A selection of science-based books from the year that together shine new light on who we are and why we think and act as we do.

This comprehensive review synthesizes a decade of human and animal research to explain how the gut and brain communicate ...

Sometimes the best way to get into a healthy habit is to read about it. These eight book recommendations are rooted in ...

In “Cerebral Entanglements,” Allan J. Hamilton argues that new imaging technologies give us unprecedented access — with revolutionary implications. By Deborah Blum Deborah Blum is the director of the ...

THE HUMAN brain—the enigmatic organ of thought—is the most intricate object in the universe, a tangled orchestra of hundreds of billions of cells generating precise electrical impulses that make up a ...

A consortium of researchers has produced the largest and most advanced multidimensional maps of gene regulation networks in the brains of people with and without mental disorders. These maps detail ...

Share on Pinterest Exercise gives the brain a boost, and may help protect against cognitive decline, but why? Image credit: NICK VEASEY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images. Exercise can stimulate brain ...

Your brain ventricles are four fluid-filled chambers that produce cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid helps nourish your brain and protect it from injury. It would be easy to argue that your brain is the ...

Scientists have shown that brain connectivity patterns can predict mental functions across the entire brain. Each region has a unique “connectivity fingerprint” tied to its role in cognition, from ...

The Importance of Gliotransmitters for Brain Function, Plus Cognitive and Motor Efficiencies Gliotransmitters are neurochemicals released by glial cells. They support communication between neurons and ...

In a laboratory in San Francisco, California, a woman named Ann sits in front of a huge screen. On it is an avatar created to look like her. Thanks to a brain–computer interface (BCI), when Ann thinks ...