-
Frontiers in Neural Circuits 2023This review presents a broad perspective of the Neuroscience of our days with special attention to how the brain generates our behaviors, emotions, and mental states. It... (Review)
Review
This review presents a broad perspective of the Neuroscience of our days with special attention to how the brain generates our behaviors, emotions, and mental states. It describes in detail how unconscious and conscious processing of sensorimotor and mental information takes place in our brains. Likewise, classic and recent experiments illustrating the neuroscientific foundations regarding the behavioral and cognitive abilities of animals and, in particular, of human beings are described. Special attention is applied to the description of the different neural regulatory systems dealing with behavioral, cognitive, and emotional functions. Finally, the brain process for decision-making, and its relationship with individual free will and responsibility, are also described.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Consciousness; Cognition; Brain; Emotions; Freedom
PubMed: 37334060
DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1191996 -
The Journal of Neuroscience : the... Nov 2023The ability to store information about the past to dynamically predict and prepare for the future is among the most fundamental tasks the brain performs. To date, the...
The ability to store information about the past to dynamically predict and prepare for the future is among the most fundamental tasks the brain performs. To date, the problems of understanding how the brain stores and organizes information about the past (memory) and how the brain represents and processes temporal information for adaptive behavior have generally been studied as distinct cognitive functions. This Symposium explores the inherent link between memory and temporal cognition, as well as the potential shared neural mechanisms between them. We suggest that working memory and implicit timing are interconnected and may share overlapping neural mechanisms. Additionally, we explore how temporal structure is encoded in associative and episodic memory and, conversely, the influences of episodic memory on subsequent temporal anticipation and the perception of time. We suggest that neural sequences provide a general computational motif that contributes to timing and working memory, as well as the spatiotemporal coding and recall of episodes.
Topics: Brain; Mental Recall; Cognition; Memory, Short-Term; Memory, Episodic
PubMed: 37940593
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1430-23.2023 -
Journal of Robotic Surgery Mar 2024Cognitive ergonomics refer to mental resources and is associated with memory, sensory motor response, and perception. Cognitive workload (CWL) involves use of working... (Review)
Review
Cognitive ergonomics refer to mental resources and is associated with memory, sensory motor response, and perception. Cognitive workload (CWL) involves use of working memory (mental strain and effort) to complete a task. The three types of cognitive loads have been divided into intrinsic (dependent on complexity and expertise), extraneous (the presentation of tasks) and germane (the learning process) components. The effect of robotic surgery on CWL is complex because the postural, visualisation, and manipulation ergonomic benefits for the surgeon may be offset by the disadvantages associated with team separation and reduced situation awareness. Physical fatigue and workflow disruptions have a negative impact on CWL. Intraoperative CWL can be measured subjectively post hoc with the use of self-reported instruments or objectively with real-time physiological response metrics. Cognitive training can play a crucial role in the process of skill acquisition during the three stages of motor learning: from cognitive to integrative and then to autonomous. Mentorship, technical practice and watching videos are the most common traditional cognitive training methods in surgery. Cognitive training can also occur with computer-based cognitive simulation, mental rehearsal, and cognitive task analysis. Assessment of cognitive skills may offer a more effective way to differentiate robotic expertise level than automated performance (tool-based) metrics.
Topics: Humans; Robotic Surgical Procedures; Robotics; Ergonomics; Learning; Benchmarking
PubMed: 38441814
DOI: 10.1007/s11701-024-01852-7 -
The British Journal of Psychiatry : the... Nov 2023In this editorial we, as members of the 2022 NICE Guideline Committee, highlight and discuss what, in our view, are the key guideline recommendations (generated through...
In this editorial we, as members of the 2022 NICE Guideline Committee, highlight and discuss what, in our view, are the key guideline recommendations (generated through evidence synthesis and consensus) for mental health professionals when caring for people after self-harm, and we consider some of the implementation challenges.
