# A new way to study the brain's invisible secrets

- Institution: TED
- Department: TEDSummit
- Speaker: Ed Boyden
- Year: 2016
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Chemistry, Biology, Medicine and health, Engineering, Psychology and the brain
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/ed_boyden_a_new_way_to_study_the_brain_s_invisible_secrets)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Neuroengineer Ed Boyden wants to know how the tiny biomolecules in our brains generate emotions, thoughts and feelings -- and he wants to find the molecular changes that lead to disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer's. Rather than magnify these invisible structures with a microscope, he wondered: What if we physically enlarge them and make them easier to see? Learn how the same polymers used to make baby diapers swell could be a key to better understanding our brains.

## Lectures

1. [A new way to study the brain's invisible secrets](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/ed_boyden_a_new_way_to_study_the_brain_s_invisible_secrets/04acfe2e52b3), 14 min (TED's player)