Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian

June 16, 2022

Socially isolated people have differently wired brains and poorer cognition – new research

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Chun Shen, Fudan University, and Jianfeng Feng, Fudan University

Socially isolated people have poorer cognition, including in memory and reaction time.

June 12, 2022

Así afecta el cannabis a nuestra mente, según nuevas investigaciones

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Martine Skumlien, University of Cambridge, and Tianye Jia, Fudan University

El consumo de cannabis está relacionado con una peor memoria, déficit de atención y problemas de salud mental.

May 4, 2022

Sleep: here’s how much you really need for optimal cognition and wellbeing – new research

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Jianfeng Feng, Fudan University, and Wei Cheng, Fudan University

Both too much and too little sleep may interfere with our cognition.

April 28, 2022

Riset baru ungkap bagaimana ganja mempengaruhi pikiran dan emosi kita

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Martine Skumlien, University of Cambridge, and Tianye Jia, Fudan University

Penggunaan ganja terkait dengan memori, perhatian, dan kesehatan mental yang lebih buruk.

April 13, 2022

Cannabis: how it affects our cognition and psychology – new research

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Martine Skumlien, University of Cambridge, and Tianye Jia, Fudan University

Cannabis use is linked to poorer memory, attention and mental health.

March 11, 2022

Ukraine doomscrolling can harm your cognition as well as your mood – here’s what to do about it

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Chun Shen, Fudan University, and Jianfeng Feng, Fudan University

What use are we in helping to solve difficult global challenges if we’re so depressed and cognitively depleted that we can’t think of the best actions to take?

February 16, 2022

Gambling: what happens in the brain when we get hooked – and how to regain control

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Henrietta Bowden-Jones, University of Cambridge, and Sam Chamberlain, University of Southampton

There is evidence to suggest that dopamine plays a key role in gamling addiction.

February 2, 2022

Humans v AI: here’s who’s better at making money in financial markets

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Fabio Cuzzolin, Oxford Brookes University, and Wojtek Buczynski, University of Cambridge

Machine learning is based on analysing huge data sets and finding patterns in them, yet isn’t used much in financial market decisions.

November 30, 2021

How uncertainty can impair our ability to make rational decisions – new research

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge and Aleya Aziz Marzuki, University of Cambridge

High levels of uncertainty can make us obsessive compulsive, causing physical changes in the brain.

October 11, 2021

The Human Brain Project: six achievements of Europe’s largest neuroscience programme

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge, and Katrin Amunts, Forschungszentrum Jülich

From robotic hands to brain-like computers, the Human Brain Project has produced some intriguing results.

August 4, 2021

Consciousness: how the brain chemical ‘dopamine’ plays a key role – new research

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Emmanuel A Stamatakis, University of Cambridge, and Lennart Spindler, University of Cambridge

Drugs which act through the brain chemical dopamine may one day help restore consciousness in people who have lost it.

June 23, 2021

IQ tests can’t measure it, but ‘cognitive flexibility’ is key to learning and creativity

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge, and Victoria Leong, Nanyang Technological University

Are you good at changing perspectives? If so, it may benefit you in more ways than you imagine.

May 13, 2021

Vaccine passports: why they are good for society

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge, and Julian Savulescu, University of Oxford

Vaccine passports are small sacrifice to make for the greater good.

March 24, 2021

Psychedelic drugs: how the brains of informed users are different

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge and George Savulich, University of Cambridge

As the UK’s first clinic to offer psychedelic drugs for mental health disorders opens, a study reveals that informed users don’t have problems with self control.

February 12, 2021

How the pandemic may damage children’s social intelligence

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Fei Li, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Jianfeng Feng, Fudan University

Children aren’t just losing out on education as a result of the pandemic.

January 20, 2021

‘Male’ vs ‘female’ brains: having a mix of both is common and offers big advantages – new research

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Qiang Luo, Fudan University, and Yi Zhang, University of Cambridge

While there are small differences between male and female brains, most of us have a mix of both.

December 31, 2020

Six ways to ‘reboot your brain’ after a hard year of COVID‑19 – according to science

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge, and Jianfeng Feng, Fudan University

The brain is surprisingly changeable.

August 19, 2020

Pandemi mengubah otak kita, ini cara mengatasinya

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge, and Deniz Vatansever, Fudan University

Terlepas apakah Anda menderita COVID-19 atau hanya stres karena terkena dampak wabah, hipokampus otak Anda mungkin telah menyusut dalam beberapa bulan terakhir.

August 14, 2020

Coronavirus: the pandemic is changing our brains – here are the remedies

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge, and Deniz Vatansever, Fudan University

Whether you had COVID-19 or just stressed out about getting it, your brain’s hippocampus may have shrunk in the last few months.

March 11, 2020

How chronic stress changes the brain – and what you can do to reverse the damage

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge, and Muzaffer Kaser, University of Cambridge

Chemical changes in the brain associated with chronic stress can put our cognition and mood under serious strain.

January 27, 2020

Cheap diuretic pill could help with autism symptoms

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge and Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge

Mothers commented that their autistic children made more eye contact and engaged in more activities when on bumetanide, a diuretic pill.

November 20, 2018

Simple smartphone app that could help OCD sufferers

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge

Technology could be a promising alternative to traditional therapy.

February 8, 2018

How OCD impairs memory and learning in children and adolescents – and what to do about it

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge

Children and adolescents with obsessive compulsive disorder should be offered extra support at school.

February 14, 2017

LSD ‘microdosing’ is trending in Silicon Valley – but can it actually make you more creative?

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Camilla d'Angelo, University of Cambridge, and George Savulich, University of Cambridge

Three experts reveal all.

February 9, 2017

Brain scanners allow scientists to ‘read minds’ – could they now enable a ‘Big Brother’ future?

Julia Gottwald, University of Cambridge and Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge

fMRI brain scans are coming frighteningly close to opening a window into our thoughts.