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        <title>Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | Learning and Memory section | New and Recent Articles</title>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience/sections/learning-and-memory</link>
        <description>RSS Feed for Learning and Memory section in the Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience journal | New and Recent Articles</description>
        <language>en-us</language>
        <generator>Frontiers Feed Generator,version:1</generator>
        <pubDate>2026-05-13T13:37:38.394+00:00</pubDate>
        <ttl>60</ttl>
        <item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1775487</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1775487</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Eye-movement signatures of syntactic development: real-time mapping of passive sentence comprehension in children aged 6–10]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-05-08T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Olga V. Kruchinina</author><author>Daria W. Lundina</author><author>Tatyana A. Balabanova</author><author>Nataliya V. Makurina</author><author>Elizaveta I. Galperina</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionThe ability to understand complex sentences, such as passives, improves during middle childhood. However, it remains unknown when children transition from a “wait-and-listen” strategy to incremental, word-by-word revision of interpretive hypotheses, and whether behavioral accuracy reflects mature online processing.MethodsUsing eye-tracking in a sentence-picture matching task, we examined how Russian-speaking children aged 6–7 years (n = 16), 8–10 years (n = 16), and adults (n = 35) process four sentence types (active/passive, direct/reversed word order). Semantic cues were minimized, forcing reliance on morphosyntactic markers. Linear mixed models treated age as a continuous variable to capture fine-grained trajectories.ResultsAccuracy improved sharply between ages 7 and 8, with 8–10-year-olds performing at adult levels. However, oculomotor patterns revealed a clear dissociation: at the critical second word in passive direct sentences—where the participle signals thematic role revision—adults and 8–10-year-olds showed a distinct signature (decreased fixation time, increased gaze returns), indicating rapid incremental revision. This signature was absent in 6–7-year-olds, who delayed engagement until the third word. Linear mixed models confirmed that age-related increases in fixation duration were specifically tied to this revision point, extending previous ERP findings that localized revision effects only to the third word.DiscussionAdult-like behavioral accuracy by age 8–10 masks continued immaturity of incremental revision mechanisms. Eye-tracking captures this dissociation, positioning it as a sensitive marker of syntactic development and revealing that the ability to use morphosyntactic cues for real-time revision continues to develop beyond middle childhood.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1802923</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1802923</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Salidroside mitigates cognitive deficits in AlCl3 exposed aging mouse by modulating APP processing and mitochondrial dysfunction]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-05-05T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Yiru Dong</author><author>Huiling Jin</author><author>Shengmin Wang</author><author>Yanji Xu</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Background and objectivesMitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are key contributors to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Salidroside, a bioactive glycoside derived from Rhodiola rosea, exhibits neuroprotective and antioxidative properties; however, its effects on mitochondrial dysfunction and APP processing in AD remain to be fully elucidated.Methods and study designWe employed both in vivo and in vitro models to evaluate the neuroprotective potential of salidroside. D-galactose-induced AlCl3 exposed aging mouse model was used for behavioral assessments, biochemical analyses of brain tissue biomarkers, and evaluation of mitochondrial dysfunction-related proteins and functions. In vitro experiments with HT-22 hippocampal neurons assessed the effects of salidroside on oxidative stress, mitochondrial integrity, apoptosis, and amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing.ResultsSalidroside significantly improved cognitive performance and reduced Aβ deposition in the AlCl3 exposed aging mouse by modulating APP processing, characterized by downregulation of β- and γ-secretase activities and enhancement of α-secretase activity. These changes coincided with decreased mitochondrial protein aggregation and restored mitochondrial function and redox balance. In vitro, salidroside attenuated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, inhibited neuronal apoptosis, and suppressed Aβ production, demonstrating broad neuroprotective effects relevant to AD pathology.ConclusionOur results suggest that salidroside may alleviate mitochondrial dysfunction and reduce mitochondrial protein aggregation by modulating APP processing, promoting sAPPα production while decreasing β-CTF and Aβ levels. These findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the neuroprotective potential of salidroside in ameliorating mitochondrial impairment and cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer’s disease, warranting further investigation.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1839983</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1839983</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Excitability-margin narrowing as a candidate gating mechanism for maladaptive circuit reactivation: a ventral CA1-centered model]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-30T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Hypothesis and Theory</category>
        <author>Patryk Rosa</author>
