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Category: neuroscience – Page 511

Toolformer language model uses external tools on its own

Metas Toolformer is designed to learn to use tools independently, outperforming larger language models in certain downstream tasks.

Natural Language is the programming language of the brain, wrote science fiction author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash. Recent advances in machine processing of natural language show that language can also be the programming language of machines – as they get better at understanding it.

With “Toolformer”, Meta wants to extend this principle to the use of tools.

We Found An Neuron in GPT-2

I notice that the token in question happens to be segmented as “_an” and “_a” and not “_an_” or “_a_”.

So continuations like [_a, moral,_fruit] or [_an, tagonist, ic,_monster, s] could be possible (assuming those are all legal tokens).

I am reminded of the wonderful little nuggest in linguistics, where people are supposed to have said something like “a narange” (because that kind of fruit came from the spanish province of “naranja”). The details on these claims are often not well documented.

Keep Forgetting Things? Neuroscience Says These Very Simple Habits Boost Memory and Learning

We take them for granted until we can’t. That’s why people react so strongly to the fear of losing their memories — either by forgetting small things in the sort term (which we all do; don’t worry), or else the fear of either us or a loved one suffering from memory loss in our older age.

And, that’s why I’d like to talk today about habits and brain health, and cinnamon.

Yes, cinnamon, the tasty and sweet-smelling spice originating in Asia, and found liberally in the U.S., combined with raisins on bagels, toast, pastries, even big boxes of processed cereal with cartoon characters on the front.

How Social Media Addiction Destroys Your Brain

The rise of social media has changed our day to day lives. But more and more reports show that social media and especially social media can impact our brain. Social media addiction might also to a decline in mental health. How does social media changes us? And are the effects by social media addiction reversal?

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Social media has been developed to connect people. However, quite early, scientists found that social media (and social media addiction) can lead to changes in the brain such an enlarged amygdala. First reports surfaced showing that people compare their lives to lives they see on social media and report a decline of mental health upon heavy social media use. It seems like our brains cannot distinguish between social media and the real world. Social media also led to an attention span crisis meaning that we have a harder time to focus if we spend much time on social media. Moreover, social media is able to feed into the reward system of our brains. Everytime we perceive something good dopamine producing cells in the brain release dopamine which leads to a good feeling. Social media has used this mechanism to provide us with a constant stream of good feelings. Social media algorithms have been optimize to show more social media content in a shorter period of time leading to more dopamine. As a result, some argue that social media addiction should be recognized as a mental disorder.
Besides negatively impacting our brains on an individual level social media and social media addiction also impacts society. Last year, a sharp rise in tic symptoms have been reported among teenagers in the US. It seems like that tic-related content on tiktok together with anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic led to this rise in tic-like symptoms. So what should we do about social media? And how can we ensure that our brains are not negatively impacted by the constant stream of dopamine? Well, sometimes the best thing is just to avoid social media for a while.

References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6502424/
https://fortune.com/2022/03/31/teen-girls-tourette-tics-tiktok/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jpc.15932
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982214014870
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/adb.12570
https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.0903620106
https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.2724?luicode=10000011&lfi.…2724.html.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-22977-002
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/cyber.2021.0324
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40519-017-0364-2
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224545.2019.1578725
https://movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mds.28778
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2018.0701
Images:

Most videos and images are derived from: pixabay.com, pexels.com and videvo.net.

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How a Baseball Injury Made A Genius (Savant Syndrome)

Savant syndrome is a strange condition that gives people unique abilities. Although savant syndrome is very rare reported cases gain genius-like abilities in narrow domains. But how can we explain savant syndrome? And could we induce savant syndrome in normal people?

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Savant syndrome is characterized by unique skills in art, music, mechanics, calendar calculation or maths. Savant syndrome can be acquired through injuries or frontotemporal dementia or be developed in people with autism spectrum disorder. In acquired savant syndrome and autism spectrum disorder, unique connections in the brain led to the condition. In savant syndrome, we often find that the left hemisphere is damaged and the right brain hemisphere has to compensate for this. Based on this observation, we can partially induce savant syndrome like abilities through transcranial magnetic stimulation. Many questions concerning savant syndrome remain but this condition is truly amazing.

0:00–1:10 Intro.
1:10–1:56 What is Savant Syndrome?
1:56–4:02 Acquiring Savant Syndrome.
4:02–5:46 Savant Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
5:46–8:39 Can we Induce Savant Syndrome?

Images:

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How Exercise Creates Super-Brains

We all know that exercise is good for our health. But besides lowering the risk of obesity or type II diabetes, exercise has also been shown to benefit our brain. More precisely, exercise modifies parts of the brain and improves memory, attention and improves mood. Regular exercise further lowers the risk to suffer from dementia or depression. But how does exercise benefit our brains?

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Philosophers have speculated for centuries that exercise promotes our brain functionality but only a few decades ago, scientists uncovered that this is true. Studies have shown that children who are more athletic perform better in creativity, concentration, maths verbal and IQ tests. These children also tend to have a larger hippocampus and basal ganglia both of which are important for memory and attention span. Adults who started to workout regularly also have changes in their brain and perform better in various tests. There are several mechanisms which explain this phenomenon. When we exercise, brain cells release VEGF which helps to supply the brain with oxygen. Moreover, neurotrophins are released when we workout which helps the survival of brain cells. Exercise also seems to improve neuroplasticity through the same pathways. Since exercise leads to the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, workouts also have been used to treat mental disorders such as depression. In various studies it was seen exercise helps to alleviate the symptoms of people who suffer from major depression.
The literature suggests roughly 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week might be optimal to curb the risk of heart disease and 19 other chronic diseases. Concerning brain health, 120 minutes of moderate exercise a week might be enough to get all the benefits we have seen before. But even if you do less you might see a difference in the long run. In general, aerobic exercise seemed to have the best impacts on your brain. Jogging, running, swimming and all other forms of aerobic sports might give the benefits we have seen in this video!

References:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-018-0275-4
https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.0905307106
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20693803/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025619616300477
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02658/full.
https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/ajp.2007.164.2.350a.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes…1404097110
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702700/pdf/nihms117644.pdf.
https://stanford.library.sydney.edu.au/archives/spr2020/entr…stPhilSpor.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00762/full.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23259671211001129
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00509/full.
https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/features/physical-activity-brain-health/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6943756/pdf/main.pdf.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5457513/pdf/ncomms15557.pdf.
https://positivepsychology.com/exercise-neurological-benefits/

00:00–00:53 Intro.

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Scientists discover a rare neurological disease involving cellular recycling

The new disease could provide insights into how the cell’s recycling system contributes to a healthy brain. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered a new neurological condition characterized by issues with motor coordination and speech. They identified three children with the condition, two siblings and an unrelated child.

Adults, Children Do Not Experience Time in the Same Way; Here’s Why

While time may be a worldwide constant, it can be quite tricky. Several individuals have felt like childhood summers were extremely long in comparison to how they experience the same 3 months as adults. Though individuals can argue about time perception and the factors that dilate and compress time, it is possible to look into it experimentally.

Time Perception Is Different For Adults and Children

A team of researchers proceeded to do just that. According to Neuroscience News, the scientists looked into how eventfulness impacts estimates of duration across various cognitive development milestones.