Articles tagged with Cognition
New research shows that electric fields drive neural activity and coordinate memory across two key brain regions. The findings could lead to improved brain-controlled prosthetics for people with paralysis.
The study reveals five distinct brain types, each suited for its purpose, from a jellyfish's diffuse neural network to the human brain's reflective capabilities. Researchers suggest that autonomous machines can learn from coordination in bees, rapid thinking in birds, and single-mindedness in worms.
A recent meta-analysis of 29 studies found that intranasal insulin treatment can boost cognition in individuals with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's Disease. The analysis suggests potential benefits for this treatment approach, which may be worth further investigation.
A new study found associations between socioeconomic status, childhood obesity, cognitive performance, and white matter microstructure. Obesity and cognition may play a role in these associations, with future research benefiting from considering multiple socioeconomic perspectives.
Research published by the American Psychological Association found that people believe in conspiracy theories due to a need to understand and feel safe in their environment. Additionally, certain personality traits such as a sense of antagonism toward others and high levels of paranoia are more prone to believing conspiracy theories.
A new analysis of nearly 6,000 people found that childhood cognitive ability is associated with better scores on measures of wealth in adulthood, but the relationship varies for different financial measures. The study also discovered an inverted U-shape relationship between cognitive ability and debt levels.
A retrospective case-matched study found prism adaptation therapy (PAT) to be beneficial for treating both right- and left-sided spatial neglect. PAT showed improvements in neglect symptoms for patients with right-sided neglect, suggesting greater potential benefits compared to those with left-sided neglect.
A study by Lund University researchers reveals that visual perspective taking, a crucial social skill, originated in the dinosaur lineage around 60 million years ago. This finding challenges the prevailing view that mammals drove the evolution of complex cognition.
Research suggests that brain's electrical activity tunes sub-cellular components to optimize network stability and efficiency. This 'Cytoelectric Coupling' hypothesis proposes that electric fields influence neurons' physical configuration to fine-tune information processing.
Researchers found that modern dog breeds, which are genetically more distant from wolves, have relatively larger brain sizes compared to ancient breeds. This increase in brain size cannot be attributed to the roles or life history characteristics of the breeds.
New research shows that people with bipolar disorder or depression are more likely to be hospitalized if their verbal memory is poor. The study found an approximately 84% increased risk of admission to a psychiatric ward due to impaired verbal memory.
A recent study from Oregon State University found that refocusing on mental imagery is a more effective distraction than verbal thoughts for adolescents stuck in negative thought spirals. The study, led by Hannah Lawrence, suggests that mental imagery can help break up the thought spiral and seek help from a therapist or support system.
A large national study found that preteens carrying excess weight have notable differences in cognitive performance, brain structures, and brain circuitry. The association is concerning as it suggests that excess BMI may impact brain development and function.
New research shows that rhythmic brain activity helps organize transient bursts of activity in the brain to maintain short-term connections. Brain rhythms coordinate overlapping populations of neurons to store different pieces of information at the same time.
A recent study published in Nature has identified specific brain areas that integrate planning, purpose, physiology, behavior, and movement. Researchers found that stimulating certain areas of the brain can calm both the body and mind, providing new insights into the mind-body connection.
Researchers found that enhancing NMDAR function via increased serine racemase expression improved attention and cognitive flexibility in middle-aged rats. Upregulating serine racemase in the medial prefrontal cortex also increased glutamatergic synaptic transmission, including NMDAR activity.
Researchers found that forecasters have an incentive to misreport when their reputation is at stake, with higher levels of misreporting in less uncertain situations. The study suggests firms should trust expert advice when uncertainty is high and link evaluations to ex-post accuracy to reduce misreporting.
A recent study published in NeuroImage found that older adults with improved cognitive performance during dual-task walking had flexible neural resource allocation. This discovery suggests a potential method for tracking brain health and identifying individuals at risk of aging-related cognitive decline.
A new study published in PLOS Medicine suggests that existing associations between cognitive ability and body mass index may be due to confounding by family factors. The research analyzed data from over 12,000 siblings and found a significantly smaller association when comparing siblings within families.
A Yale School of Public Health study found that older persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who adopted positive age beliefs were 30% more likely to regain normal cognition compared to those with negative beliefs. These positive beliefs also enabled participants to recover their cognition up to two years earlier.
