Seen in the scanner: curiosity stimulates the memory

[Oxajil]

Curiosity makes people stressed. Satisfying the curiosity works as a reward and also stimulates the memory. Researchers at the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition have provided new evidence for a classical theory about human curiosity using functional MRI scans. The researchers have published an article on the subject in 'Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience'.

Extensive study

Curiosity is one of the most basic biological urges of people and animals. It is an important stimulus for learning and discovering new things. Most people experience it as unpleasant if they have difficulty recognising an image, for example because it is only partly visible. The classical theory on this phenomenon was devised by Daniel Berlyne (1966, Science). Removing the curiosity acts as a reward. Moreover, it also means that people remember the image better. This is the first time that the effects of curiosity in the human brain have been studied so extensively.

Unclear images arouse curiosity

Marieke Jepma, Sander Nieuwenhuis and their Leiden colleagues showed test candidates in an MRI scanner a number of images, half of which were so unclear that they were unrecognisable; see illustration, step 1. These blurred images stimulated greater activity in brain areas that are also active during unpleasant events or circumstances, such as pain, loss, uncertainty or when we make mistakes.

After being shown a number of blurred images, the test candidates were shown the same images, but this time in sharp focus; see illustration, step 2. The candidates' curiosity was stilled, such that the brain areas that were active were those that are typical for reward. This activity this time was much greater than when the test candidate's curiosity was stilled, having been shown a blurred image that was subsequently followed by a random, sharply focused image.

The more curious you are, the better your memory

Apart from the reward aspect, stilling the curiosity led to activity in the hippocampus, the brain area where memories are initially stored. In a later memory test, it was demonstrated that test candidates remembered best those images about which they had been most curious.

Better learning performance

The researchers write that their findings may be important for how teaching programmes and advertising campaigns are designed. Arousing the curiosity seems to lead to better storage of the data in question. You could apply this theory by having pupils guess the meaning of foreign words before presenting them with a translation of the words.

Source

 

[Jones]

The more curious you are, the better your memory

Apart from the reward aspect, stilling the curiosity led to activity in the hippocampus, the brain area where memories are initially stored. In a later memory test, it was demonstrated that test candidates remembered best those images about which they had been most curious.

Interesting. The hippocampus is one of the structures of the brain that suffers under chronic stress. Neurogenisis is impaired (that is it stops producing new cells) and it begins to shrink in size. This is apparently a common change in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Anxiety/Depression, Epilepsy and Schizophrenia.

It would be interesting to know if could be protected from this impaired neurogenisis if you were very curious and were working to relieve that curiosity?

 

[Oxajil]

The more curious you are, the better your memory

Apart from the reward aspect, stilling the curiosity led to activity in the hippocampus, the brain area where memories are initially stored. In a later memory test, it was demonstrated that test candidates remembered best those images about which they had been most curious.

Interesting. The hippocampus is one of the structures of the brain that suffers under chronic stress. Neurogenisis is impaired (that is it stops producing new cells) and it begins to shrink in size. This is apparently a common change in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Anxiety/Depression, Epilepsy and Schizophrenia.

It would be interesting to know if could be protected from this impaired neurogenisis if you were very curious and were working to relieve that curiosity?

Hmm, well I think several factors play a role in impaired neurogenesis, one example would be a lack of sleep, one study in particular showed that it inhibits neurogenesis. People have also reported to have an improved memory by changing to a high fat/low carb diet. And there is this:

_http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/b/2008/07/03/could-low-carb-diets-help-prevent-memory-loss.htm

Now there is yet another possibility - a study in June's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (an American Heart Association Journal) found an association between HDL and memory decline in middle-aged adults. They followed 3673 people, testing them twice at averages ages of 55 and 61. The found that the people with low HDL were more likely to have memory deficits, and that a decrease in HDL was associated with memory deterioration.

Of course, we don't know whether the HDL itself produced the results or something associated both with memory and HDL. But we do know that one of the most reliable outcomes of a low-carb diet is increased HDL cholesterol.

Interesting that the media seems to claim that there is a negative link between saturated fats and neurogenesis, to which Mary G. Enig, PhD replied:

_http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/questions-and-misconceptions-on-fats-and-oils

Saturated Fats Charged with New Crime!

A member in Sweden recently alerted us to articles in the Swedish newspapers describing a new study in which saturated fat is charged with impeding cognitive performance. "Saturated fat can make you stupid," said one headline.

The study was published in the European Journal of Neurology (volume 13, 2006). Male and female rats were divided into two groups, one fed a diet of 42 percent fat from a mixture of coconut oil and corn oil; the other was fed a diet of 10 percent fat. The high-fat diet had a negative effect on "hippocampal neurogenesis," that is, the generation of nerve cells in an area of the brain called the hippocampus, but only in the male rats. The authors concluded, ". . . our study provides the first compelling evidence that a high intake of dietary fat per se has a negative influence on hippocampal neurogenesis."

