Category: Cognition

Cognition, General Neuroscience, Neurology, Neuroscience

Celestial Maps: A Newly Discovered Method of Navigation in Bogong Moths

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Figure 1. Clustering formation of bogong moths following migration Many different species of animals have been observed to perform migratory travels for a variety of reasons, including searching for food, being influenced by changes in climate, or finding a safe breeding ground. These animals do so using unique methods of navigation–some may learn from previous generations’ migration patterns. In … Continue reading Celestial Maps: A Newly Discovered Method of Navigation in Bogong Moths

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Brain, Cognition, Degenerative Disease, General Neuroscience, Neurology

Hippocampal interneuron activity drives functional hyperemia leading to neurovascular disfunction and Alzheimer’s Disease

Author: Kang Lai, Class of 2026 Functional hyperemia, or the dilation of blood vessels in response to increased metabolic activity, is critical for regulating the levels of oxygen and glucose in the brain. Moreover, it facilitates the clearance of metabolic byproducts such as amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), an accumulation of which underlies Alzheimer’s disease. In Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), disruptions in vascular dynamics are significant but poorly … Continue reading Hippocampal interneuron activity drives functional hyperemia leading to neurovascular disfunction and Alzheimer’s Disease

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Brain, Cognition, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE AND DOPAMINE IN THE BRAIN

Laura Ladekarl, Class of 2025 Dopamine, central in the brain’s reward system, plays a key role in addiction and reward processing. Studies have shown that individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) show reduced dopamine release and fewer receptors, even after prolonged periods of abstinence from their drug of choice. Neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (NM-MRI) visualizes and quantifies the concentration of neuromelanin (NM) in brain tissues. … Continue reading ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE AND DOPAMINE IN THE BRAIN

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2024-25, Cognition, Degenerative Disease, Disease, General Neuroscience, Health, Health and Medicine

Green Tea: Fighting Dementia One Cup at a Time

Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Dementia is a progressive neurological disease most prevalent in older adults that is associated with aging and significant declines in cognitive function and memory. It has been strongly correlated with general brain atrophy, including of the hippocampus, and the increased presence of lesions (areas of damage within brain tissue) in cerebral white matter. This corresponds to the symptoms observed in … Continue reading Green Tea: Fighting Dementia One Cup at a Time

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2024-25, Cognition, General Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience

Amyloid Burden in WTC Responders: Unraveling the Effects of Air Pollution

Tiffany Ang, Class of 2026 Amyloid-B (AB) proteins, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, have been linked to air pollution exposure, potentially contributing to neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Kritikos and colleagues at Stony Brook University investigated whether exposure to particulate matter (PM), particularly from the World Trade Center (WTC) site following the 9/11 attacks, was associated with increased cerebral amyloidosis, a condition characterized by the accumulation of … Continue reading Amyloid Burden in WTC Responders: Unraveling the Effects of Air Pollution

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2024-25, Cognition, education, Technology

Video Games: A New Way to Facilitate Cognitive Development in Students with Learning Disabilities

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Figure 1. Image of letter tiles spelling out “Learning Disability” According to The Treetop ABA Therapy, approximately 1 in 7 individuals worldwide possess a learning disability and it is important to acknowledge and address these learning differences to facilitate their learning and development (1). Recently, video games have become far more prevalent worldwide, and a series of research examining … Continue reading Video Games: A New Way to Facilitate Cognitive Development in Students with Learning Disabilities

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2024-25, Cognition, Neuroscience, Technology

Mastering the Map: The Role of Gaze Movement in League of Legends

Author: Tiffany Ang, Class of 2025 Figure 1: A Competitive League of Legends Team in Action Gaze movement refers to the motion of a visual focal point and is essential for understanding perceptual-cognitive processing. Fixation, a specific aspect of gaze movement, plays a crucial role in processing visual information, as the majority of the visual experience is constructed during fixation. Dr. Jeong and colleagues at … Continue reading Mastering the Map: The Role of Gaze Movement in League of Legends

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2024-25, Cognition, General Psychology, Neuroscience

An Unfiltered Mind: Why an Overload of Irrelevant Information Causes Hallucinations

Author: Tiffany Ang, Class of 2025 Figure 1: A visual representation of how perception overload amplifies the complexities of cognitive processing. Hallucinations are disruptions in perception that lead to incorrect interpretations of environmental stimuli. Dr. Larsen and colleagues from the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University are exploring the relationship between hallucination-proneness and the weighting of information, particularly how a diminished responsivity to variations … Continue reading An Unfiltered Mind: Why an Overload of Irrelevant Information Causes Hallucinations

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2024-25, Cognition, Psychiatry, Psychology

An Interesting Twist to the Long Video Game Debate

Author: Farzad Hoque, Class of 2028 The relationship between video games and behavior has long sparked debate within psychology and education. Investigations on how different game genres may influence levels of aggression and social intelligence among regular gamers have been conducted for decades, and recent research shines a new light on the matter. Similar to what has been commonly believed, researchers hypothesized that distinct game … Continue reading An Interesting Twist to the Long Video Game Debate

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2024-25, Cognition, education, Psychology

The Effects of Video Game Addiction on Children’s Cognitive and Learning Skills

Author: Amal Bilal, Class of 2028 Figure 1: A couple of young kids playing video games. Video games have become an increasingly popular source of entertainment among children, with over 90% of children between 2 and 17 years old actively playing video games. Although video games allow children to socialize and have leisure time, they can also lead to addiction. Excessive gaming can negatively impact … Continue reading The Effects of Video Game Addiction on Children’s Cognitive and Learning Skills

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2024-25, Cognition, General Neuroscience, General Psychology, Health, Health and Medicine, Psychology

Disease Rarity Doesn’t Cause Increased Loneliness

Author: Farzad Hoque, Class of 2028 Loneliness is something all have experienced, but it is especially present for people living with chronic illnesses. One might think that individuals with rare chronic conditions would feel lonelier than those with more common diseases, but when looked into it, the reality was surprising.  Dr. Lobel and Dr. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara at Stony Brook University gathered data via an anonymous online … Continue reading Disease Rarity Doesn’t Cause Increased Loneliness

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2023-24, 2023-24, Brain, Cognition, General Neuroscience, General Psychology, Neuroscience, Psychology, Year

Childhood Maltreatment as a Predictor of Neural Activity During Postpartum

Marie Collison, Class of ‘25 Individuals who have experienced childhood maltreatment (CM) in their past have a greater risk of exhibiting behaviors of maltreatment towards their own children. As such, it is important to understand how mothers may respond to their infant cues in context with their past experiences, especially during the often tumultuous postpartum (after-birth) period. Prior research has established that brain responses in … Continue reading Childhood Maltreatment as a Predictor of Neural Activity During Postpartum

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