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Featured Neuroscience Psychology Visual Neuroscience

·December 18, 2024·5 min read

Study Ties Visual Errors to Paranoid Beliefs

A new study suggests complex beliefs like paranoia may have roots in visual misperception. Participants prone to paranoia or teleological thinking were more likely to wrongly identify one moving dot as chasing another in a visual task.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 4, 2024·5 min read

Brain Age Models Offer Insights into Early Development Trajectories

A new study highlights how brain age models can track healthy infant development and reveal environmental influences. Using MRI data from over 600 term and preterm infants, researchers trained machine learning models to predict brain age and identify gaps between predicted and actual ages.

This shows a parent walking with their kids.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 22, 2024·5 min read

The Secret to Raising Independent Kids? Let Them Learn on Their Own

Parents are 50% less likely to intervene in their young children’s tasks, such as getting dressed, when these activities are framed as learning opportunities. A new study demonstrated that emphasizing the educational value of everyday tasks promotes children’s independence and resilience by reducing overparenting.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 3, 2024·5 min read

Building Better Brain Imaging Models for Broader Clinical Use

New research shows that predictive models linking brain activity and behavior need to generalize across diverse datasets to be useful in clinical settings. By training models on varied brain imaging datasets, researchers found that effective models can still perform accurately when tested on different datasets with unique demographic and regional characteristics.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·October 22, 2024·6 min read

How Visual Clutter Disrupts Information Flow in the Brain

A new study reveals that visual clutter alters how information flows between neurons in the brain’s primary visual cortex, but not the order in which it's processed. Researchers found that the efficiency of information transfer changes depending on the location of clutter in the visual field.

This shows a brain puzzle with missing pieces.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·October 14, 2024·3 min read

Imaging Links Fewer Brain Connections to Autism Social Challenges

A recent study used PET imaging to examine synaptic connections in autistic and non-autistic adults, marking the first time this technology was applied to autism research. Findings show autistic adults have fewer synapses, or connections between brain cells, which closely relates to social and communicative differences in autism.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 14, 2024·3 min read

Brain Networks Vary in Structure-Function Link

Researchers reveal that the relationship between brain structure and function varies significantly across different brain regions. In primary sensory and motor regions, neuron wiring strongly predicts function, while in regions associated with complex cognition, this link weakens. Using data from 300 brain functions, the study found that advanced cognitive functions rely less on direct neural connections, suggesting evolutionary adaptation.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 5, 2024·4 min read

First Gut Microbiome Map for Personalized Food Responses

A recent study has mapped how molecules in food interact with gut bacteria, revealing why people respond differently to the same diets. By examining 150 dietary compounds, researchers found that these molecules can reshape gut microbiomes in some individuals, while having little effect in others.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 30, 2024·5 min read

AI Tools Predict Future Depression Symptoms from Word Choice

A new study has found that analyzing a person’s word choice can predict worsening symptoms of major depressive disorder. Researchers used human evaluators and ChatGPT to assess written responses, finding that both could accurately predict depression severity weeks later.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 27, 2024·5 min read

Unexpected Sounds Boost Dopamine, Leading to Riskier Decisions

A new study shows that unexpected sounds can cause dopamine bursts in the brain, which may lead to riskier decision-making. Researchers found that participants were 4% more likely to choose risky options after hearing a surprising tone. These findings highlight how unrelated sensory events, like sounds, can influence choices, shedding light on the role dopamine plays in decision-making.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 25, 2024·4 min read

Shared Brain Activity Patterns Linked to Behavior Identified

Scientists have uncovered stable patterns of brain activity across more than 300 individuals by reducing the complexity of fMRI data. These shared activity patterns, consistent across participants, may reveal biomarkers for psychiatric disorders and provide insight into individual differences in behavior.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·September 22, 2024·3 min read

100+ Genes Linked to Anxiety Disorders Identified

A large-scale genetic study involving over 1 million participants has uncovered more than 100 genes associated with anxiety. Researchers found that these genes contribute to the development of anxiety disorders and are also linked to other mental and physical health conditions, such as depression and gastrointestinal disorders.