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learning

·March 8, 2021·4 min read

Watching the Brain Learn

In older mice, adult neurons in the primary visual cortex with an increased number of "silent synapses" and lacking PSD-95, showed the same structural changes only seen previously in younger animals.

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Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience

·March 2, 2021·3 min read

Willpower Is the Key to Enhancing Learning and Memory

An increase in theta oscillations in the hippocampus help make learning and subsequent memory more efficient.

This shows brain scans with the hippocampus highlighted in orange

Featured Neuroscience

·March 1, 2021·3 min read

Noisy Brain Activity Contributes to Aging-Related Navigation Impairments

Overactive hippocampal activity may explain why some older people have trouble with spatial navigation and learning.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 27, 2021·3 min read

‘Explicit Instruction’ Provides Dramatic Benefits in Learning to Read

Those who received explicit instructions about the relationship between sound and spelling experienced dramatic improvements in their reading ability.

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Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·February 26, 2021·4 min read

Social Media Use Driven by Search for Reward, Akin to Animals Seeking Food

The use of social media, specifically to drive "likes" to our content, follows a pattern of "reward learning", much like when an animal is trained to seek food rewards.

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Featured Neuroscience

·February 24, 2021·5 min read

New Experiences Enhance Learning by Resetting Key Brain Circuit

Novel experiences dampen previous memory representations in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, facilitating flexible strategy encoding in mice.

This is a model of the hippocampal neuron structure

Featured Neuroscience

·February 19, 2021·3 min read

How Mouse Brains Reorganize Old Memories When New Ones Are Laid Down

Researchers map how the structure of existing memories is reorganized in the brain as new experiences are committed to memory.

This shows a man looking at smiley emojis and a mad emoji

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 11, 2021·5 min read

Learning by Observation Reduces Cognitive Bias

When people observe others making decisions, they often end up making better decisions themselves.

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Featured Neuroscience

·February 10, 2021·4 min read

How the Brain Makes Sense of Touch

Study identifies specific neurons that help activate sensory processing in nearby nerve cells. The findings suggest ways the brain integrates signals essential for tactile perception and learning.

This is a drawing od a rat with the effects of neuroplasticity and alcohol highlighted on different body parts

Featured Neuroscience

·February 10, 2021·3 min read

Adult Neurogenesis May Hold Clues for More Effective Treatment of Alcoholism

A new series of studies review the roles neuroplasticity and neurogenesis play in alcohol addiction and recovery.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 9, 2021·4 min read

Traumatic Stress in Childhood Can Lead to Brain Changes in Adulthood

Experiencing trauma or extreme stress during childhood can lead to structural changes in the hippocampus and amygdala that can be seen decades later.

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Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·January 30, 2021·2 min read

Turning on the Switch for Plasticity in the Human Brain

Glutamate is first released near the AMPA-type glutamate receptors, then released near the NMDA-type receptors immediately after the first signal to activate the switch for synaptic plasticity.