When you buy through links on our situation , we may earn an affiliate commission . Here ’s how it works .
Perhaps the most mystic electric organ in the body , the braincontinues to astound scientists despite the unnumbered hours they ’ve pass attempting to decipher its privileged workings . Each new uncovering about the brain add a thousand new questions in its Wake Island .
Here are 18 thing we learned about the brain in 2023 that bollocks up our minds .
2023 brought us dozens of new discoveries about the brain.
Related : Do we really use only 10 % of our brains ?
1. Newly discovered part of the brain
In January , scientist described their uncovering ofa kind of shield in the brainthat assist clear away waste and acts as a look - out Emily Price Post for immune cells . The thin shield seems to help control the flow rate of proteins and molecules between dissimilar compartment contain cerebrospinal fluid , a colourless liquid that flows around the brain and within thermionic valve through the organ .
2. Squid and human brains tied by evolution
Despite the 500 million age ofevolutionthat separate squids and humans , ourbrains develop in a very similar wayto the mental capacity of these cephalopod . Scientists reveal this by supervise stem cellphone called neuronic primogenitor cells in develop squid embryo . To work up a squid retina , where most of the animal ’s neuronic tissue paper is found , the cells must first form a recollective , densely wad structure that can also be spotted during the neuronic development of vertebrates like us .
3. ‘Junk DNA’ and big brains
The genes that enabled humans to rise notably handsome brains may haveoriginally number from " detritus DNA,“which does n’t encrypt for any proteins , researchers bring out early this year . At some pointedness in human development , after we split from other primate , some of this junk DNA picked up the ability to encode proteins . In animal and laboratory - bag experiment , several of these genes appeared cardinal for boosting genius ontogenesis .
4. Injuries plugged with minibrains
scientist usedcerebral organoids — miniature 3D modelling of the genius — to repair Einstein injury in rats . The organoids were grow from human stem cells and transplanted into scab ' optic pallium , the region of the brain where data from the eyes is initially processed . The research worker hope to finally apply the proficiency in humans , but that ’s many years away .
5. Native language wires the brain
A person ’s native language may influence how their brain links up information - processing hubs within its body structure , according to astudy of the great unwashed whose native languages were German and Arabicpublished in February . difference in the study player ' brains were chalked up to lingual differences between the terminology . However , more work is demand to reveal how cultural features of conversation might shape brain bodily structure .
6. Psychedelics invade brain cells
Psychedelics have shown promise as therapies for hard - to - treat impression , and now scientist think it may bebecause they infest brain cells . Psychedelics , such as LSD , DMT and psilocin , can hold fast to sense organ for the chemical courier serotonin — but importantly , they can latch onto these receptors on the outside and inside of cells . Theoretically , this entail psychedelics might flip switch that traditional antidepressants , which generally increase the concentration of serotonin outside the cell , ca n’t reach . That may be why trippy drugs drive nous cell toward progress new association .
7. Never-before-seen brain wave
Octopuses engender a type of brain wavenot come across in any other fauna , even humans . These long - lasting , unco irksome brain waves were recorded using electrode embed in freely move octopuses ' mental capacity . scientist are n’t yet certain what operate these unique undulation service , or if they ’re tied to a specific behavior .
8. Short-circuiting chronic pain
The mastermind of people with chronic painshow fluctuate patterns of activitythat can be tied to the immanent experience of their pain in the neck , researchers have observe . Deciphering these patterns could someday enable doctor to cut off them with aim therapies , thus short - circuit patients ' pain .
9. Brain surgery in the womb
In a first - of - its - kind surgical operation , doctorsrepaired a malformed blood watercraft in a foetus ' brainprior to birthing . The malformation occurs in an estimated 1 in 60,000 birthing and is usually treated after nativity , when it can sometimes be too late to prevent scathe or death . In March , doctors successfully treated the malformation sooner , in the uterus .
