cognitive-science24.635 min read
Creatine Boosts Muscle Mass and Memory in Sedentary Adults Aged 45–65
25 days ago•Source: PsyPost
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26.715 min•1 month ago
Brain uses a universal evidence-accumulation system for decisions, including new abstract rules
New research shows the centro-parietal positivity (CPP) EEG signal tracks evidence accumulation not only for sensory input but also for arbitrary, newly learned categories. In a drift-diffusion framework with 38 participants, moving lines farther from a hidden boundary led to faster drift rates and steeper CPP buildup, indicating a single, adaptable brain mechanism that handles both real and abstract decisions; motor cortex activity remained constant with task difficulty, and the study notes limitations and the need to test more complex, real-world categories.
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Brain health can grow at any age with online training, new study finds
A three-year online BrainHealth Project study of 3,966 adults aged 19–94 found that adults of all ages can measurably improve brain health using accessible online training and coaching. The BrainHealth Index showed gains across cognitive clarity, social connectedness, and emotional balance, with higher engagement yielding larger improvements. Importantly, those starting with lower brain health scores improved the most, and there was no observed ceiling to growth, challenging the idea that cognitive vitality is limited to seniors. Limitations include lack of a control group and a highly educated sample; researchers plan to add objective health metrics and a more diverse population in future work.
Different cognitive skills have distinct genetic links to psychiatric disorders
A massive genome-wide analysis finds that intelligence is not a single trait: reaction time, fluid reasoning, and crystallized knowledge each have distinct genetic links to psychiatric conditions, with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder tied to slower processing and lower fluid reasoning but higher crystallized knowledge and noncognitive educational skills; ADHD shows faster reaction time but lower fluid/crystallized/noncognitive skills; autism links to higher crystallized knowledge; Alzheimer's risk is linked to lower fluid reasoning. The study identifies 78 loci for crystallized knowledge, maps gene activity across development, notes overlaps with personality traits, and discusses possible evolutionary trade-offs, while highlighting limitations due to data mainly from individuals of European ancestry and urging researchers to treat cognitive domains as separate traits rather than a single score.
Mind’s prime appears in late midlife, study suggests
A new analysis combining nine cognitive and personality domains finds that overall psychological functioning peaks in late midlife (around ages 55–60 in the comprehensive model, with a similar peak near 60 in the conventional model). While raw processing speed and certain cognitive functions decline with age, crystallized knowledge, conscientiousness, emotional stability, emotional intelligence, moral reasoning, and financial literacy can continue to improve, enabling older adults to maintain high functional capacity even as some abilities wane. The study cautions that cross‑sectional Western data limit universal conclusions and notes implications for leadership and policy roles, where midlife readiness may trump youth or old age, though more longitudinal and non‑Western research is needed.
Specific cognitive skills show strong, independent genetic influence beyond general intelligence
A large meta-analysis of 747,567 twin comparisons across 11 cognitive domains finds the average heritability of specific cognitive abilities is about 56%, slightly higher than general intelligence, with some domains above 60% (e.g., quantitative knowledge, reading/writing, processing speed) and others around 40% (e.g., fluid reasoning, short-term memory). After accounting for general intelligence, these specific abilities remain highly heritable, averaging about 53%, indicating distinct genetic influences beyond IQ. Development shows general intelligence heritability rises with age, while specific abilities follow a flatter trajectory; the study notes data gaps and measurement noise but envisions DNA-based profiling to tailor education and interventions.
Paper Reading Eases Brain Load Even in Manga, Neuroimaging Shows
A PLOS ONE study with 25 native Japanese speakers found reading manga on paper led to lower cognitive effort and different brain activation than reading on a tablet: paper readers showed reduced activity in left-hemisphere language areas during integration of the story’s second half, while tablet readers exhibited higher activity in those regions and in right frontal areas. Behaviorally, both groups answered complex questions with similar accuracy, but tablet readers were slower, suggesting that physical paper provides stable sensory anchors that ease narrative processing and memory. Limitations include focusing on manga and device differences like backlighting and page-turn dynamics; researchers plan to explore broader media formats and the effects of writing with pen vs. keyboard.
Literacy Rewires How the Brain Processes Speech
New evidence shows learning to read reshapes how the brain processes spoken language: literate adults recruit the right inferior frontal gyrus to perform phonological analysis in unfamiliar speech, a pattern not seen in functionally illiterate peers, indicating literacy training alters auditory processing and relies on neural reorganization.
When thoughts drift, the brain learns hidden patterns more readily, study finds
New research suggests mind wandering temporarily weakens executive control but enhances implicit statistical learning—the brain’s unconscious detection of patterns. In a 240-participant task featuring hidden triplets, off-task periods were linked to slower No-Go responses yet faster learning of high-probability sequences. The learning boost was strongest when inhibitory control was weakest, supporting a neurocompetition model in which relaxed top-down control frees implicit learning. While distraction can hinder immediate task performance, the findings imply a balance between focused attention and mind wandering may improve certain kinds of learning; scientists plan EEG/MEG/fNIRS studies and broader developmental and clinical investigations to explore mechanisms and causality.
Smart by Nature, Stunted by Childhood: Adversity halves intelligence’s trust boost
Higher cognitive ability generally increases generalized trust, but childhood disadvantage weakens this link by about 50%, suggesting early adversity dampens how intelligence translates into social cooperation and contributing to intergenerational inequality.
Time Perception Unfolds Across a Three-Stage Cortical Pathway
A seven-Tesla fMRI study shows that time perception is not a single clock but a three-stage cortical process: early visual areas encode physical durations, parietal and premotor regions map durations across a topographic layout, and frontal regions translate this into a subjective boundary, revealing a distributed, hierarchical network for how the brain experiences the passage of time.
Faces That Stick: Memorable Faces Boost Name Recall
A series of online experiments found that pairing highly memorable faces with names improves name recall, and this memory boost persists even when the face is no longer visible; memorable scenes did not produce the same effect, suggesting faces have a special link to remembering names, though real-world applicability needs further study.