About 20 percent of neurons in a learning brain seem to be doing something counterintuitive. When these cells become more active, mistakes follow. A new computational model of the brain, built to mirror real neural circuits rather than optimize performance, stumbled onto this pattern while learning a simple visual task. Only then did researchers realize … Read more
For many autistic people, a crowded cafe isn’t just noisy. Every clinking spoon sounds like a bell. Every flickering light feels like a strobe. Clinicians have diagnosed autism through behavioral observation for decades, but the biological mechanisms behind these differences have remained elusive. Now, researchers at Yale School of Medicine report a concrete molecular signature … Read more
Before these systems ever see a single cat photo or traffic sign, some AI models are already humming in tune with the visual cortex. In new work from Johns Hopkins University, scientists showed that carefully designed, biologically inspired architectures can mimic activity in human and primate visual brain areas even when the networks are untrained. … Read more
Recommendation algorithms don’t just show you more of what you like. They actually change what you learn and how confident you feel about it, according to a new study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Researchers at Ohio State University tested this with 346 people learning to categorize fake aliens: crystal-like creatures with six … Read more
In the high-stakes world of brain surgery, a pathologist’s snap judgment can determine whether a patient walks out with their tumor removed or heads straight to chemotherapy instead. Get it wrong, and you’ve either carved out healthy brain tissue unnecessarily or left dangerous cells behind. Now, an AI system called PICTURE is stepping into operating … Read more
Researchers have developed a wearable brain stimulation system that can be used at home and tailored by artificial intelligence to improve focus, especially in people with low baseline attention. The non-invasive device delivers personalized electrical pulses to the brain using transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), and adjusts intensity based on head size and attention levels. … Read more
Scientists have developed a machine learning algorithm that can predict how quickly your brain processes information using just a few basic health measurements. The new study reveals that age, blood pressure, and body mass index are the strongest predictors of cognitive performance—more powerful than diet or exercise habits. This discovery could transform how doctors identify … Read more
MIT researchers have discovered that exposing mice with Down syndrome to specific light and sound patterns can significantly improve memory, enhance brain connectivity, and boost the formation of new neurons. This promising approach, which uses 40Hz sensory stimulation known as GENUS (gamma entrainment using sensory stimulation), could potentially open new avenues for treating cognitive challenges … Read more
With his eyes closed and electrodes connecting his brain to a tablet computer, a man with tetraplegia describes the warm, silky fur of a cat beneath his fingertips. Another participant reports feeling the smooth, cool surface of an apple and the rough texture of a terry cloth towel – all through a hand that hasn’t … Read more
When you’re looking at your phone, your visual neurons talk directly to your frontal cortex, creating a bridge between perception and higher cognition. This key finding from a landmark seven-year experiment challenges our understanding of consciousness, suggesting neither of two dominant theories fully explains how our sense of awareness arises. A team of over 200 … Read more