        <description><![CDATA[We propose that the excitability margin (ΔVmargin), defined as the difference between spike threshold and resting membrane potential, may function as a quantitative gating variable linking chronic stress, inflammatory load, and transient increases in excitability associated with reactivation to emotionally polarized replay or other maladaptive forms of circuit reactivation. Based on a conceptually guided integration of published electrophysiological data, we modeled how chronic restraint stress, a conservatively parameterized stress-associated inflammatory component, and a transient state of increased engram reactivity may jointly reduce the excitability reserve of ventral CA1 (vCA1) pyramidal neurons. In the main scenario, the model-derived effective margin decreased from 18.4 mV to approximately 6.0 mV, corresponding to a 67.5% reduction. Additional illustrative pro-excitatory scenarios further reduced the margin to approximately 4.3 mV, 3.7 mV, or 1.7 mV. These values fall within the range of physiologically reported amplitudes of transient depolarizing events, including local NMDA spikes, sharp wave–associated depolarizations, intracellular ripples, and larger subthreshold burst-related events. This suggests that in circuits where analogous transient depolarizing events occur, narrowing of ΔVmargin may increase the likelihood that otherwise subthreshold network activity contributes to threshold crossing and maladaptive reactivation. We therefore hypothesize that progressive narrowing of ΔVmargin may act as a gating mechanism for preferential reactivation of vulnerable neuronal ensembles, increasing the probability of repetitive, emotionally polarized replay or other maladaptive forms of circuit reactivation and secondary circuit destabilization. This framework may provide a unifying excitability-based mechanistic hypothesis and a hypothesis-generating transdiagnostic framework relevant to schizophrenia-, depression-, and trauma-related phenotypes, while remaining potentially informative for other conditions characterized by excitability instability. The model generates clear, falsifiable predictions: interventions that widen ΔVmargin or reduce trigger efficacy should attenuate hyperreactivity in the vCA1/vHipp system analyzed here and limit secondary markers of network dysregulation, while also providing a transferable framework for testing analogous low-margin dynamics in other phenotype-relevant circuit nodes.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1793337</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1793337</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Association of simultaneous sour taste stimulation with prefrontal cortex activation during stroop task performance in healthy adults: a fNIRS study]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Xiao Juan Li</author><author>Ji Liang Kang</author><author>Fei Fei Ge</author><author>Tingting Ying</author><author>Shuang Liang Li</author><author>Yu Jin</author><author>Xiaobo Chen</author><author>Min Tang</author>
        <description><![CDATA[BackgroundThe prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a central role in executive functions, particularly during cognitive conflict tasks. Sour taste is a salient oral sensory stimulus and may be associated with changes in behavioral performance and prefrontal activation during cognitive tasks. This study examined whether simultaneous sour taste stimulation was associated with behavioral and prefrontal hemodynamic changes during Stroop task performance in healthy adults using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).MethodsTwenty-six right-handed healthy adults were randomly assigned to either the sour taste group (0.1 M citric acid, n = 13) or the water control group (n = 13). Participants completed a simplified color-word Stroop task in a between-subject block design while receiving simultaneous oral stimulation through cotton swabs placed on the anterior-lateral surface of the tongue. A 52-channel fNIRS system recorded changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations in the frontal cortex, while behavioral data (reaction time, accuracy) were collected concurrently. Behavioral data were analyzed using mixed-design analysis of variance and interference-score comparisons. Task-related Oxy-Hb responses were analyzed using a general linear model with false discovery rate correction, whereas Deoxy-Hb signals were reviewed descriptively only.ResultsThe sour taste group showed faster overall reaction times and higher overall accuracy than the water control group during Stroop task performance. However, no significant between-group differences were observed in Stroop interference scores for reaction time or accuracy. At the neural level, both groups showed task-related frontal activation, while the sour taste group exhibited higher Oxy-Hb β values in several channels, particularly in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and frontopolar region.ConclusionSimultaneous sour taste stimulation was associated with better overall task performance and stronger task-related prefrontal hemodynamic responses in healthy adults during the Stroop task. These findings support an association between sour taste stimulation, broader behavioral facilitation, and altered prefrontal recruitment, but do not provide clear evidence for a conflict-specific enhancement of Stroop interference control.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1785335</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1785335</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Same dose, different impact: acute cannabis intoxication impairs visuospatial working memory in both sexes, with disproportionate male vulnerability]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-16T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Chen Hanna Ryder</author><author>Carmit Gal</author><author>Einav Levy</author><author>Yifaat Tamarkin Leider</author><author>Tal Katzenelson</author><author>Tomer Vainshtein</author><author>Mohammad Ebrahim Naffaa</author><author>Samih Badarny</author><author>Yazid Badarny</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionWith expanding global cannabis legalization and rising usage rates, elucidating the specific neurocognitive impact of acute cannabis intoxication across biological sexes is critical.MethodsUsing a 2 × 2 factorial design, we examined 154 adults: 77 individuals who use cannabis regularly (≥ 5 days/week for ≥ 1 year; 46 males, 31 females) and 77 matched controls (32 males, 