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learning

·June 22, 2023·6 min read

Pay Attention: Kids’ Distraction Helps Them Outshine Adults in Data Retention

Children’s perceived lack of attention may, in fact, make them more efficient than adults in absorbing and retaining information they are instructed to ignore. Researchers discovered children encode secondary information from a given task into their brains, in contrast to adults who focus strictly on the assigned task.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 14, 2023·6 min read

Psychedelics Unlock Learning Windows in the Brain

Researchers discovered a unique property of psychedelic drugs: their ability to reopen "critical periods" in the brain, times when the brain is highly susceptible to environmental learning signals. These periods, usually associated with skills development like language learning, are reopened by psychedelics for different lengths of time.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 6, 2023·7 min read

Dopamine Plays Double Duty in Learning and Motivation

A novel study suggests that dopamine, a neurotransmitter, plays dual roles in learning and motivation. In the study, male rats underwent Pavlovian or operant conditioning while their dopamine release was measured.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 23, 2023·4 min read

Basal Ganglia Pathway Key to Learning, Not Motor Control

In a radical shift from the past 30 years of neuroscience, researchers have discovered that the basal ganglia, a crucial part of the brain involved in motor control and learning, plays a more significant role in learning than previously thought. Contradicting long-standing beliefs, the study shows that the "indirect pathway" in the basal ganglia drives learning rather than motor control.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 15, 2023·8 min read

Oxytocin’s Role in Learning Birdsong Revealed

The study offers insights into the neurochemistry of social learning and draws parallels with language acquisition in humans. The researchers suggest these findings might contribute to understanding autism, as they shed light on the neurochemistry of early social bonds during language learning.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 9, 2023·3 min read

AI Emulates Brain’s Memory Replay, Uncovering How We Learn

Scientists have made strides in uncovering the mechanisms underlying memory formation and consolidation in the brain during rest or sleep. Their research focuses on the role of the hippocampus, a brain region important for memory, and its place cells which "replay" neuronal sequences. A team of scientists built an artificial intelligence model to better understand these processes, discovering that sequences of experiences are prioritized during replay based on familiarity and rewards. The AI agent was found to learn spatial information more effectively when replaying these prioritized sequences, offering valuable insight into the way our brains learn and process information.

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos

·April 29, 2023·5 min read

Cognitive Flexibility: How the Brain Learns New Rules to Navigate the Changing World

In everyday life, our brains adapt to new situations using the prefrontal cortex. A team of neuroscientists discovered a special class of neurons in the prefrontal cortex that enable flexible behavior, and when malfunctioning, may contribute to conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These long-range inhibitory connections synchronize gamma oscillations across the left and right prefrontal cortex, allowing the brain to change its behavior at the right moment. This research could lead to new treatments for psychiatric conditions by targeting these long-range inhibitory connections.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 28, 2023·5 min read

Biological Brains Outpace AI in Learning, Thanks to Structured Exploration

When it comes to rapid learning, the biological brain seems to have an edge over current AI technology. Scientists worked with different models of reinforcement learning to understand the algorithms that the brain uses to learn. They found that the directed exploration used by animals makes learning more efficient and requires less experience, unlike artificial agents that explore randomly.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 28, 2023·7 min read

Short-Term Memories Key to Rapid Motor-Skill Learning, Not Long-Term Memory

A new study challenges conventional thinking on the role of short and long-term memories in relearning motor skills. Researchers found that fleeting short-term memories, rather than long-term ones, are responsible for rapid motor learning, indicating the existence of mechanisms for regulating the learning rates for memories that are distinct from the memories themselves.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 25, 2023·6 min read

Listen Up! Classical Music May Not Benefit Learning in Mild Cognitive Impairment

According to a recent study, background classical music has no effect on learning levels in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, listening to high-arousal music may have a positive impact on individuals who use music as an emotional regulator, suggesting the need for further research.

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Featured Neuroscience

·April 22, 2023·5 min read

Mental Block: The Brain Often Stops Us From Learning From Mistakes

Researchers investigate why our brains often allow us to repeat mistakes and how we can apply cognitive control to self-correct when It comes to error-making.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·April 21, 2023·4 min read

Key Protein of Hippocampal Neurogenesis Discovered

The protein Yap1 plays a key role in the generation of new neurons in the hippocampus. However, tight regulation of Yap1 activity is essential as dysregulation causes the disruption of tissue seen in glioblastoma brain cancer.