Category archives: Neurobiology

Hungry for hugs

Hungry for hugs

Neurobiology

By José Ramón Alonso

COVID-19 worsens the already existing social difficulties for older adults and the disabled involved in long-term care services and supports; i.e., nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and home and community-based services . A hug is a form of non-verbal communication. It can indicate familiarity, love, affection, friendship, brotherhood, or sympathy. We use it when we […]

‘Male’ vs ‘female’ brains: having a mix of both is common and offers big advantages

‘Male’ vs ‘female’ brains: having a mix of both is common and offers big advantages

Neurobiology

By Invited Researcher

From advertising to the workplace, it is often assumed that men and women are fundamentally different – from Mars and Venus, respectively. Of course, we all know people who are more androgynous, having a mix of personality traits that are stereotypically considered to be male or female. Importantly, such “psychological androgyny” has long been associated […]

Is the intranasal route a “backdoor” used by SARS-CoV-2 to reach the brain fortress?

Is the intranasal route a “backdoor” used by SARS-CoV-2 to reach the brain fortress?

BiomedicineNeurobiology

By Invited Researcher

The intranasal route is a rapid, efficient and direct way for different biological agents, small molecules, drugs and chemical compounds to reach the brain. It seems amazing, but people that snort a line of coke already knew that… To date, its mechanism of diffusion is believed to be using either olfactory nerve tracts or dense […]

Transcranial direct current stimulation and depression

Transcranial direct current stimulation and depression

NeurobiologyNeuroscience

By José Ramón Alonso

Depression is a psychiatric and psychological diagnosis that describes a temporary or permanent mood disorder characterized by feelings of dejection, unhappiness and guilt. Depressed people show a low mood and an aversion to activity and are characterized by sadness, difficulty thinking and concentrating, and a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping […]

Coronavirus in the brain

Coronavirus in the brain

Neurobiology

By José Ramón Alonso

To date, more than 50 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and more than 1,2 million have died. It is a global problem, affecting everyone, but we are still learning how it infects, how it behaves, what causes harm to humans. The virus is spread by the droplets produced by an […]

Smelling armpits

Smelling armpits

BiochemistryNeurobiology

By José Ramón Alonso

Body odor is present in all mammals, including of course humans. It has a clear genetic basis, although it is modulated by different conditions, both normal and pathological. Interestingly, although it is believed to have an important communicative function and to be involved in sexual attraction, body odor is considered unpleasant by most people, which […]