Researchers discovered an Asian elephant named Pang Pha's exceptional banana-peeling ability, which suggests that elephants have impressive cognitive and manipulative skills. The study found that Pha learned to peel bananas through observational learning from humans, challenging the idea that such complex behaviors are unique to humans.
Research reveals people misremember events in just seconds, altering memories to suit their expectations. This distortion can significantly impact perceptions of reality.
A global study found that dogs' functions are a good predictor of how they are treated by their owners, with more functions leading to closer relationships. The research also found that not all dog jobs influence treatment equally, with herding increasing positive care and hunting increasing personhood.
A new study published in the Journal of Cognition and Development found that preschoolers aged three and five prefer learning from a competent robot over an incompetent human. The research, conducted by Concordia University researchers, used humanoid robots to teach children about unfamiliar objects. Five-year-olds were more likely to ...
A new study by University of Houston psychologist Adam Fetterman found that neighborhood apps are associated with inaccurate perceptions of higher local crime rates. The frequent use of such services by a large portion of the population suggests important implications for perceptions and behaviors related to people's neighborhoods.
Scientists have identified distinct mechanisms by which people remove information from their working memory and found that forgetting requires much effort. They also discovered four brain networks that activate when memories are maintained or purged through different mechanisms.
Two early-career cognitive neuroscientists, Anna Schapiro and Freek van Ede, have been awarded the prestigious Young Investigator Award by the Cognitive Neuroscience Society. Their research focuses on understanding human learning and working memory.
Researchers found that older adults with depression exhibit accelerated biological aging, poor physical and brain health, and worse cardiovascular health. This association suggests opportunities for preventive strategies to reduce disability associated with major depression in older adults.
A new MIT study explains how the brain manages general and specific components of working memory, enabling flexibility in task demands. Spatial Computing theory proposes that distinct spaces in the cortex govern rule-based control, allowing for dynamic reshaping of memory representations.
A team of researchers, led by UMass Lowell's Neil Shortland, is developing AI systems to help doctors triage patients in emergency situations. The project aims to identify the best human attributes that AI can mirror when making difficult decisions.
A Dartmouth study found that COVID-19 can cause 'prosopagnosia,' or face blindness, and impairments in navigational abilities. Researchers worked with a patient who experienced difficulty recognizing faces and navigating, leading to dissociation between face recognition and cognitive map representation.
Recent studies have identified key psychological processes, such as repetitive negative thinking and self-reflection, that may impact cognitive aging and dementia prevention. Researchers propose incorporating psychological elements to reduce dementia risk through cognitive-behavioral interventions.
A study by University of Cologne researchers found that virtual reality gamers completed tasks faster with higher levels of general intelligence and processing capacity. The results suggest VR games can be used as a tool for predicting job performance, bridging the gap between research and practice.
A University of California, Riverside study found that people's memories for celebrity faces are sharper but less accurate than those for non-celebrity faces. This 'variance-bias tradeoff' suggests that humans prioritize precision over accuracy to accommodate the natural variability in face recognition.
Reducing mRNA methylation promotes migration of macrophages into the brain and clearance of toxic protein amyloid-beta. This pathway provides a potential new target for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
A study by University of Cambridge researchers found that imagining a recent meal as bigger and more filling can help reduce subsequent snacking. Participants who imagined their meal as twice as big consumed significantly fewer biscuits in a taste test.
A new study found significant links between sleep disturbances and the risk for developing dementia over a 10-year period. Sleep-maintenance insomnia was associated with a lower risk of dementia, while sleep-initiation insomnia and sleep medication use were linked to an increased risk.
Researchers identified microglia as key players in chemo brain inflammation, suggesting a potential target for treatment. In a mouse study, deleting microglia restored memory and lowered brain inflammation after paclitaxel treatment.
A novel ensemble learning model has achieved an accuracy of 96 percent in predicting mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older drivers. The two most influential driving variables are the right to left turn ratio and the number of hard braking events.
A neuroimaging study of 8,900 children aged 9-11 reveals sex differences in brain connectivity and cognitive performance. The findings suggest that girls mature faster than boys, which may impact future development of brain developmental trajectory charts.
Researchers developed an AI model to analyze noncoding DNA mutations' impact on brain function and development, identifying potential causes of complex brain disorders like autism. The study sheds light on the origins of brain disorders and may lead to novel treatments.