45 females). Participants completed standardized Wechsler Memory Scale subtests assessing four distinct memory domains during the peak pharmacokinetic window (45 min post-consumption of medical-grade cannabis: 16.1% THC, < 1% CBD).ResultsResults demonstrated notable neuropsychological specificity: visuospatial working memory was selectively impaired, whereas auditory-verbal and short-term memory domains remained completely intact—a pattern strongly implicating disruption of fronto-parietal networks rich in CB1 receptors. Crucially, a significant Group × Sex interaction, F(1, 150) = 9.74, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.061, revealed differential vulnerability: males exhibited a disproportionately larger deficit relative to male controls (Cohen’s d = −0.87, p < 0.001)—nearly double the impairment magnitude observed in females (d = −0.48, p < 0.05).DiscussionThese findings advance our understanding of cannabis neuropharmacology by demonstrating that cognitive vulnerability is both domain-specific and sex-dependent, with direct implications for precision medicine approaches to cannabis therapeutics and sex-informed harm reduction strategies.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1805176</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1805176</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Substrain-specific behavioral variation in female C57BL/6 and C57BL/10 mice]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-15T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Celine L. St. Pierre</author><author>Natalia M. Gonzales</author><author>Greta Sokoloff</author><author>Oksana Polesskaya</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionInbred mouse strains are essential to biomedical research, yet accumulating mutations and substrain divergence introduce phenotypic variability that can confound experimental outcomes. This study investigates behavioral differences among 13 inbred mouse substrains: eight C57BL/6 (B6) and five C57BL/10 (B10), bred in-house to control for environmental effects.MethodsFemale F1 offspring underwent a standardized battery of behavioral assays—open field test (OFT), locomotor response to cocaine (LOCO), fear conditioning (FC), prepulse inhibition (PPI), and the forced swim test (FST)—chosen for their relevance to models of psychiatric and substance use disorders.ResultsSignificant substrain-specific differences were observed across all behaviors. In the OFT, B6 substrains such as C57BL/6J showed higher activity than others, while B10 substrains exhibited distinct edge-zone preference patterns. Cocaine-induced locomotor stimulation varied significantly among B6 substrains but not among B10. In FC, substrain differences emerged in pre-training, contextual, and cued freezing behavior, particularly among B10 substrains. PPI testing revealed substrain-dependent variation in acoustic startle responses, with C57BL/10J displaying consistently lower startle amplitudes. In the FST, substrain-specific differences in swimming velocity and high mobility duration and frequency were found within the B6 group, while swimming distance showed substrain variation within the B10 group.DiscussionThese findings demonstrate substantial phenotypic variability among closely related substrains, underscoring the critical importance of substrain selection in behavioral research. By focusing on female mice (a group underrepresented in prior work), this study addresses an essential gap and provides insights for researchers designing preclinical models of psychiatric disorders. The results provide the basis for studies in reduced complexity crosses to identify causal genetic variants underlying behavioral traits.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1791909</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1791909</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Acute neuro-athletic training effects on cognitive–motor and technical performance in youth basketball players]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-08T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Oguzhan Tuncel</author><author>Resat Sadik</author><author>Oguzhan Yuksel</author><author>Aliye Buyukergun Kaplan</author><author>Ali Polat Cakici</author><author>Ceren Sevval Karatas</author><author>Gorkem Acar</author><author>Caglar Soylu</author>
        <description><![CDATA[BackgroundBasketball performance emerges from the rapid integration of sensory information, motor execution, and technical skill. Neuro-athletic training (NAT) has gained attention as a sensory-driven intervention targeting visuomotor, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems to acutely enhance performance. However, evidence regarding the immediate and short-term effects of a single NAT session in youth basketball players remains limited.ObjectivesTo investigate the acute and short-term (30 min) effects of a single-session neuro-athletic training intervention on physical and basketball-specific technical performance in male youth basketball players.MethodsForty-two male youth basketball players (14–17 years) completed a single-group repeated-measures study. Participants performed a single-session neuro-athletic training (NAT) protocol consisting of three stations integrating visual tracking, near–far focusing, reaction-based tasks, gaze stabilization, and basketball-specific skills such as passing, dribbling, and shooting. Assessments were conducted at baseline (Pre), immediately after NAT (Immediate), and 30 min post-intervention (Post-30). Outcomes included sit-and-reach flexibility, countermovement jump (CMJ) height, 20-m sprint time, dynamic balance, and AAHPERD passing and shooting tests.ResultsSignificant time effects were observed for all outcomes (all p < 0.001). Sit-and-reach performance increased from 7.69 ± 7.86 cm at Pre to 9.31 ± 7.67 cm immediately after NAT and 9.62 ± 7.79 cm at 30 min (η2p = 0.508). CMJ height increased from 25.09 ± 5.25 to 27.66 ± 5.23 cm immediately and 28.60 ± 5.33 cm at 30 min (η2p = 0.581), whereas 20-m sprint time decreased from 1.80 ± 0.30 to 1.62 ± 0.25 s immediately and remained lower at 1.74 ± 0.29 s at 30 min (η2p = 0.425). Passing and shooting scores also improved markedly, increasing from 28.38 ± 3.04 to 34.62 ± 3.06 and 36.19 ± 2.99 (η2p = 0.870), and from 16.00 ± 3.20 to 20.81 ± 3.42 and 22.81 ± 3.56 (η2p = 0.793), respectively.ConclusionA single-session neuro-athletic training intervention induced rapid and meaningful improvements in physical and basketball-specific technical performance, with several benefits retained after 30 min. These findings support NAT as an effective acute priming strategy for youth basketball performance.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1779059</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1779059</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Hierarchical-Circular Model of Biological Memory: an integrative framework for pathogenesis and allostasis in neurodevelopmental disorders]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Hypothesis and Theory</category>
