Being able to do these things helps you manage the world around us. Your cognitive functions decline naturally as you age. You might already be experiencing this. For example, how sensitive we are to sounds begins to decline at age 30.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n However, you can do a lot to help support your cognitive function and stay sharp in the long run. In this article, we\u2019re going to dig deep into the different cognitive functions and provide some tips on how to boost them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, Part 1,<\/a> we\u2019ll explain the various cognitive functions and how they work. In the next article, Part 2,<\/a> we\u2019ll cover ways to boost your cognitive functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cognitive functions are a wide range of mental abilities. Let’s dive into each one and explain how they work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Perception is your brain\u2019s interpretation of the world around you. This includes all of the information you take in via your five senses. Is it the same thing as reality? No. Interestingly enough, the activity in your brain is the same when you perceive something as when you hallucinate.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you remember that dress that went viral a few years ago? People couldn\u2019t decide whether it was white and gold or blue and black. That\u2019s because how we perceive things differs from those around us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So what\u2019s happening neurologically to help us perceive and make sense of the world around us? Essentially, our brains make up a story about what we experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each of your senses has specialized nerve cells that turn the energy they receive into a neural signal and send it to the brain, making up a process called sensory transduction.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Two neurotransmitters identified as responsible for your perception are dopamine<\/a> and serotonin<\/a>, both considered \u201cfeel good\u201d chemicals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a study of 5 subjects, researchers explored the role of the dopamine and serotonin systems on perception and decision-making. Researchers recorded dopamine and serotonin levels while subjects undergoing deep brain stimulation played a computer game.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers observed that while subjects were perceiving dots on a screen, serotonin levels increased in the striatum, a part of your forebrain necessary for controlling voluntary movement when you feel uncertain. Right before subjects took action, dopamine levels increased while serotonin levels decreased.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n These results highlight the role of serotonin in slowing you down when you perceive information and the role of dopamine in speeding you up when uncertainty begins to fade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s also interesting about perception is that while we do see things and make decisions, we don\u2019t process this information in the same space as we do images. Perception occurs in the forebrain, while image processing occurs in the visual cortex at the back of the brain.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Perception goes well beyond what you simply see. It\u2019s how you process the information around you through your individual lens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Memory is probably the most well-known cognitive function. In its simplest form, it is the retention of information over time. It also allows you to recall information from the past and use it to understand the present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you think of memory, you\u2019re probably thinking of long-term memory. It\u2019s this type of memory that\u2019s most worrisome when you notice you can\u2019t remember that person\u2019s name or recall certain words or phrases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two types of long-term memory:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You also have short-term memory, sometimes referred to as your working memory. It\u2019s used to store information for a brief duration. For example, memorizing the access code in your email to input the information in an app or website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So how do all of these memories become memories? Just like perception, it begins with the intake of sensory information. This information then travels into your prefrontal cortex where it stays for you to use as part of your short-term memory.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n For memories to become long-term, your hippocampus gets involved by retrieving information from your working memory. Then from there it changes your neural wiring to hold onto the information more permanently in the cerebral cortex. The hippocampus helps you connect your various sensory experiences and a particular event. It even works to layer on connections between new and past events.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your brain has a particular region called the amygdala, an almond-shaped structure in the front of your temporal lobe behind your ears. The amygdala is responsible for your emotional memories. It is mainly activated when you\u2019re presented with a threat or something that causes fear. The amygdala guarantees you remember precisely where you were and what you were doing on 9\/11. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also central to emotional memory is your cerebellum. It was previously thought only to regulate movement memory, but more recent research determined that the cerebellum is directly connected to the prefrontal cortex. The two parts of the brain work together to correct errors in movement based on memory, like correcting your basketball shot to improve your accuracy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Neurotransmitters that make memories happen include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Memory and learning are intricately linked. We learn through making memories. When you learn something new, just like memories your 85-plus billion neurons begin to fire and send electrical impulses to other neurons. These electrical signals allow you to read, write, think, and play sports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These connections made in your brain occur because of neuroplasticity. It\u2019s the idea that changes can occur in your brain and new connections (synapses) are made. These connections become more robust and faster through repetition.<\/span> While you sleep, your brain prunes the extra or unused connections to become more efficient.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning and memory use the same parts of the brain and neurotransmitters. In the scientific world, learning is generally thought of as acquiring information that changes knowledge or behavior, while memory is the storage of information.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The modern world constantly bombards us with sensory information. Sounds and colors surround us. The internet is filled with competing news stories and social media reels. But our brain has limits. Our brains use focus and attention to filter important information and ignore the rest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Driving your attention is either<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your brain allows you to switch back and forth between these two types of attention and to multitask by dividing your attention between the two.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your attention requirements change based on what you are trying to achieve. If you\u2019re going for a walk down the street, you can let your mind wander and take in the sights and sounds around you. If you are trying to complete a work task, you\u2019ll need to achieve mental focus or sustained attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your attention system in the brain is a connected network throughout almost every lobe in your brain. At the center are three different regions<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What you are focusing on determines what region(s) are most activated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, these five key neurotransmitters ensure that your attention goes to where you need it most, allowing you to pay attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From what to wear to what to eat to what to watch, your day is filled with decisions. And I just mentioned some you make consciously. You make other subconscious decisions almost constantly throughout the day. While various factors go into decision-making, you\u2019ll group them into two primary ways<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two most critical parts of the brain in the decision-making process are the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. They interact to help get you the information you need. Researchers created an algorithm to break it down into four steps.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Different parts of the basal ganglia also play critical roles in decision-making.