Star cells in the brain render memory flexible

Jan 25, 2022 by

A team of researchers at the Center for Cognition and Sociality within the Institute for Basic Science in South Korea found that star-shaped cells called astrocytes regulate cognitive flexibility. This ability refers to the brain’s ability to learn new...

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Brain activity patterns emerge during musical analysis

Jan 20, 2022 by

Researchers at the University of Tokyo used MRIs to look at the brains of secondary students during musical observation and found that students who had trained to play music from a young age had stronger activity in the areas...

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How the brain adapts after injury

Jan 18, 2022 by

A University of Gottingen study published in the Journal of Neuroscience has found that the brain compensates after damage (e.g., a stroke) by reorganizing itself. The extracellular matrix loosens and depending if the brain is healthy or diseased, this...

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Probiotics may improve cognitive function in people with MCI

Jan 6, 2022 by

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Foods suggests that probiotic supplementation may improve cognitive function in people with mild cognitive impairment. The researchers found that probiotic intervention at the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, such as...

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Light exercise associated with lower dementia risk

Jan 4, 2022 by

A new study published in JAMA Open Network has found an association between light-intensity exercise and reduced risk of dementia in older adults. Of the 62,286 participants (all of whom were 65 or older), active participants had a 20%...

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Listening to favorite music improves brain plasticity

Dec 30, 2021 by

Two Toronto-based research facilities teamed up to study the effects of listening to your favorite music on plasticity. They found that repeated listening to “personally meaningful music” includes beneficial brain plasticity in patients with mild cognitive impairment or early...

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Brain connects lessons learned differently as we age

Dec 28, 2021 by

Brain researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have found that the way we make inferences changes dramatically as we age. Specifically, children and adolescents create separate memories that they later compare to make inferences “on the fly,”...

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