Frontiers in Cognition最新文献

{"title":"Bi-temporal processing in music notation reading: a theory linking prediction, memory, and automaticity.","authors":"Karen L Heath","doi":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1689600","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1689600","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reading music notation requires musicians to extract and interpret visual information in real time while simultaneously anticipating future performance actions. This dual engagement, in which one acts in the present while processing material to be performed in the future, suggests that music reading relies on a bi-temporal cognitive architecture. Grounded in this premise, this theoretical paper develops a model that integrates Hebbian learning and automaticity as core mechanisms supporting the simultaneous perceptual and anticipatory demands of notation-based music performance. A systematic review of neuroimaging studies involving music-reading tasks was conducted to evaluate current evidence on the neural correlates of notation processing. The results of the review showed that music reading engaged distributed cortical and subcortical networks, including regions commonly implicated in text reading, and recruited auditory-motor integration systems essential for music performance. However, most studies isolated single parameters of notation (e.g., pitch identification), thereby limiting ecological validity and constraining interpretations of how musicians process in real-world contexts that require concurrent multi-parameter integration. Complementary research on cognitive prediction, sensorimotor coupling, and perceptual-motor learning demonstrates that musicians employ a dual-pathway system of immediate perception and forward prediction, shaped by Hebbian synaptic strengthening and the development of automaticity through repeated procedural engagement. Synthesizing these findings, this article proposes a bi-temporal cognitive model of music-notation processing that accounts for dynamic interplay between associative learning, predictive processing, and automated motor execution. The implications of this model for cognitive theory and music pedagogy are discussed, with recommendations for empirical approaches to test the bi-temporal framework and advance understanding of real-time cognitive coordination in music performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":94013,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cognition","volume":"4 ","pages":"1689600"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13281205/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148310831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cognitive load-dependent effects of HD-tDCS on the executive vigilance decrement: insights from aperiodic EEG activity.","authors":"Klara Hemmerich, Juan Lupiáñez, Elisa Martín-Arévalo, Roi Cohen Kadosh","doi":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1677285","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1677285","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>This study investigated cognitive-load-dependent effects of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on the executive vigilance (EV) decrement and its modulation by aperiodic electroencephalography (EEG) markers. Given the relevance of vigilance for daily functioning and its susceptibility to decline over time, we examined whether HD-tDCS could counteract this decrement under varying cognitive demands.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a between-participant design (<i>N</i> = 180), anodal HD-tDCS was applied over the right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC) during performance of a single-, dual-, or triple-task, with on-task EEG recorded pre- and post-stimulation. Power spectra were parametrized to extract aperiodic (non-oscillatory) components; the aperiodic exponent and offset across two frequency ranges (1-35 and 30-45 Hz).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>HD-tDCS induced a reduction in the aperiodic exponent within the 30-45 Hz range (i.e., flattening of the spectral slope), consistent with increased cortical excitation. This change was associated with a mitigated EV decrement under high task demand and an exacerbated decrement under low demand, suggesting a mechanistic link between changes in excitation/inhibition balance and behavioral outcomes. However, these effects reached significance only under a directional hypothesis and seemed to be obscured by a push-pull relationship with the aperiodic offset, indicating a more complex interaction between local excitability and broadband spectral dynamics. Baseline aperiodic markers did not significantly moderate the stimulation effect but predicted overall task performance, independent of stimulation.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>These findings suggest a mechanistic understanding of how endogenous neural activity, specifically, aperiodic EEG features, modulates brain stimulation outcomes. By demonstrating that HD-tDCS effects vary as a function of cognitive load and spectral dynamics, the study underscores the need for future research, centered on refined, state-sensitive stimulation protocols to mitigate the EV decrement.</p>","PeriodicalId":94013,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cognition","volume":"4 ","pages":"1677285"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13281218/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148311011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Time in mind: a multidisciplinary review on temporal perception, cognition, and memory.","authors":"Jeffery R L Pendleton, Nicola S Clayton","doi":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1688754","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1688754","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This review examines temporal cognition through the lens of Mental Time Travel (MTT): the subjective experience of recalling past events and using them to construct future scenarios. The analysis specifically addresses how language and cultural context affect these abilities, integrating psychology, linguistics, cognitive neuroscience, and anthropology. Findings from comparative cognition challenge whether they are uniquely human. Although such an approach was traditionally taken in non-human primates, the field of comparative cognition has become much more diverse. Comparative insights derived from studies of corvid and cephalopod cognition are particularly pertinent, as they suggest these abilities have evolved more widely within the animal kingdom, especially in groups with very different neural architectures, raising questions about whether these abilities have evolved convergently in species undergoing similar selection pressures or independently in those subject to different selection pressures, as opposed to homologous evolution widespread amongst these animal taxa. These evolutionary perspectives inform theories of human temporal cognition and Mental Time Travel, influencing memory encoding and retrieval processes, false memory production, as well as the mechanisms underlying temporal cognition, such as episodic memory formation, interval timing, and circadian modulation of memory consolidation. Additionally, the review evaluates evidence on the cognitive impact of technological tools (calendars, clocks, and other technologies) used to externalize and standardize temporal frameworks, including implications for subjective perception and memory accuracy, and identifies directions for future interdisciplinary research. Building on this synthesis, we advance five core claims: that elements of temporal cognition likely arise under convergent evolutionary pressures; that language, culture, and social organization tune how people represent and use time; that technologies which externalize time can reshape behavior by aligning with or pulling against internally constructed event time; that memory is adaptively biased toward flexible, future-oriented construction rather than veridical record; and that these processes are structured by \"mind time\" and extended via transpersonal extended mental time travel, whereby shared representations support the projection and coordination of futures across individuals and generations.