        <author>Samuel Ruesga Mundo</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionPredominant linear and brain-centric models inadequately explain the marked clinical heterogeneity and systemic origins of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). A transformative, integrative framework is needed to capture their complex, non-linear pathogenesis.MethodsWe propose a novel theoretical hypothesis—the Hierarchical-Circular Model of Biological Memory—developed through a critical synthesis of multidisciplinary evidence. Organized around the core principle “Signal → Plasticity → Stable State,” the model integrates five interacting levels: (1) morphogenetic/genetic, (2) epigenetic, (3) allostatic, (4) the psychoneuroendocrine-immune (PNEI) network, and (5) the interoceptive-neuronal level.ResultsThe framework posits that NDDs emerge from disrupted circular causality within biological adaptation systems. Early adverse signals (e.g., genetic risk, prenatal stress) become embedded via epigenetic programming and propagate bidirectionally, establishing a pathological stable state. This state is characterized by high allostatic load, PNEI network dysregulation, and a collapse of predictive interoceptive integration in the brain. The model introduces the constructs of “allostatic integrity” and “circular reserve” to explain individual differences in phenotypic expression and resilience.Discussion and conclusionThis model provides a falsifiable, systems-based paradigm that moves beyond descriptive synthesis. It generates specific predictions: (1) multi-level biomarker dyssynchrony will outperform single-level measures in prognostic stratification, and (2) interventions simultaneously targeting multiple system levels will be most effective. By bridging gene-environment interactions with brain network dysfunction, the framework guides future research toward multi-level biomarker discovery, personalized prevention, and multidimensional interventions, fundamentally redefining NDDs as disorders of circular biological adaptation.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1795851</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1795851</link>
        <title><![CDATA[The relationship between physical activity, working memory, and mathematics achievement on the basis of socioeconomic status: the mediating role of physical fitness level]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-12T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Süreyya Babayoğlu</author><author>Muhammed Sıddık Çemç</author><author>Sinan Vural</author><author>Görkem Açar</author><author>Emine Dereli Kamçı</author><author>Atacan Babayoğlu</author>
        <description><![CDATA[BackgroundSocioeconomic disparities influence both academic achievement and health-related behaviors during adolescence; however, the mechanisms linking physical activity, physical fitness, and cognitive functions—particularly working memory—to academic outcomes remain insufficiently understood. Therefore, this study investigated the relationships among socioeconomic status (SES), physical activity, physical fitness, working memory, and mathematics achievement in adolescents, with a specific focus on the mediating role of physical fitness.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with 310 ninth-grade students from five secondary schools in Türkiye. SES was assessed using a composite index including parental education, occupation, income, and household characteristics. Physical activity, physical fitness, working memory, and mathematics achievement were evaluated using validated standardized measures. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine direct associations and the mediating role of physical fitness.ResultsMaternal and paternal education levels were positively associated with mathematics achievement, whereas only maternal education showed a significant association with physical activity. SES was not directly associated with either physical activity or mathematics achievement. Working memory significantly predicted mathematics achievement. Physical activity was positively associated with physical fitness, which in turn predicted working memory. Additionally, physical fitness partially mediated the relationship between physical activity and working memory.ConclusionAlthough causal relationships cannot be inferred due to the cross-sectional design, the findings suggest that regular engagement in physical activity and the development of physical fitness may contribute to improved cognitive functioning and academic performance during adolescence. Interventions aimed at enhancing physical fitness and promoting equitable access to physical activity opportunities may support both cognitive and educational outcomes.