#cognitiveflexibility — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #cognitiveflexibility, aggregated by home.social.
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DATE: August 19, 2026 at 08:38PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEEDTITLE: Researchers reveal deeper workings of brain’s information hub
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260819041224.htm
The brain has a remarkably flexible system for handling uncertainty and changing situations. Researchers found that the frontoparietal cortex constantly shifts how it communicates with other brain regions depending on what information is needed to make a decision. Rather than simply becoming more active when things get difficult, this network appears to reorganize itself in real time.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260819041224.htm
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #BrainResearch #FrontoparietalCortex #Neuroscience #DecisionMaking #Uncertainty #BrainNetworks #CognitiveFlexibility #NeuralCommunication #BrainConnectivity #NeuroscienceNews
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DATE: August 19, 2026 at 08:38PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHIATIRY FEEDTITLE: Researchers reveal deeper workings of brain’s information hub
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260819041224.htm
The brain has a remarkably flexible system for handling uncertainty and changing situations. Researchers found that the frontoparietal cortex constantly shifts how it communicates with other brain regions depending on what information is needed to make a decision. Rather than simply becoming more active when things get difficult, this network appears to reorganize itself in real time.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260819041224.htm
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Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #BrainResearch #FrontoparietalCortex #DecisionMaking #Neuroscience #BrainNetworks #UncertaintyProcessing #CognitiveFlexibility #NeuralConnectivity #BrainImaging #NeuroscienceNews
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DATE: July 28, 2026 at 06:00AM
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: A single dose of LSD may boosts the brain’s ability to consolidate new physical skills
A recent study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology provides evidence that a single dose of the psychedelic drug LSD can improve motor learning the next day and reduce perceived stress up to a week later. The research also reveals subtle, lingering changes in how the brain processes auditory information and controls muscle movements. These findings suggest that LSD may temporarily enhance certain types of learning and psychological flexibility, opening the door for potential therapeutic applications in physical rehabilitation.
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD, is a powerful psychedelic compound known for altering perception and mood. In recent years, this substance has emerged as a potential treatment for mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Traditional psychiatric treatments often require daily medication, making a single-dose treatment highly appealing. A single dose of a psychedelic tends to produce therapeutic effects that can persist for months.
This extended timeline suggests that the drug might induce lasting physical or functional changes in the brain. Animal models indicate that LSD and similar drugs might trigger these changes by promoting neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize its neural networks and grow new connections.
Preclinical studies hint that psychedelics might create a temporary window where learning becomes much more efficient. This window of enhanced learning could apply to simple conditioning as well as complex social behaviors. However, evidence regarding these lingering effects in humans remains scarce. Past research has mostly focused on the immediate experience of the drug rather than what happens in the days following the trip.
Abigail Calder, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, noticed this disparity in the scientific literature. “We knew of the theory that psychedelics stimulate neuroplasticity, and neuroplasticity is closely connected to learning,” Calder said.
“As we planned the study there was beginning to be a lot of research on psychedelics and neuroplasticity, but there was almost nothing on learning,” Calder explained. “It seemed like time to begin filling in that gap.”
The authors of the current paper designed an experiment to track human brain activity and behavior after the initial effects of LSD faded. They specifically wanted to investigate motor learning, which involves the brain’s ability to pick up and consolidate new physical skills. Motor learning holds significant clinical relevance for physical rehabilitation and recovering from brain injuries.
By measuring sensory processing, motor system excitability, and psychological functioning, the team aimed to map out how a single dose of LSD influences the nervous system over a one-week period. The experiment involved a randomized, double-blind crossover trial with 45 healthy participants. The volunteers were aged between 21 and 55, and data from 43 participants were analyzed.
Each person attended two separate dosing sessions at least four weeks apart. In one session, they received a full 100-microgram dose of LSD, and in the other, they received an inactive placebo. Participants were told the placebo might be a very low dose of LSD to help manage their expectations.
During the sessions, the scientific team used electroencephalography, widely known as EEG, to record electrical brain activity. Through electrodes placed on the scalp, they measured how the brain responded to a series of auditory tones. They specifically focused on two types of brain waves, known as the N1 and P2 components.
