Brain Function Insights

My colleague Prof. Eleanor Maguire passed away this weekend after a long battle with cancer. Her contributions to #neuroscience have shaped how we understand memory and navigation, leaving a lasting legacy. One of Eleanor’s groundbreaking discoveries was that when a London taxi driver learns the 25,000 windy streets of London together with thousands of landmarks (collectively called “the Knowledge”), it physically changes their #brain. A part of the brain called the #hippocampus is important both for making new memories and for navigating one’s environment. For aspiring black cab drivers, learning the Knowledge pushes the hippocampus to adapt in remarkable ways. Eleanor and her colleagues used #MRI to measure the hippocampus in taxi drivers compared to a control group and discovered it was larger in the taxi drivers. In other words, London cabbies have special brains that are particularly well suited for their work. This raises a really interesting question: Are they born with a larger hippocampus and therefore better able to become taxi drivers or does learning the Knowledge change their brains? To answer this, Eleanor and her team ran a follow-up study where they followed 39 trainee taxi drivers from the beginning of their training to when qualified approximately 4 years later. Each received a brain scan at the beginning and end of their training. 👉 Before training, the aspiring taxi drivers showed no difference in hippocampus size compared to matched control volunteers. 👉 After training, the newly qualified taxi drivers were found to have larger hippocampi than they did 4 years ago and also larger than the control volunteers. In other words, even as an adult, learning the Knowledge has a strong effect on the brain that can be measured using MRI. Eleanor’s work has become one of the most well-known examples of #neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s remarkable ability to change and adapt throughout life. A few years ago, a group of students were visiting UCL’s Functional Imaging Lab. They had learned about her taxi study in their A-level psychology class so when they discovered that Eleanor worked there, there was a frenzy of excitement! They couldn’t believe that they got to meet the “Maguire” whose work they had read in school. It was absolutely charming! Although best known for work with taxi drivers, Eleanor made substantial contributions to memory and hippocampal function including: 👉 Discovering that patients with amnesia cannot imagine the future 👉 Showing that it is possible to decode individual memories by analysing patterns of activity in the hippocampus 👉 Clarifying the relation between memory for life episodes, the ability to imagine the future, and the ability to navigate spatial environments Eleanor’s work is a powerful reminder of the brain’s potential to adapt and grow throughout life. May her legacy inspire all of us to keep learning and exploring the frontiers of science.

Your brain on AI: One of the first studies measuring what ChatGPT use does to our brain MIT researchers tracked 54 people writing essays using ChatGPT, web search, or just their brains—while monitoring neural activity with EEG. The findings are striking: 🧠 Brain connectivity weakened with more AI support. ChatGPT users showed the least neural engagement. 🔍 Memory collapsed. 83% of ChatGPT users couldn't quote their own essays minutes later, vs. near-perfect recall without AI. ⚡ "Cognitive debt" accumulated. When ChatGPT users later wrote without AI, their brains showed weakened connectivity compared to those who practiced unassisted writing. 🎨 Creativity declined. AI-assisted essays were statistically more uniform and less original. The twist: Strategic timing matters. Using AI after initial self-driven effort preserved better cognitive engagement than consistent AI use from the start. This isn't anti-AI—it's about understanding the trade-offs. While AI-generated essays scored well initially, participants showed signs of cognitive atrophy: diminished critical thinking, reduced memory encoding, and less ownership of their work. The takeaway: We need to enhance, not replace, human thinking as we integrate these powerful tools. Full study here: https://lnkd.in/e-6urMD8 Note: This is a pre-print study awaiting peer review.

How Trauma Reshapes the Brain: Understanding Its Impact In my work as a clinical psychologist, I see firsthand how trauma affects brain function, shaping emotional responses, memory, and decision-making. Trauma isn’t just a psychological experience—it leaves a lasting imprint on the brain’s structure and functioning, influencing how individuals perceive and respond to the world around them. 🧠 Prefrontal Cortex: Responsible for decision-making, focus, and emotional regulation. Trauma can impair this area, making it harder to manage stress or think clearly. 🧠 Hippocampus: Central to memory processing. Trauma may cause it to shrink, leading to fragmented memories and difficulty distinguishing past from present. 🧠 Amygdala: The brain’s alarm system. Trauma can make it overactive, resulting in heightened fear responses and challenges in calming down. These neurological changes help explain why trauma survivors often struggle with emotional regulation, intrusive memories, and a persistent sense of danger. The good news? The brain has the capacity to heal. Therapies like EMDR, mindfulness, and trauma-focused interventions can help rewire these responses, fostering resilience and recovery. If you or someone you know is experiencing the lingering effects of trauma, remember—healing is possible with the right support. Let’s continue to build awareness and advocate for trauma-informed care. Image credits: Let’s Talk Healing #Trauma #Neuroscience #MentalHealth #Healing #EMDR #Psychology #TraumaInformedCare