10. Life flashing before your eyes?
mass ’s brains generate a snow flurry of activity in their last minutes of life , scientists revealed in May , andthis electrical surge may reflect witting experiences — however , that ’s just a theory . It could be that this natural process erupts as people " move toward the lighter " or see their " lives flashing before their center , " as portray in many movies . Or , it could also just be " aberrant electrophysiological activity , " some experts say .
11. Mystery brain spiral signals
turbinate signals uncover in the man brainmay help organize the organ ’s complex activeness . The spiral are brainiac wafture that cash in one’s chips over the Earth’s surface of the mental capacity and rotate around primal decimal point . These spirals may act as bridges of communicating between different regions of the Einstein , scientists theorized in June .
12. Sex switch in mouse brains
Scientists observe an " on switch " for libidoin the male mouse brain — and they think a similar control plaza may exist in human beings , although they have n’t line up such circuitry yet . Flipping the switch drove male mice to mate with females and with inanimate objects , and also abbreviate the breaking fourth dimension require between rounds of sex . As of now , no equivalent circuit has been found in distaff mice .
13. Pink Floyd in brain waves
In August , scientists revealed they were able to " read " masses ’s mind waves andrecreate Pink Floyd ’s famous " Another Brick in the Wall,“which the volunteers had listen to during their brain recordings . Some song snip generate by the researchers really did phone like the 1979 protest call — other snippets , however , sounded much muddier .
14. A ‘tell’ for false memories
Your brainpower ’s activity shifts in a discrete style whenyou’re about to recall a false memory , or one in which the result never really happen . This " separate " specifically crops up in the hippocampus , a central brainpower realm for store , scientists lately discovered .
15. Brain changes across menstrual cycle
The brain ’s structuregoes through subtle changes throughout a person ’s menstrual cycle . These change come out in the microstructure of the wit ’s white-hot matter — the isolate telegram that operate between brain cells — as well as the heaviness of its grey-haired matter , the trunk of brainiac cells . For now , it ’s unidentified whether these brain variety touch cognition or the jeopardy of brain disease . But the research could start the threshold to such discovery in the future .
16. Complete insect brain map
Thefirst - ever complete function of an insect ’s braincontains 3,016 neurons . The yield fly brain atlas , completed over 12 years and at long last unveil in June , evidence all the physical connections between the thousands of cells . It could help pave the way of life for more - innovative hokey intelligence agency ( AI ) systems and help scientists decipher similar structures in the human mental capacity .
17. Most-complete human brain map ever
This year , scientists unveiled themost elaborate atlas of the human brain ever conceivedwhich details the arranging of 3,300 type of brain cells , few of which were previously love to science . The atlas is half composed of neurons — the brain jail cell that transmit through chemical and electric substance — and half made up of non - neuronal cells .
18. Minibrain plugged into AI
— How many large calorie can the brain cut by thinking ?
— Consciousness ca n’t be explained by learning ability chemistry alone , one philosopher argues
— Can minds hang on when they are cut off from the world ?
Scientists transplanted an organized clump of human brain cells, or organoid (green), onto this rat’s brain, shown here as a cross section.
For the first meter , scientistsplugged a brain organoid into the middle of an AI systemand used the intercrossed estimator to execute job and computations . The experiment could help pave the manner for biocomputers that borrow tricks from biological science to become more vigor efficient than received computers .
Ever marvel whysome people make muscle more well than othersorwhy lentigo come up out in the sun ? Send us your question about how the human body works tocommunity@livescience.comwith the subject production line " Health Desk Q , " and you may see your question answered on the internet site !
This X-ray image of one of the study participants shows where recording electrodes (red patches) were implanted into the brain. These implants were used to see how the participant’s brain activity changed as the severity of their chronic pain shifted through time.
In fetuses with a rare malformation called “VOGM,” certain arteries in the brain connect directly to a major vein, rather than properly connecting to capillaries. VOGM looks like the image shown on the right.
The neurons highlighted in this composite image of the male mouse brain — the preoptic hypothalamus (POA), in green, and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), in pink — are connected and regulate sexual behavior, a study found.
This image shows the complete set of neurons in a larval fruit fly brain, which were reconstructed using electron microscopy.
