Speech-To-Song Illusion

A strange thing sometimes happens when we listen to a spoken phrase again and again: It begins to sound like a song. This phenomenon, called the “speech-to-song illusion,” can offer a window into how the mind operates and give insight into conditions that affect people’s ability to communicate, like aphasia and ageing people’s decreased ability to recall words.

Researchers from the University of Kansas have published a study in PLOS ONE examining if the speech-to-song illusion happens in adults who are 55 or older as powerfully as it does with younger people. While the researchers hypothesised fewer older people would perceive the illusion than younger people, the study showed no difference due to age. While older and younger people perceived the speech-to-song illusion at the same rates, the findings might translate to good news for older adults.

“We have this common misconception that everything goes downhill cognitively as we age,” said the KU researcher. “That’s not the case. There are some things that do get worse with age, but there are some things that actually get better with age, and some things that stay consistent with age – in the case of this illusion, you’re going to get equally suckered whether you’re an older adult or a younger adult.”

TET1 Molecule Critical to Functional Brain Rejuvenation

Recent studies suggest that new brain cells are being formed every day in response to injury, physical exercise, and mental stimulation.

Glial cells, and in particular the ones called oligodendrocyte progenitors, are highly responsive to external signals and injuries. They can detect changes in the nervous system and form new myelin, which wraps around nerves and provides metabolic support and accurate transmission of electrical signals.

As we age, however, less myelin is formed in response to external signals, and this progressive decline has been linked to the age-related cognitive and motor deficits detected in older people in the general population.

Impaired myelin formation also has been reported in older individuals with neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis or Alzheimer’s and identified as one of the causes of their progressive clinical deterioration.

Junk Food Game Helps People Lose Weight

Using a brain-training app helps people eat less junk food and lose weight, new research suggests. The Food Trainer (FoodT app) trains people to tap on images of healthy foods – but to stop when they see unhealthy snacks, creating an association between these foods and stopping.

The new study, by the universities of Exeter and Helsinki, found that playing the game about once a day for a month led to an average one-point reduction of junk food consumption on an eight-point scale (the scale ranges from four or more items per day to one or zero items per month).

Overall, people who used the app more also reported larger changes in their food intake. About half of the study’s 1,234 participants followed the recommendation and played the game at least ten times. Across all participants, an average weight loss of half a kilogram (just over a pound) and a small increase in healthy food eaten was seen.