When feeling stressed or nervous, you notice the pounding heart, pale face, and dry mouth – fundamental autonomic responses to psychological stress.  Stress responses are conserved in many mammalian species and thought to be beneficial for wild animals, such as when they encounter their enemies. ... click to read more

Macrophages are found in essentially all tissues. Kupffer cells are in the liver, alveolar macrophages are in the lungs, monocytes are in bone marrow and blood, and microglia are in the brain and spinal cord - and the list goes on. The brain and spinal cord,... click to read more

The function of sleep is still elusive despite the well-known effects of sleep loss or poor-quality sleep on cognitive function and long-term health. When and how long animals (including humans) sleep is determined by, on the one hand, their internal circadian clock, which aligns physiology... click to read more

Historically, neuroscience focused on neurons, the functional cellular units of communication in the brain. However, exciting recent advances in microscopy have revealed the importance of many other cell types in essential brain functions. Amongst these supporting players in the brain are microglia, the immune cells... click to read more

The idea that our brains influence our physical and mental health is both commonplace and somewhat taboo. We've heard that exercise can cheer us up, and stress can make us queasy, but the placebo effect "fools" us into getting well. Such mind-body connections, essential for... click to read more