Category: General Neuroscience

2024-25, Brain, Chemistry, Neuroscience

Taste Discrimination: How We Learn to Identify Similar Foods

Author: Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Figure 1. A brown mouse eating food. The ability to discriminate similar, partially overlapping sensory stimuli is critical for an animal to survive in its environment. For example, in taste, learning discrimination becomes the difference between consuming a nutritious food item and a toxic one. Previous research done on other senses supports 2 models: one that learning may enhance … Continue reading Taste Discrimination: How We Learn to Identify Similar Foods

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2024-25, Chemistry, Degenerative Disease, Disease, Molecular Biology, Neurology, Neuroscience

Lipid Accumulation Found as a Mechanism of Cellular Senescence in Parkinson’s Disease

Author: Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Figure 1. A man assisting an old patient with taking their medication. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with neuronal death, specifically of the dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the region of the brain responsible for motor coordination and control. The death of these neurons, most commonly due to aging, causes a classic triad of symptoms: bradykinesia (slow … Continue reading Lipid Accumulation Found as a Mechanism of Cellular Senescence in Parkinson’s Disease

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2024-25, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Technology

Touchscreen or Webcam VR? Different Virtual Reality Games Improve Motor Performance of Individuals with Genetic Ataxia Uniquely

Author: Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Figure 1. A child playing a game with a VR headset, reaching out for something in-game. Patients with ataxia present with poor balance and impaired motor coordination and control. Genetic ataxia (GA) is rare and varies greatly as many gene mutations can be responsible for it. Virtual reality has shown promising results as an enjoyable and effective rehabilitation method … Continue reading Touchscreen or Webcam VR? Different Virtual Reality Games Improve Motor Performance of Individuals with Genetic Ataxia Uniquely

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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, Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Molecular Biology, Neurology, Psychology

Back Like They Never Left: How the Remnants of Ancient Viruses May Affect the Progression of Neurological Disease

Author: Luis Caseñas, Class of 2026 Figure 1: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disease that triggers the degeneration of one’s Central Nervous System. Specifically, ALS targets motor neurons (pictured above) essential to muscle control and coordination. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that targets motor neurons in the Central Nervous System. This degeneration inevitably leads to gradual loss of muscle control … Continue reading Back Like They Never Left: How the Remnants of Ancient Viruses May Affect the Progression of Neurological Disease

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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, Cancer, Exercise, Health, Neuroscience

Can Exercise Improve Chemotherapy Side-Effects?

Author: Amal Bilal, Class of 2028 Figure 1. Woman lifting two dumbbells at the gym Certain types of chemotherapy, a widely used treatment for cancers, can lead to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a side-effect that causes pain, numbness, tingling, balance difficulties, and an increased risk of falls. Up to 68% of patients undergoing chemotherapy develop CIPN during or immediately after treatment, and 30-40% of patients … Continue reading Can Exercise Improve Chemotherapy Side-Effects?

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2024-25, Brain, Degenerative Disease, Disease, mental health, Neuroscience

Amyloid-beta Deposition: A Cause or Byproduct of Alzheimer’s?

Author: Farzad Hoque, Class of 2028 The relationship between neurovascular coupling and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression has been a focal point of neurological research. While vascular dysfunction in AD is well-documented, questions remain about whether these abnormalities emerge before amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition or arise as a consequence. Recent research has shed light on the early neurovascular changes in mouse models of AD, suggesting new mechanisms … Continue reading Amyloid-beta Deposition: A Cause or Byproduct of Alzheimer’s?

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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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