MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'amygdala'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:59:40 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159946&cid=t_101422_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FI1ujEhDOl6s%2F As far as I’m aware Seth Godin is not a certified Life Coach, nor does he write about Life Coaching or even self development per se. He does however, own what in my opinion is probably the best blog on the planet and has written some amazing books . Even though he’s first and foremost a marketeer, Seth dispenses the kind of common sense wisdom that is in reality, very uncommon and that’s why Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159946 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:28:27 +0100 5159946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960118&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F23%2Fmeditation-for-slow-learners%2F You can’t read too many health headlines anymore before you run across a story extolling meditation’s many health benefits: from calming anxiety to increasing resilience, from lowering blood pressure to building immunity. Meditation does it all! And is being embraced in practically every medical field. But what is it? I’m a bit of a slow learner, so even as I promised myself two years ago that I would start each day with 20 minutes of meditation, I am still thumbing through books trying to figure out how, exactly, you do it. I have learned much from Elisha Goldstein’s Psych Central blog, “Mindfulness and Psychotherapy.” Because I believe, on some level, that all forms of meditation are about creating space. And Elisha reminds his readers of that by continually repeating the mea... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960118 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:16:50 +0100 4960118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820998&cid=t_101422_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FwWKmkNNTOac%2F This article originally appeared on her Psychology Today blog. More on her work can be found at sianbeilock.com (Source: SharpBrains) SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820998 Thu, 12 May 2011 16:34:21 +0100 4820998 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4768045&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F30%2Ftaming-our-brains-amygdala%2F In The Emotional Brain, Joseph LeDoux, a professor of neuroscience at New York University, explains the “fear system” in laboratory animals — such as monkeys — and humans. The almond-shaped clump of tissue called the amygdala can be a real troublemaker. Whenever you sense potential danger (26 voice-mails on your cell phone coming to life like the Nutcracker), the amygdala triggers an “oh, crap!” reaction, pumping adrenaline and other (not so great) hormones into your bloodstream. A fraction of a second later, the higher, more educated, evolved, sophisticated (Harvard professor type) region of the brain gets the signal and takes on the case, digging for the truth, sometimes accusing the amygdala of being an over-reactive alarmist. Unfortunately we experi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4768045 Sat, 30 Apr 2011 11:48:34 +0100 4768045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670172&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F02%2Fhow-to-be-afraid-an-interview-with-taylor-clark%2F Today I have the honor of interviewing Taylor Clark, author of the BRILLIANT book Nerve: Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Control. It’s amazing material, so I wanted to learn even more. 1. In all your interviews and discussions with brain experts, what study or piece of research about fear was most helpful to you in trying to overcome your own fear? I actually have two answers to this question — or, rather, one answer and one clarification. I’ll offer the clarification first, because it’s absolutely vital to understanding how to deal productively with our fears: trying to “overcome” anxiety and phobias by doing battle against them just doesn’t work. (Believe me, this is a lesson I had to learn the hard way.) Even though an... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670172 Sat, 02 Apr 2011 11:56:39 +0100 4670172 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419138&cid=t_101422_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmeditation-how-it-may-change-the-brain%2F2011.01.31 Meditation sounds like a great idea from the perspective of a psychiatrist: Anything that calms and focuses the mind is a good thing (and without pharmaceuticals, even better). Personally, I tried transcendental meditation as a kid (more to do with my mother than with me) and found it to be boring. I have trouble keeping my thoughts still. They wander to what I want for dinner, and should I write about this on Shrink Rap, and will Clink and Victor ever eat crabcakes with me again, and did I remember to give my last patient informed consent, and a zillion other things. Holding my thoughts still is work. The New York Times Well blog has an article on meditation and brain changes. In “How Meditation May Change the Brain,” Sindya N. Bhanoo writes: The researchers report that those ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419138 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:00:00 +0100 4419138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4389219&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F23%2F11-tips-to-help-manage-anxiety%2F If your mind were a diesel engine, anxiety would be the leaded gas that was accidentally poured in and responsible for all the burps and stutters. Even more so than depression, I think, anxiety is the big disabler in my life, with a capital D. That is why I try to nip my anxiety in its early symptoms. That doesn’t always happen, of course, but here are some techniques I try, and seem to work for me. Who knows, maybe they’ll work for you too! 1. Recognize the reptilian brain. My therapist friend Elvira Aletta gives a brilliant neuropsychology lesson in one of her posts where she explains the two parts of our brain: the primitive part containing the amygdala — which is responsible for generating and processing our fear and other primal emotions — and our frontal lobes... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4389219 Sun, 23 Jan 2011 13:22:31 +0100 4389219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294715&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F23085215%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7EThe-Twitter-Spot-in-Your-Brain.htm These days, you can’t go online without bumping into someone styling himself as a social media guru, a Facebook expert, or a power user of Twitter. And, if you check their online profiles, they actually do have thousands of friends and followers. But are these real friends, or did the supposed expert socializers simply crank [...] CommentsIt wouldn't surprise me if sooner than later employment ... by Gabriele Maidecchi[...] is correlated with how social you are. Go check out the ... by The facebook and twitter area in your brain | brainhealthhacksPlus 3 more...Related StoriesStarbucks, Your Digital Neighborhood?Scent Marketing vs. Social MediaTop Neuromarketing Posts of 2010 (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294715 Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:53:21 +0100 4294715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4241835&cid=t_101422_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FXtT5veL6888%2F My interest in the brain stems from wanting to better understand both how to make school more palatable for students, and professional development more meaningful for faculty. To that end, I began my Neurons Firing blog in April, 2007, have been doing a lot of reading, and been attending workshops and conferences, including Learning & the Brain. If you agree that our brains are designed for learning, then as educators it is incumbent upon us to be looking for ways to maximize the learning process for each of our students, as well as for ourselves. Some of what follows is simply common sense, but I’ve learned that all of it has a scientific basis in our brains. 