The N1 wave reflects early sensory processing, while the P2 wave tends to track attentional focus and novelty detection. The researchers also attempted to measure brain plasticity using a technique called sensory tetanization. This method involves playing very rapid tones to see if the brain’s electrical response strengthens over time.
In addition to brain waves, the team applied transcranial magnetic stimulation to measure the excitability of the brain’s motor system. This technique uses a magnetic coil placed against the head to send safe, brief pulses into the motor cortex. To test for neuroplasticity, they paired these magnetic pulses with a mild, painless electrical shock to a nerve in the participant’s wrist.
These paired pulses cause a measurable muscle twitch in the participant’s right thumb. The scientists recorded the size and speed of these twitches to gauge how responsive the motor system was under the drug’s influence. They repeated this process across several time points to track changes in muscle responsiveness over a full week.
To check for chemical markers of brain growth, the team took blood samples to measure brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This specific protein helps support the survival of existing neurons and encourages the growth of new synapses. Blood was drawn before drug intake, as well as eight hours, one day, and one week later.
The researchers checked both blood plasma and blood serum to ensure they did not miss any subtle chemical changes circulating in the body. One day after taking the drug, participants completed a sequence typing task to test their motor learning. They used their non-dominant hand to type a nine-digit number sequence on a keyboard as quickly and accurately as possible.
The task measured “online” learning during ten active practice rounds. It also measured “offline” learning, which refers to the brain’s ability to consolidate and improve a skill after a period of rest. The participants rested for ten minutes and then for eighty minutes before being tested again. Finally, participants completed psychological questionnaires to assess their perceived stress levels and cognitive flexibility one week after the initial dosing session.
The scientists found that LSD produced measurable changes in both behavior and brain activity. On the motor learning task, participants showed significantly greater improvements in typing speed one day after taking LSD compared to the placebo condition.
“We saw that a single, moderately strong dose of LSD (100 micrograms) improved motor learning the next day, on a typing task,” Calder told PsyPost. “LSD was associated with improved learning consolidation, which is the phase of learning that takes place during rest after practicing a motor skill.”
This improvement specifically occurred during the “offline” resting period rather than during the active practice rounds. Participants improved their typing speed by roughly 33 percent more after the eighty-minute rest period when they had taken LSD. The drug did not affect their typing accuracy, indicating that they were not simply sacrificing precision for speed. “This suggests that psychedelics like LSD might temporarily (though quite modestly!) improve the ability to learn new motor movements,” Calder noted.
The EEG recordings showed that LSD acutely reduced the size of the N1 and P2 brain waves on the day the drug was given. This reduction suggests a temporary disruption in early auditory processing and a shift in how the brain allocates attention to external sounds. The reduction in the P2 brain wave persisted the next day and showed signs of lingering up to one week later.
However, the rapid-tone sensory tetanization procedure failed to produce the expected signs of brain plasticity in either group. Magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex revealed that brain-to-muscle signals became faster and larger on the day participants took LSD. The next day, the size of these muscle responses decreased compared to the placebo condition.
Calder found these immediate physical reactions particularly intriguing. “While people were on LSD (about 8 hours after dosing), we saw larger, faster muscle movements in response to TMS stimulation of the motor cortex,” Calder said.
“It especially surprised me that their movements were any faster than usual,” Calder added. “We still don’t know why that was, or even if it’s useful knowledge. But it was a novel finding.”
The blood tests did not show any changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels at any point during the study. This lack of change might occur because blood levels of this protein do not always accurately reflect protein levels inside the brain. On the psychological questionnaires, participants reported lower levels of perceived stress one week after the LSD session.
They also scored higher on a subscale measuring their ability to generate alternative solutions to difficult situations, which represents a key component of cognitive flexibility. During the active drug experience, side effects were common but generally mild and transient, matching typical psychedelic experiences.
Interpreting these findings requires noting a few constraints in the experimental design. The researchers intended to use rapid audio tones and magnetic pulses to directly measure long-term changes in neural plasticity. These specific measurement techniques failed to produce the expected baseline effects even when participants took the placebo.
This lack of baseline response made it impossible to confirm if the motor learning improvements were definitively driven by enhanced neuroplasticity. The motor learning gains observed the day after taking LSD might be explained by lingering effects on motivation or attention. If participants felt more engaged or aroused the day after their psychedelic experience, they might have simply performed better on the typing task.
