Fluid Intelligence Mapped To Right Frontal Brain Regions

Lesion distribution map. Credit: Lisa Cipolotti, James K Ruffle et al. Brain, awac304 CC-BY

The parts of the brain that support our ability to solve problems without prior experience — also known as fluid intelligence — have been mapped by a team led by University College London researchers. Fluid intelligence could just be the defining characteristic of human cognition. It forecasts academic and professional achievement, social mobility, health, and…

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Striosomal Neurons Play Role In Reward Prediction

The latest optical neural imaging technology has isolated and recorded the activity of the neurons in the striosome. The findings shed light on the role of striosomal neurons in reinforcement learning, researchers from the Neural Computation Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) report. Learning by trial-and-error, which can yield…

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Motor Cortex Synchronicity Levels Influenced By Proximity & Social Status

Scientists have previously shown that when one animal watches another performing a motor task, such as reaching for food, so-called mirror neurons in the motor cortex of the observer’s brain start firing as though the observer were also reaching for food. New research from Duke University suggests mirroring in monkeys is also influenced by social factors,…

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Daydreaming Linked With Intelligence And Creativity

Daydreaming may be a sign you are intelligent and creative, new research from Georgia Tech suggests. “People with efficient brains may have too much brain capacity to stop their minds from wandering,” said Eric Schumacher, Georgia Tech associate psychology professor and coauthor of the study. Schumacher and his students and colleagues, including lead coauthor Christine…

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RNA Sequencing Provides The First Amygdala Molecular Taxonomy

A comprehensive picture of cell diversity in the amygdala has been shown for the first time by UCLA researchers using a modified form of single-cell RNA sequencing. The team also reported on a new method for systematically linking the distinct types of brain cells to specific behavioural functions. “The level of diversity of cells within…

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Evidence For An Interoceptive Sensing Brain Network Found

The system in the brain where basic feelings – such as whether you feel good or bad, calm or nervous – originate, has been identified by researchers from Northeastern University. The findings could help solve mysteries about the close connection between mental and physical health, including the neurological drivers behind the opioid crisis. Deciphering those…

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How the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus Tracks Action Outcomes

Animals in motion need to adjust their physical exertion as changes in the environment or their own bodies, muscle fatigue or a strong headwind, for example, change how efficiently they walk, swim, or fly. Scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus have now monitored neural activity in fish as they adapt their…

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Methylene Blue May Improve Short-term Memory

One oral dose of methylene blue results in an increased MRI-based response in brain areas that control short-term memory and attention, according to a new study. Methylene blue, also known as methylthioninium chloride, is used to treat methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder in which oxygen is unable to release effectively to body tissues, and as a…

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Mental Abilities Are Shaped By Individual Brain Differences

Everyone has a different mixture of personality traits: some are outgoing, some are tough and some are anxious. A new study suggests that brains also have different traits that affect both anatomical and cognitive factors, such as intelligence and memory. Explains study leader Aron K. Barbey, University of Illinois neuroscience professor and Beckman Institute for…

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