Music, Noise, and Positive Mood Effects

    Many individuals associate music with “good vibes” and generally consider it to be a peaceful, relaxing way to pass the time. However, this peaceful pastime can be detrimental to health effects when enjoyed in loud volumes. Many science articles study the relationship between music and mood, as well as music and health. Figuring out how our daily experiences affect our long-term health can assist us nurture our mental and physical long-term health. 

    An article published by Scientific American, titled “Turning Down the Noise Improves Health in Many Ways” compares the different volumes of noises we hear throughout the day. They claim that the maximum volume of our listening devices, radios, or TVs reaches volumes that could damage our hearing in less than five minutes. Additionally, they suggest that even though people in busy cities claim to be able to sleep through the noise, sleep studies have shown that there are usually multiple awakenings throughout the night due to noise disturbances, which doubles the health effects due to sleep deprivation outcomes, and noise disturbance effects. Noise disturbances have also been linked to developmental reading hindrances, and have been shown to lead to higher rates of high blood pressure, heart failure, and other circulatory stressors. So despite our tendency to find ourselves in loud environments, in public or private spaces, studies have proven our moods and health would drastically benefit from keeping noise levels to a minimum. This isn’t to say that we can’t enjoy our loud game nights or jam sessions, but to focus on limiting the noise level so that we’re maximizing, or savoring, the health benefits that come from enjoyable moments. 

    Music in appropriate volumes has always been used to ease nerves. It is generally considered to be a type of therapy. “Effects of music and music therapy on mood in neurological patients” by Raglio et al. (2015) studied specifically how music contributes to emotional regulation in patients. In stroke patients, all of the studies completed showed positive effects of musical intervention, and dementia patients showed positive effects in mood, depression, and anxiety. Other neurological disorders were also studied and found similar results: musical intervention and therapy can improve our quality of life, lower the effects of depression and anxiety, and generally lead to better psychological outcomes. The mechanism behind this is mostly oriented towards the activation of limbic structures and associated structures that function abnormally in common neurological disorders. So, we know that noise can have negative and positive effects, but how can we extend the positive effects of music and gatherings to have extended neurological benefits? 

    In her lecture at Loyola University Chicago’s Neuroscience Seminar, Dr. Rebecca Silton discussed the idea of savoring moments. She suggested that savoring, or somewhat elongating, the positive feelings associated with desirable life events would maximize the health outcomes associated with positive moods. Savoring, much like music intervention and decreasing noise disturbances, can lead to lower depression rates and decrease some of the symptoms commonly associated with depression. To savor moments, individuals should focus on anticipating, being present, and reminiscing on the positive experiences of life.

    With that being said, hearing may be one of the most important senses when it comes to neurological impact. Too much noise can have severe health implications, but intentional musical therapy can assist in regulating neurological disorders. There seems to be a trend in making intentional decisions when it comes to what noises we surround ourselves with, which gets at Dr. Silton’s idea of savoring. Sure, we’re going to experience loud noises, we hear music every day, but if we assign some amount of intention behind the doses in which we interact with noises, we would be practicing savoring and ultimately living the best, appropriately noisy, life we can. 

References

Raglio, Alfredo. “Effects of music and music therapy on mood in neurological patients.” World Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 5, no. 1, 2015, p. 68, https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v5.i1.68.

Silberner, Joanne. “Noise Hurts Much More than Our Ears.” Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2024, www.scientificamerican.com/article/everyday-noises-can-hurt-hearts-not-just-ears-and-the-ability-to-learn/.

Silton, Rebecca L., et al. “Regulating positive emotions: Implications for promoting well-being in individuals with depression.” Emotion, vol. 20, no. 1, Feb. 2020, pp. 93–97, https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000675.

The Neuroscience Way to the Secret of Happiness

 As we all go through ups and downs in our life, it is important to find ways to keep us happy and healthy. In the article titled The Neuroscience of Positive Emotions and Affect: Implications for Cultivating Happiness and Wellbeing, Dr. Rebecca Silton along with her colleagues examine the neurophysiological aspects of positive emotions and how it relates to overall happiness and wellbeing. The paper identifies that neurotransmitters such as dopamine and hormones such as oxytocin are involved in positive emotions. It is seen that positive emotions have a role in the lifespan that we live and that there is an impact on our wellbeing. Their paper considers the impact of social and environmental factors with positive emotions. Specifically, it recognizes the influence that it has on social relationships and the environment. There are practices such as mediation that is also found to help enhance our wellbeing as it helps to boost positive emotions.

