Cognitive Science
Princeton study reveals brain’s reusable ‘cognitive Legos’ for flexible learning
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Neuroscientists at Princeton University report that the brain achieves flexible learning by reusing modular cognitive components across tasks. In experiments with rhesus macaques, researchers found that the prefrontal cortex assembles these reusable “cognitive Legos” to adapt behaviors quickly. The findings, published November 26 in Nature, underscore differences from current AI systems and could eventually inform treatments for disorders that impair flexible thinking.
A new study of more than 2,100 Australian adults has found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with reduced attention and slower mental processing, even among those following otherwise healthy diets. The research also connected greater intake to increased dementia risk factors such as obesity and high blood pressure.
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Researchers from Zhejiang University have challenged the capabilities of the Centaur AI model, arguing it memorizes patterns rather than truly understanding tasks. Their findings, published in National Science Open, suggest limitations in instruction comprehension. The work critiques a July 2025 Nature study that hailed Centaur's performance across 160 cognitive tasks.