tagged w/ Neuroscience
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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON THE AVATAR TEASER TRAILER. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE WATCHING THE TEASER TRAILER FOR JAMES CAMERON'S "AVATAR". This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while watching the "Avatar" James Cameron trailer. *Red means activating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON THE AVATAR TEASER TRAILER. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN... more
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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON THE ALICE IN WONDERLAND TEASER TRAILER. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE WATCHING THE TEASER TRAILER FOR TIM BURTON''S "ALICE IN WONDERLAND". This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while watching the "Alice In Wonderland" Tim Burton trailer. *Red means activating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON THE ALICE IN WONDERLAND TEASER TRAILER. THIS IS WHAT A... more
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Singers and guitar heroes alike have always employed what you might call the Celine Dion effect – closing your eyes to heighten the emotional impact of music.
Now, neuroscientists have discovered that a brain centre involved in sensing emotion and fear called the amygdala kicks into action when volunteers listen to scary music with eyes closed.
"A lot of time we do like to close our eyes when we listen to music, we feel like this is a more powerful experience," says Talma Hendler, a neuroscientist at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Israel, who led the new brain imaging study.
Shutting your eyes heightens people's emotional responses to the outside world, suggests previous research – not to mention everyday experience.
Spooky sounds
To uncover any neural basis for this effect, Hendler's team scanned the brains of 15 volunteers while they listened to film scores – "kind of Hitchcock-like movies," she says – and less emotive keyboard tunes with their eyes open or shut.
Hear a scary clip here and a neutral one here.
Sure enough, volunteers rated the eerie-sounding music – laced with staccato strings, ominous trombones, and weird effects – as more emotional than the "elevator music"-like keyboard tunes.
Under the gaze of a functional-MRI scanner, horror film scores elicited significantly more amygdala activity in the brains of volunteers who kept their eyes shut, compared to when they kept eyes open. Participants' brains responded no differently to the neutral music whether their eyes were closed or open.
Threat response
Furthermore, a part of the brain stem that metes out the neurotransmitter noradrenalin in response to threats was more active when volunteers listened to scary music with their eyes closed than open, as was a neocortical brain region known to control emotion – the ventral prefrontal cortex.
None of these changes occurred when volunteers listened to scary music in total darkness, suggesting that temporary blindness – which could certainly heighten fear – doesn't explain the results, Hendler says.
She also thinks her team results aren't limited to scary movie soundtracks. "I suspect if we had music that was positive, we would get a similar effect."Singers and guitar heroes alike have always employed what you might call the Celine... more
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We are all familiar with the fact that cognitive function declines as we get older. Moreover, recent studies have shown that the specific kind of daily activities we engage in during the course of our lives appears to influence the extent of this decline. A team of researchers from Technische Universität Berlin are studying how division of labor among honey bees affects their learning performance as they age.
Surprisingly, they have found that, by switching their social role, aging honey bees can keep their learning ability intact or even improve it. The scientists are planning to use them as a model to study general aging processes in the brain, and they even hope that they may provide some clues on how to prevent them. Dr. Ricarda Scheiner, leader of the research team, will present these findings at the Society of Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in Glasgow on July 1st 2009.
The oldest bees in a colony are the foragers - a task that demands a high amount of energy. With increasing foraging duration, their capacity for associative learning was found to decrease. On the other hand, no decline was observed in nurse bees that remain inside the hive taking care of the brood and the queen, even though their age was the same as that of their foraging sisters. When the scientists artificially forced a subset of these foragers to revert to nursing tasks, they discovered that their learning performance improved again, demonstrating a remarkable plasticity in their brain circuits.
"The honey bee is a great model", explains Dr. Scheiner, "because we can learn a lot about social organization from it and because it allows us to revert individuals into a 'younger' stage. If we remove all of the nurse bees of a colony, some of the foragers will revert to nursing behavior and their brains become 'young' again. We thus hope to study the mechanisms responsible for age-dependent effects, like oxidative damage, and also to discover new ways to act against these aging processes."We are all familiar with the fact that cognitive function declines as we get older.... more
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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON THE STARBURST "KILT" COMMERCIAL. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE WATCHING THE COMMERCIAL FOR STARBURST CANDY. This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while watching the "Kilt" commercial for Starburst Candy. *Red means activating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON THE STARBURST "KILT" COMMERCIAL. THIS IS WHAT A... more
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Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell gets inside the food industry's pursuit of the perfect spaghetti sauce -- and makes a larger argument about the nature of choice and happiness. This presentation unites maths, ecology, psychology and science into a fascinating cultural observation.Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell gets inside the food industry's pursuit of... more
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Psychopathic killers are the basis for some must-watch TV, but what really makes them tick? In this video, neuroscientist Jim Fallon talks about brain scans and genetic analysis that may uncover the rotten wiring in the nature (and nurture) of murderers. In a too-strange-for-fiction twist, he shares a fascinating family history that makes his work chillingly personal.Psychopathic killers are the basis for some must-watch TV, but what really makes them... more
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"Have you ever experienced that eerie feeling of a thought popping into your head as if from nowhere, with no clue as to why you had that particular idea at that particular time? You may think that such fleeting thoughts, however random they seem, must be the product of predictable and rational processes. After all, the brain cannot be random, can it? Surely it processes information using ordered, logical operations, like a powerful computer?
