Just smelling my mom’s homemade lasagna evokes very particular memories from my childhood – the way the kitchen looked, silly conversations with my family over dinner, an outfit that I used to wear. Because smells can so effectively help us remember, they are a powerful tool for scientists studying memory. In a new study, researchers […]
How Toddlers Process Environmental Feedback
A young child’s first snow is not only fun but also a rich learning experience – figuring out that the driveway is slippery, that snow will mush in your hand, and just how much snow is needed to build a snowman. Each of these steps requires children to take in external feedback about the environment, […]
Listening to White Noise Improves Memory
Listening to a consistent “sh” noise could boost your memory, according to new research. Such white noise changes activity in the midbrain that is linked to learning and reward pathways. Past research had suggested a link between white noise and learning in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and in people learning arithmetic. The new work, […]
Press Registration Open for the CNS 2014 Annual Meeting in Boston
Explore the Nature of How We Think at the CNS 21st Annual Meeting in Boston Media Advisory (March 2014) The 21st annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) in Boston is only 2 weeks away! It will feature the latest research in memory, language, decision-making, perception, and more — in 50+ talks and 1,000+ posters. […]
When Gazing Into Nothing Helps Us Remember
Trying to remember how you arranged last year’s Christmas ornaments on the tree? It turns out that blankly gazing at your empty tree could help. According to a new study, when we look even at an empty space, it cues our brain to remember the orientation of objects that previously occupied that space. Our eye […]
When We See But Don’t See: Using Illusions to Test Our Perceptions
If you are driving home from work listening to a song on the radio or talking to your spouse in the car, you may miss other things happening around you – like a giant display of Christmas trees for sale or even a car on fire on a nearby street. Even if you traveled pass […]
Holiday Blues? Identifying Markers for Anxiety in the Brain
We hear a lot about anxiety and depression around the holidays – people feeling lonely and far from family or overloaded with stress. Although we may think of anxiety and depression separately, they often go hand in hand. Scientists are now working to better understand the different types of anxiety people experience, and a new […]
Why We So Often Blame the Person and Not the Situation
When someone cuts you off in traffic, some choice words probably instantly spring to mind about the driver. You assume the person is either a bad driver, inconsiderate, rude, or worse. But what if it turns out the driver was in a hurry because his wife has just gone into labor with their first child? […]
Detection of Light in Blind People Illuminates Light’s Non-Visual Roles
We can detect light even if we cannot see it. And in a startling new discovery, even some totally blind people can detect light. Brief exposure to blue light triggered brain activity associated with alertness and attention – helping scientists further understand light’s role in cognition for all people. “The eye plays a dual role […]
Pennies for Treats: Dieting Through Brain Training
What’s the first treat you pull out of your candy bag on Halloween? Probably your favorite guilty pleasure… but what if you could use pennies to train yourself to pick a candy you might not like the most but that might be healthier? A new study finds that we may be able to train our […]
