Research on the brain basis of thinking and attention. Covers games and attention, cognitive training platforms, adaptive AI frameworks, and brain-health research.
A University of Miami study found that short-form mindfulness meditation training reduces attentional lapses and mind wandering, enhancing cognitive resilience in military personnel. This technique can be beneficial for civilians in demanding professions as well.
A major study by McGill University and the University of Edinburgh found that long-term smoking causes thinning of the brain's cortex, accelerating cognitive decline. Stopping smoking helps restore part of the cortex's thickness, but recovery is slow and incomplete.
Researchers found that people automatically conjure up words when presented with images and count letters in their minds. The study suggests the stream of consciousness is tightly linked to external stimuli, limiting individual control over thoughts.
SuperAgers, aged 80+, have distinct brain signatures with a thicker cortex, fewer tangles linked to Alzheimer's, and a higher supply of neurons related to social intelligence.
A new study reveals that individuals with TBI struggle with gist reasoning, a complex cognitive capacity. The Center for BrainHealth's assessment tool shows promise in predicting daily life functionality and estimating brain health.
Researchers identified a biological clock that measures individuals' lifespans by analyzing DNA changes. A faster-running biological clock is linked to earlier death, even after accounting for other factors.
Kessler Foundation researchers found that subjective and objective cognitive fatigue are independent factors, with increased time on task leading to higher levels of fatigue in MS individuals. Task length was the key factor associated with cognitive fatigue, supporting the Temporal Fatigue hypothesis.
A study found that humans tend to turn down sure rewards if they derive from an unfair distribution of resources, regardless of whether the individual themselves or others are affected. Brain imaging revealed differing brain circuits in these two conditions.
A recent study by University of Colorado Boulder researchers found that pain processing in the brain involves two separate pathways: one for physical pain and another for cognitive regulation. The latter pathway is involved in emotion and motivation, but also plays a key role in long-term pain and disability.
Researchers found that older adults' acquired financial knowledge and experience can compensate for declining fluid intelligence, leading to more efficient financial decision-making. The study used credit scores and cognitive tests to demonstrate the importance of crystallized intelligence in finance.
The University of Nevada, Reno has partnered with Renown Health to bring new functional MRI technology to northern Nevada. This partnership will enable researchers to study neural activity patterns in the brain, revolutionizing neuroscience and leading to new discoveries about brain function and its impact on injury or disease.
A study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that cognitive training can improve the brain performance of middle school students from poverty-stricken backgrounds. The program, called SMART, resulted in a 25% increase in gist reasoning and an 18% improvement in fact retention among students who received the training.
Oxford University Press is launching a new open-access journal, Neuroscience of Consciousness, to focus on consciousness science research. The journal will provide a platform for researchers to share their findings on the nature, function, and underlying mechanisms of consciousness.
Researchers found that subtle shifts in frontal and parietal lobes of the brain are linked to superior cognition. The frontoparietal network plays a key role in analysis, memory retrieval, abstract thinking, and problem-solving.
Stroke researchers found that patients with frontal lesions experienced greater improvement in spatial neglect after prism adaptation therapy. The study suggests that maintaining medial temporal structure integrity may support functional improvement in this subset of patients.
A recent Lumosity study analyzed over 60,000 participants to understand the effects of sleep, mood, and time of day on cognitive gameplay performance. The research found that memory, speed, and flexibility tasks peaked in the morning, while crystallized knowledge tasks such as arithmetic and verbal fluency peaked in the afternoon.
A study of 1,066 Scottish people found that those with complex jobs, such as social workers or architects, had better scores on memory and thinking tests. The results suggest that more stimulating work environments may help preserve cognitive function later in life.
A large-scale study on learning rates found that participants who operated closer to their performance threshold had faster learning rates, especially at higher levels of difficulty. The study analyzed game play performance from Lumosity's online population and provided evidence for optimizing cognitive task designs to improve learning.
Researchers at UT Arlington discovered that musicians outperform non-musicians in EEG-measured working memory tasks. However, the advantage in long-term memory was only found in picture recognition. The study used EEG technology to measure neural activity in the brains of 14 musicians and 15 non-musicians.
A systematic review found that computerized cognitive training (CCT) has a small overall effect on performance of cognitive tests, particularly for nonverbal and verbal skills. Training completed under supervision showed positive outcomes, while training alone was ineffective.
