Study looks at how the brain finds meaning in metaphor
From the University of Arizona press release: You can grasp a hand. You can also grasp a concept. One is literal. One is metaphorical. Our brains know the difference, but would we be able to…
Study looks at how the brain fights off fears that return to haunt us
From the University of Texas at Austin press release: Neuroscientists at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered a group of cells in the brain that are responsible when a frightening memory re-emerges unexpectedly,…
Study looks at how the brain ‘mentalizes’ cooperation
From the Hokkaido University press release: What parts of your brain are involved in gauging a friend’s actions and adjusting your own; for example, when you both carry a couch up a flight of stairs?…
Study finds brain mechanism that naturally combats overeating
From the Rockefeller University press release: Food is, generally speaking, a good thing. In addition to being quite tasty, it is also necessary for survival. That’s why animals have evolved robust physiological systems that attract…
Study examines the connected, social brain
From the Cognitive Neuroscience Society press release: Parents may often feel like they are not “on the same wavelength” as their kids. But it turns out that, at least for babies, their brainwaves literally sync…
Study suggests musical training improves the ability to tune out distractions
From the Elsevier press release: Musical training produces lasting improvements to a cognitive mechanism that helps individuals be more attentive and less likely to be distracted by irrelevant stimuli while performing demanding tasks. According to…
Study looks at how the auditory system achieves accurate speech recognition
From the University of Pittsburgh press release: For humans to achieve accurate speech recognition and communicate with one another, the auditory system must recognize distinct categories of sounds — such as words — from a…
Study discovers brain region that only processes spoken, not written words
From the Northwestern University press release: Patients in a new Northwestern Medicine study were able to comprehend words that were written but not said aloud. They could write the names of things they saw but…
Study suggests childhood trauma may affect brain structure, predisposing adults to recurring major depressive disorder
From the Lancet press release: Early life trauma may affect the structure of the brain in a way that makes clinical depression more likely to be severe and recurrent, according to a two-year observational study…
Study suggests delusions may stem from sticky beliefs
From the Columbia University Irving Medical Center press release: Delusions are one of the most common symptoms of psychosis, but little is known about what causes them. A new study from researchers at Columbia University…