Learning and Education - Categories

5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP for short, is the intermediate metabolite of the essential amino acid tryptophan in the process of serotonin biosynthesis [1]. That is to say, it is an immediate precursor...

Cordyceps is a genus of fungus that includes more than 500 described species. The name Cordyceps originates from the combination of two words: Kordyle, meaning “club” in Greek; and the stem ceps, meaning “head” in...

Cannabis has historically been used for a wide range of purposes, such as industrial, ornamental, and pharmaceutical applications [1,2]. In the modern world, marijuana use is permitted in some jurisdictions to...

Melatonin is widely regarded as an important hormone that helps regulate and synchronize sleep rhythm, including sleep-wake timing [1] and seasonal rhythmicity aspects across vertebrates. It also has lesser-known roles as an...

Sleep is an extremely important component of physical and emotional health and well-being. The lack of or disruption of sleep, a phenomenon called insomnia, is prevalent across nations [1]. Insomnia is...

During sleep, many of the systems of the body (i.e., nervous, endocrine, skeletal, muscular, and immune) are in a state of anabolism ("building up"), which promotes restoration and healing. With...

Sleep allows our bodies to rest and recover, and our brains to process the information we've taken in during the day. But what happens inside our bodies when we sleep?...

Everyday an American is potentially exposed to more than 80,000 toxic chemicals, yet their impact on neuro-diseases is not well understood. Studies have shown that exposure to toxic chemicals in the...

If you fly with any regularity, you very likely know the feeling of being jet-lagged.  The so-called “jet lag syndrome” includes a variety of symptoms like sleepiness, headache, body pain,...

Dendrites are the branching extensions of a neuron that receive signals from other neurons and transmit them to the cell body [4,5]. Dendrites derive their name from the Greek word...

Have you ever wondered how your body clears cellular waste? Where do our millions of cells dump their garbage? The answer to this question is relatively simple: outside of your...

There are various types of biological clocks in the body, including circadian, ultradian, and infradian. These will be discussed in depth below, but suffice to say that they serve to control a...

Sleep is a hugely important restorative process for humans as well as all organisms across the animal kingdom. It is absolutely essential for the body, mind, memory, and learning [1].

The most common sleep disorder in the world is insomnia, defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep with an associated daytime consequence [2]. In 2014, the third edition of the...

Did you know that in the animal kingdom, humans are the only ones who will purposely deprive themselves of sleep? You’ve probably heard quips such as:  “Sleep is for quitters.” ...