Neuroscience & Health

A sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops during sleep, significantly reducing sleep quality.

Sleep debt is the accumulated deficit that builds up when you consistently get less sleep than your body needs.

A tool for recording daily sleep patterns that helps identify and improve sleep problems.

A method that improves sleep efficiency by limiting the time spent in bed to match your actual sleep duration.

Sleep plays a core role in storing and organizing memories — this is a well-established finding in brain science.

Dendrites are branch-like structures extending from a neuron that receive signals from other nerve cells. You can think of them as the brain's information-receiving antennas.

A special structure on the surface of nerve cells that neurotransmitters bind to in order to pass along signals. When the right chemical attaches to a receptor, it triggers a specific response inside the cell.

The myelin sheath is an insulating layer that wraps around a neuron's axon, helping electrical signals travel quickly and efficiently. Healthy myelin is essential for smooth communication between the brain and body.

Screen time refers to the hours spent looking at screens such as smartphones, computers, and TVs. Excessive screen time can have negative effects on both mental and physical health.

The connection point between two neurons where signals are transmitted from one cell to the next.

Synaptic plasticity is the brain's flexible ability to strengthen or weaken the connections (synapses) between nerve cells based on experience and learning.

Synaptic pruning is the brain's natural process of eliminating unused neural connections so it can work more efficiently. It helps strengthen the pathways we use most while clearing away the ones we don't.

The thalamus is a brain structure that acts as a relay station, receiving sensory information and directing it to the appropriate areas of the cerebral cortex.

The hypothalamus is a small region of the brain that regulates bodily homeostasis, including body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sleep.

A bundle of nerve fibers that carries signals from one region of the brain to another. Our habits, emotions, and ways of thinking are all shaped along these pathways.

A network of neurons that work together to carry out a specific function. Emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are all created by the activity of these circuits.

The brain's ability to change its structure and function in response to experience.

Glial cells are cells in the brain that support, protect, and nourish neurons. They are the essential helpers of nerve cells, playing a critical role in maintaining brain function.

The neuroendocrine system is where the nervous system and endocrine (hormone) system work together as one integrated unit. It regulates stress, emotions, sleep, and appetite, helping maintain balance between body and mind.

Neurodiversity is the idea that differences in how people's brains work are a natural part of human variation. Conditions like ADHD and autism spectrum are understood as 'differences' rather than 'deficits.'

The nervous system's automatic, subconscious process of scanning the environment for safety, danger, or life threat — happening below conscious awareness and shaping all social and emotional behaviour.

Neurodegenerative diseases are conditions in which nerve cells progressively become damaged and lost over time. Well-known examples include Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, and they affect both cognitive and motor functions.

Neuropeptides are small protein fragments produced by nerve cells that act as chemical messengers, regulating emotions, pain, and stress responses. Well-known examples include endorphins and oxytocin.

The Somatic Marker Hypothesis proposes that bodily sensations — like gut feelings or anxiety — play a crucial role in guiding our decisions.

Aphasia is an acquired language disorder caused by brain damage that impairs the ability to speak, understand, read, or write. It does not affect intelligence — the person's thoughts remain intact, but accessing and expressing language becomes difficult.

A neurotransmitter involved in attention, learning, memory formation, and muscle contraction.

The cumulative wear and tear on the body and brain from chronic stress — the total biological cost of repeatedly adapting to life's demands.

A brain imaging technique that uses radioactive tracers to observe brain activity and metabolism in real time. It shows how the brain is actually working at any given moment.

Endorphins are the brain's natural painkillers that reduce pain and create feelings of pleasure.

Role conflict is the tension you feel when you are expected to fulfill two or more roles whose demands are incompatible with each other.

Role ambiguity is the state of feeling confused because your job scope, responsibilities, and expectations are unclear.

Chronic inflammation in the body is deeply linked to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. The body and mind are connected as one.

A hormone associated with love, bonding, and trust, often called the 'love hormone.' It plays a key role in strengthening emotional connections between people.

Online identity is how you present and construct yourself on the internet and social media. It can be similar to or quite different from your offline self.

The Online Disinhibition Effect describes how people tend to behave more boldly or aggressively online than they would in person. Anonymity and the lack of face-to-face interaction weaken self-censorship.

Regular physical exercise has remarkable positive effects on the structure and function of the brain. Exercise greatly helps improve mood, enhance memory, and reduce stress.

Relaxation training uses various techniques to relax your body and mind, helping you fall asleep more easily.

A structured therapy for insomnia that helps change sleep habits and anxious thoughts about sleep.

The body’s roughly 24-hour internal clock that helps regulate sleep, energy, and daily body functions.

Sleep problems that happen when the body clock is out of sync with daily life.

Hypnagogia is the vivid sensory experiences — images, sounds, and physical sensations — that occur in the transitional state between wakefulness and sleep.

Stimulus Control Therapy strengthens the connection between your bed and sleep, so that lying down naturally triggers sleepiness. It works by retraining your brain to associate the bed with falling asleep quickly.

An agonist is a substance that binds to a receptor and activates it, producing a biological response — like a key that fits a lock and turns it.

Confabulation is when the brain unconsciously fills gaps in memory with plausible but fabricated information — not lying, but genuinely believing the invented details.

Reuptake is the process by which a neuron reabsorbs the neurotransmitters it released, serving as an important mechanism for regulating signal transmission.

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a brain region located between the frontal lobe and the limbic system. It plays a central role in conflict detection, emotional regulation, pain processing, and decision-making.

The largest region of the brain, located at the front, responsible for higher-order cognitive functions such as thinking, planning, decision-making, and emotional regulation. It's the area that makes us uniquely 'ourselves.'

The brain region located just behind the forehead that handles higher-order functions like judgment, planning, and emotional regulation.

Organizational justice refers to how fairly employees perceive rewards, procedures, and treatment within their organization.

Organizational culture is the total set of values, beliefs, and behavioral norms shared by the members of an organization.