#cognition — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #cognition, aggregated by home.social.
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Eye contact is an over-stimulation of the "sixth sense."
— An Autistic Person
#autistic #autism #adhd #audhd #eye-contact #overstimulation #sensory-overload #sensory-overwhelm #sixth-sense #cognition #consciousness #cognitive-load #THERE'S-TOO-MUCH-INPUT-AT-ONCE-OK?! -
Comment la fumée des incendies de forêt peut affecter votre cerveau
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/sciences/2026-07-17/etude/comment-la-fumee-des-incendies-de-foret-peut-affecter-votre-cerveau.php
#AMC #santé #cerceau #mémoire #cognition #pollution #air #feux #forêt #incendie #Ontario #Canada #Québec #ville #USA #fumée -
Comment la fumée des incendies de forêt peut affecter votre cerveau
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/sciences/2026-07-17/etude/comment-la-fumee-des-incendies-de-foret-peut-affecter-votre-cerveau.php
#AMC #santé #cerceau #mémoire #cognition #pollution #air #feux #forêt #incendie #Ontario #Canada #Québec #ville #USA #fumée -
Comment la fumée des incendies de forêt peut affecter votre cerveau
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/sciences/2026-07-17/etude/comment-la-fumee-des-incendies-de-foret-peut-affecter-votre-cerveau.php
#AMC #santé #cerceau #mémoire #cognition #pollution #air #feux #forêt #incendie #Ontario #Canada #Québec #ville #USA #fumée -
Comment la fumée des incendies de forêt peut affecter votre cerveau
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/sciences/2026-07-17/etude/comment-la-fumee-des-incendies-de-foret-peut-affecter-votre-cerveau.php
#AMC #santé #cerceau #mémoire #cognition #pollution #air #feux #forêt #incendie #Ontario #Canada #Québec #ville #USA #fumée -
Comment la fumée des incendies de forêt peut affecter votre cerveau
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/sciences/2026-07-17/etude/comment-la-fumee-des-incendies-de-foret-peut-affecter-votre-cerveau.php
#AMC #santé #cerceau #mémoire #cognition #pollution #air #feux #forêt #incendie #Ontario #Canada #Québec #ville #USA #fumée -
Lifestyle Intervention Boosts Cognitive Function in Older Adults
📰 Original title: Two-year lifestyle program improves older adults' cognition 55% more, trial finds
🤖 IA: It's clickbait ⚠️
👥 Users: It's clickbait ⚠️View full AI summary https://en.killbait.com/lifestyle-intervention-boosts-cognitive-function-in-older-adults.html?utm_source=mastodon_world&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_world
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Quote from the new post: "the economics of the exponential gap requires a social solution, while the cognitive gap requires us to act as individuals."
That's the throughline of this series: some of what technology does to us needs collective fixes, some of it we handle ourselves, starting with our own attention and working memory.
Part 5 (next up) looks at what that actually looks like in practice.
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Quote from the new post: "the economics of the exponential gap requires a social solution, while the cognitive gap requires us to act as individuals."
That's the throughline of this series: some of what technology does to us needs collective fixes, some of it we handle ourselves, starting with our own attention and working memory.
Part 5 (next up) looks at what that actually looks like in practice.
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It reminds me a bit of the skeuomorphic design language used when smartphones were first introduced. Only this time, it involves spoken language.
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It reminds me a bit of the skeuomorphic design language used when smartphones were first introduced. Only this time, it involves spoken language.
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Book lovers, better sit down...
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/post-literate-age-why-fewer-americans-are-reading-for-pleasure
Probably not a surprise for teachers, parents, & book lovers of a certain age, having spent much of life in the "pre-AI" age.
I'm concerned about what can happen in schools - and in homes too, not to mention book stores attention span, & print #media writ large.
People are not "reading for pleasure"! Not in the numbers we did, in our childhoods.
#reading #books #leisure #literacy #education #technology #learning #cognition #words -
Book lovers, better sit down...
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/post-literate-age-why-fewer-americans-are-reading-for-pleasure
Probably not a surprise for teachers, parents, & book lovers of a certain age, having spent much of life in the "pre-AI" age.
I'm concerned about what can happen in schools - and in homes too, not to mention book stores attention span, & print #media writ large.
People are not "reading for pleasure"! Not in the numbers we did, in our childhoods.
#reading #books #leisure #literacy #education #technology #learning #cognition #words -
🧠 #Matter vs. #Mind: In what worlds does our #brain live? 🌐
Today, #neuroscientists face a fascinating and, at the same time, profound #dilemma.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments! 👇
https://philosophies.de/index.php/2022/03/22/kann-das-gehirn-das-gehirn-verstehen/
You can find this exciting interview at:
👉 https://youtu.be/C2FVIbAyaH4
#Brain #BrainResearch #Consciousness #Philosophy #WolfSinger #Zoomposium #Qualia #Neuroscience #FreeWill #Cognition #MindAndBrain #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Epistemology
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🧠 #Matter vs. #Mind: In what worlds does our #brain live? 🌐
Today, #neuroscientists face a fascinating and, at the same time, profound #dilemma.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments! 👇
https://philosophies.de/index.php/2022/03/22/kann-das-gehirn-das-gehirn-verstehen/
You can find this exciting interview at:
👉 https://youtu.be/C2FVIbAyaH4
#Brain #BrainResearch #Consciousness #Philosophy #WolfSinger #Zoomposium #Qualia #Neuroscience #FreeWill #Cognition #MindAndBrain #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Epistemology
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Question for anyone who's been using AI tools a lot lately: has it changed how much you trust your own thinking?