Topics: Humans; Self-Injurious Behavior; Consensus
PubMed: 37642173
DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2023.113 -
Annual Review of Psychology Jan 2024Similarity and categorization are fundamental processes in human cognition that help complex organisms make sense of the cacophony of information in their environment.... (Review)
Review
Similarity and categorization are fundamental processes in human cognition that help complex organisms make sense of the cacophony of information in their environment. These processes are critical for tasks such as recognizing objects, making decisions, and forming memories. In this review, we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on similarity and psychological spaces, discussing the theories, methods, and empirical findings that have been generated over the years. Although the concept of similarity has important limitations, it plays a key role in cognitive modeling. The review surfaces three key themes. First, similarity and mental representations are merely two sides of the same coin, existing as a similarity-representation duality that defines a psychological space. Second, both the brain's mental representations and the study of mental representations are made possible by exploiting second-order isomorphism. Third, similarity analysis has near-universal applicability across all levels of cognition, providing a common research language.
Topics: Humans; Cognition; Language
PubMed: 37562499
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-040323-115131 -
Perspectives on Psychological Science :... Jan 2024Norms permeate human life. Most of people's activities can be characterized by rules about what is appropriate, allowed, required, or forbidden-rules that are crucial in...
Norms permeate human life. Most of people's activities can be characterized by rules about what is appropriate, allowed, required, or forbidden-rules that are crucial in making people hyper-cooperative animals. In this article, I examine the current cognitive-evolutionary account of "norm psychology" and propose an alternative that is better supported by evidence and better placed to promote interdisciplinary dialogue. The incumbent theory focuses on rules and claims that humans genetically inherit cognitive and motivational mechanisms specialized for processing these rules. The cultural-evolutionary alternative defines normativity in relation to behavior-compliance, enforcement, and commentary-and suggests that it depends on implicit and explicit processes. The implicit processes are genetically inherited and domain-general; rather than being specialized for normativity, they do many jobs in many species. The explicit processes are culturally inherited and domain-specific; they are constructed from mentalizing and reasoning by social interaction in childhood. The cultural-evolutionary, or "cognitive gadget," perspective suggests that people alive today-parents, educators, elders, politicians, lawyers-have more responsibility for sustaining normativity than the nativist view implies. People's actions not only shape and transmit the rules, but they also create in each new generation mental processes that can grasp the rules and put them into action.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Aged; Social Behavior; Problem Solving
PubMed: 37439763
DOI: 10.1177/17456916221112075 -
Archives of Razi Institute Aug 2023Creatine is a nutritional compound that potentially influences cognitive processing and neuroprotection. Recent evidence has demonstrated that similar to... (Review)
Review
Creatine is a nutritional compound that potentially influences cognitive processing and neuroprotection. Recent evidence has demonstrated that similar to neurotransmitters, creatine is released in an excitotoxic and action potential-dependent manner and acts as a neuromodulator. Creatine deficiency syndromes are characterized by severe mental and developmental disorders. Studies have reported that brain creatine content could be enhanced with creatine supplementation. Nevertheless, there is still limited knowledge about the effects of creatine on the central nervous system. However, ample evidence has proved the neuroprotective effects of creatine on various mental aspects, such as cognition, memory skills, and spatial memory. The present review aimed to review available experimental data and clinical observations confirming creatine roles in the central transmission process. A systematic search in the literature was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar database using all available MeSH terms for Creatine, Phosphocreatine, Bioenergetics, Nervous system, Brain, Cognition, and Neuroprotection. Electronic database searches were combined and duplicates were removed. Here, first, creatine and its potential influence on cognitive health and performance were briefly reviewed. Next, the existing experimental and clinical evidence was specifically explored to understand how creatine could interact as a neurotransmitter in the nervous system. Studies have revealed that exogenous creatine supplementation decreases neuronal cell loss in experimental paradigms of neurological diseases. It was observed that creatine could interact with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, Na-K-ATPase enzyme, GABA receptor, serotonin 1 receptors, and presumably α-adrenoceptor and play critical roles in the central transmission process which implies that creatine can be considered a neuromodulator.
