Reference Terms
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Thought
Thought or thinking is a mental process which allows beings to model the world, and so to deal with it effectively according to their goals, plans, ends and desires.
Thinking involves manipulation of information, as when we form concepts, engage in problem solving, reason and make decisions. Thinking is a higher cognitive function and the analysis of thinking processes is part of cognitive psychology.
The basic mechanics of the human brain reflect a process of pattern matching or rather recognition. In a "moment of reflection", new situations and new experiences are judged against recalled ones and judgments are made. In order to make these judgments, the intellect maintains present experience and sorts relevant past experience. It does this while keeping present and past experience distinct and separate. The intellect can mix, match, merge, sift, and sort concepts, perceptions, and experience. This process is called reasoning. Logic is the science of reasoning.
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Mind & Brain News
October 21, 2026
Oct. 20, 2026 The aging brain may be undergoing a remarkable transformation rather than simply losing its abilities, shifting its focus from remembering details to understanding the bigger picture. Scientists suggest this change could be an evolutionary ...
Oct. 20, 2026 Scientists have found a promising way to protect the brain from Alzheimer’s-related damage by blocking immune cells that contribute to the destruction of neurons. In mice, the treatment preserved ...
Oct. 19, 2026 Scientists have discovered why some people with a high genetic risk of Alzheimer’s remain mentally sharp into their 80s, uncovering a rare mutation that protects the brain from harmful protein buildup. The findings reveal a potential new way to ...
Oct. 19, 2026 Walking just 3,000 steps a day could help slow Alzheimer’s-related brain changes, according to new research. Scientists discovered that physical activity was linked to less buildup of harmful tau proteins and nearly half the cognitive and ...
Oct. 19, 2026 A discovery in tiny algae led to a Nobel Prize-winning breakthrough that allows scientists to switch brain cells on and off using light. The revolutionary technique has already helped researchers activate memories and is opening new possibilities ...
Oct. 19, 2026 Scientists have uncovered an unexpected culprit behind sleep loss in Alzheimer’s disease: overactive immune cells in the brain. By temporarily removing these cells, researchers restored more than ...
Oct. 18, 2026 Eating too much salt may do more than raise blood pressure. It could also harm memory and social behavior. In a new study, Japanese researchers discovered that a soy-derived compound called LPC70 ...
Oct. 18, 2026 Eating blueberries every day could have surprising effects on mood, according to a small study that found greater reductions in depressive symptoms among older adults who consumed the fruit for three months. Researchers also detected changes in gut ...
Oct. 18, 2026 A psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms appears to have an unexpected effect: calming highly aggressive fish. Researchers discovered that low doses of psilocybin significantly reduced aggressive attacks in mangrove rivulus fish without ...
Oct. 18, 2026 Researchers have uncovered three brain pathways linked to lasting improvements in people receiving deep brain stimulation for severe, treatment-resistant depression. They also discovered that patients who failed to improve after two years shared a ...
Oct. 17, 2026 Scientists have discovered that a protein linked to youth helps protect the brain’s immune cells from age-related decline. Restoring the protein in older mice improved the cells’ ability to clear ...
Oct. 17, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising cause of age-related cognitive decline involving brain cells previously thought to be entirely beneficial. As these cells become dysfunctional, they can produce abnormal amounts of myelin, disrupting nerve ...
Latest Headlines
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Oct. 18, 2026 Researchers have identified striking parallels between Sigmund Freud’s century-old theories and modern neuroscience, suggesting that the brain’s ...
Oct. 17, 2026 Scientists have discovered a surprising two-way relationship between sleep and growth hormone, revealing how the brain carefully balances physical ...
Oct. 16, 2026 Yale scientists have uncovered how the stress hormone cortisol helps the brain turn emotional experiences into stronger, longer-lasting memories. The ...
Oct. 15, 2026 Even under general anesthesia, the human brain can analyze language, recognize different types of words, and predict what comes next in a story, ...
Oct. 15, 2026 A rare examination of an Alzheimer’s patient’s brain revealed that regions cleared of amyloid plaques had remarkably little of the harmful tau ...
Oct. 15, 2026 Strokes are becoming alarmingly common among younger adults, with rates nearly doubling among people ages 20 to 54 over nearly three decades. ...
Oct. 14, 2026 For decades, scientists have focused on amyloid beta as a major culprit behind Alzheimer’s disease, spending billions of dollars developing treatments that have often delivered disappointing ...
Oct. 13, 2026 A new study reveals that people draw a surprisingly sharp line between human consciousness and artificial intelligence, even when both behave identically. Researchers found that participants ...
Oct. 13, 2026 A 165-million-year-old fossil has revealed an extraordinary Jurassic predator that may help explain how mammals developed one of their most important evolutionary advantages. Although only 20 inches ...
Oct. 13, 2026 Your daily routine could have a bigger impact on your ability to handle stress than you realize. A Binghamton University study of approximately 400 college students found that eating breakfast ...