Cognitive Science bridges the gap between the brain and the mind - tracing how networks of neurons shape perception, attention, memory, and imagination. This section explores the science of thinking and awareness, from the role of the default mode network in creativity to the mechanisms of focus, flow, and altered states. By bringing together neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, we highlight the discoveries that reveal not only how the mind works, but how it can be expanded.
We usually think of conscious vision as all about detail and color - recognizing objects, reading words, spotting faces. But a new study finds that when it comes to knowing whether we're right or wrong about what we see, motion and location may give us a clearer sense of confidence. The discovery flips a long-standing belief in neuroscience and suggests awareness is more flexible - and surprising - than we thought.
When disaster strikes, the damage goes far beyond bricks and mortar. For older survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, losing a home was not just a matter of shelter - it carried long-term consequences for the mind. A new longitudinal study in the American Journal of Epidemiology shows that disaster-related home loss significantly raised the risk of cognitive disability. Crucially, nearly half of this effect was explained by post-disaster depressive symptoms, with an additional role played by declining social cohesion. The findings underscore how psychological scars and weakened community ties can silently erode brain health years after the waters recede.
When we face the unknown, the brain does something remarkable: it lets itself wander. Neural activity grows more variable, as if entertaining many possible realities at once. But as evidence accumulates and clarity emerges, that variability compresses. A new study shows this quieting of the brain is not random - it is the hidden signal of belief taking shape.
Stress hormones pulse through the body in waves. New research shows these rhythms keep brain receptors sensitive by balancing activation and recovery - a discovery that could reshape how we understand stress, resilience, and steroid therapy.
Depression may not just alter mood - it may distort the very way the brain learns from reward and loss. A new commentary in Brain explores how unipolar and bipolar depression show distinct learning impairments, and why computational psychiatry could unlock new diagnostic and treatment pathways.
Sleepless nights may leave more than tired eyes - they may shape life-or-death outcomes. A groundbreaking study following more than 8,500 British teenagers shows that poor sleep in early adolescence significantly increases the risk of suicide attempts just three years later.
Urban squirrels may be clever, but city life comes with hidden costs. A new Finnish study shows that human presence and everyday activities - from playground noise to dog walking - significantly reduce red squirrels' problem-solving abilities, revealing how our daily habits shape wildlife cognition.
Apathy is often overlooked in Parkinson's disease, yet it can transform daily life more profoundly than tremors or stiffness. A new study following hundreds of patients reveals that apathy progression is tied to both gray matter atrophy and white matter damage, especially in the brain's motivation circuits. Beyond the scans, these findings help explain why loved ones sometimes withdraw, lose interest, or seem unlike themselves. Apathy is not laziness - it is a measurable, biological shift that challenges how we understand illness, personality, and even the human approach to life's final stages.
A nationwide Israeli study following nearly 100,000 adults has found that a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in midlife is associated with a 50% higher risk of developing schizophrenia later in life. The findings suggest that beyond its known health risks, diabetes may play a role in triggering very late-onset psychosis, highlighting the need for closer monitoring of mental health in older adults with diabetes.
