Articles tagged with Cognition
A cross-cultural study found that people across six countries divide mental capacities into two broad groups: Perceptual-Experiential (emerging early) and Reflective-Evaluative (emerging later). This structure suggests a shared, intuitive framework for understanding mental development.
Researchers discovered that the brain uses both sharpening and refining strategies to process expected and unexpected events. Expected events lead to rapid responses but poor memory recall, while unexpected events receive sensory priority and are better remembered.
A longitudinal study found that higher screen viewing time during infancy and school-entry age was associated with poorer academic performance and weaker working memory. The study suggests that the timing of screen exposure may be as important as the amount of screen time itself.
A study of 80 concussed teens found that moderate screen time in the first 3 days after a concussion is linked to faster recovery. The researchers analyzed data and found that an average of 141 minutes of daily screen time sped up symptom resolution by 35%. Balanced use, rather than total avoidance, may be helpful for concussion recovery.
Postoperative delirium is a strong predictor of long-term cognitive decline in older adults, according to a new study. Researchers found that delirium was associated with faster cognitive decline than mild cognitive impairment, and rehospitalizations did not explain the effect.
Indiana University Professor Tom James proposes a new explanation for decision-making, suggesting that the brain's sensory, sensorimotor, and motor processes work together to select actions, rather than a central 'decision-making' process. This approach offers a more parsimonious alternative to traditional theories.
Researchers at UCLA Health have identified a brain region called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) that regulates memory integration. The vmPFC acts as a quality control checkpoint, preventing memories from getting mixed up when they are significantly different or far apart in time.
A new analysis argues that current scientific methods may not be capable of reliably answering questions about AI consciousness. The study highlights the importance of developing more precise methods to investigate subjective experience, crucial for evaluating claims about animal welfare, AI ethics, or bioethics.
A new preclinical study finds that estrogen loss in the extracellular matrix of the hippocampus may contribute to memory decline and increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in postmenopausal women. The study suggests a possible new treatment approach focused on restoring the brain's supportive environment.
Researchers at UC Riverside have identified a key neural circuit, the locus coeruleus, which plays a central role in cognitive flexibility and adapting to new rules. Disrupting this circuit impairs the brain's ability to reorganize neural networks during complex decision-making.
A cohort study found that participants with unfavorable long-term memory trajectories were less active and more sedentary, suggesting a link between cognitive change and later-life movement patterns. The study's results have implications for understanding the relationship between aging, cognition, and physical activity.
A post hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial found high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation in pregnancy to be positively associated with visual memory, verbal memory, and flexibility among offspring at age 10. This strengthens evidence on the association between prenatal vitamin D exposure and childhood cognition.
A new study with over 3,700 UK participants found that better cognitive functioning may be associated with a higher risk of future depressive episodes in those with a history of depression. In contrast, worse cognitive performance was linked to a lower risk of relapse in both individuals with previous depression and control participants.
Unsecure firearm storage is common among older adults with subjective cognitive decline, despite clinical guidance recommending secure storage for those with cognitive symptoms. The study highlights the need for improved household practices and access to fire safety education.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has developed guidelines for treating anxiety disorders in adults in primary care settings. Behavioral therapy, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and medication, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are recommended treatments.
The new framework, published in PNAS Nexus, offers guidance for building human-AI teams that are effective, accountable, and aligned with human values. It focuses on reasoning, memory, and attention as core processes that can be distributed across people and AI systems.
Researchers found that the rostral prefrontal cortex acts as a bridge between the default mode network and executive control network, enabling a gradual functional transition. The study suggests that creativity relies on a measurable balance between these networks.
A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that half of older patients with dementia remain on psychotropic drugs a year after starting them. The medications, including antipsychotics and benzodiazepines, are often prescribed in acute and post-acute settings such as emergency rooms and skilled nursing facilities. This raises c...
A cross-sectional study found that older adults are disproportionately prescribed medications affecting cognition from acute or postacute care settings. This highlights the need to target prescriptions from these settings to reduce such prescribing.
Researchers at UCSF discovered that single-celled organism Stentor learns through modifying existing proteins with calcium signaling, which is similar to the mechanism used by animal neurons. This finding suggests that learning may be a fundamental feature of life and could have evolved before the emergence of brains.
