February 14, 2018
Learning the Language of Love: The Brain Science of Songbirds
Love resides not in the heart, but in the brain, says neuroscientist Sarah Woolley, PhD, of Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute. She studies the courtship rituals of songbirds, who have a lot to teach us about how we communicate.
February 8, 2018
The Brain Science of Figure Skating: How Practice Makes Perfect
In celebration of the 2018 Winter Olympics, Silver Medalist Paul Wylie joins Rui Costa and Nathaniel Sawtell, neuroscientists at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, on a journey inside the minds of some of the world's most elite athletes.
February 1, 2018
Body Movements Just Need a “Puff” of Dopamine to Get Started
A new study in mice suggests that a burst of dopamine levels at the beginning of a movement only, as opposed to all the time, is what gets us going. This may have important implications for treating Parkinson’s disease.
January 31, 2018
‘Anxiety Cells’ Identified in the Brain’s Hippocampus
Neuroscientists at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco Columbia have found, in mice, that certain cells fire when the animal is anxious, triggering anxiety-related behaviors.
January 30, 2018
Scientists Identify Brain Region in Mice That Keeps the Body from Losing its Balance
New research led by Thomas M. Jessell, codirector of Columbia’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, has revealed how a small part of the brain singlehandedly steadies the body if it is thrown off balance.