 

Based on the findings, it can be seen that having a good social and environmental group can aid in attaining a more fulfilling and happy life. According to “The Art of Happiness: an Explorative Study of Contemplative Program for subjective Well-Being” by Rastelli et al., there are many ways to also achieve happiness. The paper heavily emphasizes doing mental training and exercises to achieve happiness. Attending lectures, having open discussions with supportive members regarding personal growth, and attending retreats all help to further achieve happiness in life. And as Stilton et al. suggested, meditation is also a great way to relieve stress and become happiness.  

 

            When we go through stressful situations, it is important to find ways to relieve that stress and find happiness. Using the strategies that both papers suggested, it may be worth our time to try them out. Many of us are students and go through the stress of family, friends, and school. Taking care of our mental and physical health is important and these strategies may help to relieve that stress and help us become happier individuals. 

 

References:

 

Rastelli, Clara, et al. “The Art of Happiness: An Explorative Study of a Contemplative Program for Subjective Well-Being.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, 2021, pp. 600982–600982, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.600982.

 Rebecca Alexander et al. “The Neuroscience of Positive Emotions and Affect: Implications for Cultivating Happiness and Wellbeing.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Pergamon, 8 Dec. 2020, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763420306801?via%3Dihub. 

Nature as an Aesthetic Stimuli to Promote Positive Emotions

 In an era where social media is so centralized in our everyday lives, we can be met with a lot of information that can be discomforting to many. This information most of the time tends to break down the character of the recipient of that information and can lead to that individual to view themselves negatively. This kind of event can lead many to develop mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Because of all of this, it is imperative to investigate mechanisms to promote positive emotions in ourselves.  

In their article titled, “The neuroscience of positive emotions and affect: Implications for cultivating happiness and wellbeing” Silton et al. discuss part of The Human Affectome Project in addressing how the practice of having positive emotions impacts the neurophysiology of the brain; how the relationship between neurotransmitters, hormones, brain networks, and cognitive functions promote well-being. The most common neurotransmitter involved in the processing of positive emotions, dopamine, projects to multiple structures in the brain such as the striatum and amygdala. One of the major findings with the role of the amygdala in the processing of positive emotions is how the activity of the brain structure tells us what kind of stimuli it’s processing. If there is high activity of the amygdala, it is most likely that activity in response to a negative stimulus. However, if there is little activity that means that it is trying to process a positive stimulus. With all of this in mind, I became curious how the amygdala would respond to aesthetic stimuli, more specifically nature.  

In an article by Sudimac et al titled “How nature nurtures: Amygdala activity decreases as the result of one-hour walk in nature”, they created a model to investigate the role of a forest environment compared to a city environment in the stress mechanisms of the brain. To do this, they utilized an fMRI procedure where they asked the participants to do two major tasks called the Fearful Faces Task (FFT) and the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) to promote social stress. The researchers would have the participants perform the FFT and MIST and then have the participants walk in either an urban or natural environment for about an hour. Afterwards, the participants would then undergo the pre-FMRI procedure again. The forest environment or natural environment is described as a green area present in an urban environment whereas an urban environment is referring to a busy intersection/street in the city. Some major findings discovered a decrease in amygdala activity following the initial FFT and MIST in participants that took the forest walk. For those in the urban environment, the amygdala activity remained constant in this environment following the initial FFT and MIST.  

It’s not just social media that can lead to negative emotions, but also the environments we place ourselves in. Both studies help demonstrate (1) that positive emotions have a beneficial effect on us in preventing mental illnesses such as depression and (2) that we can perform activities that promote positive emotions via stimuli such as nature. The next time you find yourself stressed or overwhelmed by either social media or the environment you’re in, take some time to go for a walk around where you live or do activities that lower your stress.  

References: 

Rebecca Alexander et al. “The Neuroscience of Positive Emotions and Affect: Implications for Cultivating Happiness and Wellbeing.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Pergamon, 8 Dec. 2020, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763420306801?via%3Dihub. 

