Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Amygdala encodes 'cooties' and 'crushes' in the developing brain

Scientists have found a signal in the brain that reflects young children's aversion to members of the opposite sex (the "cooties" effect) and also their growing interest in opposite-sex peers as they enter puberty. These ...

Neuroscience

Neural sweet talk: Taste metaphors emotionally engage the brain

So accustomed are we to metaphors related to taste that when we hear a kind smile described as "sweet," or a resentful comment as "bitter," we most likely don't even think of those words as metaphors. But while it may seem ...

Neuroscience

Does 'free will' stem from brain noise?

Our ability to make choices—and sometimes mistakes—might arise from random fluctuations in the brain's background electrical noise, according to a recent study from the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California, ...

Neuroscience

How the brain builds on prior knowledge

It is easier to learn something new if you can link it to something you already know. A specific part of the brain appears to be involved in this process: the medial prefrontal cortex. The Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

The genetics of aggression and self-control

Everyone knows someone with a quick temper – it might even be you. And while scientists have known for decades that aggression is hereditary, there is another biological layer to those angry flare-ups: self-control.

Neuroscience

Controlling brain waves to improve vision

Have you ever accidentally missed a red light or a stop sign? Or have you heard someone mention a visible event that you passed by but totally missed seeing?

Neuroscience

Brain structure shows affinity with numbers

The structure of the brain shows the way in which we process numbers. People either do this spatially or non-spatially. A study by Florian Krause from the Donders Institute in Nijmegen shows for the first time that these ...

Neuroscience

Brain shape affects children's learning capacities

The anatomy of the brain affects cognitive control, an essential skill for learning and academic success. This is the result of studies performed by the Laboratoire de Psychologie du Développement et de l'Education de l'Enfant ...

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