top of page
BCIA Continuing Education Posts
The BioSource Faculty Explain Peer-Reviewed Science


5-Minute Science: Alzheimer's Risks Can Be Reduced by Lifestyle Changes
The US POINTER trial reveals that older adults can boost their brain health through targeted, structured lifestyle changes.
Fred Shaffer
2 days ago6 min read


5-Second Science: How Your Brain Wakes Up From Sleep
The brain follows a consistent pattern when transitioning from sleep, with specific rhythms and regions activating in a predictable sequence. These changes vary depending on the sleep stage and even predict how alert or sleepy a person feels upon waking.
Fred Shaffer
Jul 225 min read


5-Second Science: Common Viruses May Contribute to Parkinson's Disease
Researchers found human pegivirus (HPgV) in the brains of individuals with Parkinson’s disease, but not in healthy controls.
Fred Shaffer
Jul 225 min read


5-Second Science: Optimists' Brain Activity is Unique
Optimistic individuals share similar patterns of brain activity when imagining the future.
Fred Shaffer
Jul 226 min read


5-Second Science: Connectome 2.0 Achieves Live Near-Microscopic Brain Imaging
Vivid images reveal individual axons and even cell bodies, while a person is awake and breathing.
Fred Shaffer
Jul 174 min read


5-Min Science: Human Neurogenesis Confirmed
A groundbreaking study published by an international team of researchers led by Jonas Frisén at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm has finally provided compelling evidence that yes, adult human brains do indeed grow new neurons
Fred Shaffer
Jul 117 min read


5-Min Science: Brain Structural Differences Precede Substance Use
Children who later initiated substance use had larger brains overall, including greater whole brain volume, larger cortical surface area, and bigger subcortical structures.
Fred Shaffer
Jul 1014 min read


5-Min Science: Your Brain Emits Biophotons
The idea that the brain might not just glow but use this glow as part of its signaling has remained speculative—until now.
Fred Shaffer
Jun 167 min read


5-Min Science: How We Distinguish Reality from Imagination
Dijkstra and colleagues identified a specific neural mechanism that our brains use to distinguish the vivid world of our imagination from the tangible reality we perceive through our senses.
BioSource Faculty
Jun 114 min read


5-Min Science: The Paradox of ADHD
At its core, ADHD is not about lacking attention—it's about struggling to control it.
Zachary Meehan
May 2811 min read


5-Min Science: Are Mitochondria the Cell's Motherboard?
Mitochondria are not merely energy producers but orchestrate complex cellular processes, including gene expression, apoptosis, calcium regulation, communication, and synaptic function, especially in neurons.
Fred Shaffer
May 2317 min read


5-Min Science: Researchers Test Competing Consciousness Theories
The landmark Cogitate Consortium study compared two dominant theories of consciousness.
BioSource Faculty
May 206 min read


5-Second Science: The Hippocampus Directs Memory and Imagination
The hippocampus supports both memory and imagination, synthesizing past experiences into simulated futures.
BioSource Faculty
May 194 min read


5-Min Science: Astrocytes Direct Neuromodulation
Long considered passive support cells, astrocytes are now shown to be indispensable intermediaries in neuromodulatory signaling.
BioSource Faculty
May 165 min read


5-Min Science: Emotional Regulation
Labeling emotions as “negative” contradicts mindfulness principles by introducing judgment, which fosters resistance and intensifies suffering.
BioSource Faculty
May 159 min read


5-Min Science: EEG Traveling Waves
Traveling waves in electroencephalography (EEG) represent coordinated patterns of electrical activity that move systematically across the cortex.
BioSource Faculty
May 58 min read


When Should Physicians Test for FOXP1 and FOXP2 Mutations?
FOXP1 and FOXP2 mutations have been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
BioSource Faculty
Apr 2716 min read


5-Min Science: The SCAN Links Thoughts and Actions
The SCAN integrates cognition and movement.
BioSource Faculty
Apr 139 min read


5-Second Science: Thalamic Gatekeeping in Consciousness
The thalamus may act as a neural gatekeeper, filtering stimuli that enter conscious awareness.
BioSource Faculty
Apr 84 min read


5-Second Science: What Does Serotonin Signal?
Prospective value coding reconciles previous models of serotonin function.
BioSource Faculty
Apr 75 min read
bottom of page