Case Chiropractic Neurology Center

01/07/2026

Numbers in Vision Can Shift How We Perceive Space

New experiments reveal that numbers subtly distort how we judge the center of shapes—but not in the same way across dimensions.

Lines filled with small numbers pushed perceived centers leftward, reflecting a mental number line.

In squares, the effect vanished, replaced by strong vertical shifts driven by object-recognition pathways.

The findings show that spatial perception results from a tug-of-war between numerical magnitude and object-based visual processing.

READ MORE:

New research reveals that numbers in our visual field can subtly distort how we judge spatial positions, showing that perception is shaped by both numerical magnitude and object-based processing.

01/06/2026

Doubting Your Doubts Can Boost Motivation

When people experiencing doubt about a major identity goal are subtly prompted to doubt their own thoughts, they often become more committed to the goal itself.

By inducing “meta-cognitive doubt,” the studies disrupted participants’ confidence in their worries rather than their ambitions.

This reversal boosted motivation, even though the prompts had nothing to do with the goals directly.

The work reveals a counterintuitive psychological mechanism in which questioning the validity of doubts can strengthen long-term commitment.

READ MORE:

When people facing uncertainty about an important identity goal are nudged to question the validity of their own doubts, their commitment to that goal actually increases.

01/05/2026

A new study found that eating more fruits and vegetables during day could significantly improve sleep quality the same night.

READ MORE: https://www.labroots.com/trending/neuroscience/29760/eating-fruits-veg-linked-sleep-disturbance-2?fbclid=IwY2xjawPHfiRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeJGu96IzX_DU4I94DgvP09qUxv1_Gz4HqrtWYEx5EQryr-FREFWlMRoXZWpA_aem_NGngUImgcOZRQPsxa_4KUQ

Higher fruit and vegetable consumption during the day is linked to significantly better sleep the same night. | Neuroscience

01/04/2026

Lifestyle decisions may be a crucial factor for your heart and brain health as you age.

READ MORE: https://www.labroots.com/trending/cardiology/29988/healthy-habits-slow-brain-aging-boost-heart-health-2?fbclid=IwY2xjawPHfdFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEehn8iHFJKTJkh8KWwhmTL4WqNtZQOrBHjdBo2Va5uR9ukyHwcEkYor00BdgI_aem_uaQ9Nu26D5W8zLuPqToCOQ

Lifestyle decisions may be a crucial factor for your heart and brain health as you age. | Cardiology

01/03/2026

Dairy Consumption Linked to Lower Dementia Risk

People who regularly eat high-fat cheese and high-fat cream appeared to have a lower risk of developing dementia in a long-running population study.

The findings suggest that certain full-fat dairy products may influence brain health differently than low-fat versions, especially for vascular dementia.

The association was strongest among people without a genetic risk variant linked to Alzheimer’s, raising the possibility that diet and genetics may interact.

While these results don’t prove cause and effect, they open the door to revisiting decades of assumptions about dietary fat and cognitive aging.

READ MORE:

A large 25-year study found that people who ate more high-fat cheese and high-fat cream had a lower risk of developing dementia, though the results only show an association—not proof of protection.

01/02/2026

Music Improvisation Rewires the Brain in Real Time

Musical improvisation offers a rare opportunity to visualize creativity as it happens.

In this study, researchers scanned jazz pianists as they performed from memory, improvised around a melody, or freely created new musical lines.

The brain shifted between distinct network configurations depending on how much freedom the musicians had, involving auditory and motor circuits for spontaneous creation and more controlled networks for structured tasks.

These dynamic transitions reveal how the brain flexibly reorganizes itself to support real-time creative behavior.

The findings introduce a new approach for studying the neural basis of improvisation and spontaneous thought.

READ MORE:

Creativity is notoriously difficult to study as it unfolds, but musical improvisation offers a rare chance to watch spontaneous idea-generation in action.

01/01/2026

We hope you have a happy and healthy 2026! From all of us here at Case Chiropractic 🥂

12/31/2025

Emotional Stress Triggers Instant Arousal From Deep Sleep

Emotional stress can flip the brain from deep sleep to alertness within seconds, and this study uncovers the circuitry responsible.

BNST GABAergic neurons were shown to activate DpMe glutamatergic neurons, producing an immediate transition from NREM sleep to wakefulness.

When DpMe neurons were removed, this rapid arousal response was significantly weakened.

These results pinpoint a neural pathway that may explain why fear and anxiety so easily break sleep.

READ MORE:

A new study uncovers a precise brain pathway that rapidly converts emotional stress into sudden wakefulness during NREM sleep.

12/30/2025

Smiling Faces Trigger Mimicry, and Make Us Trust Them More

New research shows that we instinctively judge smiling faces as more trustworthy, and this effect is driven by emotional mimicry.

When people unconsciously mirror a smile, their brains shift into a more cooperative mode, shaping how they evaluate personality traits.

Across three experiments—using EMG, behavioral tasks, and a trust game—participants consistently mimicked joy more than anger or sadness.

This mimicry predicted not only impressions but also real decisions about sharing and cooperation.

The findings highlight how subtle, automatic facial reactions help guide social judgments in everyday interactions.

READ MORE:

People instinctively mimic others’ facial expressions, but new research shows we do this far more with joyful faces than with sadness or anger—and that the intensity of mimicry predicts how much we trust someone.

12/29/2025

Cues Can Hijack Decision Making in Some People

Some people lean heavily on environmental cues—like sights or sounds—to guide their decisions, and new research shows this tendency can backfire when cue–outcome relationships change.

Individuals who are highly sensitive to cues struggle to revise their expectations, continuing to make choices that are no longer advantageous.

This persistent reliance can create rigid decision habits that resemble the patterns seen in addictions and compulsive disorders.

The work provides insight into why certain people remain influenced by outdated or harmful signals in their environment.

READ MORE:

Some individuals rely heavily on visual and sound cues when making decisions, and this sensitivity can lead to persistent maladaptive choices.

12/28/2025

Working Nights May Increase Cancer Risk

Chronic disruption of the circadian clock—common in night-shift work and frequent travel—was found to accelerate breast cancer growth and weaken immune surveillance.

The study showed that irregular sleep cycles reshape healthy breast tissue and activate LILRB4, a receptor that suppresses immune defenses.

Targeting this receptor reduced tumor spread even when circadian rhythms remained disturbed.

These findings reveal a direct biological link between disrupted sleep timing and aggressive cancer behavior, highlighting new treatment opportunities.

READ MORE:

Chronic circadian disruption — such as night-shift work, irregular schedules, or frequent jet lag — accelerates the development and spread of aggressive breast cancer.

12/27/2025

New research shows the brain learns from imagined experiences just like real ones. Visualizing a positive moment with someone can make you like them more — and change your neural activity.

READ MORE: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66396-2