Tag Archives: cognition
Why do some people self-harm under distress? Harvard study suggests impulse control is key
Self-harm, or non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), refers to people intentionally hurting themselves without intending suicide. Common examples include cutting, burning, or hitting oneself. A growing number of adolescents and young adults report NSSI – yet most have no
Bell ringers: Concussion problems in youth football players
Concussion has become an important topic in sports news and research. While researchers are studying the mental, physical, and emotional effects of concussion within professional, college, and high school athletes; the negative effects of concussion on youth
The cerebellum differently contribute to cognitive processes from childhood to adulthood
In recent years it has become clear that key cognitive abilities, once considered only based on processing of the cerebral circuits, are highly influenced by cerebellar structures. At present, there is agreement on cerebellar involvement in both
Confabulation: What is associated with its rise and fall? A study in brain injury
Confabulation is a relatively rare but debilitating memory disorder. It affects mainly (but not exclusively) brain injury survivors. Patients with confabulations have false memories, for example believing something happened to them which never in fact took place,
Testing a new way to measure the impact of stroke: PRECiS
Cognition helps us think and understand the world. It involves functions like memory, attention, problem-solving, planning, organising and communicating. After a stroke, many people have problems with cognition. These can affect confidence, mood and the ability to
When you and me become two sides of one coin
Since about mid-1700 western ideology increasingly emphasizes individualism and the distinction between a person and his or her social environment. But the separation between oneself and others has been shown to vary between individuals and even from
Acute exercise causes changes in cognition
Catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine) play important roles in the brain and in the body. In the brain dopamine and norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, act as neurotransmitters. In the body, norepinephrine and epinephrine, also known as
Rhythm makes the world go round: neuroimaging reveals the “embodied” roots of high-level social cognition
Significant aspects of information processing in humans are not shared with other species, such as the ability to imagine the mental states of others. However, to some extent this unique ability still seems to depend on “older”
Computerized assessment of neuropsychological performance in schizophrenia
In clinical studies, intellectual performance is most often measured with standardized neuropsychological paper-and-pencil tasks. Such tasks can measure an individual’s performance in different domains of intellectual performance such as speed of processing, attention/vigilance, working memory, verbal learning,
Physical activity helps to reduce cognitive symptoms for dementia patients
Dementia is a clinical syndrome characterized by cognitive symptoms, which lead to disruptions in many aspects of daily life. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which affects 5.3 million people in the United States
Males who take citicoline show increased motor speed and attention
Citicoline is marketed as a nutritional supplement in the United States and has been shown to influence cellular metabolism in the brain and to contribute to the synthesis of essential neurotransmitters including acetylcholine and dopamine. Citicoline is
Loneliness matters for people with psychotic disorders
When you ask people with a psychotic disorder, like schizophrenia, what challenges them most in daily life they are likely to say – ‘loneliness’. As nearly everyone can attest, loneliness is painful. It’s the distressing feeling that
The walking brain
Walking is the most common locomotion strategy to move from one to another place. Normally, we do not think about our steps and we would consider walking as a natural and automatic behaviour. However, more challenging environmental