I don't mean whether you double-check facts. I mean the smaller thing, reaching for the AI's answer before you've properly formed your own. I Wrote about the wider research on this in my latest post.
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Question for anyone who's been using AI tools a lot lately: has it changed how much you trust your own thinking?
I don't mean whether you double-check facts. I mean the smaller thing, reaching for the AI's answer before you've properly formed your own. I Wrote about the wider research on this in my latest post.
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Orexin, Sleep, and Cognition in Alzheimer Disease: Non-REM Oscillatory Activity and Neural Resilience
https://1ban.news/orexin-sleep-cognition-alzheimer-nrem-oscillatory/
#1ban #orexin #sleep #cognition #alzheimer #neuroscience -
Orexin, Sleep, and Cognition in Alzheimer Disease: Non-REM Oscillatory Activity and Neural Resilience
https://1ban.news/orexin-sleep-cognition-alzheimer-nrem-oscillatory/
#1ban #orexin #sleep #cognition #alzheimer #neuroscience -
30 years of internet research turns up a mixed bag: better problem-solving, more creative thinking, but reduced focus and less critical thinking (we're more likely to accept what we're told without questioning it).
I wrote about what this means now that AI is doing something similar, only faster.
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30 years of internet research turns up a mixed bag: better problem-solving, more creative thinking, but reduced focus and less critical thinking (we're more likely to accept what we're told without questioning it).
I wrote about what this means now that AI is doing something similar, only faster.
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DATE: July 13, 2026 at 06:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: How LSD reshapes brain circuitry to blur the lines between perception and thought
A recent small study analyzes how the psychedelic drug LSD reshapes brain activity. The research shows that the substance boosts widespread neural synchronization while blurring the boundaries between sensory perception and abstract thought. Through computer modeling and brain scans, researchers found that LSD alters the balance of excitement and inhibition in specific brain circuits, potentially pulling the mind out of entrenched patterns. The findings were published in PLOS Computational Biology.
Psychedelics are seeing a resurgence in psychiatric research. Clinical trials suggest these substances hold potential for assisting in the treatment of conditions like depression, anxiety, and addiction. Mental health disorders often involve rigid, stubborn patterns of thinking. Psychedelic compounds seem to induce the opposite effect, introducing temporary flexibility to brain activity.
To understand how a drug can drastically alter human consciousness, scientists look at how different networks function in the brain. Even when a person is resting, regions of the brain constantly communicate. Distinct networks process everything from simple sensory inputs, like touch and sight, to abstract cognitive tasks, like self-reflection and attention.
Healthy brain function relies on a delicate seesaw effect known as the excitatory and inhibitory balance. Excitatory neurons act like a biological accelerator, sending electrical signals that encourage other neurons to fire. Inhibitory neurons act like the brakes, preventing overactivity and keeping the system organized.
Lingyu Zhang, a researcher at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, alongside colleagues across several other institutions, wanted to map how this balance changes under the influence of LSD. Measuring the exact chemical equilibrium directly in a living human brain is incredibly difficult with current noninvasive technology. To get around this limitation, the research team turned to computational modeling coupled with neuroimaging data.
The researchers utilized an existing data set from a small study of 15 healthy adults. During the original experiment, participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. This type of brain scan measures changes in blood flow over time, allowing researchers to detect which areas of the brain are highly active. Each person received two scans on separate days, one occurring after an injection of a placebo, and the other occurring after an intravenous dose of LSD.
Zhang and the research team took this scanning data and looked for patterns of synchronization. They wanted to see if the rhythmic waves of activity in different brain regions peaked and dipped at the exact same moment. Phase synchronization occurs when multiple regions align their rhythms. The researchers grouped these synchronized moments together to categorize distinct brain states.
Under the placebo condition, the brain hopped smoothly between various modular states. Some of these states were dedicated purely to processing sensory information. Other states were tied strictly to the default mode network, which is a group of associative brain regions dealing with mind wandering, memories, and an individual’s sense of self.
When participants took LSD, their brain dynamics shifted in a profound manner. The researchers found that LSD enhanced global brain synchrony. Instead of operating in segregated, independent networks, the entire brain was much more likely to fire together in a unified state.
This highly synchronized global state seemed to act like a magnet, drawing the brain away from its compartmentalized routines. The probability of the brain transitioning from this unified state back into specialized cognitive control networks was markedly reduced. Due to the limited sample size, some minute differences in transition probabilities between minor states were not statistically significant. However, the overarching trend toward increased global synchrony remained visible.
