
Most of our choices are not motivated by curiosity but by errors caused by the brain mechanisms implicated in evaluating our options.
One hypothesis put forward to explain the repetitive behaviors of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder is a lack of cognitive flexibility. However, this may well not be the case. A recent study used MRI to track the brain activity of autistic and non-autistic subjects faced with situations similar to those that cause problems in the daily lives of people with the disorder. Their findings, published in Brain and Cognition, suggest that the inflexibility of autistic individuals is actually the result of a strategy used to avoid socio-emotional situations. This research, which suggests now considering the cognitive and socio-emotional domains as closely linked rather than dissociated, opens up new avenues in the understanding and management of autism.
Researchers explain how a neuroscientific approach can be used to more effectively combat gender inequality. The actions taken by the researchers have increased the number of female speakers invited to take the floor at the research center from 25 to 44% in the space of a year and a half, and have increased the number of women in senior roles from 25 to 31%. Their neuroscience-based approach now constitutes an important mechanism for changing attitudes and behaviors. Among other things, their future work will focus on using “nudges”—a technique originating in neuroscience that tries to influence our behavior in our own interest—to improve gender equality. An example for others to follow.
Une étude a permis d’analyser les mécanismes de la lecture à l’œuvre chez les adultes. Les chercheurs ont identifié une région cérébrale du cortex visuel qui serait responsable de la reconnaissance des graphèmes, c’est-à-dire des lettres ou groupes de lettres transcrivant un son élémentaire de la langue parlée (phonèmes).
Les ataxies spinocérébelleuses sont des maladies génétiques neurodégénératives du cervelet et du tronc cérébral qui entrainent de nombreux troubles moteurs, et dont la forme la plus connue est la maladie de Machado-Joseph. Une équipe de l’Institut du cerveau et de la moelle épinière, a découvert avec son équipe le rôle crucial d’une enzyme qui permet d’améliorer les symptômes de la maladie chez la souris.