Executive Function

How immune cells prevent cognitive decline

Mice altered to prevent the production of a particular type of immune cell struggled to form new memories.

Enzyme drives cognitive decline in mice, provides new target for Alzheimer's

Researchers identify the PKC-alpha enzyme as a promising therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease; a mutation that increases its activity led to biochemical, cellular and cognitive impairments in mice.

Machine learning gives nuanced view of Alzheimer's stages

Researchers used machine learning to pinpoint the most accurate means, and timelines, for anticipating the advancement of Alzheimer's disease in people who are either cognitively normal or experiencing mild cognitive impairment.

Unexpected cognitive deteriorations in epilepsy

In severe epilepsies, surgical intervention is often the only remedy -- usually with great success. While neuropsychological performance can recover in the long term after successful surgery, on rare occasions, unexpected declines in cognitive performance occur. Researchers have now been able to sho...
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Parental perceived immigration threat and children’s mental health, self-regulation and executive functioning in pre-Kindergarten.

Many children in immigrant households endure unique stressors shaped by national, state, and local immigration policies and enforcement activity in the United States. Qualitative studies find that during times of heightened immigration enforcement, children as young as 3 years of age show signs of b...
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Suicidal ideation in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with mental health conditions at risk for homelessness.

Suicide prevention among Veterans is a national priority. Overlap exists between conditions that may increase risk for suicide (e.g., mental health conditions, financial stressors, lack of social support) and homelessness among Veterans. We examined predictors of variance in suicidal ideation (SI) a...
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A novel model of obesity prediction: Neurobehaviors as targets for treatment.

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic that is on the rise, with approximately 30% of the world population classified as either overweight or obese. The United States has some of the highest rates of obesity, and in most countries in the world, obesity now poses more of a serious health concern than malnut...
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The rodent lateral orbitofrontal cortex as an arbitrator selecting between model-based and model-free learning systems.

Our understanding of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) function has progressed remarkably over the past decades in part due to theoretical advances in associative and reinforcement learning theories. These theoretical accounts of OFC function have implicated the region in progressively more psychologically...
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Alzheimer’s gene triggers early breakdowns in blood-brain barrier, predicting cognitive decline

New USC research reveals how APOE4, a genetic culprit for Alzheimer's disease, triggers leaks in the brain's plumbing system, allowing toxic substances to seep into the brain areas responsible for memory encoding and other cognitive functions.
The damage is linked to future problems i...
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Implant-free optogenetics minimizes brain damage during neuronal stimulation

A minimally invasive optogenetic technique that does not require brain implants successfully manipulated the activity of neurons in mice and monkeys, researchers report April 29th in the journal . The researchers first genetically engineered neurons to produce a newly developed, extremely light-s...
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