Brenda Patoine
Brenda Patoine is a freelance science writer who has been covering neuroscience for more than 20 years. She has written for the Dana Foundation since 1989 and is a regular contributor to the foundation’s publications and website. She writes both for professional audiences and the general public about advances in brain research, neurology, and the science of spirituality.
Your Brain on Food
Science is increasingly unpacking the ways that diet influences cognitive function and emotional well-being. Growing evidence suggests that the right diet may in fact mitigate some of the ill effects of stress on the brain, while the wrong diet may worsen the effects.
Ready to Read?
Neuroimaging confirms the key role of white matter in reading ability, but the translation to the classroom lags. Where does the research stand?
Pandemic Brain: Parsing the Mental Health Toll
Many experts have sounded the alarm for an approaching tsunami of psychological maladies that could sink an already overburdened mental healthcare system.
Neuroscience Adapts to the Covid World
The impact has been sudden and unprecedented, shifting brain science research priorities, and sending shock waves through academia and the global research community.
Tracking the Neural Footprints of Consciousness
Two leading theories that are diametrically opposed are part of a new $20 million international research program to explore how consciousness arises and correlates in the brain.
Social Media & Teens: No Simple Answers
Scientists are just beginning to investigate how social media and other digital media may physically impact the developing brain
NIH ‘Sound Health’ Grants Raise the Volume on Music, Singing Research
We sense that music changes our moods and thinking, but how and why? US national health institutes are sponsoring a wave of studies to investigate.
Redefining Death
Partial Revival of Pig Brains Raises Ethical and Existential QuestionsCan brain cells be revived after death? Conventional wisdom says cells die quickly when deprived of oxygen, but researchers recently sparked cellular activity in brains of pigs killed hours earlier, raising new questions about our definitions of death.
Alcohol and the Brain
Is Moderate Drinking Really Good for Your Brain?A recent study throws water on the popular idea that a few drinks a week can’t hurt and might help your brain.
Oxytocin: the Molecule of Love, Trust, Morality, and Sociality?
Neuroscientists express cautious enthusiasm about oxytocin’s potential applications, but also warn of misperceptions brought on by oversimplified reporting.