“We aren’t sure how reliable the effect on motor learning is, how long it lasts, or under what exact circumstances it arises,” Calder cautioned. “We also don’t know if it generalizes to other types of learning, and we actually can’t even say whether it’s directly related to neuroplasticity.”
To prevent people from jumping to incorrect conclusions, Calder provided a practical warning about these early results. “So hold off on taking LSD before trying to study or start skiing lessons,” Calder said.
The scientists also noted that LSD often causes mild muscle tension or shaking during the peak drug experience. Because they did not measure resting muscle tension before applying the magnetic brain pulses, they cannot be sure if the faster muscle twitches were due to changes in the brain or simply tense muscles in the hand. Additionally, participants correctly guessed when they received the full dose of LSD due to its strong psychoactive effects.
This lack of successful blinding means that participants’ positive expectations about psychedelics could have influenced their lower stress scores. Future research projects will need to address these variables by including objective, task-based measurements of stress and motivation. Tracking participants over a longer period would also clarify if the improvements in motor learning and psychological flexibility persist over time.
“First and foremost, it’s important to replicate these findings in other samples to make sure they’re reliable,” Calder said regarding future studies. “I’m also excited to investigate whether LSD’s alleged effect on motor learning generalizes to other types of learning (like learning new emotional patterns in psychotherapy), how long learning effects last (days? weeks?), and whether other psychedelics also stimulate learning ability.”
Calder also emphasized a broader need within this scientific field to improve methodology. “We also need to get better at reliably and non-invasively measuring neuroplasticity in humans,” Calder said.
The study, “Acute and post-acute neurobehavioral responses to lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled study,” was authored by Abigail E. Calder, Vincent J. Diehl, Morten P. Lietz, Parsa Yousefi, Nicole Friedli, Fabio Coviello, Antonin Rouaud, Kristian Beichmann, Anne Eckert, and Gregor Hasler.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LSDlearning #Neuroplasticity #MotorLearning #PsychedelicsTherapy #CognitiveFlexibility #StressReduction #Neuropsychopharmacology #LearningConsolidation #BrainStimulation #RehabilitationResearch
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DATE: July 26, 2026 at 07:00AM
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: Memory retrieval deficits tied to worse symptoms in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder
People diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder often struggle to recall specific personal memories, a cognitive trait that appears to worsen the severity of their symptoms. New research reveals this memory pattern is tied to deficits in mental flexibility and working memory, offering potential novel targets for psychological therapies. The study was published in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy.
Autobiographical memory allows people to mentally travel back in time to retrieve detailed experiences from their past. A specific memory usually involves an event that happened on a particular day in a definite location. People who experience overgeneral memory retrieve broader, less detailed summaries of events instead.
For example, a specific memory might be recalling a specific dinner eaten with a friend last Friday evening. An overgeneral memory would involve stating that one frequently eats dinner with friends on weekends. This tendency to recall categorical information rather than specific moments is a recognized cognitive trait in several mental health conditions.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an often debilitating mental health condition marked by intrusive, unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviors. People living with the condition often struggle with various mental tasks collectively known as executive functions. Executive functions act as the brain’s management system, directing focus, holding information in mind, and stopping impulsive actions.
Previous research on how overgeneral memory affects people with obsessive-compulsive disorder yielded mixed results. Some early studies suggested that the memory issues observed in these patients were actually the result of overlapping symptoms of depression or anxiety. The exact ways that executive functions relate to memory recall in this specific population remained a mystery.
Liru Qian, a researcher at Central South University in China, and colleagues designed an investigation to resolve these ambiguities. The research team wanted to see if overgeneral memory exists independently of mood disturbances in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. They also aimed to map out how specific elements of executive function connect to these memory patterns and overall symptom severity.
To explore these relationships, the researchers recruited 112 patients diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and 101 healthy subjects from the local community. The patients underwent diagnostic interviews to confirm their condition and rule out other severe psychiatric illnesses, like major depressive disorder or schizophrenia. The total group of roughly 200 participants completed a series of computerized behavioral tests and clinical assessments.
The team used a specialized autobiographical memory test to measure how well participants could recall specific events. The test presented individuals with a series of positive, negative, and neutral cue words. Participants had one minute per word to describe a specific personal event related to the prompt. Trained raters later scored the responses based on how specific or broad the recounted memories were.