<\/span> Here are a few highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n After making a decision, your amygdala comes into play. Based on the outcome of your decision, you experience a positive or negative emotional response. The amygdala stores this information and uses it when making a similar future decision.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n A study examining decision-making tracked the brain activity of participants. Researchers determined that your brain makes a decision up to ten seconds before you become aware of it. They were even able to accurately predict the decision a subject was going to make based on brain activity.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pulling this all together are neurotransmitters. Let\u2019s explore which ones help you make decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n More recently, a study exploring decision-making focused on the relationship between serotonin and dopamine during the decision-making process. Using deep brain stimulation, researchers were able to track these neurotransmitters\u2019 levels while subjects made decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond the risk vs. reward role of dopamine and serotonin, researchers learned that both neurotransmitters help you choose to act. When subjects made decisions, serotonin levels decreased, and dopamine levels increased.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your inhibition helps you survive. It prevents you from taking impulsive action when you aren\u2019t likely to benefit from it or if it\u2019s not in line with your character. This extends to your thoughts and emotions as well. In some cases, you need inhibition to go off autopilot to actually do the right things, such as following instructions or driving on the other side of the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Green,<\/strong> <\/strong>Purple<\/strong>, <\/strong>Orange<\/strong>, <\/strong>Yellow<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Caption: The Stroop test measures your inhibition skills by asking you to tell the color of the text. Most people will default to reading the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those who struggle with inhibition are more likely to engage in risky behavior such as alcohol and drug abuse and risky sex. And those with overactive inhibition are more likely to experience feelings of anxiety and difficulty in new social situations.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n A literature review explored the neuroscience of inhibition. Previously, researchers thought inhibition took place in one region of the brain\u2013 the right inferior frontal gyrus, part of your frontal lobe. However, they now find that inhibition includes a broad network of activity.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers determined that the inhibitory network extends to the cortical and subcortical regions of the brain. These regions include the outer layer of your two cerebral hemispheres and deep into the gray and white matter. This network of connection between the frontal lobe and other brain regions is active and interacting during inhibition control.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The primary neurotransmitter involved in inhibition is GABA<\/a>. GABA, known as a calming neurotransmitter, exerts the same type of influence on your thoughts and behaviors by reducing the excitability of your neurons.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dopamine is likely involved in overactive inhibition. In a literature review exploring the role of dopamine in inhibition, researchers found that the interactions of dopamine between the prefrontal cortex and midbrain regions like the amygdala and striatum can result in increased inhibition and anxious behavior. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most complex cognitive functions is spatial orientation. It requires you to take in spatial information in your environment and make sense of it in an organized manner so that you can successfully navigate the space around you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This helps you get from one place to another, whether by driving over to a friend\u2019s house or making your way to the bathroom in the dark at night. If we didn\u2019t have these skills, we would essentially go around in circles and never make it to our destination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The parts of the brain responsible for spatial orientation are your hippocampus, amygdala, and parahippocampus (located just outside the hippocampus). Within these regions are special cells with neurons specific to different types of information.<\/span> They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A study examining the role of the hippocampus focused on taxi drivers as they navigated through a simulation of London streets. After undergoing MRI scans, researchers determined that compared to a control group, taxi drivers have larger hippocampuses. This demonstrates how critical of a role the hippocampus plays in spatial orientation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The most critical neurotransmitter for spatial orientation is acetylcholine<\/a>. It influences how you experience what you see and integrate that information to make sense of it. It also allows you to focus your attention on specific visual stimuli, like zeroing in on a person or object of interest.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers were able to highlight the role of acetylcholine on spatial orientation by increasing acetylcholine in subjects using the drug donepezil. Compared to a control group, those with increased acetylcholine activity improved their ability to detect a target surrounded by distractions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The same study confirmed that enhancing dopamine and serotonin levels did not increase subjects\u2019 ability to detect the target. This further confirms the critical role of acetylcholine in spatial orientation as opposed to other neurotransmitters.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you ever stumble over your words, trying to recall the name of something? Or feel like you\u2019re lost in a conversation because of the vocabulary? This is a function of your language and verbal fluency. It includes your ability to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The language areas in the brain, located on the left side of the brain in the cerebral cortex, are aptly named after the neurologists who studied them, Paul Broca and Carl Wernicke. Broca\u2019s area helps us recall words and speak, while Wernicke\u2019s area decodes speech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the left side of the brain is primarily used in adults, a study focused on language development in children found something different. 73 subjects took verbal and fluency tests while tracking brain activity. Researchers found that how well children perform on verbal tests relies on the right hemisphere of the brain rather than the left. This is also true for adults.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n What we know about the neurotransmitters involved in language is a more recent discovery. Interestingly, scientists know less about the neurotransmitters involved in language than other cognitive functions because they cannot study language using animal models since animals don\u2019t have language abilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The neurotransmitter extensively involved in language and verbal fluency is L-Glutamate<\/a>. It plays a role in accessing, producing, and comprehending language. There are four different types of L- Glutamate receptors in the central nervous system, each of which plays its own unique role in overall fluency.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The neurotransmitter GABA<\/a> balances out L-Glutamate. GABA helps you slow down your speech and put pauses between your words and sentences. You can think of L-Glutamate as your language accelerator and GABA as the brakes.<\/span> Now that we\u2019ve covered your various cognitive functions, you may also be wondering if there are things you can do to boost them and ensure that you maintain high function. Of course, there are. In Part 2, we\u2019ll cover 8 ways to boost your cognitive functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n References<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nootopia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Optimized-1cognitive-1024x685.jpg\")
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Perception<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Memory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Learning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Attention And Focus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Decision Making<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Inhibition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Spatial Orientation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Language And Verbal Fluency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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