MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit

Heterochronicity shapes brain network formation

Brain network formation unfolds on a nonuniform developmental timetable, with different cortical regions generating connections at different developmental phases. Generative network models (GNMs) aim to uncover the principles underpinning the organization of connectomes by creati...

Executive functions as a transdiagnostic endophenotype in developmental psychopathology

Abstract The majority of mental health conditions emerges before adulthood, with prevalence increasing especially during childhood and adolescence. Coupled with high comorbidity between disorders, there is an urgent need to identify transdiagnostic mechanisms that underpin both r...

The impact of emotion regulation strategies on experiential and physiological responses to negative emotional videos

Emotion regulation strategies influence how individuals experience and express emotions. Previous work suggests that self-distancing can reduce negative emotional responses, whereas self-immersion can amplify them. This study quantified how these emotion regulation strategies, ap...

Sequence learning as Bayesian filtering.

Here we present a model of sequence learning and recall based on the idea that the function of memory is to maintain an up-to-date representation of the environment that can be used to guide future perception and action. The representation of the environment is considered to be a...

The development and initial validation of the Perinatal Intrusions Interpretation Index: A novel scale that measures negative appraisals of infant‐related intrusive thoughts

OBJECTIVES: Unwanted and often distressing intrusive thoughts of infant-related harm are common during the perinatal period and are associated with poorer maternal mental health. The mechanisms linking perinatal intrusive thoughts to mental health remain poorly understood. One pr...

Human cortical networks trade communication efficiency for computational reliability

Brains are often described as cost-efficient communication networks, optimally balancing the cost of long connections with the benefits of fast communication. Here, inspired by the "use it or lose it" principle, we present a novel game-theoretic model of self-organizing neural un...

Use and perceptions of Artificial Intelligence among adolescents in Bradford, England: Evidence from Born in Bradford: Age of Wonder

<ns5:p>Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools are increasingly used by adolescents in academic contexts, yet population-level evidence from community samples remains limited, particularly among under-represented populations. We described quantitative data collected in t...

Early Longitudinal Brain Network Changes in Huntington's Disease Before Clinical Motor Onset

Abstract Background Longitudinal studies of seed‐based functional connectivity (SBFC) in young adult Huntington's disease gene‐expanded (HDGE) individuals are rare, and none, to our knowledge, have examined adult cohorts decades from predicted clinical motor diagnosis. Objectives...

Transdiagnostic symptoms of psychopathology interact with changes in environmental uncertainty

Abstract Uncertainty is a potential driver of poor mental health outcomes, and uncertainty is mounting across domains of daily life. It remains unclear how symptoms of anxiety and depression emerge in response to uncertainty in real-life contexts. The current study investigated h...