To understand the hidden machinery behind this shift, the researchers built a dynamic computer simulation. They combined the brain scan data with detailed maps of structural connections in the human brain. This allowed the team to calculate the estimated ratio of excitation to inhibition in tiny neural circuits across the entire cerebral cortex.
The computer model revealed that LSD alters the brain’s internal chemical balance, doing so unevenly. The drug affects regions responsible for basic sensory perception quite differently than it affects regions responsible for abstract thought.
In areas of the brain related to sensory and motor processing, the model showed a sharp drop in the excitatory-to-inhibitory ratio. The biological brakes became much stronger in these regions. This chemical shift suppresses how tenaciously the brain anchors itself to external sensory inputs.
Conversely, the model estimated that the activation ratio increased in associative brain regions. Taking off the brakes in these abstract processing centers could make neurons uncharacteristically active. The researchers suggest this neural remodeling fosters cognitive flexibility, allowing participants to experience intense introspection.
By turning down sensory areas and dialing up abstract areas, LSD essentially levels the playing field between the two. The strict boundaries that usually separate concrete perception from abstract cognition begin to dissolve. This physiological mechanism aligns closely with the subjective experiences often reported by users of psychedelics, such as a dissolving sense of self and an altered perception of the world.
The team also discovered that the sensory and motor cortices might serve as primary drivers for these brain-wide changes. The suppression of these early sensory pathways appears to cascade upward. This disruption travels up the hierarchy of the brain, scattering the higher-order networks that typically impose order on human cognition.
Psychedelics are known to bind to a specific type of serotonin receptor in the brain, known as the 5-HT2A receptor. This receptor triggers chemical chain reactions that can alter the release of glutamate, which serves as the brain’s primary excitatory neurotransmitter. The researchers noted that their computer model’s map of altered excitement and inhibition closely overlapped with known anatomical maps of serotonin and glutamate receptors.
This theoretical overlap hints at the biological mechanism at play. The LSD binds to serotonin receptors, which in turn manipulate the excitatory neurotransmitters at localized points in the sensory cortex. The ripple effect ultimately changes the entire brain’s operational rhythm, forcing it out of rigid habits.
The authors pointed out several limitations to their analysis that warrant caution. Because this original data set came from a small study, larger clinical trials will be necessary to confirm the results. Expanding the participant pool would help ensure the findings apply reliably to the broader population.
The research focused exclusively on the cerebral cortex, which is the brain’s wrinkled outer layer. The computational models did not include deeper subcortical structures like the thalamus. The thalamus acts as a major relay station for sensory information. Previous research suggests this region plays a vital role in how hallucinogens affect the mind, meaning future studies will need to incorporate it to provide a complete picture.
The study also did not match the brain scanning data with subjective psychological questionnaires from the participants. The researchers noted that future investigations should explore how these measured changes in brain connectivity correlate with a person’s specific emotional or perceptual experiences. Learning exactly how the loss of sensory anchoring matches an individual’s reported hallucinations would bring science one step closer to practical therapeutic applications.
The study, “Lysergic acid diethylamide-derived excitatory/inhibitory ratio change enhances global synchrony in functional brain dynamics,” was authored by Lingyu Zhang, Weiyang Shi, Ziyang Zhao, Zhichao Wang, Congying Chu, Bokai Zhao, Jiaqi Zhang, Qianhui Liu, Yueheng Lan, and Tianzi Jiang.
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Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LSD #psychedelics #brainnetworks #neuroscience #global synchrony #excitatoryinhibitorybalance #5HT2A #neuroimaging #cognition #perceptionandthought
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DATE: July 13, 2026 at 06:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: How LSD reshapes brain circuitry to blur the lines between perception and thought
A recent small study analyzes how the psychedelic drug LSD reshapes brain activity. The research shows that the substance boosts widespread neural synchronization while blurring the boundaries between sensory perception and abstract thought. Through computer modeling and brain scans, researchers found that LSD alters the balance of excitement and inhibition in specific brain circuits, potentially pulling the mind out of entrenched patterns. The findings were published in PLOS Computational Biology.
Psychedelics are seeing a resurgence in psychiatric research. Clinical trials suggest these substances hold potential for assisting in the treatment of conditions like depression, anxiety, and addiction. Mental health disorders often involve rigid, stubborn patterns of thinking. Psychedelic compounds seem to induce the opposite effect, introducing temporary flexibility to brain activity.
To understand how a drug can drastically alter human consciousness, scientists look at how different networks function in the brain. Even when a person is resting, regions of the brain constantly communicate. Distinct networks process everything from simple sensory inputs, like touch and sight, to abstract cognitive tasks, like self-reflection and attention.
Healthy brain function relies on a delicate seesaw effect known as the excitatory and inhibitory balance. Excitatory neurons act like a biological accelerator, sending electrical signals that encourage other neurons to fire. Inhibitory neurons act like the brakes, preventing overactivity and keeping the system organized.
Lingyu Zhang, a researcher at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, alongside colleagues across several other institutions, wanted to map how this balance changes under the influence of LSD. Measuring the exact chemical equilibrium directly in a living human brain is incredibly difficult with current noninvasive technology. To get around this limitation, the research team turned to computational modeling coupled with neuroimaging data.