Sudimac, S., Sale, V. & Kühn, S. How nature nurtures: Amygdala activity decreases as the result of a one-hour walk in nature. Mol Psychiatry 27, 4446–4452 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01720-6 

 

The New Philosophy of Living, Just Savor Life

           Remember your favorite meal? Remember your favorite memory? Aware of humanity’s fall out into the abyss of anxiety and depression? Struggling with them yourself? If you are at least minimally worried about these questions, then you are in the right place. Grab your coffee, tea, or can of coke, and get ready to savor these words.

           In an era of fast food, espresso, and express lanes life has become a trifle fast-paced task of humanity. Banality took over the command of our daily tasks and being on automatic pilot has become the normality for everyone, while spending nights awake fearful of whether we are living to the fullest of our potential, to our happiness, and even if what we said to the bartender that handled us our coffee today was correct. But even with these questions and caffeinated behaviors, humans are far from being banal. However, humanity’s banality has one of its high impacts when humans decide to not be nice to themselves and each other. The article “New Research Explains How To Savor Life’s Happiest Moments” by Dr. Mark Travers explores research surrounding the topic of human self-compassion and its implications on well-being and emotional outcomes. The biggest outcome of the article is finding that it is “really important to be nice to yourself” according to Dr. Schellenberg. 

            Before I go to the aim of my writing today, I will bring to you why it is so important to be nice to yourself and to others. Current research points to being nice to oneself and to others as a predictor and essential factor in positive emotions, better mental health, increased optimism, increased well-being, and numerous benefits for physical health. The research paper “The neuroscience of positive emotions and affect: Implications for cultivating happiness and wellbeing” by Dr. Rebecca Alexander and colleagues reviews several papers on the implications of positive emotions and neuroscience. The overarching conclusions of the paper are that the implications of savoring life and harnessing the power of all the positive emotions are much more than just benefiting psychological and physical well-being, they act upon the higher structures of society such as GDP, social support, and freedom to make life choices. 

            Now we get to the true point of this text, savoring our experiences, valuing all of our experiences, and appreciating every possible aspect of our life. Newer trends of savoring can be seen across every aspect of life, especially social media, such as the trend Hope Core more remarkably on TikTok, a trend that showed the value of being nice to oneself and others and keeping an optimistic perspective. Therefore, I come here to tell every single one of you reading this, go savor your life, savor every single moment, and for you to do that I will give you a couple of tips from psychologists. The first one is a reiteration, be nice to yourself, it is your first time living after all. The second one is to be mindful, keep a balanced perspective on life, and take time for yourself. Last, but not least, try to be empathetic, and understand that everyone goes through a rough time in their lives, and you never know what anyone is going through, so be nice to them!

            The main aim of this blog is to achieve the goal of simply telling you, be nice to everyone, including yourself! Everyone struggles in life, but kindness is the secret to helping us in those struggles, so go ahead and tell that person who goes you through the hardest times of your life how much they mean to you, tell that person you love that you love them, show kindness to everyone, we are all deserving of it. However, even if you do not follow anything I just said, please do this one thing, be kind for even science shows that it is better for everyone.

So, go back to your coffee, to your music, to your job, to your family, to yourself, and savor everything, for at the end of the day, life should not be on autopilot, and savoring will help us understand and value it all again, bringing color back to our lives! 

 

References:

1.     https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2022/08/12/new-research-explains-how-to-savor-lifes-happiest-moments/?sh=32168a2e5687

2.     Kiken, L. G., Lundberg, K. B., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2017). Being present and enjoying it: Dispositional mindfulness and savoring the moment are distinct, interactive predictors of positive emotions and psychological health. Mindfulness, 8(5), 1280–1290. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0704-3

3.     Wilson, K. A., & MacNamara, A. (2021). Savor the moment: Willful increase in positive emotion and the persistence of this effect across time. Psychophysiology, 58(3), e13754. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13754

4.     Alexander, R., Aragón, O. R., Bookwala, J., Cherbuin, N., Gatt, J. M., Kahrilas, I. J., Kästner, N., Lawrence, A., Lowe, L., Morrison, R. G., Mueller, S. C., Nusslock, R., Papadelis, C., Polnaszek, K. L., Helene Richter, S., Silton, R. L., & Styliadis, C. (2021). The neuroscience of positive emotions and affect: Implications for cultivating happiness and wellbeing. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 121, 220–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.12.002

5.     https://therapytips.org/interviews/heres-how-to-make-your-happy-moments-last-longer

6.     https://www.thenewhappy.com/blog/how-to-savor-the-moment

7.     Borelli, Jessica L., et al. “Savoring Interventions for Mothers of Young Children: Mechanisms Linking Relational Savoring and Personal Savoring to Reflective Functioning.” Infant Mental Health Journal, vol. 44, no. 2, 2023, pp. 200–17, https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.22038.

