Center for Mind and Brain Content

Charan Ranganath on the Search for Biomarkers to Detect Alzheimer's Disease Risk Early

Soterios J Johnson — June 26, 2023 - 10:49am

�°��ϲ��Ļ��Ϣ Davis psychology professor Charan Ranganath discusses how he and his colleagues are working to find biomarkers to help identify people with preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier detection — before the brain is significantly damaged — would allow for more successful interventions and better outcomes.

Clifford Saron on the Scientific Study of Meditation

Soterios J Johnson — April 27, 2022 - 9:43pm

Neuroscientist Clifford Saron leads the Shamatha Project, one of the most ambitious and comprehensive longitudinal studies of meditation ever conducted. He discusses the study's findings so far; what science can tell us about the tangible effects of meditation; and how mindfulness affects our physical, mental and emotional health.

Psychologist of ‘Attention’ Receives �°��ϲ��Ļ��Ϣ Davis Teaching Prize

Karen Michele Nikos — December 10, 2024 - 10:23pm

How the brain remembers has a lot to do with focus. It’s in this area of cognitive science that Steven Luck, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, has built a career pushing the frontiers of both science and teaching.

Asthma May Place Children at Risk of Memory Difficulties, New Research Finds

Andy Fell — November 12, 2024 - 2:41pm

Asthma is associated with memory difficulties in children, and early onset of asthma may exacerbate memory deficits, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. The study, the first of its kind to connect asthma to memory deficits in children, was published in Nov. 5 in JAMA Network Open.

When Some Adolescent Girls Internalize Rejection, It Really Is in Their Head

Karen Michele Nikos — January 23, 2024 - 11:50am

Everyone ruminates about the bad things that happen to them. Whether it’s a nasty breakup, an embarrassing failure or simply when someone is mean, it can be hard to stop thinking about what happened and why. For people who ruminate too much, this negative thought pattern can cause lasting problems with mental health.

To Combat Life’s Stress, People Seek Negative Entertainment

Karen Michele Nikos — June 13, 2023 - 11:00am

When the day is filled with news of mass shootings, police malfeasance and “me too” courtroom escapades, people turn to entertainment media, where they watch — as it turns out — more negativity, a new University of California, Davis, study suggests.

Understanding Learning by Inference

Andy Fell — June 16, 2022 - 8:00am

Both humans and other animals are good at learning by inference, using information we do have to figure out things we cannot observe directly. New research from the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California, Davis, shows how our brains achieve this by constructing cognitive maps.

‘The Backdrop’ Podcast Features Neuroscientist on the Scientific Study of Meditation

Soterios J Johnson — May 02, 2022 - 9:00am

People have practiced various forms of meditation for thousands of years, usually in a religious context. But only recently has meditation be

Exploring the Conscious and Unconscious Mind

Andy Fell — February 25, 2022 - 11:09am

You’re sitting at home, working at your laptop, and all of a sudden you hear the refrigerator shut off. Before you noticed its sudden silence, were you conscious it was on?

Why Does Experiencing ‘Flow’ Feel So Good?

Karen Michele Nikos — January 06, 2022 - 3:49pm

Reprinted from The Conversation.