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cognition

·December 4, 2023·4 min read

Optimism Linked to Poor Decision-Making and Lower Cognitive Skills

While optimism is often celebrated, a new study reveals that excessive optimism can lead to poor decision-making, particularly in financial matters. The research shows that individuals with high cognitive ability tend to be more realistic and pessimistic in their future expectations, while those with lower cognitive ability lean towards excessive optimism.

This shows a brain that looks like a tree.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 29, 2023·5 min read

The Cerebellum’s Role in Human Cognitive Evolution

New research reveals the cerebellum's significant role in the evolution of human cognitive functions. The study mapped the genetic development of cerebellar cells in humans, mice, and opossums, uncovering both ancestral and unique cellular characteristics.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 27, 2023·5 min read

Newborns’ Innate Beat Perception: Key to Early Musical Cognition

Researchers revealed that newborn babies inherently perceive musical beats, a skill separate from their statistical learning ability. The study involved 27 newborns and used EEG brain wave measurements to differentiate between beat perception and statistical learning of sound sequences. Results showed that babies could detect a regular pulse in music when timing between beats was consistent.

This shows two faces. One has a Union Flag painted on it.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 22, 2023·4 min read

Cognitive Skills Linked to Brexit Votes

A new study suggests a correlation between higher cognitive abilities and voting "Remain" in the 2016 Brexit referendum. Analyzing data from 3,183 UK couples, the study found that individuals with higher cognitive skills, as well as those with spouses possessing higher cognitive abilities, were more likely to vote "Remain."

Featured Neuroscience

·November 21, 2023·3 min read

Why AI is Not Like Human Intelligence

A new study argues that the perception of AI intelligence is marred by linguistic confusion. While AI, such as ChatGPT, generates impressive text, it lacks true understanding and consciousness.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 31, 2023·4 min read

Cognitive Maturity: 18 is the Threshold of Cognitive Adulthood

A new study sheds light on when adolescents start thinking like adults. Researchers found that executive function, critical for task-switching and focus, typically matures around 18 years old.

This shows a child with his hands in water.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 27, 2023·5 min read

High Fluoride Levels May Affect Child Cognition

A pilot study found a possible link between the long-term consumption of water with elevated fluoride levels and cognitive impairments in children. Conducted in rural Ethiopia, where wells exhibit varied natural fluoride levels, researchers assessed the cognitive abilities of 74 children through drawing and memory tests.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 27, 2023·3 min read

Is AI Mimicking Consciousness or Truly Becoming Aware?

AI's remarkable abilities, like those seen in ChatGPT, often seem conscious due to their human-like interactions. Yet researchers suggest AI systems lack the intricacies of human consciousness.

This shows a baby and a model of the brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 26, 2023·4 min read

Stunted Growth in Infants Reshapes Brain Function and Cognitive Outcomes

Research reveals that infants with stunted growth show cognitive ability disruptions as early as six months. The study demonstrates that visual working memory in these infants is compromised, leading to higher distractibility and poor cognitive outcomes by age one.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 25, 2023·5 min read

Can AI Mimic Human Compositional Thinking?

Researchers advanced the capabilities of neural networks to make compositional generalizations, similar to how humans grasp and expand on new concepts. This new technique, named Meta-learning for Compositionality (MLC), challenges decades-old skepticism about the capacity of artificial neural networks.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 11, 2023·6 min read

Teen Brains at Risk: Common Herbicides Linked to Cognitive Dip

Herbicides, notably glyphosate and 2,4-D, have been associated with adverse effects on adolescent brain function, according to researchers from the University of California San Diego. Findings show the ubiquitous presence of these herbicides in the urine of adolescents in Pedro Moncayo, Ecuador, and associate higher herbicide concentrations with poorer neurobehavioral performance.

Mild cognitive impairment was diagnosed by a panel of researchers who reviewed each participant´s performance across several tests.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 11, 2023·4 min read

Subtle Test Deficits: A Quiet Prelude to Cognitive Decline?

A recent study reveals a potential predictive indicator for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often a forerunner to dementia, in individuals reporting subjective cognitive decline yet displaying only subtle test deficits. The investigation, encompassing 439 participants averaging 71 years of age, identified that those with minor test deficits were over four times more likely to progress to MCI compared to their counterparts without such deficits.