The researchers utilized an existing data set from a small study of 15 healthy adults. During the original experiment, participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. This type of brain scan measures changes in blood flow over time, allowing researchers to detect which areas of the brain are highly active. Each person received two scans on separate days, one occurring after an injection of a placebo, and the other occurring after an intravenous dose of LSD.
Zhang and the research team took this scanning data and looked for patterns of synchronization. They wanted to see if the rhythmic waves of activity in different brain regions peaked and dipped at the exact same moment. Phase synchronization occurs when multiple regions align their rhythms. The researchers grouped these synchronized moments together to categorize distinct brain states.
Under the placebo condition, the brain hopped smoothly between various modular states. Some of these states were dedicated purely to processing sensory information. Other states were tied strictly to the default mode network, which is a group of associative brain regions dealing with mind wandering, memories, and an individual’s sense of self.
When participants took LSD, their brain dynamics shifted in a profound manner. The researchers found that LSD enhanced global brain synchrony. Instead of operating in segregated, independent networks, the entire brain was much more likely to fire together in a unified state.
This highly synchronized global state seemed to act like a magnet, drawing the brain away from its compartmentalized routines. The probability of the brain transitioning from this unified state back into specialized cognitive control networks was markedly reduced. Due to the limited sample size, some minute differences in transition probabilities between minor states were not statistically significant. However, the overarching trend toward increased global synchrony remained visible.
To understand the hidden machinery behind this shift, the researchers built a dynamic computer simulation. They combined the brain scan data with detailed maps of structural connections in the human brain. This allowed the team to calculate the estimated ratio of excitation to inhibition in tiny neural circuits across the entire cerebral cortex.
The computer model revealed that LSD alters the brain’s internal chemical balance, doing so unevenly. The drug affects regions responsible for basic sensory perception quite differently than it affects regions responsible for abstract thought.
In areas of the brain related to sensory and motor processing, the model showed a sharp drop in the excitatory-to-inhibitory ratio. The biological brakes became much stronger in these regions. This chemical shift suppresses how tenaciously the brain anchors itself to external sensory inputs.
Conversely, the model estimated that the activation ratio increased in associative brain regions. Taking off the brakes in these abstract processing centers could make neurons uncharacteristically active. The researchers suggest this neural remodeling fosters cognitive flexibility, allowing participants to experience intense introspection.
By turning down sensory areas and dialing up abstract areas, LSD essentially levels the playing field between the two. The strict boundaries that usually separate concrete perception from abstract cognition begin to dissolve. This physiological mechanism aligns closely with the subjective experiences often reported by users of psychedelics, such as a dissolving sense of self and an altered perception of the world.
The team also discovered that the sensory and motor cortices might serve as primary drivers for these brain-wide changes. The suppression of these early sensory pathways appears to cascade upward. This disruption travels up the hierarchy of the brain, scattering the higher-order networks that typically impose order on human cognition.
Psychedelics are known to bind to a specific type of serotonin receptor in the brain, known as the 5-HT2A receptor. This receptor triggers chemical chain reactions that can alter the release of glutamate, which serves as the brain’s primary excitatory neurotransmitter. The researchers noted that their computer model’s map of altered excitement and inhibition closely overlapped with known anatomical maps of serotonin and glutamate receptors.
This theoretical overlap hints at the biological mechanism at play. The LSD binds to serotonin receptors, which in turn manipulate the excitatory neurotransmitters at localized points in the sensory cortex. The ripple effect ultimately changes the entire brain’s operational rhythm, forcing it out of rigid habits.
The authors pointed out several limitations to their analysis that warrant caution. Because this original data set came from a small study, larger clinical trials will be necessary to confirm the results. Expanding the participant pool would help ensure the findings apply reliably to the broader population.
The research focused exclusively on the cerebral cortex, which is the brain’s wrinkled outer layer. The computational models did not include deeper subcortical structures like the thalamus. The thalamus acts as a major relay station for sensory information. Previous research suggests this region plays a vital role in how hallucinogens affect the mind, meaning future studies will need to incorporate it to provide a complete picture.
The study also did not match the brain scanning data with subjective psychological questionnaires from the participants. The researchers noted that future investigations should explore how these measured changes in brain connectivity correlate with a person’s specific emotional or perceptual experiences. Learning exactly how the loss of sensory anchoring matches an individual’s reported hallucinations would bring science one step closer to practical therapeutic applications.
The study, “Lysergic acid diethylamide-derived excitatory/inhibitory ratio change enhances global synchrony in functional brain dynamics,” was authored by Lingyu Zhang, Weiyang Shi, Ziyang Zhao, Zhichao Wang, Congying Chu, Bokai Zhao, Jiaqi Zhang, Qianhui Liu, Yueheng Lan, and Tianzi Jiang.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LSD #psychedelics #brainnetworks #neuroscience #global synchrony #excitatoryinhibitorybalance #5HT2A #neuroimaging #cognition #perceptionandthought
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New post: our working memory still caps out at seven items, same as it was for Pribram and Miller in the 1960s. Everything else about how much information reaches us has changed dramatically since.
