Unlocking the secrets of animal minds
Ellie Smith discusses the current evidence for theory of mind in animals, and the challenges of interpreting such evidence.
Psychology
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From stigmatisation to brain investigation: The evolving understanding of schizophrenia
Katerina Panti explores the paradigm shifts that have, and continue to, shape our understanding of schizophrenia.
Ringing in the brain: Tinnitus and the nervous system
Jamie Adams reviews what we know about tinnitus, and options for treating this mysterious medical condition.
How does your brain process your native language?
Paris Jaggers reports on a recent pre-print that suggests our native language is processed by the brain in a unique way throughout our lives.
How WEIRD biases reduce diversity in behavioural science
Bessie O’Dell explains how bias towards people from Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic (WEIRD) societies skews research.
The Regulation of Neuro-Hacking: Why self-experimentation needs the support and recognition of institutions
Authored by Matthew J Lennon MD, Grant Rigney MSc, Zoltán Molnár MD, DPhil Self-experimentation has shaped the history of neurological research1, from Isaac Newton mapping out the visual distribution of the retina by inserting a needle into his eye socket, to Henry Head distinguishing between types of somatic sensation by transecting branches of his own…
Brilliant but Deranged: Cracking Beth’s Secret
By Sandra Saade, Rita Kimijima-Dennemeyer, and Laura-Bianca Pasca Image Credit: Daffodil Dhayaa Humanity will not wait millions of years until Mother Nature will hand it a functionally better brain…[Humankind] will directly, openly and consciously take part in evolution. Corneliu E. Giurgea In Netflix’ groundbreakingly popular mini-series The Queen’s Gambit, we witness the prodigious performance of…
The link between body and mind can’t keep being ignored – Oxbridge Varsity Sci Symposium
Talk summary by Barbara Walkowiak Current diagnostic criteria that guide doctors through the complexities of the human body may often feel like checklists. If a doctor can tick enough boxes for the patient, the diagnosis is straightforward. For example, a patient may experience low mood persisting for longer than two weeks, trouble sleeping, weight imbalance…
Art on the brain: Can science really explain our taste?
It was 1st week, Michaelmas Term, 2019. Laid out before me was a collection of art from Balliol JCR’s picture fund, I was about to pick one to hang in my room for the following year. I pondered over them briefly before selecting an abstract piece with swirls of red, purple and pink representing nothing…
An antidote to fear
10 million people in the UK suffer from some sort of phobia. At the heart of these anxiety-related disorders are aversive memories, which are formed when the brain makes a link between an object, animal, place, or situation and a traumatic event experienced at the same time. Currently, treatment for these phobias involves gradually exposing…