Brain or muscles, what do we lose first?
A decline in cognitive ability after the age of 50 results in a decline in physical activity. The inverse relationship is much weaker than previously believed.... Read More...
University of Geneva
Personality traits found to be protective in Alzheimer’s disease
Your personality traits might indicate whether you are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease as you age. Those who are less agreeable and more confrontational appear to have better neuroprotection against the disease. Lower agreeableness was associated with lower brain volume loss in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and other areas linked to memory. Higher openness was also associated with lower brain volume loss in the hippocampus. The data suggests a combination of lower agreeableness and higher openness could be independent predictors of the preservation of brain volume in areas vulnerable to neurodegeneration.... Read More...
Our memory prefers essence over form
Similarities in structure and essence guide our memories rather than surface similarities or themes.... Read More...
A new method for boosting the learning of mathematics
Researchers have developed a new intervention program that promotes the learning of math to school-aged children. More than half the children who entered the ACE-ArithmEcole program were better able to solve complex math problems, compared to 29% who were not exposed to the new method.... Read More...
How our dreams prepare us to face our fears
Study identified the neural correlates of fear during dreaming and reports similar areas are activated when experiencing fear during wakeful states.... Read More...
Why is the brain disturbed by harsh sounds?
Harsh noises, such as alarm bells and sirens, hold the brain's attention by stimulating its aversion networks. ... Read More...
How our brain filters sounds
The brain adjusts the attention it gives to identical sounds the moment they are perceived in the brainstem.... Read More...
Expert mathematicians stumped by simple subtractions
Our knowledge of the world has a critical impact on the ability to use mathematical reasoning, even for mathematicians. Findings reveal math professionals can be duped by some aspects of their knowledge about the world and fail to solve simple fifth-grade math problems.... Read More...
Is multiple sclerosis linked to childhood viral infections?
Exposure to viral infections in the brain during childhood has been linked to an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis later in life. ... Read More...
Adolescence is the game-changer for schizophrenia
Teens with schizophrenia symptoms and a genetic abnormality of chromosome 22 had significant brain atrophy in the hippocampus compared to those with the genetic variant and no psychiatric symptoms.... Read More...
Music helps to build the brains of very premature babies
Music specially composed for preterm babies helps strengthen the development of neural networks and may help to limit neurodevelopmental delays often experienced by those born prematurely.... Read More...
When it comes to learning, what’s better: The carrot or the stick?
People are more confident in decisions, and execute choices more quickly, if they are chasing a reward. However, we become more flexible in our decisions when trying to avoid a negative outcome.... Read More...