We and others have shown that #psychedelics can spark the growth of new synapses in the brain. But there are some deeper questions: where do those new connections actually go? Which specific neural pathways are modified? A new study from the lab is now online at Cell by Cell Press - In this latest work, rather than imaging one synapse at a time, we turned to a more powerful tool for circuit tracing: an engineered rabies virus 🦠, which naturally hops across synaptically connected neurons in the brain. Think of it like the Google Street View self-driving cars, but for neural circuits – roaming widely to show the connected cells in the entire brain.   In the experiment, mice received either #psilocybin or saline control, followed by rabies viral tracing and whole-brain imaging of fluorescently tagged neurons. The psychedelic-induced pattern of rewiring was far from random and revealed several insights:   1) Psilocybin weakens recurrent connections in the cortex, feedback loops that may contribute to the rumination of negative thoughts. 🔄   2) The drug strengthens pathways that carry sensory signals to deeper, action-driving brain regions, tightening the link between perception and behavior. 🎯   3) The circuit reorganization was influenced by neural activity. In a proof-of-concept experiment, we show that manipulating the firing activity can alter psilocybin’s rewiring patterns, demonstrate that it may be possible to sculpt the psychedelic-evoked structural neural plasticity. 💥🧠   We hope the results will change how we think about the therapeutic mechanisms of psychedelics. It is not just more synapses; it is about which circuits are remodeled. Moreover, we have some control over the drug-evoked plasticity when we pair it with neural activity modulation, providing a reason for trying to integrate psychedelics with something like rTMS.   This was a team effort spearheaded by Quan Jiang. With help from collaborators at Allen Institute, UC Irvine, and CUHK. The research was supported by One Mind and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).   Link to the paper: https://lnkd.in/eSDMdg5Q

I diagnose dementia every week in my clinic. Families are always shocked when I explain their loved one has frontotemporal dementia(FTD). "But their memory is fine," they say. Exactly. Here's what most people don't know: Memory loss is just one symptom of dementia. There are many others. The 4 main types of dementia and their real early signs: 1/ Alzheimer's Disease (60-80% of cases) ↳ Yes, this one usually starts with memory problems ↳ Difficulty learning new information ↳ Gets lost in familiar places 2/ Frontotemporal Dementia (10-15% of cases) ↳ Memory stays intact for years ↳ Personality changes come first ↳ Loss of social judgment and empathy ↳ Inappropriate behavior in public 3/ Dementia with Lewy Bodies (12-20% of cases) ↳ Visual hallucinations before memory loss ↳ "Seeing people who aren't there" ↳ Movement problems like Parkinson's ↳ Fluctuating alertness throughout the day 4/ Vascular Dementia (15-30% of cases) ↳ Problems with planning and decision-making first ↳ Difficulty with multi-step tasks ↳ Processing speed slows down ↳ Memory may be relatively preserved Why this matters: When we focus only on memory, we miss years of other warning signs. When doctors only test memory, they misdiagnose non-Alzheimer's dementias. When we understand the differences, we can intervene earlier and more effectively. The person who loses empathy isn't "becoming mean." The person seeing things isn't "going crazy." The person making poor decisions isn't "stubborn." They have medical conditions that deserve proper diagnosis and treatment. Not all dementia is Alzheimer's. Not all dementia starts with memory loss. And understanding the difference changes everything. ⁉️ Have you noticed personality or behavior changes in someone before memory problems? ♻️ Repost if you believe accurate diagnosis matters 👉 Follow me (Reza Hosseini Ghomi, MD, MSE) for insights on brain health and neuropsychiatry

Collaborative innovation combining AI with neuropsychology is proving to be transformative. Six research clusters show specific value and potential: 🌱 Neuroscience and Mental Health: Understanding mental health through neuroimaging and machine learning enables earlier, more precise interventions for conditions like ADHD and depression. By examining correlations in brain function, this research helps identify key markers for cognitive impairments, aiding in early diagnosis and personalized treatment plans. 🔍 Computational Modeling: Computational models simulate decision-making and cognitive markers, which are crucial for neurological conditions like epilepsy. Machine learning applied to seizure detection, for instance, offers a potential breakthrough in predicting and managing epilepsy, helping patients gain better control and care. 🧠 Cognitive Neuroscience: Studies of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, benefit from reinforcement learning models that reveal patterns in brain degeneration. These insights are essential for developing strategies to slow disease progression, offering hope for more effective interventions. 💡 Cognitive Neurology and Neuropsychology: Examining cognitive functions through neuroimaging and machine learning provides deeper insights into disorders like aphasia and neurocognitive deficits. By mapping brain functions and assessing structural changes, these studies advance our understanding of how specific neurological impairments affect behavior and cognition. 💗 Neuropsychological Features: Machine learning models predict mental health outcomes and cognitive declines by analyzing attention and processing speed. This focus on prediction and prevention, especially for conditions like cardiovascular disease impacting cognition, enables proactive care and lifestyle adjustments to mitigate risks. ⚙️ Neurodegenerative Conditions: AI-based predictive models for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s allow for early, more accurate diagnoses. By analyzing markers in social cognition and emotional processing, this cluster supports personalized interventions, helping to maintain patient quality of life and reduce care burdens. This is only the beginning. This field is absolutely ripe for rapid advance and massive real-world value.

