Sum of incentives dictate efforts
People rarely have just one motivation to do something. New research from the lab of Todd Braver at Washington University in St. Louis suggests how, and where, they combine.
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Cognition
Air pollution spikes linked to lower test scores for Salt Lake County third graders
More frequent exposure to air pollution spikes were associated with reduced test scores for third graders in Salt Lake County. Schools with a higher proportion of students of color and from households experiencing poverty were exposed to more peak pollution days than were schools serving middle- to upper- class and predominately white students.
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Study Provides First Evidence of a Relationship between a Bird’s Gut and its Brain
A study of the relationships between cognition and the gut microbiome of captive zebra finches showed that their gut microbiome characteristics were related to performance on a cognitive assay where they learned a novel foraging technique. Researchers also identified potentially critical bacteria that were relatively more abundant in birds that performed better on this assay. This correlation provides some of the first evidence of a relationship between a bird’s gut microbiome and its brain.
Read moreNew research finds we don’t empathize with others equally – but we believe we should
According to new research, while we don’t always empathize with others equally–most of us believe we should.
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How the brain’s inner clock measures seconds
BACKGROUND Tracking the passage of time to the second is critical for motor control, learning and cognition, including the ability
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Pregnant mother’s immunity tied to behavioral, emotional challenges for kids with autism
Children with autism born to mothers who had immune conditions during their pregnancy are more likely to have behavioral and emotional problems, a UC Davis Health study has found. Offspring sex may also interact with maternal immune conditions to influence outcomes, particularly in terms of a child’s cognition.
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Can Sleep Protect Us from Forgetting Old Memories?
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that sleep may help people to learn continuously through their lifetime by encoding new memories and protecting old ones.
Read moreNSF Grants $1.24M for Project Working to Answer a Fundamental Neuroscience Question
Neuroscientist at the University at Albany will research how different types of memories are formed and stored at different times of the day, and how they are modified by different types of cells
Read moreFamily relationships impact cognitive health of older Chinese immigrants
A study by researchers at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research provides new evidence of the impact of family relationships on the cognitive health of older Chinese immigrants in the United States.
Read moreLight drinking may protect brain function
Light to moderate drinking may preserve brain function in older age, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.
Read moreLongitudinal Study of Brain Aging and Cognitive Change Receives $19 Million Grant
Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, will receive almost $19 million over five years for the fourth phase of the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging, which investigates cognition, aging and the risk for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
Read moreEarly-life Education Improves Memory in Old Age – Especially for Women
Education appears to protect older adults, especially women, against memory loss, according to a study by investigators at Georgetown University Medical Center, published in the journal Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition.
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Previously claimed memory boosting font “Sans Forgetica” does not actually boost memory
A font called Sans Forgetica was designed to enhance people’s memory for information displayed in that font—compared to reading information in an ordinary font, such as Arial.
Read moreContinued CO2 Emissions Will Impair Cognition
New CU Boulder research finds that an anticipated rise in carbon dioxide concentrations in our indoor living and working spaces by the year 2100 could lead to impaired human cognition.
Read moreDiet may help preserve cognitive function
According to a recent analysis of data from two major eye disease studies, adherence to the Mediterranean diet – high in vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil – correlates with higher cognitive function.
Read moreThe way you define intelligence matters
The way students view their own intelligence – their mindset – is a strong determining factor for academic performance.
Read moreBetter controlled diabetes is associated with preserved cognitive function following stroke
Better glucose control can help people with diabetes who have a common type of stroke to preserve their cognitive function, according to a study accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting. The abstract will be published in a special supplemental issue of the Journal of the Endocrine Society.
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Vitamin D Boosts Chances of Walking After Hip Fracture
Senior citizens who are not vitamin D deficient have a better chance of walking after hip fracture surgery, according to a Rutgers-led study. The findings in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest that vitamin D deficiency could limit mobility in older adults, said senior author Sue Shapses, a professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University–New Brunswick.
Read moreNeighborhood Features and One’s Genetic Makeup Interact to Affect Cognitive Function
Few studies have examined how the neighborhood’s physical environment relates to cognition in older adults. Researchers categorized 4,716 individuals by apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype – a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to determine if there are cognitive benefits of living in neighborhoods with greater access to social, walking and retail destinations. Results showed that the positive influence of neighborhood environments on cognition are strongest among those who are at the lowest risk for AD, specifically APOE ε2 carriers.
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Activating immune cells could revitalize the aging brain, study suggests
Researchers at Albany Medical College in New York have discovered that a specific type of immune cell accumulates in older brains, and that activating these cells improves the memory of aged mice. The study, which will be published February 5 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that targeting these cells might reduce age-related cognitive decline and combat aging-associated neurodegenerative disease in humans.
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Calculated Surprise Leads to Groundbreaking Discovery in Cognitive Control Research
To better understand how motivational control processes help maximize performance when faced with task challenges, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and provide fascinating insights into the role of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) as a component network of brain regions that support motivated behavior. They have unified conflicting findings by discovering that the single mechanism of surprise best accounts for activity in dACC during a task requiring motivated control.
Read moreCerebellum and cognition: Impact of co-use of alcohol and cigarettes
There is consistent evidence that having an alcohol use disorder is associated with abnormalities in the cerebellum, a structure attached to the bottom of the brain that is involved in coordinating posture and balance but also in supporting some cognitive functions. Cigarette smoking, which often co-occurs with alcohol use, has also been shown to impact brain structure and function, and co-use of these substances is purported to accelerate aging of the brain. A report published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research examines neuroimaging (MRI) data from 92 people in order to further investigate the impact of smoking and alcohol status on the volume of the cerebellum and related cognitive function.
Read moreWhat 26,000 books reveal when it comes to learning language
What can reading 26,000 books tell researchers about how language environment affects language behavior? Brendan T. Johns, an assistant professor of communicative disorders and sciences at UB has published a computational modeling study that suggests our experience and interaction with specific learning environments, like the characteristics of what we read, leads to differences in language behavior that were once attributed to differences in cognition.
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App to improve lives of older adults is set for first major user tests
Developed at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) through a collaboration that began in 2015, the app is called mPACT, for mobile Physical Activity Training.
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