Feature Channels: Cognition and Learning

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Released: 1-Nov-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Healthy Living Linked to Higher Brain Function, Delay of Dementia
York University

It's tempting to dip into the leftover Halloween treats, but new research out of York University has found eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, combined with regular exercise, leads to better cognitive functioning for younger and older adults, and may delay the onset of dementia.

Released: 1-Nov-2016 7:05 AM EDT
Improving Health Care for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
University of Louisville

To improve access to quality health care for adults with IDD and to support the physician specialty of adult developmental medicine, UofL and the Lee Specialty Clinic are sponsoring the second annual Caring for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Conference Nov. 12 at UofL.

27-Oct-2016 10:05 AM EDT
Making Sense of the Seneses: "Context" Matters When the Brain Interprets Sounds
NYU Langone Health

The brain’s interpretation of sound is influenced by cues from other senses, explaining more precisely how we interpret what we hear at a particular moment, according to a report published in Nature Neuroscience online Oct. 31.

Released: 28-Oct-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Wake Forest Baptist Research Team Receives $2 Million Award
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

A research team at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has been awarded a three-year grant for $2 million by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavior therapy and yoga on anxiety in older adults.

Released: 26-Oct-2016 1:05 PM EDT
High Blood Pressure Can Impair Cognitive Function, Pose Risk for Alzheimer’s
Loyola Medicine

High blood pressure in middle age can lead to impaired cognition and is a potential risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

Released: 25-Oct-2016 8:05 AM EDT
Many Kids Not Ready for Kindergarten
Michigan State University

Many children are still learning to control their behavior as they enter kindergarten and may need educational support to develop that critical skill, indicates one of the most conclusive studies to date of early childhood self-regulation.

Released: 24-Oct-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Maze Runners
Harvard Medical School

Working with dot-counting mice running through a virtual-reality maze, scientists from Harvard Medical School have found that in order to navigate space rodent brains rely on a cascade of neural signals that culminate in a single decision that prompts the animal to choose one direction over another.

   
Released: 24-Oct-2016 10:05 AM EDT
Researchers Discover Way to Induce Visual Hallucinations
University of Pittsburgh

Visual hallucinations ... everyone has heard of them, and many people have experienced the sensation of "seeing" something that isn't there. But studying the phenomenon of hallucinations is difficult: they are irregular, transitory, and highly personal--only the person experiencing the hallucination knows what he or she is seeing, and representations of what's being seen are limited to verbal descriptions or drawings.

Released: 19-Oct-2016 5:05 AM EDT
Going for a Run Could Improve Cramming for Exams
Elsevier BV

Ever worried that all the information you’ve crammed in during a study session might not stay in your memory? The answer might be going for a run, according to a new study published in Cognitive Systems Research.

18-Oct-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Today’s Self-Taught Typists Almost as Fast as Touch Typists…as Long as They Can See the Keyboard
Vanderbilt University

New study finds touch typists have a definite edge in speed over nonstandard typists but self-taught typists do nearly as well as long as they can see the keyboard.

Released: 17-Oct-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Insight Into Sleep’s Role in Schizophrenia Offers Potential Treatment Path
Beth Israel Lahey Health

A sleep abnormality likely plays an important role in schizophrenia, according to sleep experts at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). In a review of the growing body of evidence linking a reduction in sleep spindle activity to schizophrenia, the researchers suggested that a better understanding of this sleep abnormality’s genetic underpinnings opens the door to new treatments for the psychiatric disorder. Their paper appeared in the October 15 issue of Biological Psychiatry.

13-Oct-2016 6:30 PM EDT
Foster care children at much greater risk of physical, mental health problems
University of California, Irvine

Children who have been in the U.S. foster care system are at a significantly higher risk of mental and physical health problems – ranging from learning disabilities, developmental delays and depression to behavioral issues, asthma and obesity – than children who haven’t been in foster care, according to a University of California, Irvine sociologist.

