America is rapidly growing old. As the population ages, the number of Americans struggling with Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related cognitive issues is expected to rise dramatically. Scientists are on an urgent quest to better understand and slow the progression of brain aging. See what headway they’ve made recently.

Scientists take risks, push boundaries, and design tools that fundamentally change the way we think, work, and live. In this edition of the Brain Blast, we put the spotlight on revolutionary researchers who are using neuroscience to give a voice to the silenced, rest to the weary, hope to the aging, and more. 

To overcome some of the greatest challenges in their field, neuroscientists are getting creative. They’re using sugar to transport brain implants and near-infrared light to measure brain blood flow. Read the stories behind these ingenious solutions and more.

Your goal in the Versus Exercises will be to create a deeply relaxed or laser-focused brain state. The 3 circles you’ll see are designed to guide you toward those optimal brain states. Learn what the 3 circles mean, how to move each toward the middle, and which mental skills you’ll acquire as you do so.

When the going gets tough, how do the tough keep going? The answer is resilience. Researchers recently identified what they believe to be the source of stress resilience in the brain. See what they discovered and delve into more groundbreaking neuroscience studies.

Too stressed? Not stressed enough? Either way, your productivity may suffer. Uncover how stress is related to motivation and learn how to manage your stress levels to maximize your performance and prevent burnout.

For relief from our stressful lives, many of us have escaped into the fantasy worlds of our favorite movies and novels. Why is it that we feel so connected to the people in these make-believe places? Discover how the human brain responds to fictional characters and much more below.

The nap has gotten a bad rap. For children, naps are celebrated. For adults, they’ve been demonized. Is all that negative press justified? In honor of National Napping Day, we’ve gathered the latest information from leading experts to help answer that age-old question: to nap or not to nap?

It’s vitally important that we understand what mental health challenges we’re facing, how to prevent them from becoming bigger issues, and when to seek help. Here, we examine the differences between stress, anxiety, and anxiety disorders.

From our months in utero to our elderly years, our brains are constantly adapting to new demands. This month, we’re highlighting research which examines what the human brain looks like at every age and offers insight into how we can support brain health at every developmental stage.