Summary: New research challenges the idea that infants cannot form memories, showing that babies as young as 12 months old can encode experiences. Using fMRI scans, researchers found that the hippocampus, a brain region critical for memory, is active in infants during a memory task.These findings suggest that infantile amnesia—the...
Summary: New research uncovers how the brain processes learning by identifying the exact moment an animal learns a new skill. By observing individual neurons in mice, scientists found that learning occurs much faster than previously thought, in as few as 20 to 40 tries.Surprisingly, this learning activity takes place in...
Summary: A new study found that popular ADHD-related content on TikTok often misaligns with clinical guidelines, potentially influencing how young adults perceive the disorder. Researchers analyzed the top 100 ADHD videos and found that less than half of the claims matched professional diagnostic criteria.Young adults who consumed more of this...
Summary: A new study finds that staying up late, known as having an “evening chronotype,” is associated with a higher risk of depression. Researchers analyzed data from 546 university students and found that this link is influenced by sleep quality, alcohol consumption, and mindfulness levels.Evening chronotypes had poorer sleep, consumed...
Summary: Early-life adversity affects over half of children worldwide, increasing the risk of cognitive and mental health issues later in life. A new review highlights how unpredictable sensory experiences, beyond traditional stressors like abuse and neglect, can disrupt brain development.Researchers explore key questions, including what stress means for a developing...
Summary: A new study finds that the brain processes artificial languages, such as Esperanto and Klingon, using the same neural network as natural languages. Researchers scanned the brains of 44 speakers of constructed languages and observed activation in language-processing regions when participants listened to sentences in their conlang.This contrasts with...
Summary: A new study shows that the rubber hand illusion can reduce the intensity of pain caused by heat. Researchers found that when participants viewed a rubber hand being illuminated while their hidden hand received a heat stimulus, they reported feeling less pain.This suggests that integrating visual and sensory cues...
Summary: New research reveals that witnessing trauma triggers unique brain changes, distinct from those caused by experiencing trauma firsthand. The study found that indirect trauma leads to different protein degradation patterns in key brain regions involved in fear memory.Researchers also identified sex-specific differences, which may explain why women are twice...
Summary: A recent study reveals a surprising link between longevity and verbal fluency—the ability to effectively recall and utilize vocabulary. Researchers analyzed cognitive data from the Berlin Aging Study, involving over 500 elderly participants tracked for nearly two decades, assessing verbal fluency alongside memory, perceptual speed, and verbal knowledge.Of these...
Summary: New genetic research suggests that humans first developed language around 135,000 years ago when populations began geographically splitting, followed by widespread social use around 100,000 years ago. Using data from 15 genetic studies, researchers found that early human groups branched out approximately 135,000 years ago, which likely coincides with...