Part 4 of my series on why technology is outpacing society: what 30 years of internet research, and now AI, are doing to how we think.
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New post: our working memory still caps out at seven items, same as it was for Pribram and Miller in the 1960s. Everything else about how much information reaches us has changed dramatically since.
Part 4 of my series on why technology is outpacing society: what 30 years of internet research, and now AI, are doing to how we think.
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Cognition-Based Biology
Cellular Sentience, Communication, and Symbiosis
Springer 2026
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-23779-8
Cognition-Based Biology (CBB) is a radical restructuring of biological and evolutionary development as a comprehensive alternative narrative to 20th century Neo-Darwinism and its critical deficiencies. Our work substantiates that cells are conscious agents and have been since life's origin.
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Cognition-Based Biology
Cellular Sentience, Communication, and Symbiosis
Springer 2026
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-23779-8
Cognition-Based Biology (CBB) is a radical restructuring of biological and evolutionary development as a comprehensive alternative narrative to 20th century Neo-Darwinism and its critical deficiencies. Our work substantiates that cells are conscious agents and have been since life's origin.
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Rest of World: The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill. “Rest of World spoke to six Filipino virtual assistants and two agencies who described a unique industry of low-paid and AI-assisted offshore workers producing content for executives and so-called thought leaders on LinkedIn. The names of the virtual assistants have been changed to protect […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/11/rest-of-world-the-filipino-virtual-assistants-behind-linkedins-thought-leadership-content-mill/ -
Rest of World: The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill. “Rest of World spoke to six Filipino virtual assistants and two agencies who described a unique industry of low-paid and AI-assisted offshore workers producing content for executives and so-called thought leaders on LinkedIn. The names of the virtual assistants have been changed to protect […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/11/rest-of-world-the-filipino-virtual-assistants-behind-linkedins-thought-leadership-content-mill/ -
Rest of World: The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill. “Rest of World spoke to six Filipino virtual assistants and two agencies who described a unique industry of low-paid and AI-assisted offshore workers producing content for executives and so-called thought leaders on LinkedIn. The names of the virtual assistants have been changed to protect […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/11/rest-of-world-the-filipino-virtual-assistants-behind-linkedins-thought-leadership-content-mill/ -
Rest of World: The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill. “Rest of World spoke to six Filipino virtual assistants and two agencies who described a unique industry of low-paid and AI-assisted offshore workers producing content for executives and so-called thought leaders on LinkedIn. The names of the virtual assistants have been changed to protect […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/11/rest-of-world-the-filipino-virtual-assistants-behind-linkedins-thought-leadership-content-mill/ -
DATE: July 10, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: The secret to human cognition might lie in the complex computing power of individual brain cells
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that individual cells in the human brain possess significantly greater computational power than those found in other mammals. By applying artificial intelligence to model these brain cells, scientists found that human neurons are highly sophisticated information-processing units on their own. These findings provide evidence that the unique cognitive abilities of humans might stem from the complex structure and function of individual cells, rather than just the vast number of cells in the brain network.
The brain is composed of billions of individual cells called neurons, which communicate with one another to process information. Most of the advanced cognitive functions in humans, such as language and problem-solving, take place in the cerebral cortex. This is the wrinkled outer layer of the brain. Within the cortex, the primary cells responsible for transmitting excitatory signals are called pyramidal neurons. These cells are named for their distinctive cone-shaped cell bodies.
A neuron receives incoming electrical signals through branch-like structures called dendrites. The signals travel down the dendrites to the main cell body. If the combined signals reach a certain threshold, the neuron fires an electrical pulse, known as a spike or action potential, to pass the message along to other cells. The way a neuron integrates these incoming signals and decides whether or not to fire is essentially a form of microscopic computation. These tiny cellular decisions form the biological basis for all human thought and behavior.
Previous anatomical observations have shown that human cortical pyramidal neurons look physically different from those of rodents. Human neurons tend to be larger, with much more extensive and elaborately branched dendritic trees. However, scientists lacked a standardized way to measure exactly how these physical differences affect the cell’s ability to process information.
The research team, led by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, aimed to measure the functional complexity of these microscopic brain cells. They sought to determine whether the unique physical traits of human neurons actually translate into greater computational power compared to the neurons of a rat. To do this, they needed a tool that could quantify how well a neuron translates multiple incoming signals into a single outgoing spike.
To solve this problem, the scientists developed a new metric called the Functional Complexity Index. This index relies on machine learning concepts. While machine learning is often used to find patterns in massive consumer datasets, here it is used as a ruler to measure biological complexity. The core idea is to train a standard artificial neural network to mimic the behavior of a biological brain cell. An artificial neural network is a computer system designed to recognize patterns, loosely inspired by the structure of the brain.
The researchers reasoned that if a biological neuron acts like a simple switch, a small artificial network will easily learn to predict its behavior. If the biological neuron performs highly complex computations, the same artificial network will struggle to replicate its output. A worse performance by the artificial network results in a higher Functional Complexity Index score for the biological cell.
