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Decision-making is shaped by individual differences in the functional brain connectome

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Each day brings with it a host of decisions to be made, and each person approaches those decisions differently. A new study by University of Illinois researchers found that these individual differences are associated with variation in specific brain networks – particularly those related to executive, social and perceptual processes. Click here […]

The science of intelligence

  Aron K. Barbey, professor of psychology, neuroscience, and bioengineering, is director of the Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, leader of the Intelligence, Learning, and Plasticity Initiative, the Emanuel Donchin Professorial Scholar in Psychology, and a member of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. In short, since arriving at Illinois almost seven years ago, he’s […]

Flexibility is at the heart of human intelligence

  CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Centuries of study have yielded many theories about how the brain gives rise to human intelligence. Some neuroscientists think intelligence springs from a single region or neural network. Others argue that metabolism or the efficiency with which brain cells make use of essential resources are key. A new theory, published in […]

Babak Hemmatian

Post Doctoral Fellow Email: ude.sionilli@2kabab Lab Phone: 217-300-2530 Babak grew up and went to college in Iran, where he received a B.A. in Clinical Psychology from University of Tehran. He then completed an M.S. in Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science at Brown University in 2021. Having started a 3-year Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship […]

Nutrition has benefits for brain network organization

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Nutrition has been linked to cognitive performance, but researchers have not pinpointed what underlies the connection. A new study by University of Illinois researchers found that monounsaturated fatty acids – a class of nutrients found in olive oils, nuts and avocados – are linked to general intelligence, and that this […]

Firmer, fitter frame linked to firmer, fitter brain

  Scientists have observed that more aerobically fit individuals have better memories. To investigate this phenomenon, they used magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), which measures the firmness and elasticity of organs, and found that fit individuals had a firmer, more elastic hippocampus—a region of the brain associated with memory. The method could provide early diagnosis and […]

Research at 150 Symposium on Brain Plasticity

    Six teams have been awarded David Dodds Henry Lectureship Funds in support of the culminating research event of the University of Illinois’ Sesquicentennial Celebration. The symposia will highlight Illinois strengths in interdisciplinary research, exploring issues as diverse as human health, race and justice, the arts and the humanities, agriculture and the environment, and […]