Note, first of all, that the authors did not single out saturated fats in their conclusion--these accusations only appeared in the media. In fact, the authors do not provide any information in the study about the precentage of fatty acids in the dietary mix. The mix could have been mostly polyunsaturated corn oil--and several studies have shown that polyunsaturated oil inhibits neurological development and function.

Nor do the researchers indicate what kind of coconut oil they were using. Most of the coconut oil used in scientific experiments is fully hydrogenated, a process that gets rid of all the essential fatty acids. Thus, the diet of corn oil and coconut oil may have induced a deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids, another likely explanation for cognitive decline.

But the interesting thing about these findings is that they only occurred in male rats, not in the females, an indication that the lack of neurogenesis was related to hormonal factors. Most rat chow is based on soy, rich in estrogenic compounds that have been shown to have deleterious effects on male rats.

There is no way to tell from this study which factors inhibited hippocampal neurogenesis but the one that is the least likely to be the culprit--the normal brain contains very high levels of saturated fat--has become the whipping boy for the others.

And there is this:

_http://www.livestrong.com/article/454739-low-carb-diet-its-effect-on-brain-function/#ixzz1mipZdPM1

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Low-carb diets might enhance memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Cincinnati. Participants with mild impairment followed a six-week low-carbohydrate diet and underwent memory performance tasks. Scientists reported in the December 2010 issue of "Neurobiology & Aging" that subjects experienced improvements in memory performance tasks.

So I think the most obvious ways to protect and nourish your brain would be to change to a high fat diet, and to get enough sleep in a dark room, among others. Regarding the article, what I think is interesting is that it helps to think of the many techniques one can use in ''spreading the word'', to make things in such a way that would peak the interest of most people, so that they'll remember whatever you're trying to ''sell''. And for that you'd need to know your audience, I'd think.

I guess it kinda speaks for itself, people remembering things better they're most curious about, I mean, as a student I have attended many lectures, and I have always enjoyed those lectures that were presented with the most enthusiasm, which made me more curious to know what they'll be saying next. And overall, I remembered those lectures the best. But yea, I thought it was interesting that a study kind of confirmed that curiosity positively affects memory.

I'm not sure if you can force yourself to be more curious, though? Perhaps, reading with more attention, and trying to be as conscious as possible when one reads, in G. terms, could be kind of the same as trying to be more curious, which then could help with remembering better? Dunno.

 

[SeekinTruth]

Very interesting.

Unsurprisingly, the junk "science" promoted and manipulated in the media crops up again in the fat and cognitive performance articles.

I'm also wondering if the type of curiosity matters in the amount of memory improvement. In other words, curiosity that can lead to important learning vs. mechanical curiosity that can be satisfied quickly.

 

[Jones]

Saturated Fats Charged with New Crime!

A member in Sweden recently alerted us to articles in the Swedish newspapers describing a new study in which saturated fat is charged with impeding cognitive performance. "Saturated fat can make you stupid," said one headline.

The study was published in the European Journal of Neurology (volume 13, 2006). Male and female rats were divided into two groups, one fed a diet of 42 percent fat from a mixture of coconut oil and corn oil; the other was fed a diet of 10 percent fat. The high-fat diet had a negative effect on "hippocampal neurogenesis," that is, the generation of nerve cells in an area of the brain called the hippocampus, but only in the male rats. The authors concluded, ". . . our study provides the first compelling evidence that a high intake of dietary fat per se has a negative influence on hippocampal neurogenesis."

Without being able to read the study mentioned, I can see where their may be a possible flaw in their deductions.

Cognitive tests on rats often use simple mazes, the simplest of which is the T - maze. The rat is placed in the maze and has to find its way to food. If those rats that were fed saturated fats experienced greater satiety then they may not have been as motivated to find food for the test. In which case the more accurate deduction might be saturated fats can make you satisfied, calm and in no hurry to find food ;)

Oxajil:

I'm not sure if you can force yourself to be more curious, though? Perhaps, reading with more attention, and trying to be as conscious as possible when one reads, in G. terms, could be kind of the same as trying to be more curious, which then could help with remembering better? Dunno.

Extensive study

Curiosity is one of the most basic biological urges of people and animals.

If the above statement from the opening quote is true, then perhaps it's not so much a matter of making people more curious as it is of awakening what is already there and has been shut down for some reason.

Disinfo agents seem to have this down pat with the likes of 'The Secret'. The marketing of such things seems to be about pointing out or alluding to the ways in which people are unhappy or uncomfortable and promising them an answer that will 'change their lives'.