Released: 11-Oct-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Televiewing Predicts Social Impairment During Adolescence
Universite de Montreal

Results of new study led by Linda Pagani, professor at the University of Montreal’s School of Psychoeducation, show that young children who watch too much television are at risk of victimization and social isolation and adopting violent and antisocial behaviour toward other students at age 13.

   
Released: 7-Oct-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Apes Can Understand What Others Are Thinking Just Like Humans
Newswise Recommends

Bonobos, chimpanzees and orangutans understand that others can be convinced of something that is not true, says a study by researchers of Duke University, Kyoto University, the University of St. Andrews and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

6-Oct-2016 1:05 PM EDT
Apes Understand That Some Things Are All in Your Head
Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft)

We all know that the way someone sees the world, and the way it really is, are not always the same. This ability to recognize that someone’s beliefs may differ from reality has long been seen as unique to humans. But new research on chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans suggests our primate relatives may also be able to tell when something is just in your head. The study was led by researchers of Duke University, Kyoto University, the University of St. Andrews and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Released: 5-Oct-2016 3:05 PM EDT
Early Marijuana Use Associated with Abnormal Brain Function, Study Reveals
Lawson Health Research Institute

In a new study, scientists in London, Ontario have discovered that early marijuana use may result in abnormal brain function and lower IQ.

4-Oct-2016 9:05 AM EDT
Problem-Solving Spreads Both Socially and Culturally in Bumblebees
PLOS

Watching each other helps these social insects learn to pull strings for a sugar water reward.

27-Sep-2016 11:00 AM EDT
Childhood Hypertension Associated with Cognitive Issues
Elsevier BV

Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, has increased significantly in children, paralleling the current childhood obesity epidemic. Although we know that adult hypertension can affect the brain, little research has been done on the cognitive effects of childhood hypertension. In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that hypertension is associated with cognitive issues in children and adolescents.

Released: 22-Sep-2016 7:05 AM EDT
When We’re Unsure How to Respond, How Does Our Brain Decide whether a Situation is Pleasant or Not?
University of Haifa

*Researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the University of Haifa used emotionally confusing video clips and revealed different neutral networks that operate when we perceive a situation as positive or negative*

   
Released: 19-Sep-2016 7:10 PM EDT
Researchers Identify Concussion Treatment for Persistent Cases in Children
Seattle Children's Hospital

Researchers at Seattle Children’s Research Institute published a study in the journal Pediatrics showing a new intervention for adolescents with persistent post-concussive symptoms that improved health and wellness outcomes significantly. The approach combines cognitive behavioral therapy and coordinated care among providers, schools, patients and families.

Released: 13-Sep-2016 12:05 PM EDT
A Nose by Any Other Name Would Sound the Same, Study Finds
Cornell University

In a study that shatters a cornerstone concept in linguistics, an analysis of nearly two-thirds of the world’s languages shows that humans tend to use the same sounds for common objects and ideas, no matter what language they’re speaking.

Released: 13-Sep-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Linking Perception to Action
University of California, Santa Barbara

A neuroscientist maps brain cell activity that occurs during the delay between sensation and action.

   
Released: 9-Sep-2016 8:00 AM EDT
UCLA–Caltech Study Identifies Brain Cells That Help Us Learn by Watching Others
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

From infancy, we learn by watching other people, then use those memories to help us predict outcomes and make decisions in the future. Now a UCLA–Caltech study has pinpointed the individual neurons in the brain that support observational learning.

Released: 6-Sep-2016 7:05 PM EDT
Cognitive function tests reliable for people with intellectual disabilities, UC Davis research shows
UC Davis MIND Institute

Researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute have found that a battery of tests appears to have strong potential for measuring cognitive changes over time for people with intellectual disabilities. The work could open new doors to research into whether drugs and specialized educational programs or treatments can improve function in people with Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome and other causes of intellectual disabilities.