The scientists conducted their experiments using detailed digital models of biological neurons. They utilized three-dimensional reconstructions of 24 specific cells. This sample included 12 human cortical pyramidal neurons and 12 rat cortical pyramidal neurons. The selected cells represented different depths of the brain’s cortex, specifically spanning layers two, three, four, five, and six.
For each of the 24 digital neurons, the researchers generated an enormous dataset. They ran simulations exposing the digital cell to random incoming electrical signals spread across its dendritic branches. Each simulation lasted ten seconds, and they ran 12,000 simulations per neuron. This generated the equivalent of over a day of continuous neural activity data for each individual cell model.
Next, the researchers built a standard artificial neural network featuring three internal processing layers, each containing 128 computational units. They fed this network the exact same incoming signals used in the simulations. The artificial network was then tasked with predicting the exact millisecond timing of the electrical spikes that the biological cell model had produced.
The authors found that human cortical neurons scored significantly higher on the complexity index than their rat counterparts. The artificial network had a much harder time predicting the spike timing of the human cells. This suggests that human neurons perform a much more complex translation of incoming signals than the neurons of a rat.
To understand what drives this difference, the team analyzed 58 separate physical measurements of the cells’ dendritic branches. They found that the total surface area of the dendrites was the single strongest predictor of a cell’s complexity score. The length of the branches that split off into other branches was also a major factor. This provides evidence that a larger, more sprawling dendritic structure allows different parts of the cell to process information somewhat independently, which greatly increases overall computational power.
The researchers also investigated the role of synapses, which are the tiny connection points where signals enter the dendrites. Specifically, they looked at NMDA receptors. These are specialized proteins located at the synapses that respond to incoming electrical signals in a non-linear way. This means that if enough signals arrive at once, the NMDA receptors amplify the electrical current dramatically, rather than just adding the signals together simply.
In their digital simulations, the team tested both rat-like and human-like synaptic properties. Scientific evidence suggests that human excitatory synapses contain a larger number of NMDA receptors and react more sharply to voltage changes. When the researchers applied these human-like synaptic traits to the models, the functional complexity of the cells increased significantly. The combination of sprawling dendrites and highly reactive NMDA receptors tends to push the human neuron into a much higher tier of processing power.
The data also revealed an interesting shift in how complexity is distributed across the layers of the cortex. In the rat models, the neurons located in layer five were the most complex. In the human models, the neurons in layers two and three were significantly more complex than those in other layers. Layers two and three are known to be particularly expanded in the human brain, which suggests an evolutionary adaptation in how the human brain allocates its computational resources.
While the study provides a detailed look at single-cell computation, it does have a few limitations. The research relied entirely on computer simulations of neurons rather than living tissue in an active brain. Because there is currently a lack of experimental data regarding certain electrical properties in human dendrites, the models did not include every possible active ion channel found in a living cell. This means the digital cells might behave slightly differently than biological cells in a real human brain.
Additionally, the Functional Complexity Index is heavily dependent on the specific design of the artificial neural network used for the testing. If the artificial network is too shallow or too deep, it can compress the differences in scores between the cells. The researchers selected a three-layer network as a middle ground, but different computer architectures could yield different specific numbers.
Future research directions might involve exploring other anatomical features, such as the tiny protrusions on dendrites known as spines, to see how they alter signal processing. The researchers also hope to apply this new measurement tool to other types of brain cells and to different species, such as nonhuman primates. Eventually, gathering data from living human brain cells in a laboratory setting could help scientists verify the computational patterns observed in these digital simulations.
The study, “Dendritic morphology and synaptic nonlinearities enhance functional complexity in human cortical neurons,” was authored by Ido Aizenbud, Daniela Yoeli, David Beniaguev, Christiaan P. J. de Kock, Michael London, and Idan Segev.
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DATE: July 10, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: The secret to human cognition might lie in the complex computing power of individual brain cells
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that individual cells in the human brain possess significantly greater computational power than those found in other mammals. By applying artificial intelligence to model these brain cells, scientists found that human neurons are highly sophisticated information-processing units on their own. These findings provide evidence that the unique cognitive abilities of humans might stem from the complex structure and function of individual cells, rather than just the vast number of cells in the brain network.
The brain is composed of billions of individual cells called neurons, which communicate with one another to process information. Most of the advanced cognitive functions in humans, such as language and problem-solving, take place in the cerebral cortex. This is the wrinkled outer layer of the brain. Within the cortex, the primary cells responsible for transmitting excitatory signals are called pyramidal neurons. These cells are named for their distinctive cone-shaped cell bodies.
A neuron receives incoming electrical signals through branch-like structures called dendrites. The signals travel down the dendrites to the main cell body. If the combined signals reach a certain threshold, the neuron fires an electrical pulse, known as a spike or action potential, to pass the message along to other cells. The way a neuron integrates these incoming signals and decides whether or not to fire is essentially a form of microscopic computation. These tiny cellular decisions form the biological basis for all human thought and behavior.
Previous anatomical observations have shown that human cortical pyramidal neurons look physically different from those of rodents. Human neurons tend to be larger, with much more extensive and elaborately branched dendritic trees. However, scientists lacked a standardized way to measure exactly how these physical differences affect the cell’s ability to process information.