Alzheimer's Disease: The Cerebellum and Genes

     As people age, they are prone to facing a whole range of risks, such as physical issues, cognitive decline, and an increased risk of developing certain diseases. One of those diseases is Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It poses a significant threat to the health of older adults, leading to behavioral changes, memory loss, and impaired thinking, which overall affects their quality of life. Alzheimer's is arguably one of the most challenging diseases to find the cause for, having “at least 80 genetic areas associated with this disease”, and not to mention the environmental factors that can contribute to its development [3]. However, recent research has come out showing a novel way to identify AD earlier and a genetic variant that protects against the disease. 

    Multiple genes are associated with AD, with one prominent gene being the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene. This gene possesses three alleles: APOE ε2, APOE ε3, and APOE ε4. APOE ε2 offers partial protection against Alzheimer’s, typically leading to the disease developing “later in life than someone with the APOE ε4 gene” [3]. APOE ε3 is the most common allele out of the bunch and is “believed to have a neutral effect on the disease – neither decreasing nor increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s” [3]. APOE ε4 is the “greatest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease” [1]. Despite the strong influence these genes have on the development of Alzheimer’s, they do not provide full predictability of the whether one will develop the disease or not.

    Research conducted by Elizabeth R. Paitel and Kristy A. Nielson introduces an innovative approach to identifying the risk of developing AD before symptoms progress or show. Deficiencies in executive functioning are noted to “underlie both the mild cognitive declines associated with healthy, normative aging and the severe declines in Alzheimer's disease”, leading to challenges in distinguishing between normal aging and Alzheimer's symptoms [1]. Paitel and Nielson’s study focused on utilizing “EGG source localization to examine the impact older age and APOE ε4 inheritance on cerebellar activity” [1]. The significance of examining this brain region lies in executive functioning skills relying not only on the frontal lobe, but also on “effective communication between the frontal lobes and the regions of the posterior cerebellum” [1]. The study findings revealed that “older age predicted greater activity specifically within the ε4- group” and “ε4+ deviated from this pattern and did not show greater cerebellar activity with older age” [1]. Ultimately, the study concluded that the “posterolateral cerebellum is sensitive to AD-related neural deficits in healthy elders” and the “characterization of these patterns may be essential for the earliest possible detection pf AD risk” [1]. This discovery holds significant importance, as it provides possibilities for early intervention before symptoms appear, in combination with other identifying factors. Early intervention strategies can vary, but another recent discovery might create another option for treatment.

    Recent research conducted by an international team led by Harvard Medical School has found a “new genetic variant that protects against Alzheimer’s disease” [2]. This breakthrough came from examining a patient who had a “genetic predisposition for developing early-onset Alzheimer’s” but still “remained cognitively intact until his late 60s” [2]. It was then discovered that certain individuals possessed a gene predisposing them to Alzheimer’s while having another that “protected them from the symptoms of the disease” [2]. This suggests the potential of using gene therapies associated with this specific gene in treatment of AD. The findings also “pinpoint a region of the brain that may provide an optimal treatment target” [2]. It is important to note that other contributing factors, including other gene elements, could have played a role in shielding patients from Alzheimer’s symptoms. Collectively, the two studies mentioned have potential for the identification and treatment of AD.

    These two significant studies offer some hope in the early identification and treatment of individuals at risk of AD. Alzheimer’s is the most prevalent form of dementia and presents a challenge in healthcare. If accurate, these discoveries mentioned can help change our approach to Alzheimer’s by providing interventions before symptoms manifest or worsen. Individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s could preserve their independence and overall health for longer. By addressing the disease earlier, there is the potential to positively impact the lives of millions worldwide, offering them a brighter future.