Several countries have launched brain research projects with big budgets and ambitious goals, aiming to make groundbreaking discoveries and develop new treatments for diseases. The initiatives are expected to drive rapid progress in the field of neuroscience, with a focus on global collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches.
A new study at Brown University found that reward overcomes retrieval-induced forgetting, a phenomenon where practicing certain facts suppresses recall of others. Volunteers who earned rewards during practice had improved recall of unpracticed fish category facts.
Researchers at McGill University found that infant experiences shape the unconscious brain, influencing adult development even after years of disuse. The study used functional MRI scans to compare brain activation patterns in girls with unilingual French-speaking families versus those adopted from Chinese-speaking families.
Researchers at IU School of Medicine are evaluating the advantages of physical exercise, cognitive exercise, or a combination of both on the aging brain. The five-year project aims to enhance cognitive abilities in older adults with mild memory loss and may lead to a delay in dementia onset.
A study published in PLOS Computational Biology proposes a theoretical framework for understanding memory formation and modification. The researchers suggest that large prediction errors lead to memory formation, while small errors result in memory modification. Damage to the hippocampus can impair the brain's ability to carve memories.
Research shows that people associate specific facial traits with personality traits, leading to biased decisions. Studies have found that faces associated with competence, dominance, and friendliness influence social outcomes, such as election results and military rank attainment.
A study published in Anales de Psicología found that individuals with a higher vocabulary level had a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment. The research team measured vocabulary levels, years of schooling, and other factors in 326 subjects over 50 to explore the relationship between vocabulary and cognitive reserve.
A study published in PLOS Computational Biology found that vegetative patients may have well-preserved brain networks similar to those of healthy adults, indicating possible covert awareness. This discovery could improve clinical assessment and help identify patients who might be aware despite being uncommunicative.
Dr. Lauren Strober will update the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) to improve its use in clinical settings for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The updated test will more accurately assess processing speed changes over time, enabling better prediction of disease progression and outcomes.
A study confirmed that damage to the right frontal-subcortical network can cause ipsilateral spatial neglect in patients. Additionally, a greater proportion of patients with ipsilateral neglect had frontal subcortical damage than anticipated, resulting in 'where' errors rather than 'aiming' errors.
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation recognized eight scientists with Outstanding Achievement Prizes for their work on psychiatric disorders, affecting one in four people. Recipients include Drs. David Braff and Patrick Sullivan, who pioneered schizophrenia and mood disorder research.
The International Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Alliance awarded a $30 million grant to researchers worldwide to tackle the devastating form of MS. Kessler Foundation's pilot study in rehabilitation addresses cognitive dysfunction, aiming to improve quality of life for individuals with progressive MS.
Researchers at Kessler Foundation found that working memory capacity explains the relationship between intellectual enrichment and long-term memory in individuals with MS. This suggests that interventions targeting working memory may help build cognitive reserve to protect against decline in long-term memory.
Children show stronger food craving than adolescents and adults but can use a cognitive strategy to reduce it by 16%, according to new research. The study's findings have implications for interventions to curb childhood obesity and suggest that brain areas involved in regulating craving differ depending on body mass.
A new study finds that volunteering is associated with reductions in depression symptoms, better overall health, and greater longevity. Volunteering appears to peak at a moderate level, with benefits diminishing beyond 100 hours annually.
Researchers distinguish pure imagination from related processes like remembering using MRI experiments, finding distinctive brain activity patterns. The study contributes to the debate over whether memory and imagination are separate processes.
A new Kessler Foundation study reveals that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can enhance their self-awareness through hands-on task experiences. Researchers found improved metacognitive knowledge and online awareness in participants, suggesting potential benefits for cognitive rehabilitation.
A new study found that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy significantly reduced non-mental health care visits among patients who were high health service users. Over eight years, this translates to a reduction of nearly 2,500 visits to primary care physicians, emergency departments, or non-psychiatric specialists in Ontario.
Researchers found an association between over-estimating medication self-administration ability and memory loss among stroke survivors. Assessing patients for their ability to estimate medication skills accurately may predict memory disorders.
The iTAKL study aims to increase understanding of pediatric mild traumatic brain injury by employing imaging, cognitive testing and biomechanical data. The research team hopes to provide objective data that will help prevent, mitigate, identify and treat head injuries.