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1761664</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1761664</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Sex differences in taste neophobia and conditioned aversion across fluid administration methods]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-10T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Ron Gerbi</author><author>Oran Rahamim</author><author>Elor Arieli</author><author>Amit Worcel</author><author>Anan Moran</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Rodent studies of the taste system commonly employ two methods of taste administration (MOA): active licking from spouts or intra-oral cannula (IOC) deliveries. While bottle drinking preserves natural consumption behavior, IOC administration, where animals receive liquids passively into their oral cavity, provides precise temporal control of stimulus delivery but limits the reliability of measuring voluntary intake and hedonic response. To overcome these limitations, a third method, nose-poke for IOC delivery (NP-IOC), was introduced. In NP-IOC, each taste is delivered through the IOC following an active nose poke, thus combining voluntary decision-making with temporal precision. Whether NP-IOC preserves natural taste-guided behavior, however, remains unknown. Here, we examined how NP-IOC affects taste neophobia (the reluctance to consume novel tastes) and conditioned taste aversion (CTA, avoidance of a taste paired with malaise). Rats received water either via standard bottle licking (control) or through the NP-IOC system. Following habituation, animals were tested for neophobia using low-neophobic (LN) sucrose or high-neophobic (HN) saccharin solutions, followed by CTA training via lithium chloride injection. Our results showed sexual differences in neophobia using NP-IOC: males preserved the expected difference between LN and HN tastes, whereas females showed attenuated neophobia, eliminating the typical HN avoidance observed with bottle administration. Nevertheless, CTA learning remained robust across sexes and MOAs. Deeper analysis of this seemingly similar learned aversion, however, revealed again sex differences: while male rats showed strong CTA regardless of pre-CTA consumption, females maintained a correlation between pre and post-CTA consumption under both MOAs, suggesting sex-specific taste learning patterns. These findings support the use of NP-IOC in taste research that requires both precise stimulus control and voluntary behavior, while also underscoring the necessity of exploring divergent behavioral strategies and the associated brain circuits in males and females.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1736261</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1736261</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Single neuron responses in NCL, MVL, and Wulst during the observation of videos of conspecifics support population feature coding]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-26T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Sara Santos Silva</author><author>Daniela Bühn</author><author>Paxton Hall</author><author>William Clark</author><author>Jonas Rose</author><author>Michael Colombo</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Social visual processing in vertebrates employs sophisticated neural mechanisms ranging from categorical face cells to distributed sparse coding systems. In primates, recent evidence supports a “tuning landscape” model where neurons signal distances to prototypes in high-dimensional space rather than functioning as simple category detectors. However, social visual processing in non-mammalian animals remains poorly understood. We recorded single-unit activity from three functionally distinct pigeon brain regions—mesopallium ventrolaterale (MVL), visual Wulst, and nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL)—while birds viewed dynamic videos of conspecifics and control shapes performing courtship, eating, flying, and walking behaviors. Despite finding visually responsive neurons in all regions, we observed no categorical distinction between conspecific and control stimuli. Instead, population analyses revealed discrete temporal modulations corresponding to specific motion features—bowing, wing-flapping, head-bobbing—suggesting feature-based rather than categorical encoding of visual information. Sound-modulated visual units were significantly more prevalent in MVL than Wulst, indicating earlier multimodal integration in the tectofugal pathway than previously recognized. The absence of differential responses in NCL during passive viewing, contrasting with clear modulation in visual areas, suggests that this region is less involved in the automatic analysis of visual features. These findings suggest that avian visual structures use sparse coding principles that are similar to the visual cortex, where populations encode specific features through coordinated but brief neural responses rather than sustained categorical signals.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1762088</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1762088</link>
        <title><![CDATA[The emerging role of ubiquitin-proteasome system dysfunction in the pathogenesis of perioperative neurocognitive disorders: a narrative review]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-12T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Minghua Ma</author><author>Jing Yang</author><author>Yuan Yang</author><author>Lin Li</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Perioperative neurocognitive disorder (PND) is a prevalent and serious complication affecting the central nervous system following surgery, particularly among elderly patients. PND has a significant impact on patient prognosis and places a substantial burden on both individuals and the healthcare system. Despite its importance, the complex pathological mechanisms underlying PND remain inadequately understood, and there are currently no effective prevention or treatment strategies available. One critical factor contributing to PND is the imbalance in protein homeostasis, with the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), recognized as the primary mechanism for protein quality control within cells. This review systematically discusses the crucial role of UPS dysfunction in the development of PND. Additionally, it analyzes potential biomarkers for diagnosing PND and explores treatment strategies targeting the UPS. This provides a new perspective for a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in PND and lays a theoretical foundation for the development of new intervention methods.