Topics: Animals; Creatine; Central Nervous System; Cognition; Neuroprotective Agents; Neurotransmitter Agents
PubMed: 38226371
DOI: 10.32592/ARI.2023.78.4.1169 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Oct 2023Perhaps it is no accident that insight moments accompany some of humanity's most important discoveries in science, medicine, and art. Here we propose that feelings of... (Review)
Review
Perhaps it is no accident that insight moments accompany some of humanity's most important discoveries in science, medicine, and art. Here we propose that feelings of insight play a central role in (heuristically) selecting an idea from the stream of consciousness by capturing attention and eliciting a sense of intuitive confidence permitting fast action under uncertainty. The mechanisms underlying this Eureka heuristic are explained within an active inference framework. First, implicit restructuring via Bayesian reduction leads to a higher-order prediction error (i.e., the content of insight). Second, dopaminergic precision-weighting of the prediction error accounts for the intuitive confidence, pleasure, and attentional capture (i.e., the feeling of insight). This insight as precision account is consistent with the phenomenology, accuracy, and neural unfolding of insight, as well as its effects on belief and decision-making. We conclude by reflecting on dangers of the Eureka Heuristic, including the arising and entrenchment of false beliefs and the vulnerability of insights under psychoactive substances and misinformation.
Topics: Humans; Bayes Theorem; Heuristics; Uncertainty; Emotions; Mental Processes
PubMed: 37598874
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105363 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Nov 2023A central question in understanding cognition and pathology-related cognitive changes is how we process time. However, time processing difficulties across several... (Review)
Review
A central question in understanding cognition and pathology-related cognitive changes is how we process time. However, time processing difficulties across several neurological and psychiatric conditions remain seldom investigated. The aim of this review is to develop a unifying taxonomy of time processing, and a neuropsychological perspective on temporal difficulties. Four main temporal judgments are discussed: duration processing, simultaneity and synchrony, passage of time, and mental time travel. We present an integrated theoretical framework of timing difficulties across psychiatric and neurological conditions based on selected patient populations. This framework provides new mechanistic insights on both (a) the processes involved in each temporal judgement, and (b) temporal difficulties across pathologies. By identifying underlying transdiagnostic time-processing mechanisms, this framework opens fruitful avenues for future research.
Topics: Humans; Time Perception; Mental Disorders; Cognition; Judgment; Auditory Perception
PubMed: 37871780
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105430 -
Animal Cognition Mar 2024We are said to experience insight when we suddenly and unexpectedly become aware of the solution to a problem that we previously took ourselves to be unable to solve. In...
We are said to experience insight when we suddenly and unexpectedly become aware of the solution to a problem that we previously took ourselves to be unable to solve. In the field of comparative cognition, there is rising interest in the question of whether non-human animals are capable of insightful problem-solving. Putative cases of animals demonstrating insight have generally attracted two types of criticism: first, that insight is being conflated with other cognitive capacities (e.g., causal cognition, or mental trial and error); and, second, that the relevant performances merely reflect associative learning-and on the received understanding of insight within comparative cognition, insight necessarily involves non-associative processes. I argue that even if we grant that some cases of animal insight do withstand these two criticisms, these cases of purported animal insight cannot shed light on the nature of insightful problem-solving in humans. For the phenomenon studied by cognitive psychologists under the heading of insight is fundamentally different from that studied in comparative cognition. In light of this impasse, I argue that the reinterpretation of the extant research on animal insight in terms of other high-level cognitive capacities (means-end reasoning in particular) can improve the prospect of a successful comparative research program.
Topics: Animals; Cognition; Problem Solving; Awareness; Conditioning, Classical
PubMed: 38429535
DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01844-y