Round-up of recent articles on neuroscience, brain development and cognitive health:
Encephalon 68: A carnival of neuroscience:
Chris hosts a great collection of neuroscience and psychology posts in his signature Q&A style.
Bilingual Babies Get Head Start — Before They Can Talk:
– Unlike the monolingual group, the bilingual group was able to successfully learn a new sound type and use it to predict where each character would pop up.
– The bilingual babies’ skill applies to more than just switching between languages. Mehler likened this apparently enhanced cognitive ability to a brain selecting “the right tool for the right operation” also called executive function.
– In this basic process, the brain, ever flexible, nimbly switches from one learned response to another as situations change.
– Monolingual babies hone this ability later in their young lives, Mehler suggests.”
Study shows how kids’ stress hurts memory:
“Now, research is providing what could be crucial clues to explain how childhood poverty translates into dimmer chances of success: Chronic stress from growing up poor appears to have a direct impact on the brain, leaving children with impairment in at least one key area – working memory.”
Returning troops getting tested for brain injuries:
– “More than 150,000 service members from the Marines, Air Force, Army and Navy have undergone the testing that became mandatory last year. Those who suffer a concussion or similar head injury will get a follow-up test.”
Diabetes ‘impact on brain power’:
– “Failure to control type 2 diabetes may have a long-term impact on the brain, research has suggested.
– Lead researcher Dr Jackie Price said: “Either hypos lead to cognitive decline, or cognitive decline makes it more difficult for people to manage their diabetes, which in turn causes more hypos.
– “A third explanation could be that a third unidentified factor is causing both the hypos and the cognitive decline.”