Summary: A new study filled a critical diagnostic gap regarding substance use during the early warning phases of mental illness. Investigating adolescents and young adults at clinical high risk for…
Tag: cognition
Toggling Embodied Cognition via the Rubber Hand Illusion
Summary: A psychological replication study established an empirical link between a person’s abstract psychological identity and their physical, bodily awareness. The research utilizes the classic “rubber hand illusion” to demonstrate…
Brain Region Discovered for Abstract Thought
Summary: Researchers discovered the first definitive neural evidence of how the brain creates and reuses abstract symbols to think creatively. The research tracks the neural substrates of “compositional generalization”, the…
Reducing Visceral Fat Protects the Brain for Decades
Summary: A new longitudinal study reveals that the accumulation of visceral fat, the “hidden” fat stored deep within the abdominal cavity, is a primary driver of brain atrophy and cognitive…
High Cognitive Scores Might Predict Depressive Relapse
Summary: “Brain fog”, the memory loss and lack of focus that affects up to 90% of people with major depressive disorder, has long been thought to be a warning sign…
The Myth of the Average Brain
Summary: Averaging brain scan data across groups can fundamentally mislead scientists about how the human brain actually works. By analyzing functional MRI data from over 4,000 children individually, researchers discovered…
Early Imaginative Play Predicts Better Mental Health
Summary: Toddlers who excel at pretend play are significantly less likely to experience emotional and behavioral difficulties by the time they reach primary school. A major longitudinal study tracked over…
Daily “Mental Sharpness” Dictates Productivity
Summary: Have you ever wondered why some days you’re a powerhouse of productivity and others you’re “pushing through fog”? A new study has quantified this feeling. Researchers found that day-to-day…
Edge of Chaos: Why Pigeons Refuse to Become “Machines”
Summary: If you found a guaranteed way to get a reward, you’d probably stick to it, right? According to a new study, pigeons aren’t that predictable. Researchers tested the century-old…