Researchers also assessed three individual types of executive function using distinct behavioral tasks. They used a memory sequence challenge to measure working memory, which requires holding and updating information over short periods. During this test, participants monitored a sequence of numbers and had to identify when a current number matched one presented a few steps earlier.
To measure cognitive flexibility, the team used a task-switching game. Cognitive flexibility is the mental agility required to shift attention between different rules or concepts. Participants looked at numbers inside geometric shapes and had to alter how they judged the numbers depending on the shape surrounding them.
Finally, the researchers evaluated inhibitory control using a stop-signal task. Inhibitory control is the ability to suppress an action that has already been initiated. Participants pressed designated buttons in response to specific letters but were instructed to hold back their physical response if the letter suddenly changed color on the screen.
The research team also recorded the severity of symptoms for the group with obsessive-compulsive disorder. They used a standardized clinical questionnaire that grades the intensity of invasive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.
The study revealed noticeable differences in how the groups recalled their pasts. Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder exhibited much higher rates of overgeneral memory when presented with positive and negative cue words. They recalled broad categories of emotional events rather than specific, pinned-down moments.
This pattern did not extend to neutral cue words. Both the clinical group and the healthy control group recalled similar levels of specific detail when the prompts lacked an emotional charge.
The researchers theorize that this response to emotional cues is linked to the chronic cognitive state of the patients. Intrusive negative thoughts might activate a persistent negative mental framework. This framework takes over the retrieval process when a negative word appears, leading to a loop of rumination rather than a specific memory search.
The dampened ability to recall specific positive memories might result from a mismatch in emotional states. Because the patients often experience persistent distress, positive prompts clash with their internal mood. This emotional incongruence makes specific happy memories harder to access, prompting the brain to supply generic answers instead.
The researchers used statistical models to account for baseline levels of depression and anxiety among the participants. The memory differences between the groups remained robust even after adjusting for these mood factors. This indicates that the overgeneral memory trait is tied directly to the pathology of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
By analyzing the executive function scores, the team mapped out how mental management skills relate to memory retrieval. Cognitive flexibility proved to be the strongest predictor of overgeneral memory among the clinical group. Patients who struggled the most to adapt to changing rules during the task-switching game also had the hardest time recalling specific memories.
Working memory deficits also predicted a higher rate of overgeneral memory. The ability to monitor and update information appears to aid the mind in filtering through broad experiences to find a specific event. Noticeably, the scores from the stop-signal task did not yield statistically significant associations with memory recall.
The specific inability to suppress behavioral responses does not appear to dictate memory specificity in this context. The memory issues seem rooted in a failure to strategically build and shift a memory search, rather than a failure to block out intrusive information.
The research team then looked at how these cognitive challenges relate to a patient’s daily struggles. They found that a higher tendency toward overgeneral memory predicted worse overall symptom severity. Patients who recalled the least specific detail about their pasts experienced the most intense obsessive thoughts and compulsions.
A moderated relationship emerged between cognitive flexibility, memory, and symptom severity. The association between overgeneral memory and worse symptoms peaked specifically among patients with the lowest cognitive flexibility. The mental rigidity seems to compound the negative effects of the memory deficits.
The authors noted several limitations in their research methodology. The study utilized a cross-sectional design, which captures data at a single point in time. This approach prevents any definitive conclusions about causality.
It is impossible to say whether the cognitive deficits cause the severe symptoms, or if severe symptoms degrade the cognitive abilities over time. Tracking patients over long periods could help establish the exact direction of these psychological relationships.
The researchers also pointed out a limitation with their measure of inhibitory control. The stop-signal task only measures behavioral inhibition, missing out on internal cognitive mechanisms. A broader battery of tests might reveal different associations between memory and the ability to suppress specific thoughts.
