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NUS researchers identify potential mediator for social memory formation

A study by NUS researchers has identified the potential role of a neuropeptide named Substance P as a mediator of social memory in area CA2 of the hippocampus. This finding suggests that Substance P may play a key role in forming social memories, including distinguishing between familiar and novel faces or objects.

SourceNational University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateNov 15, 2017

Exposure to violence hinders short-term memory, cognitive control

A study published in PNAS found that exposure to violent episodes hinders short-term memory and cognitive control, with significant impacts on school performance, job prospects, and overall life success. Researchers examined civilians in Colombia, finding long-lasting effects of violence on cognition and memory recall.

SourcePrinceton School of Public and International Affairs·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 24, 2017

Mitochondrial flash signals long-term memory at neuronal synapse

Researchers discovered that dendritic mitochondrial flash, also known as 'mitoflash,' is essential for converting short-term memories into long-term ones. The study revealed that mitoflash facilitates the transition from short-term to long-term synaptic potentiation through a bi-directional interaction between mitochondria and synapses.

SourceUniversity of Science and Technology of China·JournalNature Communications·DateJun 26, 2017

Think you can handle your alcohol? Study may urge some drinkers to think again

Researchers found that heavy drinkers developed behavioral tolerance to alcohol on simpler fine motor tasks, such as the Grooved Pegboard Test, but not on more complex tasks like the Digit Symbol Substitution Test. Despite faster metabolism, heavy drinkers showed similar levels of impairment on these tasks compared to light drinkers.

SourceVeterans Affairs Research Communications·JournalPsychopharmacology·DateApr 13, 2017

Super-sized memory is trainable and long lasting

After 40 days of daily training using a strategic memory improvement technique, individuals with typical memory skills more than doubled their memory capacity. Brain scans showed altered brain functions and similar connectivity patterns as those of world champion memory athletes. Four months later, recall performance remained high.

SourceCell Press·JournalNeuron·DateMar 8, 2017

Maze Runners

A Harvard Medical School study has found that mice navigate mazes by weighing all available cues before making a decision, suggesting a more complex process than previously thought. The researchers used virtual-reality maze experiments and injected mice with a virus to visualize neuronal activity in real-time.

SourceHarvard Medical School·JournalNature Neuroscience·DateOct 24, 2016

4 is the 'magic' number

A new study suggests that the human mind can cope with a maximum of four chunks of information before confusion sets in. Professor Gordon Parker from the University of New South Wales re-analyzed experiments and found that this number is more accurate than previously thought.

SourceUniversity of New South Wales·JournalActa Psychiatrica Scandinavica·DateNov 27, 2012

The debate over ecstasy continues

A new study published in Addiction journal reveals that even occasional ecstasy use can lead to memory impairments, particularly with damage to the hippocampus. The research found that participants who took ten or more pills over their first year showed decreased function of immediate and short-term memory.

SourceWiley·JournalAddiction·DateJul 25, 2012

Pitt researchers link neural variability to short-term memory and decision making

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have found that fluctuations in brain activity impact cognitive tasks, leading to errors in short-term memory. By understanding how neural variability relates to cognitive functions, the team aims to provide important clues about the neural mechanisms that support cognition.

SourceUniversity of Pittsburgh·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateApr 2, 2012

New target for Alzheimer's drugs

Researchers have identified beta-arrestin, a protein that supports connections between neurons, as a crucial link to short-term memory. By regulating synaptic plasticity, beta-arrestin plays a key role in the formation and disassembly of neural connections, which can help prevent Alzheimer's disease.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateFeb 8, 2012

MIT neuroscientists explain 'Proustian effect' of small details attached to big memories

Researchers at MIT's Picower Institute of Learning and Memory discovered that relatively minor details are sometimes linked to long-term memories. They found that irrelevant information that follows a relevant event is more likely to be integrated into long-term memory, and that this can occur within an hour and a half after the event.

Clarity in short-term memory shows no link with IQ

Researchers at the University of Oregon found that a person's ability to store more items in their short-term memory is linked to higher fluid intelligence as measured by IQ tests. In contrast, the clarity or resolution of those memories shows no relationship with fluid intelligence.

SourceUniversity of Oregon·JournalPsychonomic Bulletin & Review·DateNov 29, 2010

Preserving memory with age

Researchers found that longevity treatments have different impacts on learning and memory in C. elegans, a nematode species. Dietary restriction improved early adult memory but declined with age, while reduced Insulin/IGF-1 signaling enhanced memory performance but failed to preserve it with age.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Biology·DateMay 18, 2010

First ever large-scale study of ketamine users published

A large-scale study of ketamine users found that heavy users experienced impaired verbal memory, forgetfulness, and difficulty recalling conversations. The study also revealed that occasional ketamine use does not lead to prolonged harms to cognitive function, but frequent use can have negative effects.

SourceWiley·JournalAddiction·DateNov 16, 2009

Decoding short-term memory with fMRI

Researchers at the University of Oregon and UC-San Diego used fMRI to identify specific information people store in short-term memory. They found that brain activity patterns can predict what someone is remembering based on visual details.

SourceUniversity of Oregon·JournalPsychological Science·DateFeb 20, 2009

How the brain and an iPhone differ

A team of UO researchers found that human memory has a four-item limit, varying from person to person, with high IQ individuals able to think about more things at once. The study contradicts the assumption that those who can remember more items have clearer memories.

SourceUniversity of Oregon·JournalPsychological Science·DateJul 11, 2007

New research shows why too much memory may be a bad thing

A new study from Columbia University Medical Center suggests that too much memory can be detrimental to cognitive function. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that suppressing neurogenesis in the hippocampus improves working memory. This implies that a balance between memory growth and...

SourceColumbia University Irving Medical Center·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 28, 2007

Why we 'never forget a face'

Researchers found that people can store more faces in their visual short-term memory than other objects, thanks to the efficient way faces are encoded. This advantage was only observed when participants studied upright faces, which are more familiar to us.

SourceVanderbilt University·JournalPsychonomic Bulletin & Review·DateDec 11, 2006

Learning during sleep?

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research have found that the cerebral cortex actively controls memory transfer during sleep. The researchers developed a new technique to investigate this largely under-researched field, discovering a link between interneurones and the cerebral cortex.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalNature Neuroscience·DateDec 5, 2006