Are humans the only ones who are able to remember events that they had experienced and mentally time travel not only into the past but also the future? Or do animals have the same capacity? To a certain extend, according to three researchers who are contributing a new theoretical model to this long-standing discussion. They published their results in the journal Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews.
Episodic memory is a component of mental time travel
Despite the obvious difference between a chihuahua and a doberman, the human brain effortlessly categorises them both as dogs, a feat that is thus far beyond the abilities of artificial intelligence.
Previous research has established that the brain can recognise and categorise objects extremely rapidly, however the way this process occurs is still largely unknown. Researchers from Monash University have pioneered a new image modulation technique known as semantic wavelet-induced frequency-tagging (SWIFT) to further test how images are processed.
Two year olds are adept at using touch screens, and can swipe, unlock, and actively search for features on smartphones and tablets, finds a small study published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
This level of interactivity is akin to play, say the researchers, who suggest that the technology might have a potential role in childhood developmental assessment.
They base their findings on 82 questionnaires on touch screen access and use, completed by the parents of children aged between 12 months and 3 years.
Did you receive affection, play freely and feel supported in childhood? Childhood experiences like these appear to have a lot to do with well-being and moral capacities in adulthood.
In a forthcoming article in the journal Applied Developmental Science, University of Notre Dame professor of psychology Darcia Narvaez and colleagues Lijuan Wang and Ying Cheng, associate professors of psychology, show that childhood experiences that match with evolved needs lead to better outcomes in adulthood.
SALT LAKE CITY - Brain scans from nearly 200 adolescent boys provide evidence that the brains of compulsive video game players are wired differently. Chronic video game play is associated with hyperconnectivity between several pairs of brain networks. Some of the changes are predicted to help game players respond to new information. Other changes are associated with distractibility and poor impulse control. The research, a collaboration between the University of Utah School of Medicine, and Chung-Ang University in South Korea, was published online in Addiction Biology on Dec. 21, 2015.
With holiday shopping season in full swing, everyone's looking for the perfect gift. For those who like to shop, there's good news: Material things can bring happiness. In a recent study from the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, researchers have shown that material purchases, from sweaters to skateboards, provide more frequent happiness over time, whereas experiential purchases, like a trip to the zoo, provide more intense happiness on individual occasions.
PITTSBURGH, Dec. 21, 2015 - Examination of thousands of genes from nearly 150 human brains shows the circadian rhythm of gene activity changes with aging, according to a first-of-its-kind study conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest also that a novel biological clock begins ticking only in the older brain.
When it comes to accurately identifying a criminal suspect, it makes a difference how sure an eyewitness is, finds a study led by a memory expert at the University of California, San Diego. The American justice system should take note of eyewitness confidence, but only at the time of the initial identification and not at a later date in court. Working with victims and bystanders of actual robberies, the study also finds in favor of the traditional lineup procedure that presents suspects at the same time as known innocents, instead of individually.
We can learn to empathize with strangers. Surprisingly positive experiences with people from another group trigger a learning effect in the brain, which increases empathy. As researchers from the University of Zurich reveal, only a handful of positive learning experiences already suffice for a person to be-come more empathic.
SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 21, 2015) -- At its best, the drug ketamine relieves depression within two hours and its beneficial effect on patients may last a week. At its worst, ketamine, the party drug "Special K," is addictive and may send recreational users into hallucinations and delusions. Some have experienced disorientation that they call the "K-hole."
CHICAGO --- A brain region controlling whether we feel happy or sad, as well as addiction, is remodeled by chronic pain, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.
Patients who have had a stroke in the back of the brain are at greater risk of having another within two years if blood flow to the region is diminished, according to results of a multicenter study led by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. These stroke patients are the most likely to benefit from risky intervention to unblock arteries, and they can be identified using a new MRI-based technology developed at UIC. The findings are published in the journal JAMA Neurology.
Singapore, Dec. 22, 2015 - For the first time, a study has demonstrated a genetic convergence between cognition and neurodevelopmental disorders in the human brain. These findings, published online in Nature Neuroscience on Dec. 21, 2015 2015, provide an alternate starting point for scientists to develop therapies for such disorders.
A study of mice shows how proteasomes, a cell's waste disposal system, may break down during Alzheimer's disease (AD), creating a cycle in which increased levels of damaged proteins become toxic, clog proteasomes, and kill neurons. The study, published in Nature Medicine and supported by the National Institutes of Health, suggests that enhancing proteasome activity with drugs during the early stages of AD may prevent dementia and reduce damage to the brain.
Scientists from Imperial College London have identified for the first time two clusters of genes linked to human intelligence.
Called M1 and M3, these so-called gene networks appear to influence cognitive function - which includes memory, attention, processing speed and reasoning.