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What Is Working Memory, and Why Does Your Brain Need It?

What Is Working Memory, and Why Does Your Brain Need It?

Working memory is a crucial cognitive system that allows us to temporarily hold and manipulate information. It has a limited capacity but plays a v...

How Does Your Brain Choose Between Impulse and Self-Control?

How Does Your Brain Choose Between Impulse and Self-Control?

Inhibitory control, often referred to as response inhibition, is a vital cognitive process that allows individuals to manage their impulses and ove...

How Your Brain Decides What Deserves Your Attention

How Your Brain Decides What Deserves Your Attention

Executive functions are a set of cognitive processes that play a crucial role in regulating our thoughts and actions, ultimately helping us achieve...

Why Can Your Brain Resist Some Impulses but Not Others?

Why Can Your Brain Resist Some Impulses but Not Others?

Inhibitory control, also known as response inhibition, is a fundamental cognitive process that plays a crucial role in our daily lives. It is consi...

Why Do Psychologists Disagree About How Human Memory Works?

Why Do Psychologists Disagree About How Human Memory Works?

The field of cognitive psychology has long grappled with understanding how memory functions. Two prominent perspectives, the multicomponent model o...

Baddeley's Working Memory Model Analyzed

Baddeley's Working Memory Model Analyzed

In 1974, Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch introduced a groundbreaking multicomponent model of working memory, offering a more nuanced understanding t...

Why Festival Songs Can Stay Stuck in Your Head Long After the Show

Why Festival Songs Can Stay Stuck in Your Head Long After the Show

Ever wonder why songs get stuck in your head for days after a concert? We explore the science behind earworms and why live music makes them so powerful.

What knowledge of this drink may reveal about your intelligence

What knowledge of this drink may reveal about your intelligence

A new study found a link between general intelligence and knowledge of this popular alcoholic drink.

Salk Institute Researchers Create Microprotein Atlas Linking Brain Immune Cell Dysfunction to Alzheimer’s Disease

Salk Institute Researchers Create Microprotein Atlas Linking Brain Immune Cell Dysfunction to Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers at the Salk Institute have developed the first microprotein atlas of the human frontal cortex, both with and without Alzheimer’s disease. This atlas, detailed in a study published in Nature Aging, integrates transcriptomics, mass spectrometry, and deep-learning-predicted spectra from postmortem brain samples to identify microproteins—small proteins typically 150 amino acids or fewer—that have been previously overlooked. The study identified 1,067 uncharacterized microproteins, some of which were expressed differently in Alzheimer’s disease samples, often showing higher overall microprotein expression. Specifically, the researchers focused on microglia, brain immune cells, and found a microprotein at the MKKS locus that was downregulated in Alzheimer’s disease. Knocking out the gene for this microprotein in microglia impaired mitochondrial respiration, suggesting its role in microglial bioenergetics and a potential link between microproteins and immune cell dysfunction in Alzheimer’s.

University of California, Davis Study Reveals Miniature Animal Interaction Improves Adolescent Mood

University of California, Davis Study Reveals Miniature Animal Interaction Improves Adolescent Mood

A new study conducted by the University of California, Davis, has found that interacting with miniature animals, specifically miniature horses and donkeys, can significantly improve the mood of adolescents. The research, published in Scientific Reports, indicates that even brief interactions, lasting just three minutes, led to increased calmness and reduced feelings of loneliness, sadness, and nervousness among teenagers. The study also highlighted the importance of reciprocity in these interactions, showing that animals are not passive participants. Adolescents who were more attuned to the animals' body language cues, such as lip-wriggling (indicating pleasure) or walking away (indicating a need for space), experienced greater reductions in loneliness and sadness. Interestingly, observing an animal choose to walk away also led to a greater decrease in sadness, challenging the assumption that continuous animal engagement is always superior. The study involved 61 teenagers interacting with a small herd of r...

Researchers Develop Part-Human, Part-Mouse Brains to Study Neurological Diseases

Researchers Develop Part-Human, Part-Mouse Brains to Study Neurological Diseases

Recent advancements in neuroscience have led to the creation of part-human, part-mouse brains, a significant development in understanding human brain diseases. Researchers at Stanford University have genetically engineered mice to lack their own cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for complex functions like decision-making and memory. Subsequently, human brain cells, specifically brain organoids, were implanted into these mice to replace the missing cortex. This hybrid brain model aims to provide a more natural and integrated context for studying psychiatric and neurodevelopmental diseases that affect humans, which are often difficult to research using traditional organoid models alone. The human cells successfully integrated, forming major types of neurons found in the cortex and establishing long-distance connections, including to the spinal cord, and engaging in synchronized activity spikes.

UCLA and Charles R. Drew University Collaborate to Restore Public Trust in Science Through Community Engagement

UCLA and Charles R. Drew University Collaborate to Restore Public Trust in Science Through Community Engagement

The Dana Foundation and The Greenwall Foundation are supporting initiatives aimed at understanding and restoring public trust in science, recognizing that traditional communication methods are insufficient. One such initiative involves a partnership between the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU). This collaboration focuses on community-partnered research, where scientists engage directly with residents to identify local challenges and explore how neuroscience can address them. An example of this is a project in South Los Angeles, where researchers listened to community concerns about low-flying helicopter noise disrupting children's sleep. In response, scientists conducted studies replicating these noise patterns in animal models, which revealed impaired brain function. These findings were then presented to the city council, influencing a decision to pause helicopter fleet expansion and request further research. This approach emphasizes ...