Actually, no. In reality, your brain operates on the edge of chaos. Though much of the time it runs in an orderly and stable way, every now and again it suddenly and unpredictably lurches into a blizzard of noise.
Neuroscientists have long suspected as much. Only recently, however, have they come up with proof that brains work this way. Now they are trying to work out why. Some believe that near-chaotic states may be crucial to memory, and could explain why some people are smarter than others.
In technical terms, systems on the edge of chaos are said to be in a state of "self-organised criticality". These systems are right on the boundary between stable, orderly behaviour - such as a swinging pendulum - and the unpredictable world of chaos, as exemplified by turbulence...""Have you ever experienced that eerie feeling of a thought popping into your head... more
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The Samaveda (Sanskrit from sāman "melody" + veda "knowledge" ), is second (in the usual order) of the four Vedas, the ancient core Hindu scriptures. Its earliest parts are believed to date from 1000 BC and it ranks next in sanctity and liturgical importance to the Rigveda. It consists of a collection of hymns, portions of hymns, and detached verses, all but 75 taken from the Rigveda, to be sung, using specifically indicated melodies called Samagana, by Udgatar priests at sacrifices in which the juice of the Soma plant, clarified and mixed with milk and other ingredients, is offered in libation to various deities.
The verses have been transposed and re-arranged, without reference to their original order, to suit the rituals in which they were to be employed. There are frequent variations from the text of the Rigveda that are in some cases glosses but in others offer an older pronunciation than that of the Rigveda. When sung the verses are further altered by prolongation, repetition and insertion of stray syllables, as well as various modulations, rests and other modifications prescribed in the song-books.
This is a 26 year old brain listening to the Samaveda chanting with his EYES CLOSED, notice how the visual cortex lights up even with the eyes closed. This is the first time anyone has looked at the brain while listening to the Samaveda chanting.The Samaveda (Sanskrit from sāman "melody" + veda "knowledge" ),... more
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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON PINK FLOYD. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE LISTENING TO THE SONG - ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL PART 3 BY PINK FLOYD. This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while listening to the song, Another Brick in the Wall part 3, by Pink Floyd.
*Red means activating, blue means deactivating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON PINK FLOYD. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE... more
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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON CNN - SANJAY GUPTA REPORTS. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE WATCHING SANJAY GUPTA GIVE A REPORT ON THE SWINE FLU OUTBREAK FROM MEXICO CITY. This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while watching CNN's Sanjay Gupta give a report on the Swine Flu Outbreak.
*Red means activating, blue means deactivating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON CNN - SANJAY GUPTA REPORTS. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN... more
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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MAURICE SENDAK'S WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE TRAILER. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE WATCHING THE TRAILER FOR WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while watching the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are, directed by Spike Jonze.
*Red means activating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MAURICE SENDAK'S WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE TRAILER. THIS IS... more
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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON VIDEO OF DICK CHENEY TALKING TO CBS' FACE THE NATION. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE WATCHING DICK CHENEY TALK ABOUT COLIN POWELL AND RUSH LIMBAUGH ON FACE THE NATION. This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while watching video of Former Vice-President Dick Cheney on Face the Nation talking about Colin Powell and Rush Limbaugh.
*Red means activating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON VIDEO OF DICK CHENEY TALKING TO CBS' FACE THE NATION. THIS... more
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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON VIDEO OF WANDA SYKES SPEAKING AT THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT'S DINNER. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE WATCHING WANDA SYKES MAKE JOKES ABOUT RUSH LIMBAUGH AT THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT'S DINNER. This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while watching video of Wanda Sykes at the White House Correspondent's Dinner joking about Rush Limbaugh.
*Red means activating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON VIDEO OF WANDA SYKES SPEAKING AT THE WHITE HOUSE... more
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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE TRAILER. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE WATCHING THE TRAILER FOR HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while watching the trailer for J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
*Red means activating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE TRAILER. THIS IS WHAT A... more
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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON BEYONCE'S SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT) MUSIC VIDEO. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE WATCHING THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR SINGLE LADIES BY BEYONCE. This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while watching the music video for Beyonce's Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).
