Brain Science
Word of the Day: Dopamine
September 29, 2009
Imagine this: You're playing basketball; it's the last quarter. In fact, you only have 30 seconds to make the winning shot. You shoot, it soars through the air, you hear the buzzer go off...and then you see the swoosh. You just won the game for your team. How do you feel? Read More »
3 CommentsHow Does Cocaine Work? It's Partly In Your Genes
September 21, 2009
You probably know that your genes help make you who you are. Except for identical twins, everyone has a slightly different set of genes, and when our genes interact with our environment, that’s what makes us unique individuals. Read More »
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Word of the Day: Cerebral Cortex
September 01, 2009
What do walnuts and our Word of the Day have in common? Well, it’s a stretch, but fun to think about. If you crack open a walnut carefully, you can see it has two “sides”—just like the human brain. And that’s where our “word of the day” comes in. Read More »
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Who Has More Brain Power--You or Your Parents?
August 17, 2009
NIDA scientists are always saying that teens shouldn’t use drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. But do you know why they say that? Because of scientific studies like this one by Dr. Jay Giedd, which shows that your brain won’t reach its adult potential until you’re over 20 years old. Read More »
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Word of the Day: Brainstem
August 05, 2009
Our bodies can do lots of things without us even thinking about it. And that’s what the Word of the Day is about. The brainstem, not surprisingly, is a “stem” that connects the brain to the spinal cord. Read More »
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