Released: 1-Sep-2016 3:05 PM EDT
Parents' Math Skills 'Rub Off' on Their Children
University of Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH--Parents who excel at math produce children who excel at math. This is according to a recently released University of Pittsburgh study, which shows a distinct transfer of math skills from parent to child. The study specifically explored intergenerational transmission--the concept of parental influence on an offspring's behavior or psychology--in mathematic capabilities.

25-Aug-2016 5:05 PM EDT
Newer Epilepsy Drugs Taken While Pregnant Not Associated with Lower IQs in Children
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

MINNEAPOLIS – Two epilepsy drugs, levetiracetam and topiramate, may not harm the thinking skills and IQs of school-age children born to women who took them while pregnant, according to a recent study. The research is published in the August 31, 2016, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. However, the drug valproate is associated with lower IQs in children, especially at higher dosages.

Released: 29-Aug-2016 11:05 PM EDT
First Study Examines PTSD & Cognitive Impairment in World Trade Center Responders
Alzheimer's Association

New research published by the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring confirms the connection between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cognitive impairment - in this case, among those who helped with search, rescue and cleanup efforts following the 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) attacks.

Released: 25-Aug-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Scripps Florida Scientists Shed New Light on the Role of Calcium in Learning and Memory
Scripps Research Institute

In a new study, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute offer new insights how calcium in mitochondria—the powerhouse of all cells—can impact the development of the brain and adult cognition.

19-Aug-2016 3:00 PM EDT
The Brain Uses Backward Instant Replays to Remember Important Travel Routes
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Neuroscientists believe they have figured out how rats solve certain navigational problems. If there’s a “reward” at the end of the trip, specialized neurons in the hippocampus of the brain “replay” the route taken to get it, but backward. And the greater the reward, the more often the rats’ brains replay it.

   
Released: 24-Aug-2016 6:00 AM EDT
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Receives Top Epilepsy Ranking From the National Association of Epilepsy Centers
Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has been recognized by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) as a Level 4 epilepsy center, providing the highest–level medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy.

Released: 24-Aug-2016 1:05 AM EDT
Too Much Activity in Certain Areas of the Brain Is Bad for Memory and Attention
University of Nottingham

Neurons in the brain interact by sending each other chemical messages, so-called neurotransmitters. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the most common inhibitory neurotransmitter, which is important to restrain neural activity, preventing neurons from getting too trigger-happy and from firing too much or responding to irrelevant stimuli.

Released: 23-Aug-2016 5:05 PM EDT
UCLA Health experts advisory for September
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

UCLA Health experts are available to discuss a wide variety of topics of interest, with a focus on back-to-school issues, for the month of September.

Released: 21-Aug-2016 12:05 AM EDT
Maternal Language Shapes Infants' Cry Melodies
University of Würzburg

Tonal languages sound rather strange to European ears: in contrast to German, French or English, their meaning is also determined by the pitch at which syllables or words are pronounced. A seemingly identical sound can mean completely different things - depending on whether it is pronounced with high pitch, low pitch or a specific pitch fluctuation.

Released: 17-Aug-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Babies' Spatial Reasoning Predicts Later Math Skills
Emory Health Sciences

Spatial reasoning measured in infancy predicts how children do at math at four years of age, finds a new study published in Psychological Science.

Released: 16-Aug-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Most Adults Know More Than 42,000 Words
Frontiers

How many words do we know? It turns out that even language experts and researchers have a tough time estimating this.

 
Released: 16-Aug-2016 2:05 AM EDT
Providers Face Cultural Challenges When Evaluating Refugee Children
University of Rochester Medical Center

Numerous challenges face providers who are administering developmental screenings for refugee children, including differences in cultural and religious beliefs, language barriers, and disparate education levels, according to new research from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) published in the journal Pediatrics.

   
Released: 15-Aug-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Heading for a Fall
Monash University

The link between overconfidence and poor decision making is under the spotlight in an international study by scientists from Monash University and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig.

