Insulation covering wires preserves the strength of the electrical signals that travel through them. The myelin sheath covering axons serves a similar purpose.

The ability to react quickly in response to threatening events has been with us since the time of our earliest ancestors.

Much as vaccinations eradicated many destructive diseases in the past, neuroscientists are engineering antibodies to try and treat degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Cells within the nervous system, called neurons, communicate with each other in unique ways. The neuron is the basic working unit of the brain.

A major breakthrough in understanding how the brain accomplishes learning and memory began with the study of a person known by his initials, H.M.

Brain injury is all too common, but treatments are being improved constantly. Those who survive a brain injury face a lifetime of disability, with economic costs approaching $60 billion annually.

How exactly are memories stored in brain cells? After years of study, much evidence supports the idea that memory involves a persistent change in synapses, the connections between neurons.

Studies of the body’s own pain-control system demonstrated the existence of naturally occurring opioids — the endorphins.

Processing information from the sensory systems is one of many functions of the brain. Such information is often the first step in other brain activities, including learning and retaining knowledge.

Genes and the environment converge powerfully during early sensitive windows of brain development to form the neural circuits underlying behavior. Although most neuronal cell death occurs in the embryo, the paring down of connections occurs in large part during critical periods in early postnatal life.