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1749815</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1749815</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Alteration of hippocampal parvalbumin interneurons underlies memory impairment in rat model of Parkinson's disease]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-20T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Ljiljana Radovanovic</author><author>Jasna Saponjic</author><author>Jelena Petrovic</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Cognitive decline is a major non-motor symptom in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) that can be present as early as the prodromal stage. As a multisystem neurodegenerative syndrome, PD is associated with disturbances in various neurotransmitters, including dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, noradrenaline, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). While the roles of dopaminergic and cholinergic deficiencies in cognitive impairment in PD are well documented, the contribution of the GABAergic system is less clear. We investigated spatial and recognition memory, along with changes in hippocampal GABAergic parvalbumin-positive (PV+) neurons, in distinct rat models of PD neuropathology. PD cholinopathy was induced by bilateral pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) lesion, hemiparkinsonism was induced by unilateral substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) lesion, and hemiparkinsonism with PD cholinopathy was induced by unilateral SNpc and bilateral PPT lesions. Behavioral tests were conducted 14 and 42 days after lesions and included assessments of spatial memory (spatial habituation test), recognition memory (novel object recognition test), and measurements of motor activity (open field test). Motor function was preserved in all PD models. We observed delayed impairments in spatial and recognition memory in PD cholinopathy, and persistent impairment in spatial memory in hemiparkinsonism, although hippocampal PV expression remained unchanged over time. In hemiparkinsonism with PD cholinopathy, persistent spatial memory impairment was followed by delayed recognition memory deficits, along with hippocampal PV suppression, which was functionally linked to recognition memory impairment. Our results show that different PD neuropathologies underlie different memory impairments in rats. While dopaminergic denervation plays an important role in impairing spatial memory from the prodromal stage of PD, cholinergic denervation impairs recognition memory in a delayed manner. However, only their synergistic dysfunction alters hippocampal GABAergic PV+ neuron-mediated inhibitory transmission during PD progression, which was correlated with memory impairment.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1703714</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1703714</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Proteomic insights into extinction memory deficits in stress-susceptible female rats]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-13T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Nashaly Irizarry-Méndez</author><author>Yelitza Acosta-Pierantoni</author><author>Alondra Diaz-Vazquez</author><author>Anixa Hernández</author><author>Maria Colón</author><author>Eduardo L. Tosado-Rodríguez</author><author>Yadira M. Cantres-Rosario</author><author>Abiel Roche-Lima</author><author>Ana E. Rodríguez-De Jesús</author><author>Loyda M. Meléndez</author><author>James T. Porter</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Stress exposure can disrupt fear extinction, which is a hallmark of some stress-related disorders. The underlying molecular mechanisms of impaired extinction, especially in females, remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated proteomics changes in the infralimbic cortex, a region critical for fear suppression, in female rats exposed to single prolonged stress (SPS). One week after SPS exposure, adult female rats underwent auditory fear conditioning and extinction training and were classified as susceptible or resilient based on their extinction performance. Quantitative proteomics using tandem mass tag labeling combined with bioinformatics analysis identified distinct proteins and pathways differentiating the groups. Susceptible rats displayed unique proteomic profiles in the infralimbic cortex. Several of the 53 differentially expressed proteins are associated with synaptic plasticity and memory, including neurogranin and microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT). Pathway enrichment analysis identified alterations in synaptogenesis, clathrin-mediated endocytosis, calcium signaling, and chaperone-mediated autophagy. Functional validation using AAV-shRNA knockdown of neurogranin or MAPT in CAMKIIα-expressing neurons of the infralimbic cortex improved extinction memory in SPS-exposed animals. Our findings suggest that dysregulated protein expression in the infralimbic cortex contributes to impaired extinction memory and traumatic stress susceptibility in female rats, offering insight into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying vulnerability to stress-related disorders.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1735237</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1735237</link>
        <title><![CDATA[AI-enhanced adaptive testing with cognitive diagnostic feedback and its association with performance in undergraduate surgical education: a pilot study]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-06T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Nuno Silva Gonçalves</author><author>Carlos Collares</author><author>José Miguel Pêgo</author>
        <description><![CDATA[BackgroundEffective feedback in the cognitive domain is essential for surgical education but often limited by resource constraints and traditional assessment formats. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a catalyst for innovation, enabling automated feedback, real-time cognitive diagnostics, and scalable item generation, thereby transforming how future surgeons learn and are assessed.MethodsAn item bank of 150 multiple-choice questions was developed using AI-assisted item generation and difficulty estimation. A formative Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT), balanced across three cognitive domains (memory, analysis, and decision) and surgical topics, was delivered via QuizOne® 3–5 days before the summative Progress Test. A total of 147 students participated, of whom 116 completed the formative CAT. Performance correlations, group comparisons, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and regression analyses were conducted.ResultsStudents who voluntarily completed CAT showed higher Progress Test scores, though causality cannot be established due to self-selection bias (p = 0.021), with the effect persisting after adjusting for prior academic performance (ANCOVA p = 0.041). Memory skills were the strongest predictors of summative outcomes (R2 = 0.180, β = 0.425), followed by analysis (R2 = 0.080, β = 0.283); decision was not significant (R2 = 0.029, β = 0.170).ConclusionAI-enhanced CAT–Cognitive Diagnostic Modeling (CDM) represents a promising formative approach in undergraduate surgical education, being associated with higher summative performance and providing individualized diagnostic feedback. Refining feedback presentation and enhancing decision-making assessment could further optimize its educational impact.