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A new study published in the Journal of Nature looked at neurons, values, and our economic choices. “The behavior we engage in, for example, when we are sitting in a restaurant and contemplating the menu,” study author Dr. Camillo Paoda-Schioppa told us. “Let’s say that there are two options – pizza or burger. How do we make that choice?” Fifteen years ago, research in neuroscience demonstrated that values are real, in the sense that neurons in the brain compute and represent the values assigned to the various options. That result was a breakthrough, and a large number of studies subsequently confirmed the initial findings. However, it remained unclear whether and how neurons encoding values directly participate in the choice process. [More]

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have experienced feelings of social isolation. For some, interaction with others has been confined to a zoom call, for others there hasn’t been any interaction at all. Now, researchers at MIT have found that the longing for social interaction felt whilst isolated is neurologically similar to that for food cravings when hungry. [More]

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America looked at the brain and impulsiveness. “In this study we investigated how the locus coeruleus (LC), the main source of norepinephrine (NE) in the brain, regulates attention and impulsivity,” study author Andrea Bari told us. “These cognitive functions are essential in everyday life and found to be impaired to various degrees in several pathologies, most prominently in children with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).” [More]

A new study published in the Disability and Health Journal examined the prevalence of illicit drug use among college students with physical, cognitive, and other disabilities, and their counterparts without disabilities. “Our aim was to investigate whether there were differences in illicit substance use between students with disabilities and their peers without disabilities,” study author Myriam Casseus told us. “Numerous studies have found high rates of substance use among adults with disabilities and young adults/college students. However, there has been little research on drug use among college student with disabilities.” [More]

ADHD-like behavior caused by lack of sleep may be beneficial for entrepreneurial activity. For some people, bad sleep can result in feelings of hyperactivity the following day, along with impulsive behavior and shifting attention spans. These behaviours all resemble those of ADHD. Now a new study suggests this could lend itself to entrepreneurial behavior. [More]

Are you a great multitasker? According to research studies, only two per cent of the population is actually proficient at multitasking. Considered an asset, especially in the workforce, studies are now finding that multitasking actually accounts for a 40 per cent drop in productivity, costing the U.S. economy $650 billion annually. It also results in a 10 per cent drop in IQ. But there are some of us that can do it successfully. So what makes the two per cent of the population who can multitask efficiently different from the rest of us? A new study published in eNeuro looked at the brain and multitasking to get a better sense of where in the brain these functions occur. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry looked at maternal prenatal body mass index (BMI) and human fetal brain development. “Given knowledge that the physical well-being of a mother during pregnancy is important for the long-term brain health of her child, we sought to discover whether and how maternal BMI may relate brain development in the womb,” study author Moriah E. Thomason told us. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatric looked at the association between early neural activity and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). “We wanted to characterize early brain differences that can be detected before the behavioral signs of autism emerge,” study author Dr. Abigail Dickinson told us. [More]

A new study on aging and the brain published in the Journal of Nature Communications looked at the hippocampus region of the brain. “It's commonly accepted that aging negatively impacts most of our cognitive abilities, especially memory,” study author Zachariah M. Reagh told us. “While that is indeed the case, there might be more to the story.” [More]

Are you good at multitasking? That's a question often heard in a job interview but is it emotionally healthy to work with constant interruptions? Does it increase stress and affect how we relate to our coworkers? A new study looked at the emotional cost of frequent interruptions during cognitive work. [More]