Category archives: Neuroscience

How perceptions are influenced by expectations

How perceptions are influenced by expectations

NeurobiologyNeurolinguisticsNeurosciencePsychology

By Mapping Ignorance

Past neuroscience and psychology studies have shown that people’s expectations of the world can influence their perceptions, either by directing their attention to expected stimuli or by reducing their sensitivity (i.e., perceptual acuity) to variations within the categories of stimuli we expect to be exposed to. While the effects of expectations on perceptions are now […]

What happens in the brain when there’s a word ‘on the tip of the tongue’?

What happens in the brain when there’s a word ‘on the tip of the tongue’?

Neuroscience

By Invited Researcher

Author: Frédéric Bernard, associate professor in neuropsychology, Université de Strasbourg We’ve all experienced it: you’re in the middle of a conversation, searching for a word, a name, or a title, and… nothing. You know you know it–you can almost feel it–but it just won’t come. This phenomenon, known as having a word “on the tip […]

Person-to-person variation in brain dynamics

Person-to-person variation in brain dynamics

Neuroscience

By Mapping Ignorance

The complexity of the human brain—86 billion neurons strong with more than 100 trillion connections—enables abstract thinking, language acquisition, advanced reasoning and problem-solving, and the capacity for creativity and social interaction. Understanding how differences in brain signalling and dynamics produce unique cognition and behaviour in individuals has long been a goal of neuroscience research, yet […]

The Florey Dementia Index for Alzheimer’s onset prediction

The Florey Dementia Index for Alzheimer’s onset prediction

MedicineNeurobiologyNeurosciencePsychology

By Mapping Ignorance

A predictive tool for determining the age at which individuals may develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) has demonstrated the ability to predict MCI onset within 2.78 years and AD onset within 1.48 years. Developed by Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health researchers, collaborating with the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) […]

Astrocytes transplantation as a treatment for some neurological disorders

Astrocytes transplantation as a treatment for some neurological disorders

Neuroscience

By Invited Researcher

Authors: Albert HiuKa Fok, Postdoctoral Fellow in Neuroscience, McGill University and Sabrina Chierzi, Research Associate, Neuroscience, McGill University Astrocytes — named for their star-like shape — are a type of brain cell as abundant as neurons in the central nervous system, but little is known about their role in brain health and disease. Many neurological […]