Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) or neuroimaging is a technology that allows live and safe visualization of brain structure and activity. Its advent in the 1990s has led to significant advances in our knowledge of the brain, confirming or refuting certain hypotheses while opening up new avenues of research. Here are four aspects of the brain that neuroimaging has revealed to us so far.
Virtual Reality (VR) is a fascinating technology that allows the user to be transported into a synthetic world they perceive as real and in which they can move and interact. The impressive potential of VR goes far beyond entertainment. As it evolves rapidly and becomes more accessible, it will stand out as a highly prized technology of the future in many fields, including medicine. It has its place as a simulation training tool and as a safe and effective therapeutic device to treat or complement the treatment of various types of health problems, including pain management. Here is where we stand in terms of applications and what we know about the effectiveness of VR for acute and chronic pain and pain anxiety.
The brain never ceases to amaze us, this organ that allows us to be aware of ourselves and of others, to speak, to think, to juggle with symbols, to create, to learn. It is our central computer that gives us our human character, this powerful machine that no artificial intelligence can yet surpass. Here are a few figures that will help you understand this.
In these times of over-solicitation, attention is a crucial factor in our cognitive efficiency, whether we are learning new things or simply doing many of our daily tasks. To preserve and cultivate it, the first step is to know its unique mechanisms in order to identify the factors we can influence and those to ignore. Let's decipher it in 15 points!
While there are many valid teaching methods, the latest findings in neuroscience have identified 4 factors necessary for successful learning. Compatible with the freedom and experimentation that remain important in pedagogy, these guiding principles can be integrated into various approaches.
We are all quite familiar with the phenomenon of optical illusions, but less so with that of cognitive biases. Yet, these perceptual distortions that are to our mind what optical illusions are to our visual system incite us to make erroneous judgments or bad decisions daily... These shortcuts of the mind that allow the brain to simplify the processing of information are inevitable. Still, we can learn to detect them by better understanding them.
Do you know what the term "neuroscience" means and when it was coined? Do you know the crucial moments in the history of this discipline? Do you know that there are several sub-disciplines in the field? Test your knowledge of the subject by answering the following five questions.
The field of neuroscience deals with studying the nervous system, from neurons to behaviour, and calls upon a vast array of disciplines ranging from biology to chemistry, including mathematics and computer science. This field is diverse and can be broken down into several branches or sub-disciplines. Here are the main ones!
First coined in the 1960s, the term "neuroscience" refers to the scientific study of the nervous system, including our fascinating brain, from its most fundamental aspects, such as molecules and cells, to the integrative dimensions that underlie our cognitive and behavioural functions. Although much remains to be discovered, giant steps have been made in this field over the past few decades. To appreciate how far we have come, nothing is better than looking back at some of the milestones that have marked this history.
From encoding to recall to consolidation, stress can interfere with each of the key stages of memory. In fact, it represents one of the biggest obstacles to the smooth running of this process. Even once information is stored in our long-term memory, stress can momentarily prevent us from retrieving it. That said, the relationships between stress and memory are complex chemistry, some of which may surprise you. Here's a look at some of them!
