Cognitive Super-Agers’5 min read · Jun 21st · By studying centenarians, researchers hope to develop strategies to ward off Alzheimer’s disease and slow brain aging for all of us.
brain
Most highlighted
a variety of lifestyle factors may contribute to resilience, Dr. Stern said. Among them are obtaining a higher level and better quality education; choosing occupations that deal with complex facts and data; consuming a Mediterranean-style diet; engaging in leisure activities; socializing with other people; and exercising regularly.
The Guardian
David Eagleman: ‘The working of the brain resembles drug dealers in Albuquerque’6 min read · Jun 12th · The neuroscientist, broadcaster and author on the evolution of the brain, the mystery of consciousnesss, and why the next generation will be much smarter than us
brain
All Things Brain

The 5 most relevant links from around the web. With summaries + highlights.

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