Works Cited

1.     Paitel, E. R., & Nielson, K. A. (2023). Cerebellar EEG source localization reveals age‐related compensatory activity moderated by genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Psychophysiology, 60(12). https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14395

2.     Communications, H. B. M. G. B. (2023, May 15). Newly identified genetic variant protects against Alzheimer’s. Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/05/newly-identified-genetic-variant-protects-against-alzheimers/

3.     National Institute on Aging. (2023, March 1). Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Fact Sheet. National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/genetics-and-family-history/alzheimers-disease-genetics-fact-sheet

Music and Neuroscience and its Intersection on Cognitive Function

    Music has been known to induce many positive effects on the brain, and there is ample evidence to show that musical training begets neuroplasticity both structurally and functionally. But what about the potential impact it could have on other cognitive skills, such as reading or attention? A recent study dives into this topic, where musical training might enhance the development of certain areas in the brain relative to reading and cognitive function. 

    Pantaleo et al. explored the influence of musical training on reading in 60 right-handed healthy individuals: 30 professional musicians and 30 controls. The participants were separated into categories of being relatively good or poor readers based on reading speed. EEG/ERPs were recorded during a task requiring the detection of notes or letters. They found that musicians showed higher fluency for word, non-word, and text reading tasks as well as faster note and word detection. Similarly, good readers had greater neural responses than poor readers. Neuroplastic changes in the brain were also found -- activation was increased in both musicians and good readers in the occipito/temporal cortex bilaterally during music and word reading tasks, suggesting specialization of a right-sided reading area associated with enhanced reading proficiency. They also found that activation in poor readers and controls was reduced in the left fusiform gyrus and the attentional/ocular shifting regions compared to musicians. 

    A second study by Clayton et al. investigated the 'cocktail party', which relates to how cognition impacts performance in challenging listening environments (i.e. a party with noise in the background, hence the name). Musicians and non-musicians were tested in a spatial hearing task, where speech targets were presented in the context of an intelligible speech masker. Results showed that musicians outperformed nonmusicians in spatial hearing abilities. Interestingly, the data supports that musicians had stronger working memory at the auditory level, implying that musical skills and cognitive aspects are related. This research also found relations between spatial hearing performance and measurements of cognitive flexibility and inhibition control, which show that cognitive factors are important in navigating complex auditory scenes. 

    The studies indicate that musical literacy, especially if gained at an early age, might sculpt reading and auditory functions in the brain. Ultimately, there seem to be intricate relations between music and cognition, and the potential advantages of musical education are evident. Although there is much more research needed to understand influences on brain plasticity,  these studies emphasize that music may not just be an art form but also a key to cognitive growth and development. 

Pantaleo, M. M., Arcuri, G., Manfredi, M., & Proverbio, A. M. (2024). Music literacy improves reading skills via bilateral orthographic development. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 3506.

Clayton KK, Swaminathan J, Yazdanbakhsh A, Zuk J, Patel AD, Kidd G, Jr (2016). Executive Function, Visual Attention and the Cocktail Party Problem in Musicians and Non-Musicians. PLoS ONE 11(7).

The Cognitive Overture: Unveiling the Benefits of Musical Training

    Like most American students, I was taught how to read sheet music and play the ukulele. That initial interest in music led me to take up playing the violin through my elementary and middle school. However, that marked the end of my musical exploration as my parents instructed me to prioritize STEM classes over spending my time playing an instrument. Now, after listening to Dr. Toby Dye’s talk on the paper titled "Executive Function, Visual Attention, and the Cocktail Party Problem in Musicians and Non-Musicians," I find myself second-guessing my choice to stop my musical endeavors. In the lecture I learned that studies show that playing instruments is actually beneficial to cognitive function as musicians perform better than non-musicians. This led me to research more about other cognitive benefits that playing instruments has on cognitive health. This search led me to the article "The effects of musical instrument training on fluid intelligence and executive functions in Healthy Older Adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis" by Dr. Fionnuala Rogers and Dr. Claudia Metzler-Baddeley. 