A new study suggests that language and theory of mind, two complex cognitive functions, have distinct origins in the brain in young children. Researchers found separate but related brain regions for these skills, which do not overlap or grow more distinct as the mind matures.
A cross-sectional study found no association between longer breastfeeding duration and cognitive performance in unadjusted models, however, a positive correlation emerged after controlling for socioeconomic factors. Longer breastfeeding durations were more common among low-income families, highlighting the need for continued support.
The Individual Brain Charting project has released its fifth update with a new set of cognitive tasks, expanding the dataset to 40 hours of scanned data per participant. This provides an exceptionally rich resource for studying individual variability in brain organisation and understanding brain function.
Researchers found that faces presented behind observers are perceived as more emotionally intense than those in front. This 'behind-enhancement bias' is observed even when participants view the face via a virtual mirror without turning around. The study suggests a spatially modulated perceptual bias related to processing of emotionally...
Researchers develop molecular tool called SynTrogo, which enables selective dismantling of synaptic connections in brain circuits. By harnessing astrocytes, the system reduces synapse number while strengthening remaining connections, leading to enhanced long-term potentiation and improved memory.
A major European study found that loneliness affects the memory of older adults, but does not speed up mental decline over time. Participants who reported high levels of loneliness performed worse on initial memory tests, but their ability to recall information declined at a similar rate as those with lower loneliness levels.
Researchers developed a nasal spray that reversibly reduces brain inflammation, restores cellular power plants, and improves memory. The treatment bypasses the brain's protective shield through intranasal delivery, suppressing chronic inflammation and promoting successful brain aging.
Researchers discovered a crucial connection between the two hippocampal hemispheres in mice, which is necessary for navigation and remembering locations. The study also found that this circuit is altered in mice carrying a genetic mutation associated with schizophrenia.
Researchers analyzed brain interactions to explain attention, decision-making, and memory. Models with competitive interactions outperform cooperative ones, enabling flexible activation of regions and intelligent behavior. This breakthrough brings us closer to creating realistic digital twins of the human brain for personalized medicine.
A new review paper proposes that brain categorization is part of a predictive process to efficiently meet needs, rather than an intellectual exercise comparing sensory inputs to a fixed prototype. This approach predicts the world and anticipates actions, allowing for efficient survival and thriving in a fast-paced environment.
Cichlids use a specific sequence of behaviors to build nests, involving digging, grasping, and sand-flicking. Practice and repeated exposure solidify these skills, even after long periods without access to shells.
A Georgia State University study found that Alzheimer's affects men's and women's brains differently, with women showing steeper and more widespread decline. The research suggests that brain compensation mechanisms may help maintain cognitive performance in women earlier in the disease.
Research suggests that mental time travel activates the brain's reward system, reinforcing behavior and making it easier to plan for the future. However, excessive mental time travel can also lead to negative emotions and maladaptive behavior, such as catastrophizing projections.
A new study found that older people who forego necessary dental procedures due to financial barriers may experience heart failure, a heart attack, a stroke, or dementia. The researchers suggest that alleviating upstream factors such as financial constraints could prevent chronic disease.
A Northwestern University study found that imagination is not just a copy of sensation, but emerges at later stages of processing when the brain represents information holistically. The researchers mapped brain activity during imagination and perception, finding overlap in higher-level association areas.
A recent study using sea slugs identified a cellular mechanism that strengthens long-term memory when exposed to new information at the same time each day. This discovery could provide insights into the most effective learning strategies.
A new study reveals that women excel in aligning confidence with correctness, particularly in fluid intelligence tests. The research challenges long-held assumptions about gender differences, suggesting that efforts should focus on encouraging greater self-awareness and calibrated confidence among men.
A research team led by LEE Doyun and KIM Yee-Joon found that the primary visual cortex encodes motion summaries and variability before higher brain regions transform them into category signals. This process, known as ensemble perception, allows the brain to capture the overall structure of a scene at a glance.
A study of 10,978 participants found that cooking at home at least once a week is associated with a lower risk of dementia. Novice cooks with few culinary skills saw a 70% reduction in risk, while skilled cooks still benefited from regular meal prep
Researchers discovered that mild hypoxia shortly after birth hinders learning and memory into adulthood through altered neuron-to-neuron communication in the hippocampus. The study also found a second protein involved in hypoxia's effects on this channel's functioning, which was restored when targeted.