A study of 15,000 individuals with prior COVID-19 infection found that those with post-COVID condition (PCC) were less likely to work full-time and more likely to be unemployed. Cognitive symptoms were also associated with reduced employment likelihood.
In a controlled experiment, researchers found that Goffin's cockatoos recognize when multiple tools are required to extract seeds from a fruit. The birds were able to adapt their tool use depending on the situation and transport the tools as a set on an as-needed basis.
A new study from Linköping University found that cognitive ability levels do not differentiate wages among top earners, contrary to common defenses of their extraordinary earnings. Average ability plates at a modest level of +1 standard deviation above average cognitive ability for those earning above €60,000 annual wage.
Research on Latino mother-child pairs reveals that prenatal pollution exposure is associated with deficits in motor coordination, language skills, and cognitive development at age 2. The study found significant correlations between exposure to particulate matter and lower composite cognitive scores.
Researchers at MIT's Picower Institute found that the brain stores information in working memory by making short-lived changes in neural connections, contradicting the traditional idea of sustained neuronal activity. This new insight sheds light on the sophisticated flexibility of thought and its dynamic nature.
A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that internet-based therapy can help people with anger and aggression, with a combination of mindful emotion awareness and cognitive reappraisal being the most effective strategy. Four-week treatments resulted in decreased self-reported anger and aggressiveness.
A new study published in JAMA Neurology found that using hearing aids can decrease the risk of cognitive decline by 20%. The study, conducted by researchers at NUS Medicine, analyzed data from over 130,000 participants and found a significant association between hearing aid use and reduced cognitive decline. The findings suggest that t...
A new study published in Nature Scientific Reports shows that playing the piano for just one hour a week can improve audio-visual processing and reduce depression, stress, and anxiety. The study found significant improvements in multisensory information processing among adults with no prior musical experiences.
A Japanese research group found that people with psychiatric disorders tend to hold negative self-schemas, which can renew themselves through feedback and cognitive reactivity. This self-perpetuation process can lead to the development of mental illnesses even in good environments.
A study by the University of Geneva finds that adopting multiple perspectives on mathematical problems enhances proportional reasoning. Students who received lessons based on this approach outperformed those in traditional classes, regardless of socio-economic background.
Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine identified PKCα as a potential therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease. The study found that a subtle increase in PKCα activity was sufficient to produce biochemical, cellular and cognitive impairments in mice, similar to those observed in human AD.
A study by Aarhus University researchers found that expert jazz musicians store linked audio and motor representations in the brain, which are drawn upon to create improvisations. These improvisation vocabularies vary between players and exhibit stylistically appropriate and novel characteristics, hallmarks of creativity.
The APOE4 gene variant increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease by disrupting the insulation of brain wiring. Research found that oligodendrocytes mismanage cholesterol, failing to transport fat molecules to myelinate axons. This deficiency may contribute to the pathology and symptoms of Alzheimer's.
Female putty-nosed monkeys deliberately use alarm calls to recruit males to defend the group, a first observed intentional vocalization in animal kingdom. Researchers found females react directly to male actions, adjusting their behavior when goal achieved.
A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that analyzing patients' drawing tests can help diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD) and distinguish it from dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The researchers discovered that DLB patients showed differences in speed-, pressure-, and pause-related features, whereas AD patients sh...
A study found that Eurasian jays with greater self-control can pass a version of the 'marshmallow test' and score higher on intelligence tests. The researchers believe that this self-control may have evolved as a result of the birds' need to delay gratification in order to plan for future meals.
Researchers used a neural network model to study how brain regions interact during sleep. They found that the hippocampus and neocortex work together to convert fleeting information into long-term memory. The findings suggest that alternating between REM and slow-wave sleep stages is crucial for strong memory formation.
A meta-analysis by Goethe University Frankfurt found that individualized treatment combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) led to a significant increase in pain relief. The study showed an 84% higher success rate compared to standard exercise therapies, making this approach the most effective.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $10.7 million grant to Cleveland Clinic to expand a national research consortium focused on improving diagnosis and treatments for Dementia with Lewy Bodies. The consortium, which includes multiple clinical sites, aims to identify biomarkers for disease and develop new therapies.