    Rogers and Metzler-Baddeley's study delves into the multifaceted cognitive benefits of musical training. Once again the results of the study highlight better attention, memory, and executive functions among older individuals with musical expertise, those who play instruments, compared to their peers who do not have any musical expertise. One of the differences between musicians and non-musicians is the neuroplastic changes induced by musical training, such as heightened auditory processing skills and strengthened reward mechanisms compared to those who do not play music. One example of the heightened benefit of musicians is their superior ability to perceive and synchronize with rhythmic patterns, which demonstrates how musical training can enhance temporal processing abilities of the brain. This, in turn, can translate to improved attention and working memory skills in various cognitive tasks. 

    Clayton's study, on the other hand, focused on the cognitive factors influencing performance in challenging listening environments, in this case, the "cocktail party" scenario where multiple conversations occur simultaneously. By comparing musicians and non-musicians, Clayton investigates how executive function and visual attention contribute to spatial hearing tasks, revealing intriguing insights into how musical expertise shapes cognitive abilities crucial for navigating complex auditory scenes. For example, musicians' superior performance in spatial hearing tasks suggests that their training not only sharpens auditory processing skills but also enhances their ability to selectively attend to relevant auditory information amidst competing noise, a skill highly relevant in real-world scenarios where individuals must focus on a speaker in a noisy environment.    

    Having gained insights from both of these studies, I found myself inspired to embark on learning a new instrument, not only to acquire a fresh skill but also to enhance my cognitive abilities. Fortunately, the beauty of learning music knows no age boundaries. Therefore, I encourage everyone to consider picking up an instrument, even if it's solely to explore and develop a new skill set.

References:

    Clayton, K. K., Swaminathan, J., Yazdanbakhsh, A., Zuk, J., Patel, A. D., & Kidd, G. (2016). Executive function, visual attention and the cocktail party problem in musicians and Non-Musicians. PLOS ONE, 11(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0157638    

    Rogers, F., & Metzler-Baddeley, C. (2024). The effects of musical instrument training on fluid intelligence and executive functions in Healthy Older Adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain and Cognition, 175, 106137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106137

    T Zaatar, M., Alhakim, K., Enayeh, M., & Tamer, R. (2023). The transformative power of music: Insights into neuroplasticity, health, and disease. Brain, behavior, & immunity - health, 35, 100716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100716

Cognitive Attributes of Bilingualism

        One main progression in evolution is the ability to communicate through language. Humans’ connections, interactions, and social communications are all part of language which is an essential part to life on earth. Language, according to Dictionary.com, is defined as a group, community, or country’s system of communication, which is the primary way that humans interact. Many countries across the world speak different languages which makes it so unique to cultures as there are hundreds of languages, with many of them having different variations depending on location. With the human brain being so intricate, it has the capability to obtain and process more than one language and can switch back and forth between the two with ease, which is called bilingualism. Not only does bilingualism give people the ability to understand, speak, or read two or more languages, but there are also many other cognitive benefits to a human being bilingual. 

The article, The bilingual brain may be better at ignoring irrelevant information, published by the University of Florida discusses some of the cognitive effects that a person who is bilingual may possess. In this article, the authors discuss the study which was conducted to examine the differences between a person who can only speak one language compared to a person that can speak more than one language, in terms of attention and information that is retained versus ignored. The study concluded that bilinguals can be more capable to disregard information that is not important, rather than inhibiting or restraining information (University of Florida, 2023). This is important to cognitive functions in humans as the brain is always active and using up energy to constantly function, so the ability to ignore information that is irrelevant helps conserve some of that energy. Additionally, if a person can ignore information that is not relevant helps prioritize and retain the information that is important and relevant. Thus, there is evidence that being bilingual can be beneficial to memory and how information is recalled, retained, and stored in the human brain. 

Another article that supports the article published by the University of Florida in terms of cognitive effects due to bilingualism was published by Ashley Chung-Fat-Yim and colleagues titled, The multifaced nature of bilingualism and attention. Chung-Fat-Yim et al., did research on how the cognitive function of attention has a strong correlation to bilingualism. The article discusses bilingual peoples’ experiences with four types of attention: sustained attention, selective attention, alternating attention, and divided attention (Chung-Fat-Yim et al., 2022). This means that the researchers looked at how bilinguals were able to direct their attention differently and disregard the other language they possess. Chung-Fat-Yim and colleagues concluded in their article that people who are bilingual were able to develop their selective attention cognitive function sooner than a person that could only speak one language as they were able to use more resources in their brain to determine the language that was spoken (Chung-Fat-Yim et al., 2022). Furthermore, they found that the most prominent finding was that a bilingual person has the ability to disengage faster, meaning that they can disregard irrelevant information (Chung-Fat-Yim et al., 2022). This indicates that people that only speak one language take longer to engage and disengage their attention compared to a person that can speak more than one language. Again, the importance of disengaging and ignoring the irrelevant information helps preserve more energy. 

