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Recent technological advances are fueling the development of cutting-edge technologies that can monitor and control physiological processes with high precision. These include devices that could control the expression of genes within living organisms, without requiring invasive surgeries or procedures.
Sleep is an essential biological process known to contribute to both mental and physical health. In addition to supporting memory processes and learning, boosting concentration, facilitating the body's recovery, and promoting cardiovascular health, good quality sleep for approximately 7–8 hours a day has been found to strengthen the body's immune system.
Past neuroscience and psychology studies have shown that people's expectations of the world can influence their perceptions, either by directing their attention to expected stimuli or by reducing their sensitivity (i.e., perceptual acuity) to variations within the categories of stimuli we expect to be exposed to.
People's decisions are known to be influenced by past experiences, including the outcomes of earlier choices. For over a century, psychologists have been trying to shed light on the processes underpinning human decision-making and reward-based learning.
The functioning of neurons, cells that transmit information in the nervous system, heavily relies on the production of proteins. Proteins are synthesized both inside cells (i.e., in the soma) and locally along axons, projections via which signals are transmitted to other cells.
Over the past decades, electronics engineers developed increasingly small, flexible and sophisticated sensors that can pick up a wide range of signals, ranging from human motions to heartrate and other biological signals. These sensors have in turn enabled the development of new electronics, including smartwatches, biomedical devices that can help monitor the health of users over time and other wearable or implantable systems.
The hippocampus is an important brain region known to support various cognitive (i.e., mental) processes, including the encoding and retrieval of memories, learning, decision-making and the regulation of emotional states. While extensive research has tried to delineate the structure, functions and organization of the hippocampus, the cell types contained within it and their connections with other neurons have not yet been fully mapped out.
Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental condition estimated to affect between 5–10% of people living in most countries, irrespective of their educational and cultural background. Dyslexic individuals experience persistent difficulties with reading and writing, often struggling to identify words and spell them correctly.
Smoking remains one of the most deleterious habits for human health, as it is known to increase the risk of several life-threatening diseases, including lung and throat cancers, heart disease and strokes. While most smokers are well aware of its associated health risks, ceasing this habit can be a very difficult process.
Depression and anxiety disorders are among the most widespread mental health disorders, with estimates suggesting that they affect around 264 million and 284 million people worldwide, respectively. Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in everyday activities, while anxiety disorders are marked by high levels of nervousness, worry and fear, either in specific situations or generalized.