http://neurosciencenews.com/top-2016-neuroscience-articles-5842/
We have selected these articles based on stories that received the most views from our readers, as well as the most shares and likes from Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and our other social networks.
This list is based on popularity among Neuroscience News audiences and is not based on importance of research directly.
Thanks to all of our readers and social media fans for reading and sharing our news throughout 2016.
In no particular order, here are some of the most popular Neuroscience News articles of 2016.
Happy New Year!
Depression Is Not Just a Mental Illness, It Affects the Whole Organism
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Researchers Identify Virus and Two Types of Bacteria as Major Causes of Alzheimer’s
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Is Not in Your Head, It’s in Your Gut
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Heavy Cannabis Use Associated With Reduced Dopamine Release
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Cognitive Offloading: How the Internet is Increasingly Taking Over Human Memory
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Human Behavior Study Identifies Four Basic Personality Types
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Head Impacts Lead to Brain Changes in High School Football Players
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This is Your Brain on LSD
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Eating Fish While Pregnant Improves Baby’s Brain Development
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Dietary Supplement May Prevent and Reverse Damage to Aging Brain
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Manipulation of Specific Neurons Helps to Erase Bad Memories and Enhance Good Ones
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Single Species of Gut Bacteria Can Reverse Autism Related Social Behavior: Mouse Study
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Rhythm of Breathing Affects Memory and Fear
Perhaps our top story of the year was published in early December and comes from a team of researchers from Northwestern University.
Researchers have been able to link breathing rhythm to emotional judgement and enhanced memory recall.
There is a ‘dramatic difference’ in neural activity in both the hippocampus and amygdala depending on whether you are inhaling or exhaling, the researchers report. This can affect how you perceive stimuli and your ability to recall memories.
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How LSD Affects Language
During 2016, we seemed to report fairly often on the neurobiological effects of LSD. Back in August, a new study was released that looked at the effect LSD had on language processing and skills.
Researchers reported that, when people under the influence of LSD were asked to name specific objects, their reaction times did not change, but they were more likely to mistakenly call objects by different names. For example, when presented with an image of a car, people who had taken LSD would instead name the stimuli as a ‘bus’ or other vehicle.
Based on their findings, the researchers believe that LSD could allow ‘quicker access to far away concepts stored in the brain’ (Neiloufar Family) and could help in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses.
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Broca and Wernicke Are Dead – It’s Time to Rewrite the Neurobiology of Language
One of the most influential news stories of the year was released in early November and could have implications for the way researchers consider the neurological basis of language function.
A new paper published by the BPS argued that the ‘Classic Model’ of language function in the brain is obsolete and the continued use could be hampering progress when it comes to researching language production. The researchers call for a new approach that considers how much of language function is overlaid on the cognitive system.
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Brain Structure That Tracks Negative Events Backfires in Depression
Back in May, we reported on a significant new finding which relates to the neurobiology of depression.
Researchers from University College London discovered people with depression had hyperactive habenula function. Surprisingly, when faced with an adverse event, habenula activity decreased in depressed people. The findings suggest that this brain area functions in a much different way in people with this psychiatric condition.
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How Neurons Talk to Each Other
While not so much of a breaking news story, one of our most popular articles of the year provided a comprehensive breakdown of the process of neurotransmission. The article received a great deal of attention via our social network accounts and became quite a hit with educational communities and groups online.
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Our Brains Have a Basic Algorithm That Enables Our Intelligence
Back in November, we reported on a groundbreaking piece of research that demonstrated our complex brain computations and intelligence are reliant upon a fairly basic algorithm. However, the researcher noted exceptions to the math rule in areas such as the reward system.
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Religious Beliefs Activate Neural Reward Circuits in Same Way As Sex and Drugs
One of our favorite stories of the year was published back in late November and came to us from researchers at the University Of Utah School Of Medicine.
A new neurotheology study looked at the neural networks that are involved in feelings of spirituality.
Through neuroimaging technology, researchers identified activation in the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain associated with reward, when powerful spiritual feelings are encountered. Interestingly, similar brain activation occurs when people are exposed to pleasurable stimuli such as sex, drugs, music and gambling.
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How the Hippocampus Influences Future Thinking
To conclude our review of the top NeuroscienceNews stories to hit our pages in 2016, we’ll take you back to a fairly recent article.
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