The way the brain develops can shape us throughout our lives, so neuroscientists are intensely curious about how it happens.

Early brain development is a biological black box. While scientists have devised multiple ways to record electrical signals in adult brains, these techniques don’t work for embryos. A team at Harvard ...

For much of the 20th century, scientists believed that the adult human brain was largely fixed. According to this view, the ...

To stay in balance, the brain depends on two types of neurons: Excitatory neurons (in white), which increase activity, and inhibitory neurons (in black), which damp down signals. Scientists have now ...

The human brain is often compared to a computer, but the latest wave of research shows it is closer to a self-building city, ...

During brain development, neurons extend long processes called axons. Axons link different areas of the brain and carry signals within it and to the rest of the body. Growing axons "wire up" the brain ...

Learn the new science of brain development and discover the importance of connections and learning for ongoing brain health.

The human brain is made up of billions of nerve cells (neurons) that communicate with each other in vast, interconnected networks. For the brain to function reliably, there must be a fine balance ...

New research from Michigan State University finds that microbes play an important role in shaping early brain development, specifically in a key brain region that controls stress, social behavior, and ...

MSU researchers discovered that microbes begin shaping the brain while still in the womb, influencing neurons in a region critical for stress and social behavior. Their findings suggest modern birth ...