A multicenter randomized clinical trial found no significant differences in cognitive improvement between exercise, intensive pharmacological reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, or both in older adults. The study results challenge current recommendations on lifestyle modifications for dementia prevention.
A study led by Waseda University's Associate Professor Chie Nakamura investigated how listeners interpret structurally ambiguous sentences using eye-tracking technology. The researchers found that listeners actively build sentence structure in real-time, predicting how the sentence will continue before all information is available.
A new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that high meat consumption is associated with better cognitive trajectories and lower dementia risk among individuals with the APOE 34/44 genotype. The finding contradicts previous expectations, highlighting potential clinical and public health relevance for this population.
A new Northwestern University study has discovered a novel biomarker of schizophrenia that could also serve as a new drug candidate to treat the cognitive symptoms of the disorder. The study found that levels of the protein Cacna2d1 signal are reduced in patients with schizophrenia, resulting in overactive brain circuits.
Researchers found that adults with ADHD exhibit more sleep-like brain activity, leading to more lapses in attention. This increased activity may be a key brain mechanism underlying attention problems in ADHD. Further study is needed to explore potential strategies to mitigate this activity.
New research from the University of Mississippi suggests that storytelling is just as effective, and sometimes better, than survival processing in improving memory. By creating a narrative with unrelated nouns, participants were able to remember more than those who used survival processing or pleasantness processing.
Researchers found that cortisol significantly worsens orientation in individuals, particularly in environments without landmarks. The brain's internal GPS system, grid cells, lose function under stress, leading to impaired navigation.
A new study from Dartmouth College finds that social information can significantly impact how people experience negative events, including physical pain and mentally demanding tasks. When others describe an experience as painful, individuals tend to feel it that way, even when the actual experience is low in intensity.
Researchers discovered that the aging gastrointestinal tract produces specific molecules that blunt the activity of a key gut-brain neuronal pathway, leading to age-related cognitive decline. Stimulating specific gut sensory neurons and targeting the vagus nerve can restore youthful cognitive function in old mice, suggesting that brain...
A novel blood-based biomarker, p-tau217, can predict a woman's risk of developing dementia up to 25 years before symptoms appear. Higher levels of p-tau217 were strongly associated with future mild cognitive impairment and dementia among older, cognitively healthy women.
Cognitive neuroscientists are integrating genetics and AI to study language development and disorders. AI-based models can predict language development in children, while genetics research links rhythm disorders and dyslexia. The brain's wiring connecting language regions also reveals that language is a system, not a single 'thing'.
A new study published in JCOM found that AI disclosure labels may have the opposite effect of what regulators intend, decreasing the credibility of true scientific information while increasing that of false claims. The study tested 433 participants and found a counterintuitive pattern where the same label reduces credibility in opposit...
A cross-sectional study found that smartphone use during school hours is associated with reduced cognitive control in youths aged 11-18. The study highlights the need for school-level policies and digital literacy programs to address habitual smartphone-checking behaviors that fragment attention.
Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) are associated with cognitive decline, which may be linked to hormonal dysregulation and gut microbiota alterations. Surgical intervention improves cognitive function, suggesting a potential endocrine mechanism underlying cognitive dysfunction and recovery.
A new study models brain aging and resilience over the lifespan, uncovering individual factors that affect cognition and identifying potential biomarkers of healthy brain aging. Researchers are now incorporating diverse data, including social and lifestyle factors, to create a broader picture of the aging brain.
A review of 900 scientific articles identified several biological markers associated with cognitive decline in viral infections, including activated monocytes and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Conversely, certain markers like anti-inflammatory cytokines are linked to better preservation of cognitive abilities.
A team of MIT engineers identified tacit knowledge in volunteers who classified images, shifting focus to easier-to-classify areas without awareness. Bringing this concealed knowledge to the surface enhances experts' performance, suggesting a method for boosting learning experience in disciplines requiring keen observation skills.
Researchers investigated which characteristics of crystals made them fascinating to early humans, using experiments with chimpanzees. The chimps showed a strong attraction to transparent and crystalline properties, suggesting that this attraction may have deep evolutionary roots.