The research team, led by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, aimed to measure the functional complexity of these microscopic brain cells. They sought to determine whether the unique physical traits of human neurons actually translate into greater computational power compared to the neurons of a rat. To do this, they needed a tool that could quantify how well a neuron translates multiple incoming signals into a single outgoing spike.
To solve this problem, the scientists developed a new metric called the Functional Complexity Index. This index relies on machine learning concepts. While machine learning is often used to find patterns in massive consumer datasets, here it is used as a ruler to measure biological complexity. The core idea is to train a standard artificial neural network to mimic the behavior of a biological brain cell. An artificial neural network is a computer system designed to recognize patterns, loosely inspired by the structure of the brain.
The researchers reasoned that if a biological neuron acts like a simple switch, a small artificial network will easily learn to predict its behavior. If the biological neuron performs highly complex computations, the same artificial network will struggle to replicate its output. A worse performance by the artificial network results in a higher Functional Complexity Index score for the biological cell.
The scientists conducted their experiments using detailed digital models of biological neurons. They utilized three-dimensional reconstructions of 24 specific cells. This sample included 12 human cortical pyramidal neurons and 12 rat cortical pyramidal neurons. The selected cells represented different depths of the brain’s cortex, specifically spanning layers two, three, four, five, and six.
For each of the 24 digital neurons, the researchers generated an enormous dataset. They ran simulations exposing the digital cell to random incoming electrical signals spread across its dendritic branches. Each simulation lasted ten seconds, and they ran 12,000 simulations per neuron. This generated the equivalent of over a day of continuous neural activity data for each individual cell model.
Next, the researchers built a standard artificial neural network featuring three internal processing layers, each containing 128 computational units. They fed this network the exact same incoming signals used in the simulations. The artificial network was then tasked with predicting the exact millisecond timing of the electrical spikes that the biological cell model had produced.
The authors found that human cortical neurons scored significantly higher on the complexity index than their rat counterparts. The artificial network had a much harder time predicting the spike timing of the human cells. This suggests that human neurons perform a much more complex translation of incoming signals than the neurons of a rat.
To understand what drives this difference, the team analyzed 58 separate physical measurements of the cells’ dendritic branches. They found that the total surface area of the dendrites was the single strongest predictor of a cell’s complexity score. The length of the branches that split off into other branches was also a major factor. This provides evidence that a larger, more sprawling dendritic structure allows different parts of the cell to process information somewhat independently, which greatly increases overall computational power.
The researchers also investigated the role of synapses, which are the tiny connection points where signals enter the dendrites. Specifically, they looked at NMDA receptors. These are specialized proteins located at the synapses that respond to incoming electrical signals in a non-linear way. This means that if enough signals arrive at once, the NMDA receptors amplify the electrical current dramatically, rather than just adding the signals together simply.
In their digital simulations, the team tested both rat-like and human-like synaptic properties. Scientific evidence suggests that human excitatory synapses contain a larger number of NMDA receptors and react more sharply to voltage changes. When the researchers applied these human-like synaptic traits to the models, the functional complexity of the cells increased significantly. The combination of sprawling dendrites and highly reactive NMDA receptors tends to push the human neuron into a much higher tier of processing power.
The data also revealed an interesting shift in how complexity is distributed across the layers of the cortex. In the rat models, the neurons located in layer five were the most complex. In the human models, the neurons in layers two and three were significantly more complex than those in other layers. Layers two and three are known to be particularly expanded in the human brain, which suggests an evolutionary adaptation in how the human brain allocates its computational resources.
While the study provides a detailed look at single-cell computation, it does have a few limitations. The research relied entirely on computer simulations of neurons rather than living tissue in an active brain. Because there is currently a lack of experimental data regarding certain electrical properties in human dendrites, the models did not include every possible active ion channel found in a living cell. This means the digital cells might behave slightly differently than biological cells in a real human brain.
Additionally, the Functional Complexity Index is heavily dependent on the specific design of the artificial neural network used for the testing. If the artificial network is too shallow or too deep, it can compress the differences in scores between the cells. The researchers selected a three-layer network as a middle ground, but different computer architectures could yield different specific numbers.
Future research directions might involve exploring other anatomical features, such as the tiny protrusions on dendrites known as spines, to see how they alter signal processing. The researchers also hope to apply this new measurement tool to other types of brain cells and to different species, such as nonhuman primates. Eventually, gathering data from living human brain cells in a laboratory setting could help scientists verify the computational patterns observed in these digital simulations.
The study, “Dendritic morphology and synaptic nonlinearities enhance functional complexity in human cortical neurons,” was authored by Ido Aizenbud, Daniela Yoeli, David Beniaguev, Christiaan P. J. de Kock, Michael London, and Idan Segev.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #HumanNeurons #Cognition #DendriticComplexity #FunctionalComplexityIndex #NMDAReceptors #CerebralCortex #Neuroscience #BrainComputing #NeuronDendrites #PyramidalNeurons
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Most people never look at their handwritten grocery list while shopping. The act of writing was the memory aid. The paper is just the receipt.