</p>","PeriodicalId":94013,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cognition","volume":"4 ","pages":"1688754"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13281122/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148311026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An integrative review on unveiling the causes and effects of decision fatigue to develop a multi-domain conceptual framework.","authors":"Nurul Ahad Choudhury, Pratima Saravanan","doi":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1719312","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1719312","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Decision fatigue leads to reduced efficiency in the rate and quality of decisions. Thus, examining the reasons behind decision fatigue and comprehending its influence on decision-making in various professional domains is pivotal to improving the decision-making process. The aim of this integrative review is to investigate the causes and effects of decision fatigue from the existing literature and develop a framework that can be applied across different domains. A comprehensive literature search in three databases identified 1,027 articles on decision fatigue. After screening the articles using Integrative reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) appraisal methods, 23 articles investigating decision fatigue across various domains were selected. The selected articles were investigated through root cause analysis and thematic synthesis. Findings revealed ten causes of decision fatigue, which were classified as individual, organizational, and external causes, and four primary effects and seven secondary effects of decision fatigue. Using these findings, a conceptual framework that offers a comprehensive understanding of decision fatigue across diverse domains was developed. Knowledge of what causes decision fatigue can help optimize the decision-making process for decision makers. This study contributes to the concept of decision fatigue within organizational settings to enhance organizational behavior, psychology, and offers implications for improving decision-making processes in diverse professional domains. The findings can help develop interventions to mitigate decision fatigue and improve overall decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":94013,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cognition","volume":"4 ","pages":"1719312"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13281206/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148310922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Music's context-dependent influence on oxytocin, social bonding, and emotion regulation: a systematic review.","authors":"Ting-Hsuan Chu, Chen-Gia Tsai","doi":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1678665","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1678665","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This systematic review aims to explore how individual and group musical activities influence social bonding and emotion regulation through the oxytocinergic system.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and PsycInfo was conducted to identify studies up to October 2024, supplemented by a manual search. One reviewer screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the study quality. Framework synthesis and narrative synthesis were conducted to integrate findings.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1,865 records were identified. After reviewing the full-text papers, 20 studies (seven randomized controlled trials and 13 quasi-experiments) were included, which involved 877 participants across healthy and clinical populations. The reviewed interventions included singing, playing instruments, listening to music, and music therapy. Most studies reported improvements in psychosocial outcomes, such as reduced anxiety and depression or enhanced social cognition, but they do not always align with peripheral oxytocin (OXT) changes. However, certain psychosocial outcomes or contexts revealed relatively consistent patterns in OXT responses, suggesting the presence of context-dependent modulation. Short-term interventions often reported detectable peripheral OXT changes, which only partially reflected the temporary activity of magnocellular OXT neurons in the hypothalamus. No significant changes in baseline peripheral OXT levels were observed after long-term interventions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Music-induced OXT responses are context-dependent. The bidirectional modulation of OXT supports social bonding and emotion regulation in musical contexts. Clinicians and music therapists should carefully consider therapeutic goals, individual differences, and environmental factors when designing music therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":94013,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cognition","volume":"4 ","pages":"1678665"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13281211/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148310858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Representationalism can connect neuroscience and philosophy.","authors":"Albert Kok","doi":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1623712","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1623712","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Representationalism is the theory that our conscious perception of the world is mediated by mental representations, rather than being a direct encounter with reality. In this article, we define representations in terms of a unified theory of long-term memory that incorporates both its explicit and implicit divisions. Apart from these integrative features, the theory offers the possibility for reconciling perspectives in neuroscience and the philosophy of mind. We address various areas of debate, focusing on concepts such as consciousness, intentionality, emergence, and qualia. We draw the following conclusions based on our framework applied to representational systems. First, conscious experience results from the retrieval of the contents of explicit memory representations from short-term memory. Regarding intentionality, the strong link between intentionality and memory representations allows us to define intentionality, capturing both the \"what is it\" and \"what it is like\" aspects. Finally, notions referring to the subjective experiential content of consciousness, such as emergence and \"qualia\", are integral to all conscious experience, reflecting memory-emotion interactions realized in neuro-affective networks. Ultimately, we conclude that concepts from the philosophy of mind can be harmonized, in a non-reductionist way, with neurocognitive theories that define memory representations as multilevel networks of large-scale brain systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":94013,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cognition","volume":"4 ","pages":"1623712"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13281085/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148310979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cause-effect