neurons – The Loh Down On Science

Communication Breakdown

January 23, 2024 Karissa Munoz

Is fat LITERAL food for thought? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our brain is filled with billions of neurons that are constantly talking to each other. What helps speed up these conversations? Fatty layers of cholesterol called myelin. But diseases like Multiple Sclerosis cause

Plastic Neurons

April 10, 2023 Blanca Romero

If neurons could watch TV, they’d watch the SODIUM CHANNEL! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Neurons are very complex cells in the brain. They’re responsible for EVERYTHING: memory, movement, feelings… But some diseases make neurons stop working, and the whole body is affected. How

Contagious Itch

January 23, 2023 Tiffany Raber

It’s the Itchy and Scratchy Show! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Everyone’s sitting ‘round the campfire when someone gets bit by a MOSQUITO. First THEY’RE itchy… suddenly… EVERYBODY’s itchy! Is it a mosquito attack or something…else? Zhou-Feng Chen and team from Washington University were

Bird Brainiacs

December 5, 2022 Salla Kim

You’re SOOO bird-brained! But is that a bad thing? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The BRAIN uses the most energy of mammal organs. And neurons, the brain-body messengers, use LOTS of sugar to communicate. Birds have much SMALLER brains than most mammals, but can

Scent Smarts

April 28, 2022 Paige Halas

Big city life – the sights, the sounds, the smells…is that PIZZA?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We can smell a warm slice ANYWHERE! But how is it that our nose ALWAYS knows? Srinath Nizampatnam and colleagues at the University of Washington in St.

Communication Breakdown

January 25, 2022 Karissa Munoz

Asleep or Awake?

April 22, 2019 Ted Yoo

Somebody pinch me! Am I REALLY awake? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Brain injury can make it difficult to tell if someone’s conscious or not! Patients in a coma may respond to things, but only as a reflex. How can doctors tell the difference?