Researchers developed a new model explaining how autism occurs, with genetically-controlled brain plasticity mechanisms potentially determining autistic capabilities and subtypes. The 'Trigger-Threshold-Target' model suggests focusing on developing children's unique strengths rather than solely correcting behaviors.
Kessler Foundation researchers confirm that cognitive rehabilitation in MS maintains patterns of increased cerebral activation correlated with learning six months after memory retraining. The study's results support the long-term effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation in individuals with cognitive impairment caused by MS.
Researchers suggest targeting higher-motor areas instead of single targets to achieve personalized, not popular science, in stroke rehabilitation. By exploring substrates and defining successes and failures, they aim to create a shift in perspective that forces a broader understanding of brain stimulation's potential.
A psychology researcher proposes a new theory, 'selective engagement,' to explain why older adults show declining cognitive ability in lab settings but not in daily life. Motivation plays a key role in this disparity, with tasks deemed personally relevant eliciting higher cognitive performance.
Research by IIASA found that gender differences in cognitive abilities are associated with age, country of origin, and educational opportunities. Women outperform men in episodic memory and reading literacy, while men excel in mathematical abilities, but category fluency is equivalent for both sexes.
Consciousness may be understood through scientific inquiry, despite current debates about its neural basis. Researchers argue that flawed assumptions about consciousness can be addressed through multiple scientific perspectives, potentially leading to breakthroughs in understanding human rights, disease treatment, and technology.
Researchers found that monkeys consistently show the hot-hand bias, even when faced with random rewards, suggesting an evolutionary adaptation for foraging in the wild. The study's findings could inform treatment for gambling addiction and provide insights for investors.
Researchers discovered that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for visual stability, filtering out unnecessary information during eye movements. This finding has implications for understanding mental health issues like dyslexia and attention deficit disorders.
Neuroscientists found that hand gestures are part of prosody, influencing how meaning is interpreted. The study demonstrates the role of gestures in speech prosody, highlighting their importance in human communication.
Researchers found that deleting the APC gene from select neurons in the mouse brain led to reduced social behavior, increased repetitive behavior, and impaired learning and memory formation. The study provides insights into how the loss of APC affects brain development, learning, and behavior.
Pittsburgh researchers explored how engineers innovate, finding that creativity is a stepwise process of incremental mental advances. They discovered that inspiration sparks perspiration, and companies can accelerate innovation by encouraging peer discussion and collaboration.
Researchers found that children can tell when adults are telling the truth but not the whole truth, and compensate by exploring more on their own. This skill is crucial for learning from others, as much knowledge comes from other people. Children's ability to evaluate information helps them adjust their trust in teachers.
A paralyzed person will attempt the first kick in the FIFA World Cup using a brain-controlled robotic exoskeleton, demonstrating the TUM Institute for Cognitive Systems' CellulARSkin technology. This technology provides a sense of touch, allowing patients to feel their feet touching the ground.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that rats were willing to wait longer for certain flavors, indicating individual preferences. The study suggests that regret is a fundamental cognitive process shared among mammals.
A recent study published in Annals of Neurology found that individuals who speak two or more languages may experience slower cognitive decline and improved cognitive abilities later in life. The research controlled for childhood intelligence and showed a significant impact on general intelligence, reading, and other cognitive functions.
Research by Stan Floresco reveals the dynamic competition between brain regions to inform decisions. The frontal lobes temper impulses towards larger, uncertain rewards, while dopamine neurons provide short-term updates on recent outcomes.
Max Planck researchers identify supramarginal gyrus region crucial for children's ability to assess others' emotions, improving with age. The study reveals that adults can easily overcome egocentrism, whereas children between 6-13 tend to project their own emotions onto others.
Dr. Ekaterina Dobryakova, a postdoctoral fellow at Kessler Foundation, received an award to study motivation's influence on cognitive fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The research aims to determine whether motivation activates brain regions thought to be impaired in cognitive fatigue.
A gene variant linked to longevity may also improve learning and memory, according to a new study. Researchers found that individuals carrying the KL-VS variant of the KLOTHO gene performed better on cognitive tests.
Researchers will compare connectivity changes between Lumosity training and active control groups, using fMRI sessions and cognitive assessments. The goal is to identify functional changes in the healthy adult brain that result from cognitive training and relate to improved cognitive performance.