New work from Dr. Rosemary Bagot's lab: inhibitory "GABAergic" neurons — long treated as supporting players in the brain — turn out to help track the recent history of rewards in two key decision-making regions (shown in mice). The work reshapes which neurons we think are keeping score of our past outcomes.
 

Read the paper in Cell Reports

Learning to speak a new language, or regaining speech, depends more on areas of the brain that process sound and physical sensation than on the parts of the brain that govern motor control, according to new research findings. 

The study, by researchers at McGill University and the Yale School of Medicine, has implications for speech-learning theory and for the development of speech processing and recognition technologies. 

We’re excited to share that Professor Signy Sheldon appeared on CNN’s “Chasing Life” with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, where she discussed her research on memory, the brain, and how our past experiences shape who we are. In this engaging interview, Professor Sheldon offers insights into the science of autobiographical memory and why we remember certain moments more vividly than others.  

Watch the show here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL5HSEjYrMM

Half the world is multilingual but does one's first writing system shape how you read in English?

Professor Signy Sheldon (McGill Psychology & Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory ) and her team - also featured in The Journal of Neuroscience and Society for Neuroscience-  explored how different storytelling styles (emotional/conceptual vs. Concrete/perceptual detail) actively shape how and where our brains store memories. Their findings show that distinct neural pathways are engaged depending on narrative style, with implications for tailoring communication to different audiences, such as older vs. younger adults. 

The Department of Psychology is mourning the passing of Professor Morton Mendelson, a longstanding faculty member who joined the department in 1977. Professor Mendelson demonstrated a deep commitment to education and student well-being, and served as McGill's first Deputy Provost of Student Life and Learning. He will be missed by many. 

Professor Emerita Debbie Moskowitz offered these words about Professor Mendelson:

Congratulations to PhD student Wenbo Yi, Prof. Caroline Palmer, and Prof. Mathieu Roy for their recent publication in PAIN! The paper is titled, Individualizing musical tempo to spontaneous rates maximizes music-induced hypoalgesia, and a recent news article on this work can be found here. The full publication can be accessed here.