Brain Blast

Bringing brain research out of the ivory tower and into your inbox. Breakdowns of news stories, research papers, and your questions about the brain and the mind from a cognition and brain science PhD.

The hottest Substack posts of Brain Blast

And their main takeaways

New Record(ings)!

39 implied HN points • 12 Jun 24

Intra-cranial electroencephalography (iEEG) is a technology using tiny electrodes in the brain to record signals, and Precision Neuroscience set a world record with 4,096 electrodes.
Wilder Penfield pioneered important techniques in brain surgery and epilepsy treatment, including the Montreal Procedure and temporal lobectomy, affecting both surgical outcomes and scientific understanding of the brain.
Stereo EEG, a variant of iEEG, allows for deep brain signal recording, and using iEEG in a Stroop task helped identify brain regions involved in attentional control processes in the prefrontal cortex.

Blasting off soon...

39 implied HN points • 30 May 24

🔬 Science Neuroscience Psychology

Brain Blast is a newsletter that covers brain-related news, research papers, and deep dives into various brain and mind topics.
The newsletter is authored by a veteran brain research academic.
Subscribing to Brain Blast gives access to weekly updates on the latest in neuroscience and psychology.

What's in a Name? [Tuesday News & Reviews]

3 HN points • 18 Jun 24

🔬 Science Neuroscience Mental health

Elephants have been found to have 'names' for each other, implying a form of abstract representation and potentially more complex communication abilities than previously thought.
A new potential PTSD treatment involves affect labeling where patients associate emotions with images, engaging brain circuits related to emotion regulation and inhibition.
Engaging in affect labeling can help activate neural circuits that protect from extreme emotional responses and offer control over reactions to emotions, supporting mental health treatment efforts.