Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [neurology]

Generally regarded as the center of the nervous system in most living beings.

134 questions
26
votes
2 answers

Does drinking coffee improve concentration?

Will drinking a cup of coffee before I sit down to work improve my concentration, compared to drinking a cup of water?
fredley
  • 4,995
  • 2
  • 33
  • 50
26
votes
1 answer

Does Lumosity increase your intelligence?

Lumosity is a popular website that claims to help you become a more intellectually capable individual. Harness your brain's neuroplasticity and train your way to a brighter life" Is it truly possible to improve your IQ? Is IQ a good measure of…
The Rouge
  • 409
  • 4
  • 9
25
votes
2 answers

Can people forget how to ride a bike?

I doubt that people never forget to ride a bicycle. If my grandfather, who hasn't ridden a bicycle in over 30 years, were to hop on one and start riding, I would be immensely surprised. Are there any sources that either confirm or deny that…
Peter Olson
  • 3,603
  • 2
  • 22
  • 23
25
votes
2 answers

Do we perceive time passing slower during an accident?

Is there any scientific proof to the feeling that time slows down when we are in danger or crisis? Do we think faster? See faster?
smUsamaShah
  • 2,343
  • 4
  • 24
  • 32
25
votes
1 answer

Is a lack of breakfast the #1 brain damaging habit?

I came across the following list. "Top 10 biggest brain damaging habits". Although they're all interesting "food" for skepticism, I will focus on #1, because I find this a peculiar claim. Some other claims are already on this site, e.g. about…
gerrit
  • 17,636
  • 17
  • 84
  • 137
25
votes
1 answer

Does the brain limit muscle strength in humans, but not in other apes?

In researching whether the brain limits our muscle strength, Sciencedaily has a quote: Add to this the effect of severe electric shock, where people are often thrown violently by their own extreme muscle contraction, and it is clear that we do not…
Bart Silverstrim
  • 993
  • 3
  • 9
  • 11
25
votes
3 answers

Do any brain training games make you smarter?

What are the benefits over just playing a normal game? Sites such as Lumosity claim they are training your brain and making you smarter using "what seems like games". Is there any scientific evidence from independent studies?
Samuelson
  • 3,781
  • 2
  • 29
  • 44
24
votes
2 answers

Does learning immediately before going to sleep increase the effect?

I have read now several times as a "secret tip" that learning directly before going to sleep significantly increases the effectiveness of learning, probably the long-term memory when, for example, learning the vocabulary of a new language. The Costa…
Hauser
  • 1,933
  • 1
  • 17
  • 25
24
votes
2 answers

Is there a relation between brain physiology and gender identity?

I recently came a cross a blog post that talked about DSD or Intersexuality as they rather call it. One of the claims that was made is that gender identity (that is, whether I think of myself as male or female) is a social construct (and implicitly,…
Noam Weiss
  • 988
  • 7
  • 11
23
votes
2 answers

Can "binaural beats" alter your state of consciousness?

According to many websites and YouTube videos (including Wikipedia): "Binaural Beats" are a proven brain wave entrainment audio stimulus that are guaranteed to alter your state of consciousness. Understanding the claim in more detail: We know…
Django Reinhardt
  • 2,205
  • 1
  • 25
  • 35
22
votes
1 answer

Can Functional MRI be used to determine if someone is lying?

To my knowledge traditional lie detectors don't really detect lies but rather blood pressure, pulse, etc. and can be fooled with sufficient self control. What about Functional MRI? Can FMRI be used to develop a definitive lie detector? Is there a…
Francis Shanahan
  • 777
  • 3
  • 9
22
votes
1 answer

Have coma patients ever gained the ability to speak a foreign language fluently?

I read this article about a Croatian teenager waking from coma, speaking fluent German. She started learning German before the coma. I know of savants and few people showing special mental improvements after accidents damaging their brain, but the…
Hauser
  • 1,933
  • 1
  • 17
  • 25
22
votes
1 answer

Can any EMF detector detect ghosts?

It has been my understanding that EMF detectors are used for a wide variety of applications. For example, EMF detectors can be used to measure electrical leaks in microwave ovens as well as other industrial electronic appliances. EMF…
Monkey Tuesday
  • 24,456
  • 19
  • 109
  • 136
20
votes
2 answers

Does beer kill brain cells?

Oh, Lisa, you and your stories. "Bart is a vampire." "Beer kills brain cells." Now let's go back to that...building...thingy, where our beds and TV...is. -The Simpsons It isn't just Lisa Simpson, though, that claim that excessive and/or long-term…
Jivlain
  • 6,658
  • 1
  • 37
  • 47
20
votes
2 answers

Does staring at a flame slow brain activity?

I was looking for an answer to this question on the tubes and I was amazed to discover an impressive set of completely crap answers to this question. Photo by kayaker1204. Creative Common License. After a long search, the closest I could find to an…
Sklivvz
  • 78,578
  • 29
  • 321
  • 428
1
2
3
…
8 9