Breakthroughs in cognitive neuroscience: Highlighting influential research from the past 20 years This series explores influential papers in cognitive neuroscience, as measured by the number of times they are cited each year. The papers featured are a sampling of many important works in the field over the past 20 years. This is the fourth in […]
Archives for 2013
Meditation Training Helps Smokers Quit Smoking – Even If They Didn’t Plan To
Curbing a smoking habit is a tough task, but a new tool could be in the arsenal: meditation. A new study found that a meditation training regiment reduced smoking among participants, even those who did not intend to kick the habit. “Individuals at risk for substance abuse, including smoking, typically have deficits in self-control,” says […]
How Testosterone Affects Risk-Taking in Adolescent Boys and Girls
Adolescents are infamous for engaging in more risky behavior as they mature from children to adults. This transition is notable for many changes, including a surge in testosterone for both boys and girls. The changing levels of testosterone, combined with the size of a frontal region of the brain, help to explain risk-taking in adolescence, […]
Stress Hormone Hinders Memory Recall
Most of us can recall a time when our mind blanked in an exam. Ironically, that vivid memory is of a time when we just couldn’t remember something. Part of the explanation for this contradiction is the stress hormone cortisol. While increased levels of cortisol boost the formation of memories, they can hinder their recall. […]
Framing Our Experiences: New Study Reveals Attention at Neuron Level
Q&A with Ron Mangun Two people sitting at a sports bar watching a game may notice very different things around them. While one may see the couple next to him arguing, the other may see a small fire starting in the kitchen. How they direct their attention, whether consciously or not, could lead to important […]
Understanding Our Brains at Rest to Help Treat Alzheimer’s
Breakthroughs in cognitive neuroscience: Highlighting influential research from the past 20 years This series will explore influential papers in cognitive neuroscience, as measured by the number of times they are cited each year. The papers featured are a sampling of many important works in the field over the past 20 years. This is the third in […]
Feeling Others’ Pain: Transforming Empathy into Compassion
Breakthroughs in cognitive neuroscience: Highlighting influential research from the past 20 years This series explores influential papers in cognitive neuroscience, as measured by the number of times they are cited each year. The papers featured are just a sampling of many important works in the field over the past 20 years. This is the second […]
Give Me Your Best Impression: How Our Brains Control Vocal Identity
We are all amateur voice actors, whether we know it or not. Even if you cannot make yourself sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger or beatbox like a pro, chances are, you regularly alter and tailor your voice to speak to different audiences, tell a story, or convey a range of emotions. Now, scientists are studying what […]
From Conditioning Monkeys to Drug Addiction: Understanding Prediction and Reward
Breakthroughs in cognitive neuroscience: Highlighting influential research from the past 20 years This series will explore influential papers in cognitive neuroscience, as measured by the number of times they are cited each year. The papers featured are just a sampling of many important works in the field over the past 20 years. Life for all […]
Seeing is Not Believing: People Do Not Overvalue Brain Images
Seeing a beautifully lit up image of the human brain is powerful – maybe too powerful, worry many scientists. But if you think that brain images are the most persuasive form of scientific evidence out there, think again, says a new study that examines how the public views neuroimaging. Members of the public are more […]