Theta oscillations in memory

I just happen to cross paths with this new fresh article on theta oscillations and human memory: Published: February 03, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2019.12.006 Theta Oscillations in Human Memory Nora A. Herweg, Ethan A. Solomon, Michael J. Kahana I’m a big fan of how they start the paper: “Forming associations between different aspects of our sensory and cognitive…

Why have we lost so much short-term memory capacity compared to chimpanzees?

The answer is in this Twitter threat by Brian Roemmele: Consider: millions of years ago our antecedents gave a massive sacrifice of their left hemisphere. We lost a tremendous amount of short term memory and replaced it with Broca’s, Wernicke & the phonological loop. But why? So we can—talk. Thus chimpanzees can do this—we can’t:…

What happens in our brain when we are talking to someone?

I recently came across with a TED post about how our brain is in communication according to the findings of Uri Hasson’s lab. Across a different pipeline of studies, Hasson and colleagues show that when we are listening to someone our brain responses become coupled to the speaker ones. That means that our brains produce…

Our brain is rhythmic and interacts with the rhythms of our environment

This week at the weekly seminar of my research group we’ve read and discussed the following paper: Curr Biol. 2019 Sep 23;29(18):R890-R905. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.075. A New Unifying Account of the Roles of Neuronal Entrainment Lakatos P, Gross J, Thut G. Abstract. Rhythms are a fundamental and defining feature of neuronal activity in animals including humans. This rhythmic brain…

How do we create memories?

Have you ever thought about how our brain registers all the memories that we live? How we are able to easily recall a memory from the past like as it had happened yesterday? Or why do we remember so many details (or not) of the most important days in our lives? I recently watched an…

How human memory works?

Memory is essential to all our lives. Without a memory of the past, we could not operate in the present or think about the future. We would not be able to remember what we did yesterday, what we have done today or what we plan to do tomorrow. Without memory, we could not learn anything….

The left/right brain myth

The origins of the myth The left/right brain myth holds that a right-brain dominant person is generally creative, intuitive, artsy, while a left-brain dominant person is more of a problem-solver, more linear, logical. The myth arose from genuine science, but new imaging technology has shown that the brain is more interdependent than once thought. The…

How does mindfulness meditation change the brain?

What is mindfulness meditation? Meditation can be defined as a form of mental training that aims to improve an individual’s core psychological capacities, such as attentional and emotional self-regulation. Meditation encompasses a family of complex practices that include mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation, yoga, tai-chi and chi-gong. Of these practices, mindfulness meditation – often described as non-judgemental attention to present-moment experiences – has received most attention…

Lust, Romance, Attachment – What brain scanning says about the drive to love

Scientists have their own models of love and attraction, formed independently and through different methods. Though there are likely many models, I will stick to the model of love defined by Helen Fisher. Helen E. Fisher, PhD biological anthropologist, is a Senior Research Fellow, at The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, and a Member of the…

Brain network connectivity behind speech disorder

Research on the hidden patterns of brain activity needed to produce speech is giving scientists fresh insights into what goes wrong in various speech disorders. Speaking is one of the most complex human cognition processes the brain controls. Speech depends on the precise coordination of more than 100 muscles (spread across the mouth, lungs and…