Feature Channels: Cognition and Learning

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Cleveland Clinic has launched an innovative study exploring the link between epilepsy and stress, supported by a $5.5 million donation from the Charles L. Shor Foundation. The five-year clinical trial is the first of its kind to study and compare the effect of lifestyle interventions, such as yoga, music therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, on seizure control. The research team will study the impact on seizure frequency as well as epilepsy-associated co-morbidities, such as depression, anxiety, cognitive function and quality of life. The team will follow 1,000 patients with difficult-to-treat epilepsy.

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Now that the holiday season has concluded, perhaps you’ve noticed the warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia in aging family members. George Grossberg, M.D., the Samuel W. Fordyce professor and director of geriatric psychiatry at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, said it is during family gatherings that caregivers often notice older adults 65 and over may be slipping cognitively.

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Owning a pet, like a dog or cat, especially for five years or longer, may be linked to slower cognitive decline in older adults, according to a preliminary study released today, February 23, 2022, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 74th Annual Meeting being held in person in Seattle, April 2 to 7, 2022 and virtually, April 24 to 26, 2022.

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Among people with no memory or thinking problems, having a poor score on a simple memory test may be linked to biomarkers in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease as well as very early signs of memory impairment that precede dementia by several years, according to a study published in the February 23, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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A large study that investigates just what keeps our brains sharp as we age and what contributes to cognitive decline has been launched by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Minnesota Medical School and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

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The Latest Research News in Cardiovascular Health

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Common flies feature more advanced cognitive abilities than previously believed. Using a custom-built immersive virtual reality arena, neurogenetics and real-time brain activity imaging, researchers found attention, working memory and conscious awareness-like capabilities in fruit flies.

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A new study suggests that people with mild traumatic brain injuries may be more likely to have cognitive impairment, cognitive decline or both one year later, compared to people who were not injured. The research is published in the February 16, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. People with poor cognitive outcomes were also more likely to have other symptoms like anxiety and lower satisfaction with life.

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As our brains mature, two key memory regions’ precise communication boost formation of lasting memories

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Irvine, Calif., Feb. 15, 2022 – In a scientific first, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have discovered fundamental mechanisms by which the hippocampus region of the brain organizes memories into sequences and how this can be used to plan future behavior. The finding may be a critical early step toward understanding memory failures in cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

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Research at the University of Chicago has found that while taking small amounts of the psychedelic drug LSD — a practice known as “microdosing” — appears to be safe, it does not appear to significantly affect mood or cognitive function.

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A research team led by faculty members at Wayne State University has discovered that communication between two key memory regions in the brain determines how what we experience becomes part of what we remember, and as these regions mature, the precise ways by which they interact make us better at forming lasting memories.

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Georgia Tech lab of Garrett Stanley identifies the neural signaling that correlates with adaptive behavior in what could be the first step toward new strategies to improve and speed up learning.

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“Our findings suggest that being fit can protect against mild cognitive impairment in older people,” says Ekaterina Zotcheva.

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Cockatoos have shown an extraordinary ability to complete a task by combining simple tools, demonstrating that this cognitive ability is not found only in primates.

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People at risk of developing alcohol use disorder show lower functional connectivity between brain regions involved in processing facial expressions. Future psychoeducation programs focused on improving social and emotional processing may help prevent alcohol use disorder.

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An international consortium with researchers from 13 countries has investigated the impact of Covid-19 related social isolation measures on 2,200 young infants and toddlers between 8 and 36 months of age.

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Many recovered COVID-19 patients continue to exhibit significant and long-lasting cognitive deficits in memory, attention, language comprehension and multitasking, as well as fatigue.

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Children are having difficulty recognizing faces that are partially covered by masks. This could potentially impact social interactions with peers and educators, as well as the ability to form important relationships, according to a new study led by York University.

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Researchers looked at gender differences relative to wisdom, using two different validated scales and found that, in general, women scored higher on compassion-related items and on self-reflection while men scored higher on cognitive-related items and on emotional regulation.

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Cognitive changes following non-neurologic and non-cardiac surgery were not associated with changes in Alzheimer’s disease-related biomarkers in older patients, according to a study led by a team at Duke University School of Medicine.

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A new study has found that greater body fat is a risk factor for reduced cognitive function, such as processing speed, in adults. Even when the researchers took cardiovascular risk factors (such as diabetes or high blood pressure) or vascular brain injury into account, the association between body fat and lower cognitive scores remained. This suggests other not yet confirmed pathways that linked excess body fat to reduced cognitive function.

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Remote UC San Diego School of Medicine study finds brain function boosted by daily exercise in middle-aged and older adults.

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Researchers have developed a new method of measuring motor imitation, adding to a growing set of computational behavior analysis tools that can detect and characterize motor differences in children with autism.

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A new longitudinal study takes a deep dive into adolescent self-esteem and the role that parents – specifically mothers – and friends play in shaping how youth feel about themselves.

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A new University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI) program is helping to meet that need by equipping health and education professionals with the specialized skills and knowledge needed to effectively care for children with developmental disabilities.

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People like to take the path of least resistance when it comes to cognitive effort – a common assumption in cognitive psychology. Researchers at the University of Vienna and the Technische Universität Dresden have now come to a different conclusion: once people receive a reward for their effort investment, they later choose challenging tasks even if they no longer receive a reward. The study is currently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

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Subtle changes in the structure and the diastolic function of a person’s heart between early adulthood and middle age may be associated with a decline in thinking and memory skills. The research is published in the January 26, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The diastolic function of the heart is when it rests between beats and the chambers fill with blood.

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Novel trial measured simulated driving performance of persons after cannabis use, revealing sharply differentiated levels of ability and perception of skills.

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Here are some of the latest articles we've posted in the Behavioral Science channel.

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Late night movies, gaming marathons and impromptu sleepovers may have featured over the holidays, but as we near a new school term, UniSA sleep experts say it’s time to settle kids back into a regular sleep routine.

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Researchers have determined the optimal number of intervention sessions needed to prevent cognitive decline in people at risk.

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妙佑医疗国际(Mayo Clinic)的一项研究表明，相较于对男性的影响，心脏病（如冠状动脉疾病）和心血管风险因素（如糖尿病和高胆固醇）对中年女性记忆和思维能力下降的影响更甚，尽管这些疾病在男性中的患病率更高。这项研究已发表在美国神经病学学会的医学杂志《神经病学》（Neurology）上。

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Problemas cardíacos como a doença arterial coronariana e fatores de risco cardiovasculares como diabetes e colesterol alto têm maior associação com declínio nas habilidades de memória e raciocínio durante a meia-idade para mulheres do que para homens, mostra um estudo da Mayo Clinic.

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Las afecciones cardíacas, como la enfermedad arterial coronaria, y los factores de riesgo cardiovascular, como la diabetes y el colesterol alto, tienen una relación más fuerte con el deterioro de la capacidad de pensamiento y memoria en las mujeres de mediana edad que en los hombres

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For those who rarely forget a face, but struggle with names, the remedy for boosting learning may as near as your pillow.

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When elderly people stay active, their brains have more of a class of proteins that enhances the connections between neurons to maintain healthy cognition, a UC San Francisco study has found.

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A Mayo Clinic study shows heart conditions such as coronary artery disease and cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes and high cholesterol have stronger association with decline in memory and thinking skills during midlife for women than men. That's despite a higher prevalence of those conditions in men. The research is published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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A new study suggests that even though men may be more likely to have cardiovascular conditions like heart disease and stroke and risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking in middle age than women, the negative impact of most of these conditions on thinking and memory skills may be stronger for women. The research is published in the January 5, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.