Lifeboat Foundation

Summary: Adolescents are known for making less optimal, noisy decisions, but a recent study reveals that these tendencies decrease with age and are linked to improvements in complex decision-making skills. Researchers found that decision noise, or variability in choices, mediates age-related gains in goal-directed behaviors and adaptability.

Adolescents may rely on less efficient strategies due to limited cognitive resources, which makes them more susceptible to emotional and motivational influences. These findings shed light on the computational mechanisms behind developmental shifts in decision-making and open avenues for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have recently discovered several prominent biomarkers that allow for the early diagnosis of dementia and/or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In a recently published article, evidence has been presented that patients with diabetes type 2 exhibited more changes to their brains than healthy controls, including the shrinking of certain brain areas. These changes occurred earlier in life, and some of the patients developed MCI sooner than others.

The Older Controls at Risk for Dementia (BIOCARD) study is a long-term trial which has been conducted for the past 27 years with the goal of determining how medical conditions and other factors might be impacting cognitive function and perhaps even affecting the biological age of the brain as a whole. BIOCARD was originally a National Institutes of Health initiative, which began in 1995 and later continued at Johns Hopkins University from 2015 to 2023. The cohort consisted of 185 participants, with an average age of 55 years and normal cognitive function.

The trial subjects received routine brain scans and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests for 20 years, in order to measure changes in brain structures and levels of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have been increasingly using CSF to attempt to uncover early signs of neurodegenerative disease, since it is a minimally-invasive procedure which is inexpensive and widely available.

Ever wondered how your brain cells work? This fascinating resource explores the life cycle of neurons, from their birth to their eventual demise.

Learn how neurons form and connect, the role of neurons in thought and memory, and the impact of neurodegenerative diseases.

Summary: Male worms can activate two conflicting memories—mating and starvation—when encountering the same odor, but only one influences their behavior. A study conditioned worms to associate the smell with both positive (mating) and negative (starvation) experiences, revealing that mating associations overrode avoidance behavior.

This flexible memory processing highlights how the brain prioritizes rewards over punishment under certain conditions. The findings provide insights into memory-driven behavior and offer a model for studying maladaptive processes in disorders like PTSD.

Scientists have found that a process called neurotransmitter switching—where neurons alter their chemical signals—plays a role in the development of autism-related traits.

Researchers led by the University of California, Irvine are the first to reveal how two neural circuits located in the brain’s retrosplenial cortex are directly linked to spatial navigation and memory storage. This discovery could lead to more precise medical treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders by allowing them to target pathway-specific neural circuits.

The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, identified two types of RSC pathways, connected to different parts of the brain, each with its own pattern of inputs and functions.

“By demonstrating how specific circuits in the RSC contribute to different aspects of cognition, our findings provide an anatomical foundation for future studies and offer new insights into how we learn and remember the space around us,” said lead and co-corresponding author Xiangmin Xu, UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of anatomy and neurobiology and director of the campus’s Center for Neural Circuit Mapping.

Science Corporation, a biotech startup launched by a Neuralink cofounder, claims that it’s achieved a breakthrough in brain-computer interface technology that can help patients with severe vision loss.

In preliminary clinical trials, legally blind patients who had lost their central vision received the company’s retina implants, which restored their eyesight and even allowed them to read books and recognize faces, the startup announced last week.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time that restoration of the ability to fluently read has ever been definitively shown in blind patients,” CEO Max Hodak, who was president of Neuralink before founding Science Corp, said in a statement.

Consciousness has long intrigued thinkers, from ancient philosophers to contemporary neuroscientists. It is a complex phenomenon we encounter daily, yet we often find it difficult to fully define or comprehend.

This elusive aspect of our existence encompasses our thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and self-awareness.

Despite significant advancements in fields like cognitive science and psychology, the true nature of consciousness remains one of humanity’s most profound mysteries.

Researchers created the most detailed map of the brain’s functional networks using data from people watching movies, including “Inception,” “Home Alone” and “Erin Brokovich.”