Self-control saps memory resources

How Exercise Might "Clean" the Alzheimer's Brain

Hints at potential treatments for age-related dementia and memory loss

Physical Exercise Four Hours after Learning Improves Long-Term Memory, Study Shows | Sci.News

A new study in the journal Current Biology shows that physical exercise after learning improves memory and memory traces, but only if the exercise is done in a specific time window and not immediately after learning.

Effects of Stroop task duration on subsequent cognitive and physical performance

The strength model of self-control purports to explain why brief cognitive response inhibition tasks impair subsequent isometric handgrip endurance. A…

To Remember, the Brain Must Actively Forget | Quanta Magazine

Researchers find evidence that neural systems actively remove memories, suggesting that forgetting may be the default mode of the brain.

Why your brain needs exercise

The evolutionary history of humans explains why physical activity is important for brain health

This Is Your Brain on Exercise

Exercise is as good for your brain as it is for your body, and researchers are just beginning to discover why

How the Brain Uses Glucose to Fuel Self-Control

The brain requires tons of energy—and new experiments show how low glucose levels and self-control issues are connected.

Which Type of Exercise Is Best for the Brain?

For the first time, scientists compared the neurological impacts of different types of exercise in rats: running, weight training and high-intensity interval training.

Cognitive Offloading

If you have ever tilted your head to perceive a rotated image, or programmed a smartphone to remind you of an upcoming appointment, you have engaged in cognitive offloading: the use of physical action to alter the information processing requirements of a task so as to reduce cognitive demand. Despite the ubiquity of this type of behavior, it has only recently become the target of systematic investigation in and of itself. We review research from several domains that focuses on two main questions: (i) what mechanisms trigger cognitive offloading, and (ii) what are the cognitive consequences of this behavior? We offer a novel metacognitive framework that integrates results from diverse domains and suggests avenues for future research.

The myth of self-control

Psychologists say using willpower to achieve goals is overhyped. Here’s what actually works.

A Successful Artificial Memory Has Been Created

The growing science of memory manipulation raises social and ethical questions

Heavy multitaskers have reduced memory

People who frequently engage with multiple types of media at once performed worse on simple memory tasks, according to the last decade of research. However, it’s still too soon to determine cause and effect, says psychology Professor Anthony Wagner.

Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime

Research on naps, meditation, nature walks and the habits of exceptional artists and athletes reveals how mental breaks increase productivity, replenish attention, solidify memories and encourage creativity

Dance training is superior to repetitive physical exercise in inducing brain plasticity in the elderly

Animal research indicates that a combination of physical activity and sensory enrichment has the largest and the only sustaining effect on adult neuroplasticity. Dancing has been suggested as a human homologue to this combined intervention as it poses demands on both physical and cognitive functions. For the present exploratory study, we designed an especially challenging dance program in which our elderly participants constantly had to learn novel and increasingly difficult choreographies. This six-month-long program was compared to conventional fitness training matched for intensity. An extensive pre/post-assessment was performed on the 38 participants (63–80 y), covering general cognition, attention, memory, postural and cardio-respiratory performance, neurotrophic factors and–most crucially–structural MRI using an exploratory analysis. For analysis of MRI data, a new method of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) designed specifically for pairwise longitudinal group comparisons was employed. Both interventions increased physical fitness to the same extent. Pronounced differences were seen in the effects on brain volumes: Dancing compared to conventional fitness activity led to larger volume increases in more brain areas, including the cingulate cortex, insula, corpus callosum and sensorimotor cortex. Only dancing was associated with an increase in plasma BDNF levels. Regarding cognition, both groups improved in attention and spatial memory, but no significant group differences emerged. The latter finding may indicate that cognitive benefits may develop later and after structural brain changes have taken place. The present results recommend our challenging dance program as an effective measure to counteract detrimental effects of aging on the brain.

Overtaxed Working Memory Knocks the Brain Out of Sync | Quanta Magazine

Researchers find that when working memory gets overburdened, dialogue between three brain regions breaks down. The discovery provides new support for a larger concept about how the brain works.

Opinion | There’s a Good Reason You Can’t Concentrate

Just as we changed our thinking around physical fitness, we need to change our attitude toward cognitive fitness.