*Red means activating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON BEYONCE'S SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT) MUSIC VIDEO.... more
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"In the fall of 2005, the Dalai Lama gave the inaugural Dialogues between Neuroscience and Society lecture at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington, DC. There were over 30,000 neuroscientists registered for the meeting, and it seemed as if most of them attended the talk. The Dalai Lama’s address was designed to highlight the areas of convergence between neuroscience and Buddhist thought about the mind, and to many in the audience he clearly achieved his objective. There was some controversy over his being invited to deliver this lecture insofar as he is both a head of state and a religious leader, and for that reason he largely stuck to his prepared text. But he strayed from the text at least once, reminding the audience that not only was he a Buddhist monk but also an enthusiastic proponent of modern technology.
The Dalai Lama’s interest in neuroscience has been reciprocated by at least some members of the neuroscience community. Reasoning that studying the brains of people who meditate might lead to novel insights about the human brain, investigations of long-term meditators has been fertile ground for scientific investigation, with some of the more rigorous work emerging from Richard Davidson’s laboratory at the University of Wisconsin. From the perspective of neuroscience, meditation can be characterized as a series of mental exercises by which one strengthens one’s control over the workings of their own brain. What was most remarkable about this study was that long-term meditators were able to produce sustained gamma-activity in a manner that had never previously been observed in any other human. As such, sustained gamma activity has emerged as a proxy for at least some aspects of the meditative state."
Much more at link!"In the fall of 2005, the Dalai Lama gave the inaugural Dialogues between... more
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"Socialites and curmudgeons not only have different party demeanors, they may also have different brain structures, a new study suggests. But what came first — the incentive to charm or the bolstered brain anatomy — is still a matter of debate.
Forty-one randomly selected men filled out a questionnaire assessing their own tendency to, say, "make a warm personal connection." Those who reported being sociable and emotionally demonstrative also tended to have denser cell concentration in two brain structures: the orbitofrontal cortex and the ventral striatum, said the study's head researcher Graham Murray of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
The research was published in the May 20 issue of the European Journal of Neuroscience.
Many studies have found correlations between the size of a particular brain structure and physical behavior, such as the classic finding that taxi drivers often have more developed hippocampi, structures associated with spatial memory. Whether the above-average geographic abilities existed before or only developed after the subjects became cabbies is unclear. The burgeoning field of social neuroscience is producing similar findings.
For example, the structural research by Murray and colleagues is backed by a recent study published in Nature Neuroscience and led by Michael Cohen. He showed that strong neuronal connections between the orbitofrontal cortex and striatum were also associated with social pleasure.
"Connectivity encourages growth of brain regions," Murray said, so taken together the studies suggest two causal relationships. A particular brain composition could create a warm personality, but experiencing social behavior could also create a social brain, he said.
Most likely it is both nature and nurture acting in tandem, creating "a snowball effect," Murray theorized. Experience spurs brain growth, brain growth influences behavior, behavior affects experience and around we go.""Socialites and curmudgeons not only have different party demeanors, they may... more
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"Perfectionism, as a way of life, tends to be self-defeating. New research suggests it may also be deadly.
That's the conclusion of a Canadian study of senior citizens just published in the Journal of Health Psychology. Researchers conducted psychological tests on 450 elderly residents of southern Alberta, and then kept tabs on them for 6½ years. During that period, just over 30 percent of the subjects, who ranged in age from 65 to 87, died.
Perfectionists — that is, those who expressed "a strong motivation to be perfect" and revealed a tendency toward "all or nothing thinking" — were approximately 51 percent more likely to have died during the life of the study than those with more reasonable self-expectations. Those who were rated high on neuroticism — for instance, those who reported often feeling tense — did even worse: Their risk of death nearly doubled compared with those with a more relaxed disposition.
In contrast, "risk of death was significantly lower for high scorers in conscientiousness, extraversion and optimism," reports lead author Prem S. Fry, a research psychologist at British Columbia's Trinity Western University. She notes that previous research has found that "perfectionism exerts a great deal of stress on health," while optimism "is viewed as a stress-alleviating factor."
"In short, our findings confirmed that conscientiousness and extraversion are health-related dimensions that are enabling in their effects, and perfectionism and neuroticism are disabling," she concludes. "It is noteworthy that these associations endure well into late life."
The findings have interesting implications for seniors' health care providers and caregivers. They suggest physicians and family members are well-advised to be vigilant in noticing perfectionist tendencies, and understanding of the physical and psychological toll they can take.
The desire to pursue a favorite task or hobby at the same high level one achieved in previous years is very understandable, and in many ways commendable. But at the same time, it's important to be cognizant of the stress such an effort can produce and the negative health effects that can result.""Perfectionism, as a way of life, tends to be self-defeating. New research... more
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