Jonathan Boymal: "In a new paper, British philosopher Andy Clark (author of the 2003 book Natural Born Cyborgs, see comment below) offers a rebuttal to the pervasive anxiety surrounding new technologies, particularly generative AI, by reframing the nature of human cognition. He begins by acknowledging familiar concerns: that GPS erodes our spatial memory, search engines inflate our sense of knowledge, and tools like ChatGPT might diminish creativity or encourage intellectual laziness. These fears, Clark observes, mirror ancient worries, like Plato’s warning that writing would weaken memory, and stem from a deeply ingrained but flawed assumption: the idea that the mind is confined to the biological brain. Clark challenges this perspective with his extended mind thesis, arguing that humans have always been cognitive hybrids, seamlessly integrating external tools into our thinking processes. From the gestures we use to offload mental effort to the scribbled notes that help us untangle complex problems, our cognition has never been limited to what happens inside our skulls. This perspective transforms the debate about AI from a zero-sum game, where technology is seen as replacing human abilities, into a discussion about how we distribute cognitive labour across a network of biological and technological resources. Recent advances in neuroscience lend weight to this view. Theories like predictive processing suggest that the brain is fundamentally geared toward minimising uncertainty by engaging with the world around it. Whether probing a river’s depth with a stick or querying ChatGPT to clarify an idea, the brain doesn’t distinguish between internal and external problem-solving—it simply seeks the most efficient path to resolution. This fluid interplay between mind and tool has shaped human history, from the invention of stone tools to the design of modern cities, each innovation redistributing cognitive tasks and expanding what we can achieve. Generative AI, in Clark’s view, is the latest chapter in this story. While critics warn that it might stifle originality or turn us into passive curators of machine-generated content, evidence suggests a more nuanced reality. The key, Clark argues, lies in how we integrate these technologies into our cognitive ecosystems."

🧠 What if the breakthrough you're looking for is just a 20-minute walk away? After 20 minutes of sitting, brain activity tends to narrow. Blood flow slows, neural networks become less dynamically connected, and the regions responsible for creativity and complex problem-solving operate at lower efficiency. Now compare that to just 20 minutes of walking 🚶♂️ Walking increases cerebral blood flow, delivering more oxygen and glucose to neurons. It also boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) — a protein that supports neuron growth, learning, and memory formation. At the same time, different brain networks begin working together more efficiently — which is why ideas often suddenly “click” 💡 while walking. This is why many great thinkers built walking into their daily routine. A walk doesn’t just move your body. It changes how your brain operates. So the next time you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or creatively blocked: ❌ Don’t force it ❌ Don’t stare at the screen longer ✅ Go for a walk. Your brain might be waiting for it. 🌿

We’re honoured to share that our research paper has been published in the International Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, titled: “Electroencephalography-based Assessment of Neural Responses in Typical and Atypical Children during Dental Treatment.” Read the full study here: https://lnkd.in/dyJYHTst In pediatric dental care, what appears to be a routine check-up can become a complex neurological and emotional experience for children with special needs. Recognising this gap, our study used a 24-channel EEG to observe real-time brain activity in both neurotypical and neurodivergent children during common non-invasive dental procedures such as cleaning and fluoride application. We found that neurodivergent children exhibited distinctly higher frontal theta and lower posterior alpha activity at baseline, suggesting heightened neural sensitivity. During treatment, neurotypical children showed only a brief increase in beta activity (associated with alertness and concentration), while neurodivergent children displayed sustained high beta and low gamma waves, signalling prolonged arousal and elevated stress. Additionally, the theta/beta ratio-a known neurophysiological marker of anxiety- was significantly elevated in the neurodivergent group. These children also showed stronger mu rhythm suppression and greater auditory response amplitudes, pointing toward increased tactile and sensory sensitivity. While neurotypical children began to adapt within the first 30% of the session, neurodivergent children demonstrated minimal neural adaptation throughout the procedure, correlating with heightened anxiety and behavioural discomfort. This study highlights the need to move beyond “one size fits all” dental care and toward relationship-based, neuroscience-informed models that centre around empathy. By incorporating tactile supports, sensory-friendly strategies, and preparatory tools, we can create environments that respect and accommodate neurological differences. This isn’t just about improving procedures; it’s about understanding the child behind the behaviour, and designing care that meets both their emotional and neurological needs.