Tag: Cognition

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, Biology, Genetics, Health

Unraveling Chronological Age: Epigenetic Modifications as Indicators of Cognitive Decline

Author: Tiffany Ang, Class of 2025 Figure 1: A visualization of epigenetic modifications that shape gene expression without changing the genetic code. DNA methylation-derived epigenetic clocks are powerful tools for assessing biological aging and age acceleration–the difference between biological and chronological age. Unlike chronological age, which fails to capture the impact of biological and environmental influences, age acceleration explains individual differences in cognitive functions such … Continue reading Unraveling Chronological Age: Epigenetic Modifications as Indicators of Cognitive Decline

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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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2023-24, Cognition, Neuroscience

Epigenetic Age Acceleration More Accurately Predicts Memory Decline Than Chronological Age

Author: Vignesh Subramanian, Class of 2024 Figure 1: Increasing evidence suggests biological aging, measured by examining the extent of methylation of cells’ DNA, is a stronger predictor of diminishing cognitive abilities than chronological age.  Title: Epigenetic Age Acceleration More Accurately Predicts Memory Decline Than Chronological Age Age acceleration is the term used to describe the difference between an individual’s chronological age, the length of time … Continue reading Epigenetic Age Acceleration More Accurately Predicts Memory Decline Than Chronological Age

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Cognition, General Neuroscience, Genetics

The Influence of Epigenetic Age on Cognitive Decline

 Julia Chivu ’23 As people age, their cognitive abilities tend to decline. While chronological age is commonly cited as a reason for this decline, it often fails to explain why some individuals have higher cognitive performance than others of the same age. To address this, epigenetic clocks, which analyze DNA methylation at specific genomic sites correlated with aging, are emerging as useful tools for predicting … Continue reading The Influence of Epigenetic Age on Cognitive Decline

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2022-23, Cognition, General Neuroscience, Health and Medicine, Uncategorized, Year

Dancing on the Way to Good Health: The Implications for Culturally Relevant Dancing in the Latino Older Adult Population

Peter Gillespie ’25 Figure 1  Merengue, cha-cha cha, bachata, and salsa are four popular forms of dancing that have the potential to increase physical activity, thereby helping to prevent cognitive decline. Physical activity is crucial in improving the health of older individuals. Within the Latino community, there is a rich cultural history of various genres of dance that may help promote  widespread physical activity among … Continue reading Dancing on the Way to Good Health: The Implications for Culturally Relevant Dancing in the Latino Older Adult Population

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2022-23, Biology, Health and Medicine, Neuroscience

Type 2 Diabetes Accelerates Brain Aging-Related Neurocognitive Decline

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by dysfunctions relating to hyperglycemia, the state of high glucose levels in the bloodstream. Such excessive blood sugar is typically the combinatory result of inadequate secretion of insulin (a hormone that directs cells and the liver to take up glucose for energy and long-term storage, respectively), uncontrolled secretion of glucagon (an … Continue reading Type 2 Diabetes Accelerates Brain Aging-Related Neurocognitive Decline

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2021-22, Cognition

Square Dancing can Improve Cognitive Performance in Older Women

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 It is a well-known fact that exercise has many physical and psychological benefits. For example, persistent exercise is associated with increased muscle strength, a better metabolism, and even improving mood. Amidst common forms of exercise such as weight lifting and running, other activities such as dancing can fall into this category. Previous studies have shown that dancing offers advantages such as improvements … Continue reading Square Dancing can Improve Cognitive Performance in Older Women

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Cognition

Monkey Behavior Aids In Understanding Human Cognition

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 The human brain’s prefrontal cortex plays an important role in cognitive behavior. It contains several sections including the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), which is associated with working memory, reasoning, and planning; and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), which directs reversal and reinforcement learning, reward evaluation, and alternative option evaluation.  These structures are also present in animals and have similar functions. To learn more … Continue reading Monkey Behavior Aids In Understanding Human Cognition

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General Neuroscience

World Trade Center first responders with PTSD and cognitive impairment at high-risk for developing dementia

Priyanshi Patel ’22 According to two studies presented by Stony Brook University at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, World Trade Center (WTC) first responders with signs of cognitive impairment (CI) exhibited neurological abnormalities and anomalies in their blood, which are normally attributed to Alzheimer’s disease patients. The first study investigated MRI results of WTC responders that showed significant gray matter atrophy compared to individuals of … Continue reading World Trade Center first responders with PTSD and cognitive impairment at high-risk for developing dementia

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Brain, Cognition

Effects of GVS Signals on Cognitive Functions

Allan Mai ‘20 The hippocampus and striatal circuits play essential roles in spatial navigation. This task is completed by integrating information from the environment as well as intrinsic input from the vestibular system which is responsible for balance. Scientists are trying to modify the interaction of the hippocampus and striatal circuits by using the galvanic vestibular system (GVS), and researchers from the German Center for … Continue reading Effects of GVS Signals on Cognitive Functions

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2018-19

Social Interactions Possibly Linked to Cerebellum

By Mariam Malik ‘22 The cerebellum, a five-centimeter wide part of the hindbrain, was initially thought of as having one major function: coordinating motor functions and balance. But new research on mice from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City shows that the remarkable cerebellar cortex may play a part in our social interactions as well. Kamran Khodakhah and colleagues were aware … Continue reading Social Interactions Possibly Linked to Cerebellum

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