perception in an object place task.","authors":"Nikolai Bahr, Christoph Zetzsche, Jaime Maldonado, Kerstin Schill","doi":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1565294","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1565294","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this paper, we conducted an exploratory study in virtual reality to investigate whether people can discover causal relations in a realistic sensorimotor context and how such learning is represented at different processing levels (conscious-cognitive vs. sensorimotor). Additionally, we explored the relationship between human causal learning and state-of-the-art causal discovery algorithms. The task consisted of placing a glass on a surface. To enhance ecological validity, the setup included haptic rendering to simulate the glass's weight and contact force. The glass would break if the contact force exceeded its breakability threshold, determined by the causal structure <i>weight</i>→<i>breakability</i> ←<i>color</i>. Participants were asked to repeatedly transport and place glasses of varying weights and colors on a surface without breaking them. Therefore, to accomplish the task, participants had to discover the underlying causal structure. The trials were conducted over three separate sessions, each aimed to capture a different behavior [(i) naive and causally unaware, (ii) exploratory, and (iii) consolidated and causally aware]. After each session, participants completed a questionnaire providing a measure of their conscious understanding of the task's causal structure. Sensorimotor representations were inferred by applying three causal-discovery algorithms (PC, FCI, FGES) to the recorded trial-by-trial variables, and conditional mutual information was used to quantify the strength of causal influence on the sensorimotor level. Results show that (i) participants identified the weight-breakability link (≈76% correct after the final session) and, to a lesser extent, the color-breakability link (≈43% correct), but they could not reliably infer causal direction. (ii) Sensorimotor analysis revealed a robust weight-force coupling that increased across sessions, whereas the color-force coupling was weak and noisy, yet mutual information indicated an attempted learning. (iii) Discovery algorithms recovered the underlying structure across the three sessions. Together, these findings indicate that humans can, to some extent, perceive the causal structure of the task and that conscious and sensorimotor representations are partially dissociated.</p>","PeriodicalId":94013,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cognition","volume":"4 ","pages":"1565294"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13281106/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148310967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial: Detrimental effects of hypoxia on brain and cognitive functions.","authors":"Alberto Zani, Stephanie Otto, Terry McMorris","doi":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1750627","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1750627","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94013,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cognition","volume":"4 ","pages":"1750627"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13281080/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148311010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chronological age and biological maturity are separately positively associated with inhibitory control and working memory in boys and girls.","authors":"Luke M Gilbert, Ryan A Williams, John G Morris, Anna Dunn, Ruth Boat, Karah J Dring, Mary E Nevill, Simon B Cooper","doi":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1565625","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1565625","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Executive function is typically considered from a chronological age perspective, despite the influence of biological maturity on executive function development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of chronological age and biological maturity on inhibitory control and working memory, separately in boys and girls (due to sex differences in biological maturation). The study employed a cross-sectional design and, following familiarization, 736 (400 female) young people (12.3 ± 1.3 years) completed tests of cognitive function on two separate occasions. Participants completed the Stroop test to measure inhibitory control and the Sternberg paradigm to measure working memory. Chronological age and biological maturity were calculated for each participant. Linear regression models were performed separately for boys and girls. Two models were fit for each test and level of executive function: a chronological age model (executive function x chronological age) and a biological maturity model (executive function x biological maturity). Higher chronological age and biological maturity were associated with superior performance on inhibitory control and working memory tests. In boys, the biological maturity models were a significantly better fit (vs. chronological age), whilst in girls, the chronological age models were a better fit (vs. biological maturity). This study provides novel evidence that biological maturity is associated with inhibitory control and working memory. Emphasizing that future investigations into inhibitory control and working memory in young people should consider biological maturity, especially in boys.</p>","PeriodicalId":94013,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cognition","volume":"4 ","pages":"1565625"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13281056/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148310989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From gradients to cognition: linking cortical manifolds to brain flexibility and disorder.","authors":"Joseph Y Nashed, Ryan Sandarage, Christopher R Pasarikovski, Jason P Gallivan, Douglas J Cook","doi":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1690469","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcogn.2025.1690469","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Traditional neuroscience describes the cerebral cortex as a mosaic of discrete, functionally specialized regions. However, a complementary view has emerged, demonstrating that the brain is also organized along continuous gradients that capture large-scale transitions in connectivity, microstructure, and function. These gradients, derived using dimensionality reduction techniques on neuroimaging data, provide a low-dimensional manifold framework that unifies our understanding of how cortical architecture supports cognitive flexibility, learning, and clinical disorders. In this review, we integrate evidence from genetics, phylogeny, development, and multimodal neuroimaging to outline how macroscale gradients emerge from underlying biological constraints, become progressively decoupled from local microstructure in transmodal cortex, and dynamically reorganize during cognitive and clinical states. We further discuss how this framework provides new insights into individual differences, disease mechanisms, and recovery following brain injury. By bridging anatomy, function, and behavior, gradient-based approaches offer a powerful lens for mapping the architecture of human cognition and its disruption in disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":94013,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cognition","volume":"4 ","pages":"1690469"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13281039/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148310763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}