Because the study relied entirely on behavioral game performance, the underlying brain biology remains unmapped. Subsequent investigations could use brain imaging technology to observe the neural activity taking place while patients attempt to recall personal events. Understanding these physiological mechanisms could refine targeted psychological therapies to ease the functional burden of severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The study, “Overgeneral autobiographical memory in obsessive-compulsive disorder: the differential roles of executive function subcomponents and the impact on symptom severity,” was authored by Liru Qian, Huihui Yang, Guojuan Jiao, Meiqian Tang, Xiaoshuang Gu, Mingtian Zhong, Ming Cheng, and Jinyao Yi.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #OCDmemory #OvergeneralMemory #ExecutiveFunction #CognitiveFlexibility #WorkingMemory #AutobiographicalMemory #MentalHealthResearch # OCDsymptoms #MemoryRetrieval #BehavioralTherapy
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DATE: July 22, 2026 at 12:12AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Magic mushrooms may reshape the brain long after the trip ends
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260719040005.htm
A single dose of psilocybin produced measurable changes in brain activity and possible changes in brain structure that lasted for up to a month. Participants who experienced the greatest increase in flexible, varied brain activity also reported more personal insight and later improvements in well-being. The findings suggest that the psychedelic experience itself may help people break free from entrenched patterns of thinking.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260719040005.htm
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #MagicMushrooms #Psilocybin #BrainScience #Neuroplasticity #MentalWellbeing #PsychedelicResearch #BrainHealth #CognitiveFlexibility #PersonalGrowth #WellBeingInsights
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15 ‘subtle’ signs that someone is incredibly smart
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/15-subtle-signs-intelligence-ex1/
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#Aging alters how the structural wiring of the #brain constrains its functional activity. This study reveals how changes in this balance, particularly within the #SalienceNetwork, predict declines in #CognitiveFlexibility over time @PLOSBiology https://plos.io/4tTlNei
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Fanatic defensiveness of a position is likely a recipe for disaster
The next time you catch yourself getting defensive about something – really defensive, like you’re personally offended that someone would dare question it – maybe pause for a second. Ask yourself: am I defending this because it’s actually good for me, or because I’m scared to imagine alternatives?
Stefano. is on to something here. Cognitive flexibility is a requirement to ensure that you are considering the reality of a situation. The same applies for black and white thinking as well. Being that inflexible suggests that you are unwilling to be adaptable and that suggests you are primarily operating from a position of fear.
This is not to say that I am against vibe-coding. It has personally helped me get back into developing my own tools. I’ve made 3 chrome extensions and 7 alfred workflows that are truly making me excited about development and using my computer again. I think there’s something here that must be refined, built and leveraged into tremendous productivity gains. However, it’s a far cry from a simple utility for myself to a production ready enterprise software.
#adaptability #ai #coding #cognitiveFlexibility #evolution #models #vibeCoding
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Discover how dopamine fuels your brain's adaptability and problem-solving prowess. Unlock the secrets to enhancing cognitive flexibility today. #Neuroscience #Dopamine #CognitiveFlexibility
https://geekoo.news/unlocking-the-brains-adaptability-dopamines-role-in-cognitive-flexibility/
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Unlocking the Superpower Within: The Marvel of Interoceptive Awareness
#InteroceptiveAwareness #MindBodyConnection #EmotionalIntelligence #CognitiveFlexibility #SensoryExperience #Neuroscience #SelfAwareness #Mindfulness #HealthyLiving #BodyMindSoul #EmotionalHealth #AdventureWithin
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Quick bursts of stair climbing enhance energy and mental performance https://www.psypost.org/quick-bursts-of-stair-climbing-enhance-energy-and-mental-performance/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #StairClimbing #EnergyBoost #MentalPerformance #CognitiveFlexibility #MoodImprovement
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38816586/ Beyond the serotonin deficit hypothesis: communicating a neuroplasticity framework of major depressive disorder (Page et al, 2024) #neuroscience #psychiatry #antidepressants #ssri #serotonin #psychedelics #psychotherapy #psychedelicassistedpsychotherapy #neuroplasticity #cognitivebehavioraltherapy #psychedelic #research #depression #mentalhealth #cognitiveflexibility
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Researchers have discovered a new type of neurons that are involved in cognitive flexibility, the ability to switch between different tasks and strategies. These neurons, called VIP interneurons, are located in the prefrontal cortex and can inhibit or activate other neurons depending on the situation. The findings could help understand how the brain learns and adapts to new challenges.
#CognitiveFlexibility #Neuroscience #VIPInterneurons
https://neurosciencenews.com/cognitive-flexibility-learning-neurons-23143/
