Argues that the brain is the seat of cognition, that cognitive processes are neutral processes, and that, in the brain, affect and cognition are distinguishable but inseparable. This perspective allows a reconceptualization of the affective filter in terms of the brain's stimulus appraisal system, which interacts with cognition to promote or…

A theory of neurolinguistic function is proposed to explain fluency and the production of stuttered speech disruptions. Stuttering results when the speaker is under time pressure and is unaware of the cause of dyssynchrony between the linguistic and paralinguistic components of speech which are processed by different neural systems but converge on…

In the 1930s, Bernstein pointed out that more than one motor signal can trigger the same physical movement and that identical motor signals can lead to different movements, a dilemma that continues to puzzle scientists. Based on results from computer simulations, posits that these motor signals can be grouped into categories that correspond to…

Introduces the construct of habits on a continuum from habit impoverishment to habit domination. Introduces the concepts of thresholds for action, modulation, and motivation to reestablish homeostasis and proposes a model for interpreting behavior. Explains patterns of responding in relation to adaptive and maladaptive behavior. (Contains 36…

Examines a subset of tools (atlases of the brain) developed in the Human Brain Project (HBP) in order to understand how the use of these tools changes the practice of science. Discusses the redefinition of what constitutes 'objective' neuroscientific knowledge according to both technological possibilities built into these tools and the constraints…

Used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine spatial working memory in 8- to 11-year-olds tested under 3 conditions. Found that subtracting activation of the motor condition from the memory condition revealed activity in dorsal aspects of the prefrontal cortex and in the posterior parietal and anterior cingulate cortex. Analysis of…

The discipline of neuroscience draws from the fields of neurology, psychology, physiology and biology, but is best understood in the wider world as brain science. Of particular interest for education is the development of techniques for imaging the brain as it performs different cognitive functions. Cognitive neuroimaging has already led to…

New positron emission tomography (PET) and MRI technologies, which allow looking inside the brains, show that the brains of boys and girls differ both structurally and functionally that profoundly affect the human learning. These gender differences in the brain are corroborated in males and females throughout the world and do not differ…

Autobiographical remembering reflects an advanced state of consciousness that mediates awareness of the self as continuous across time. In naturalistic autobiographical memory, self-aware recollection of temporally and spatially specific episodes and generic factual information (both public and personal) operate in tandem. Evidence from both…

Having recently shown that extinction of conditioned fear depends on L-type voltage-gated calcium channels (LVGCCs), we have been seeking other protocols that require this unusual induction mechanism. We tested latent inhibition (LI) of fear, because LI resembles extinction except that cue exposures precede, rather than follow, cue-shock pairing.…

We discuss the relationship between sleep, dreams, and memory, proposing that the content of dreams reflects aspects of memory consolidation taking place during the different stages of sleep. Although we acknowledge the likely involvement of various neuromodulators in these phenomena, we focus on the hormone cortisol, which is known to exert…

Neurologist and middle school teacher Judy Willis connects what you do in the classroom to what happens in the brain when students learn how to read, including: (1) Why a classroom has to be safe and supportive in order to overcome barriers to reading fluency; (2) How to jumpstart students who are not well prepared for reading with activities that…

Recent neuroimaging studies and neuropsychological data suggest that there are regions in posterior auditory cortex that participate both in speech perception and speech production. An outstanding question is whether the same neural regions support both perception and production or whether there exist discrete cortical fields subserving these…

CF-1 male mice were trained in an inhibitory avoidance task using a high footshock (1,2 mA, 50 Hz, 1 sec) in order to reduce the influence of extinction on retention performance. At 2, 7, 14, or 30 d after training, the first retention test was performed and hemicholinium (HC-3, 1.0 microgram/mice), a specific inhibitor of high-affinity choline…

Information in the nervous system is conveyed by impulses called action potentials: large, transient electrochemical changes in a neuron's membrane. Though action potentials are a basic feature of neurons, teachers often have trouble explaining this neurophysiological concept, and students have difficulty understanding it. While easy-to-understand…