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Fetal exposure to large amounts of alcohol is found to be associated with reduced cognitive efficiency in perception, attention and recognition memory, in older children.

Data from 217 children from Inuit communities in Arctic Quebec (average age 11), of whom some had mothers that reported binge drinking during pregnancy, has revealed that the alcohol-exposed group, while similar to the control in accuracy and reaction time, showed a significant differences in th

Analysis of hundreds of studies has found no difference between male and female in terms of their math skills.

A meta-analysis of 242 articles assessing the math skills of 1,286,350 people found no difference between the two sexes.

Walking helps older adults fight brain shrinkage, which is in turn associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.

A long-running study involving 299 older adults (average age 78) has found that those who walked at least 72 blocks during a week of recorded activity (around six to nine miles) had greater gray matter volume nine years later.

Researchers trained blindfolded people to recognize shapes through coded sounds, demonstrating the abstract nature of perception.

We can see shapes and we can feel them, but we can’t hear a shape.

A small study indicates that nurturing mothers and increased reward centers in the brain go hand-in-hand — although the jury’s still out on which comes first.

The issue of “mommy brain” is a complex one. Inconsistent research results make it clear that there is no simple answer to the question of whether or not pregnancy and infant care change women’s brains. But a new study adds to the picture.

Why does testing improve memory? A new study suggests one reason is that testing supports the use of more effective encoding strategies.

In an experiment to investigate why testing might improve learning, 118 students were given 48 English-Swahili translation pairs. An initial study trialwas followed by three blocks of practice trials. For one group, the practice trial involved a cued recall test followed by restudy.

A small study suggests that social activities are more tiring for extraverts than introverts, and that this personality trait may influence the effect of sleep loss on attention.

A study involving 48 healthy adults aged 18-39 has found that extraverts who were deprived of sleep for 22 hours after spending 12 hours in group activities performed worse on a vigilance task that did those extraverts who engaged in the same activities on their own in a private room.

More evidence of the evils of inflammation for cognitive functioning comes from a mouse study that points to a simple remedy for the cognitive impairment that often follows major surgery.

Major surgery often produces cognitive dysfunction, usually temporary, but for some, long-lasting. It has been suggested that the problem might have to do with the immune system's inflammatory response. A new mouse study provides more evidence for this.

Findings from a large Swedish study are consistent with the hypothesis that more education and better healthcare have produced less cognitive impairment in present-day older adults.

Beginning in 1971, healthy older adults in Gothenburg, Sweden, have been participating in a longitudinal study of their cognitive health. The first H70 study started in 1971 with 381 residents of Gothenburg who were 70 years old; a new one began in 2000 with 551 residents and is still ongoing.

A very large study has found everyday memory problems among middle-aged and elderly are more likely in those with a history of cancer.

Confirming earlier indications from small studies, a very large nationwide survey has found that people who have had cancer are 40% more likely to experience memory problems that interfere with daily functioning.

New findings may help explain why heavy smokers find it so hard to give up, and even why heavy smokers are also so often heavy drinkers.

Comparison of the brains of 22 smokers and 21 people who have never smoked in their lives has revealed that the left medial

Recent rodent studies confirm attention and learning is more difficult for women when estrogen is high, but estrogen therapy can help menopausal women — if given during a critical window.

Recent rodent studies add to our understanding of how estrogen affects learning and memory.

A new study suggests that the link between midlife obesity and cognitive impairment and dementia in old age may be explained by poorer insulin sensitivity.

Previous research has indicated that obesity in middle-age is linked to higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia in old age.

One precursor of age-related cognitive impairment and dementia is inflammation. Research suggests why that might be, and explains why the plant nutrient luteolin can help fight memory impairment.

Inflammation in the brain appears to be a key contributor to age-related memory problems, and it may be that this has to do with the dysregulation of micro

Another study has come out suggesting that the advantage of mental stimulation is to delay cognitive decline, but at the cost of faster decline later (it’s still a good bargain).

A long-running study involving 1,157 healthy older adults (65+) who were scored on a 5-point scale according to how often they participated in mental activities such as listening to the radio, watching television, reading, playing games and going to a museum, has found that this score is correla

Cognitive tests only test you at a particular moment in time; early signs of Alzheimer's are more evident in declines in everyday behavior that are most visible to other people.

Confirming earlier research, a study involving 257 older adults (average age 75) has found that a two-minute questionnaire filled out by a close friend or family member is more accurate that standard cognitive tests in detecting early signs of Alzheimer’s.

A strong preference for looking at moving shapes rather than active people was evident among toddlers with autism spectrum disorder.

A study involving 110 toddlers (aged 14-42 months), of whom 37 were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and 22 with a developmental delay, has compared their behavior when watching a 1-minute movie depicting moving geometric patterns (a standard screen saver) on 1 side of a video monitor

A new study provides evidence for the theory that sensory integration is impaired in autism.

Children with autism often focus intently on a single activity or feature of their environment.

Young children’s memory for numbers reflects their understanding that numbers, however big, are all evenly spaced.

When children learn to count, they do so by rote. Understanding what the numbers really mean comes later. This is reflected in the way children draw a number line.

A finding that the livers of Alzheimer’s patients have an impaired ability to make the omega-3 fatty acid DHA may suggest a new approach.

Low levels of DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, have been found in the brains of those with Alzheimer's disease, but the reason has not been known.

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