eLife · 2 September 2026 · From issue 31
Brain cognition gaps reveal associations with dopamine and factors related to brain health through artificial intelligence prediction of functional connectome
Movie-watching brain scans predict memory skills better than resting brain scans do.
Morteza Esmaeili, Erin Beate Bjørkeli et al.
Brain scans taken while people watch a movie predict memory skills better than scans taken while resting. Scientists also found a gap between what a brain scan predicts and what a person actually scores. People whose real memory beat their brain's prediction moved more and had healthier hearts. Lower dopamine levels, a brain chemical tied to motivation and reward, linked to bigger gaps between prediction and actual performance.
Shows a link, not proof, between brain scan predictions and health factors.
Observational human data only, cannot prove dopamine causes the gap.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 4 September 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (eLife). Read the source
This screen checks process signals. It does not tell you the findings are true.