   
Released: 12-Aug-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Exercise Can Tackle Symptoms of Schizophrenia
University of Manchester

Aerobic exercise can significantly help people coping with the long-term mental health condition schizophrenia, according to a new study from University of Manchester researchers.

Released: 10-Aug-2016 2:05 AM EDT
Want a Better Memory? Try Eating a Mediterranean Diet
Frontiers

Eating a Mediterranean diet can slow down cognitive decline.

Released: 8-Aug-2016 7:00 AM EDT
Children with Hearing Loss and Their Families From 15 Countries Benefited From Unique Summer Session Programs
John Tracy Clinic

Many regions of the world today still lack ready access to audiology, auditory-verbal therapy and educational support services for young children with hearing loss and their families. JTC’s International Summer Sessions help to address the service gap.

Released: 3-Aug-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Why Parents Are the New 'Heroes' in Policing Young Drivers
Queensland University of Technology

Parents are vital in encouraging their children to obey the road rules and young drivers are keen to show their parents they can be trusted, which means they may hold greater power in enforcing driver restrictions compared with traditional policing, according to QUT research.

   
Released: 29-Jul-2016 1:05 PM EDT
Breastfeeding Associated with Better Brain Development and Neurocognitive Outcomes
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

A new study, which followed 180 pre-term infants from birth to age seven, found that babies who were fed more breast milk within the first 28 days of life had had larger volumes of certain regions of the brain at term equivalent and had better IQs, academic achievement, working memory, and motor function.

Released: 29-Jul-2016 1:05 AM EDT
Maintaining Healthy Relationships: University of Waterloo Studies Identify a Promising Way
University of Waterloo

Thinking about the future helps overcome relationship conflicts, according to a University of Waterloo study just published online in Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Released: 28-Jul-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Unlocking the Languages of Autistic Children in Families
University of Kent

Researchers at the University of Kent are arguing that creativity and intermedial languages can be used as a bridge to communicate with autistic children.

 
15-Jul-2016 9:00 AM EDT
Metabolite Normally Secreted in Urine May Cause Cognitive Impairment in Kidney Failure Patients
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

• A metabolite that is normally excreted in urine was linked with impaired cognitive function in patients with kidney failure. • The metabolite has been previously linked to cognitive impairment in other patient populations.

14-Jul-2016 7:05 AM EDT
In Gauging and Correcting Errors, Brain Plays Confidence Game, New Research Shows
New York University

The confidence in our decision-making serves to both gauge errors and to revise our approach, New York University neuroscientists have found. Their study offers insights into the hierarchical nature of how we make choices over extended periods of time, ranging from medical diagnoses and treatment to the strategies we use to invest our money.

   
14-Jul-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Infantile Memory Study Points to Critical Periods in Early-Life Learning for Brain Development
New York University

A new study on infantile memory formation in rats points to the importance of critical periods in early-life learning on functional development of the brain. The research, conducted by scientists at New York University’s Center for Neural Science, reveals the significance of learning experiences over the first two to four years of human life.

   
Released: 18-Jul-2016 10:00 AM EDT
Body-Mind Meditation Can Boost Attention and Health, Lower Stress
Texas Tech University

Meditation has long been promoted as a way to feel more at peace. But research from a Texas Tech University faculty member shows it can significantly improve attention, working memory, creativity, immune function, emotional regulation, self-control, cognitive and school performance and healthy habits while reducing stress.

   
11-Jul-2016 12:05 AM EDT
New Study of Toddlers Sheds Light on Value of FaceTime Video Chat as Meaningful Interaction
Lafayette College

Working parents and grandparents who FaceTime with their toddlers can take heart from a soon-to-be-published study from Lafayette College that sheds new light that on young children and how they engage in—and learn from—screen-time interactions.

Released: 13-Jul-2016 1:05 PM EDT
Using Wireless Interface, Operators Control Multiple Drones by Thinking of Various Tasks
Arizona State University (ASU)

A researcher at Arizona State University has discovered how to control multiple robotic drones using the human brain.



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