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1697727</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1697727</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Probiotic supplementation attenuated early-life chemotherapy-induced brain development impairment in mice]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-12-17T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Aihua Tan</author><author>Jie Chen</author><author>Juan Zhang</author><author>Jianbin Tong</author><author>Zhibin Jiang</author>
        <description><![CDATA[BackgroundBrain dysfunction is a common post-chemotherapy sequela in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors and is associated with poor academic performance and reduced work ability. The prevention of brain dysfunction in ALL survivors remains a clinical challenge. In this study, we evaluated the preventive effects of probiotics on chemotherapy-induced brain development damage in a preclinical setting.MethodsThe clinical ALL chemotherapy setting was mimicked by intraperitoneally injecting doxorubicin into 4-week-old mice once every 3 days for 2 weeks. Probiotics were administered in the drinking water from the beginning of chemotherapy until adulthood. Behaviors at adulthood were assessed using open field, elevated plus maze, novel object recognition, and Barnes maze tests. Fecal microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequence. Hippocampal neurogenesis was assessed using EdU staining and DCX immunostaining. Synaptic protein expressions were detected using Western blotting.ResultsEarly-life chemotherapy induced cognitive dysfunction in adulthood, as demonstrated by impairments in the novel object recognition and Barnes maze tests, but it did not significantly alter anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze. Early-life chemotherapy also induced fecal microbiota dysbiosis both at the end of chemotherapy and in adulthood. Probiotic supplementation alleviated early-life chemotherapy-induced cognitive dysfunction and fecal microbiota dysbiosis in adulthood. In addition, probiotic supplementation also alleviated early-life chemotherapy-induced hippocampal neurogenesis impairments and synaptic protein loss.ConclusionProbiotic supplementation can improve early-life chemotherapy-induced brain development impairments in mice by modulating hippocampal neurogenesis.]]></description>
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        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1726805</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1726805</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Photobiomodulation mechanisms: duration of action in the human prefrontal cortex]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-12-11T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Patrick O’Connor</author><author>Turner Lime</author><author>Douglas W. Barrett</author><author>F. Gonzalez-Lima</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionTranscranial infrared laser stimulation (TILS) is a form of photobiomodulation (PBM) using a wavelength of 1064 nm shown to enhance metabolic and hemodynamic activity in the human prefrontal cortex (PFC). Prior studies have shown that when applied to the PFC in the right hemisphere, TILS improves PFC-based memory and learning and sustains attention and mood in healthy adults. However, the temporal duration of PBM mechanisms following a single administration remains poorly understood in humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the duration of functional connectivity effects of a single administration of TILS to the right anterior PFC during both resting-state and memory-activated conditions over a 5-day period.MethodsHemodynamics-derived functional connectivity of the PFC in 12 healthy adults was measured using a 48-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during 5-min resting-state and 2-back memory task activation phases, collected at six time points over a 5-day span. A sham-controlled, within-subject crossover design was employed: all participants received both sham and active TILS in counterbalanced order, with a 4-week washout period between sessions.ResultsRelative to sham, a single administration of TILS significantly modulated PFC functional connectivity during cognitively demanding memory tasks across the 5-day assessment period. No significant effects were observed during resting-state measurements. No adverse effects were reported.DiscussionThese findings suggest that a single administration of TILS can induce functional neuroplasticity in the PFC that persists for several days. The results advance understanding of PBM mechanisms and may inform future interventions aimed at promoting longer-lasting neurocognitive benefits.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1727468</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1727468</link>