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Most people never look at their handwritten grocery list while shopping. The act of writing was the memory aid. The paper is just the receipt.
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The “mirror test” has been used to assess some cognitive skills associated with intelligence in species other than humans, and individuals of fish species have passed it. 🐟
Find out more ⬇️
https://veganfta.com/blog/2026/07/02/can-a-fish-pass-the-mirror-test/
#fish #cognition #animalintelligence -
https://winbuzzer.com/2026/07/09/cognition-swe-17-adds-near-frontier-coding-scores-to-devin-xcxwbn/
Cognition has launched SWE-1.7 for its Devin software engineering agent with near-frontier coding scores.
#AI #SWE15 #SWE1 #Cognition #Devin #AICoding #AIAgents #AgenticAI #CodeGeneration #DeveloperTools
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https://winbuzzer.com/2026/07/09/cognition-swe-17-adds-near-frontier-coding-scores-to-devin-xcxwbn/
Cognition has launched SWE-1.7 for its Devin software engineering agent with near-frontier coding scores.
#AI #SWE15 #SWE1 #Cognition #Devin #AICoding #AIAgents #AgenticAI #CodeGeneration #DeveloperTools
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we cannot reasonably understand each other.
too different are our point of views.it's also not important
what matters is that we have an attitude of non violence and non dominance
#reasoning #reasonableness #reasonability #cognition #commonsense #democracy
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we cannot reasonably understand each other.
too different are our point of views.it's also not important
what matters is that we have an attitude of non violence and non dominance
#reasoning #reasonableness #reasonability #cognition #commonsense #democracy
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So Software engineers are now being increasingly mandated to integrate generative AI into their workflows, a shift driven by executives needing to justify astronomical promises made to investors.
While AI remains highly effective as a functional tool and at most an intellectual partner. Total reliance on it, however, fundamentally alters our relationship with knowledge. This process of outsourcing core human cognition will transform engineers from active problem-solvers into passive consumers, locking them into corporate financial funnels designed to monetise absolute dependence.
Having witnessed the long-term effects of systemic ill-education in Nigeria, the trajectory of cognitive atrophy becomes clear. When society abdicates the necessary friction of critical thinking to algorithms, we risk engineering a future of intellectually diminished generations, trading human cognitive agency for automated convenience.
This will not be a net-positive for humanity (the masses). -
So Software engineers are now being increasingly mandated to integrate generative AI into their workflows, a shift driven by executives needing to justify astronomical promises made to investors.
While AI remains highly effective as a functional tool and at most an intellectual partner. Total reliance on it, however, fundamentally alters our relationship with knowledge. This process of outsourcing core human cognition will transform engineers from active problem-solvers into passive consumers, locking them into corporate financial funnels designed to monetise absolute dependence.
Having witnessed the long-term effects of systemic ill-education in Nigeria, the trajectory of cognitive atrophy becomes clear. When society abdicates the necessary friction of critical thinking to algorithms, we risk engineering a future of intellectually diminished generations, trading human cognitive agency for automated convenience.
This will not be a net-positive for humanity (the masses). -
Hi all!
This is a gentle reminder to submit your abstracts for ISPSM 2026!
Submissions will close at the end of this month (31/07)
For more details, check:
https://philevents.org/event/show/147033
Hope to see you there!
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Hi all!
This is a gentle reminder to submit your abstracts for ISPSM 2026!
Submissions will close at the end of this month (31/07)
For more details, check:
https://philevents.org/event/show/147033
Hope to see you there!
-
Although fluid intelligence typically peaks in the 20s, crystallized intelligence and personality traits (emotional stability, emotional intelligence, moral reasoning, and resistance to the sunk cost fallacy) improve with age. By standardizing and weighting these in two different ways, researchers estimate that psychological functioning peaks at 55-60 and declines after 65-70.
Original paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289625000649
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Although fluid intelligence typically peaks in the 20s, crystallized intelligence and personality traits (emotional stability, emotional intelligence, moral reasoning, and resistance to the sunk cost fallacy) improve with age. By standardizing and weighting these in two different ways, researchers estimate that psychological functioning peaks at 55-60 and declines after 65-70.
Original paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289625000649
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Print readers recall 15% more details than screen readers. Physical books won't die because they offer something e-readers structurally cannot.
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Print readers recall 15% more details than screen readers. Physical books won't die because they offer something e-readers structurally cannot.
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Cognitive test scores of over 1.2 million Swedish people (mostly men) recorded during military enlistment were combined with tax records on charitable giving, voting records, and vehicle registrations. Those with the highest cognitive scores were more likely to contribute to charities, to vote, and to own an eco-friendly car.
Original paper: https://academic.oup.com/ej/article/135/668/1141/7914156?login=false
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Cognitive test scores of over 1.2 million Swedish people (mostly men) recorded during military enlistment were combined with tax records on charitable giving, voting records, and vehicle registrations. Those with the highest cognitive scores were more likely to contribute to charities, to vote, and to own an eco-friendly car.
Original paper: https://academic.oup.com/ej/article/135/668/1141/7914156?login=false