The articles published by Chung-Fat-Yim et al and the University of Florida both examine how bilinguals are able to disengage faster and ignore irrelevant information than a monolingual. This implies that there is a considerable amount of research that overlaps the ideas of a person being able to speak and understand more than one language with attention and cognitive processes. It is important to understand these differences because it can give more insight to how the brain functions and processes information differently due to environmental factors. 

 

References:

Chung-Fat-Yim, A., Calvo, N., & Grundy, J. G. (2022). The multifaceted nature of bilingualism and    attention. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.910382 

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/

University of Florida. (2023, November 21). The bilingual brain may be better at ignoring irrelevant information. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231121175143.htm 

The Cerebellum: An overview of the relationship between this brain region and Alzheimer's Disease

Cognitive decline is a normal part of human life. As we age, our mental sharpness is not as keen as it once was. Unfortunately, cognitive decline is also a symptom that manifests in the presence of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The fear of losing cognitive ability because of AD can be a very scary thought for many individuals. Many scientists, researchers, and doctors have acknowledged this fear and have sought to find a cure or effective intervention. Although no cures have been found yet, many interventions have been developed to help alleviate or even prevent the development of these symptoms. Moreover, many researchers have conducted experiments to determine what areas of the brain may lead to the onset of AD.

Researchers are now looking at the brain from many different lenses hoping to detect any possible indicators of pre-symptomatic AD risks. Over the years, researchers have looked into what brain regions are responsible, or at least associated with, the cognitive decline caused by AD. Though the literature written on this topic is very limited, much of the research has focused on the cerebellum and its relationship with nervous system functioning. Since then, there has been a spark of interest for many researchers regarding the role of the cerebellum in different neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, including AD. 

In their article, “Cerebellar EEG source localization reveals age-related compensatory activity moderated by genetic risk for Alzheimer's Disease”  authors Elizabeth R. Paitel and Kristy A. Nielson analyzed the cerebellar EEG localization of older adults participating in a complex inhibitory control task. Their study was able to detect age-related compensatory cerebellar activity in this adult population. The key takeaway of their study is that the cerebellum may be impacted early in individuals with a genetic risk of developing AD. While Paitel and Nielsons’ article points to the possible cause of cognitive decline, other researchers take a different approach to the topic by highlighting the effects of cerebellar deficits. For instance, in the article “The cerebellum in Alzheimer’s disease: evaluating its role in cognitive decline” researchers Heidi L. Jacobs and colleagues note that cerebellar damage may lead to various cognitive deficits. Across numerous studies researchers have found that “Speed of information processing, speed and variability in learning sequences, timing and predicting temporal order, development of automaticity through learning, perceptual processing, and the capacity of working memory load are tasks affected in patients with cerebellar damage” (Jacobs et. al., 2018). It can be argued that the first article focuses more on the direct correlation between cerebellum and early AD symptoms while the second focuses more on the cognitive effects. Needless to say, these are two important articles which prove there is a strong relationship between the two factors of interest. 

With all of that being said, cerebellar damage is not the main cause of Alzheimer’s Disease. Research has shown that certain cognitive deficits manifest because of the cerebellum, but research has not proven it to be an exact cause-and-effect relationship. 

References: 

Jacobs, H. I., Hopkins, D. A., Mayrhofer, H. C., Bruner, E., van Leeuwen, F. W., Raaijmakers, W., & Schmahmann, J. D. (2017). The cerebellum in alzheimer’s disease: Evaluating its role in cognitive decline. Brain, 141(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awx194 

Paitel, E. R., & Nielson, K. A. (2023). Cerebellar eeg source localization reveals age‐related compensatory activity moderated by genetic risk for alzheimer’s disease. Psychophysiology, 60(12). https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14395