Late Filing Taxes? Blame Your Brain

  “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Right, but tomorrow never comes. There are many studies on the psychology of procrastination, but brain imaging is giving researchers neurological insight into procrastinators’ brains by revealing differences in brain structure in people who habitually put off doing things until the last minute. Don’t expect the IRS to cut you any slack if your…

Read More

Switching Off Anger with an Electrode

Devonte Washington, 15, was waiting on the platform of a Washington DC Metro subway station with his mother and two sisters headed to a barber shop to get a haircut for Easter Sunday church service.  The young man glanced up at a stranger, 17-year-old Maurice Bellamy, who instantly took offence–pulled out a .38 caliber pistol…

Read More

Seeing Red out of the Blue

    We like to believe that we are in control of our actions, but sometimes we are not.  A sudden incident can overtake conscious will and launch us into violent action that risks our life and limb in an instant.  I know, because it happened to me. I am a neuroscientist, and after witnessing…

Read More

Electrical Stimulation of Brain Circuit to Control Good Behavior

Human beings are utterly dependent on a complex social structure for their survival. Since all behavior is controlled by the brain, human beings may have evolved specialized neural circuits that are responsible for compliance with society’s rules. A new study has identified such a region in the human brain, and researchers can increase or decrease…

Read More