Tag: Cognition

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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2018-19

Sleep Deprivation and Performance

By Raymond Cheung ‘22 Sleep is a necessity that many do not get enough of on a daily basis. Sleep deprivation can significantly impair cognitive function, which can prove dangerous and costly for intensive jobs. While the adverse effects of sleep deprivation on performance are not new, a recent study by Michelle E. Stepan and researchers from Michigan State University employed a large controlled sample … Continue reading Sleep Deprivation and Performance

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2017-18

Lying is Easier in a Foreign Language

Samara Khan ‘19 As globalization increases, more and more communication is taking place in a language that might be foreign to some of the people in the conversation. Although there has been a lot of research regarding the perceived trustworthiness of people speaking their native and non-native languages, very little exploration has gone towards investigating how people lie in a non-native language. In situations such … Continue reading Lying is Easier in a Foreign Language

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2017-18

A Case Study Examining the Effectiveness of Ginkgo Biloba in Treating Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenic Individuals

Stephanie Budhan ‘21 Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that affects an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and causes the individual to gradually deteriorate over time. Doctors often overlook cognitive impairment within schizophrenic individuals. There is no proven treatment option, but this has led psychiatrists to provide medications with the cognitive aspect in mind; Currently, medications that contain compounds to improve mitochondrial functioning, have anti-oxidant … Continue reading A Case Study Examining the Effectiveness of Ginkgo Biloba in Treating Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenic Individuals

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2017-18

The Effects of Short Term Estrogen Therapy on Long Term Cognition in Mouse Model

Stephanie Budhan ‘20 Menopause in women is characterized by the decline in the production of reproductive hormones such as estrogen. Estrogen plays in a major role in maintaining cognition. Thus, post-menopausal estrogen therapy has the potential to enhance cognition in women. However, treatment success, and it appears that estrogen therapy is only effective at a critical time or age in women. Previously, researchers at Tulane … Continue reading The Effects of Short Term Estrogen Therapy on Long Term Cognition in Mouse Model

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2017-18

Traveling Waves in the Cortex May Hold the Key to Understanding Human Cognition

Rachel Kogan ’19 “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” This age old phrase serves as the foundation for neuroscience, commenting not only on neuron synchronicity, but also proposing a biological scaffold for behavior and thought. The greater the number of oscillating electrical impulses, or brain waves, fired by a group of neurons, the stronger the signal and potential for action. In the past few years, … Continue reading Traveling Waves in the Cortex May Hold the Key to Understanding Human Cognition

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2017-18

FGF21 Is Associated with Cognitive Impairments in Non-Elderly Patients

By Maryna Mullerman ’20   Patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS), associated with cognitive decline, often express elevated levels of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), an endocrine hormone for metabolic regulation. Arintaya Phrommintikul and researchers from Chiang Mai University in Thailand investigated the link between FGF21 and cognitive decline in elderly and non-elderly patients. They hypothesized that FGF21 levels corresponded with cognitive performance in younger and … Continue reading FGF21 Is Associated with Cognitive Impairments in Non-Elderly Patients

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