        <title><![CDATA[The effects of spaced versus massed extinction training on extinction retention of conditioned fear learning in male rats]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-12-09T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Grant W. LeVasseur</author><author>Timothy Cilley</author><author>Michelle Szewczuk</author><author>Shane A. Perrine</author><author>Seth D. Norrholm</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionExtinction learning of conditioned fear behavior has been used as a translational model to study human fear-, anxiety-, trauma-, and stressor-related disorders and their underlying neurobiology in animal models because the underlying neural processes of extinction learning are fundamental to the most effective clinical interventions for these disorders. Specifically, extinction-based prolonged exposure therapy is the first-line, gold-standard, cognitive behavioral treatment for fear-, trauma-, stressor-, and anxiety-based disorders. However, the ways that parametric differences in methodologies alter extinction learning are still not well understood.MethodsTherefore, in the current study, we altered the number of days on which an equal number of extinction trials were presented in an extinction of conditioned fear learning-paradigm. As part of this paradigm, we employed fear-potentiated startle as a primary outcome measure of fear responses in adult, male rats. One group received 120 massed extinction trials in 1 day, a second group received 120 extinction trials across 2 days, and a final group received 120 extinction trials spaced across 4 days. We hypothesized that a greater number of days of extinction training would lead to improved extinction retention.ResultsWe found minimal differences between groups on the final test of extinction retention, although increased fear behaviors were observed at the start of the second day of extinction training in the 2-day group.DiscussionThese findings have implications with respect to the flexibility of fear extinction methodologies employed as well as to how data generated from chosen paradigms is interpreted.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1669111</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1669111</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Oscillations in the prefrontal-hippocampal circuit couple to respiration-related oscillations during all phases of a working memory task]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-10-30T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Sunandha Srikanth</author><author>Dylan Le</author><author>Yudi Hu</author><author>Jill K. Leutgeb</author><author>Stefan Leutgeb</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Oscillatory activity is thought to coordinate neural computations across brain regions, and theta oscillations are critical for learning and memory. Because respiration-related oscillations (RROs) in rodents can be identified in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the hippocampus in addition to canonical theta oscillations, we asked whether odor-cued working memory may be supported by both of these two oscillations. We first confirmed that RROs were propagated to the hippocampus and PFC and that RRO frequency spans a broad range that partially overlaps with canonical theta frequency. During all task phases, we found coherence between PFC and hippocampus at the RRO frequency, irrespective of whether RROs and canonical theta oscillations overlapped or differed in frequency. In parallel, there was also high coherence across PFC and hippocampus at theta frequency, except that the coupling at theta was weakest during odor sampling. Therefore, long-range coordination between brain regions occurs at more than one oscillation frequency in a working memory task, but the two types of oscillations did not show evidence of conjunctively supporting working memory.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1680277</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1680277</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Divergent effects of pitch feedback on online and offline motor sequence learning]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-10-24T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Pauline Ploettner</author><author>Christoph Muehlberg</author><author>Felix Psurek</author><author>Christopher Fricke</author><author>Jost-Julian Rumpf</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionMotor sequence learning - the integration of individual movement elements into coordinated actions - is essential for everyday skills. This process comprises online learning during practice and post-practice offline consolidation. A key mechanism is action–perception coupling, in which motor actions become linked with predictable sensory outcomes. Pitch feedback, which conveys timing and spatial information, may strengthen this coupling and facilitate skill acquisition. Here, we evaluated pitch feedback as a tool to modulate both online and offline motor sequence learning.MethodsWe included sixty healthy young non-musicians (mean age: 28.4 ± 4.6 years) who were asked to perform a finger-tapping task on a MIDI keyboard. They were randomly assigned to one of three auditory feedback groups: congruent, fixed, and random pitch feedback. The task involved repeatedly performing an 11-item sequence with the right hand. Pitch feedback was delivered according to group assignment during 14 training blocks of six sequences each. Prior to training, participants completed one block of the task without pitch feedback to assess baseline performance. Retention was tested 6 h later under two conditions: seven blocks without pitch feedback (Retest 1) and seven blocks with pitch feedback (Retest 2).ResultsCongruent pitch feedback facilitated online learning across the initial training session compared to fixed or random feedback. This advantage of congruent pitch feedback persisted during retesting in the presence of feedback (Retest 2), but did not generalize to task performance in the absence of pitch feedback (Retest 1). Importantly, while online learning and task performance were facilitated by congruent pitch feedback, between-session performance changes were significantly larger in the group that received random pitch feedback during the initial training session compared to the congruent and fixed feedback groups.ConclusionThese findings highlight a dissociation between feedback types that optimize immediate performance and those that promote lasting motor memory formation. While congruent pitch feedback facilitates online skill acquisition compared to fixed or random pitch feedback, unpredictable auditory input may challenge learners to engage internal monitoring mechanisms, leading to more robust, feedback-independent motor memory consolidation. These insights have implications for optimizing auditory feedback in motor learning and neurorehabilitation contexts.]]></description>
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