1. Review and 2. Reflection are two means for thinking about what is being learned. Review can be done in the moments after ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4241835 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:25:24 +0100 4241835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3742321&cid=t_101422_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2F02%2Fscared_by_the_light%2F Using state-of-the-art technique called optogenetics, researchers provide new insights into the neural basis of fear conditioning (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3742321 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:25:47 +0100 3742321 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3501608&cid=t_101422_122_f&fid=35066&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurodudes.com%2F2010%2F04%2F23%2F999%2F When we learn new information we use only a tiny fraction of the neurons in our brain for that particular memory trace. In order to allow the molecular study of those specific neurons we combined elements of the tet system with a promoter that is activated by high level neural activity (the cfos promoter) to generate mice in which a genetic tag can be introduced into neurons that are active at a given point in time. The tag can be maintained for a prolonged period, creating a precise record of the neural activity pattern at a specific point in time. Using fear conditioning we found that the same neurons activated during learning were reactivated when the animal recalled the fearful event. We also found that these neurons were no longer activated following memory extinction, consistent with... neurodudes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3501608 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:43:11 +0100 3501608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3403925&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F25%2Fbending-science-in-service-of-book-promotion%2F Conclusions – People love sex. People love reading about sex. And people really love reading about how everything can be explained by sex or some gender differences. If it’s something about rats, that’s fine… You can gloss over the fact that it’s only been proven in rat studies by simply leaving that to the footnotes or references. Simplicity – You need to get to the point. Nobody’s buying the book to read dry academic studies. So authors make sure they season their book with lots of little anecdotes about small, unpublished classroom studies, or something overheard at a dinner party. People like stories because they’re simple and engaging. Stories have little scientific value, but they will “prove” the points nonetheless, at lea... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3403925 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:23:59 +0100 3403925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3254574&cid=t_101422_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Famygdala-and-gaming-decisions.html From the BBC:Patients with amygdala injury 'unafraid' to gamble09 February 2010"Californian scientists think they may have discovered the part of the brain which makes people fear losing money."Read the full article (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3254574 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:54:00 +0100 3254574 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096919&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fabstract_amygdala_volumes_in_a_sample_of_current_depressed_.htm Conclusions: Given that amygdala alterations were present only in remitted patients, we suggest that such alterations appear to be a state marker of MDD. Further, we found evidence of a lateralization effect, with changes in the left hemisphere only. Left amygdala enlargement in the rMDD group may represent a neurobiological marker of vulnerability to relapse, or may reflect recovery from MDD, whereby volumetric changes have resulted from stress associated with the last depressive episode. (Information link added; ed.) Source... Copyright © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096919 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:03:00 +0100 3096919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096903&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F12%2F16%2F6-ways-to-manage-anxiety-holiday-stress-tips%2F If you are like me, you’re going to need some tips to manage your holiday stress. Here’s my small contribution to your problem, some Holiday stress management. If your mind were a diesel engine, anxiety would be the leaded gas that was accidentally poured in and responsible for all the burps and stutters. Even more so than depression, I think, anxiety is the big disabler in my life, with a capital D, which is why I try to nip it in its early symptoms. That doesn’t always happen, of course, but here are some techniques I try. 1. Recognize the reptilian brain. My therapist friend Elvira Aletta gives a brilliant neuro-psychology lesson in one of her posts where she explains the two parts of our brain: the primitive part containing the amygdala–which is responsible for ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096903 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:35:48 +0100 3096903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067128&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fgeneralized_anxiety_disorder_produces_distinct_brain_pattern.htm By Stephanie Pappas Stanford University School of Medicine Scrambled connections between the part of the brain that processes fear and emotion and other brain regions could be the hallmark of a common anxiety disorder, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine. The findings could help researchers identify biological differences between types of anxiety disorders as well as such disorders as depression. The study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, examined the brains of people with generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, a psychiatric condition in which patients spend their days in a haze of worry over everyday concerns. Researchers have known that the amygdala, a pair of almond-sized bundles of nerve fibers in the middle of the brain that help pro... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067128 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:10:00 +0100 3067128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3033621&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F11%2F27%2Fa-note-to-the-severely-depressed-dont-try-so-hard%2F I don’t know about you, but when I’m severely depressed 90 percent of my negative thinking is based on the fact that I am a failure because all my cognitive-behavioral strategies and positive thinking and mindfulness attempts aren’t working. I discussed this with Dr. Smith yesterday and she reminded me, once more, that severe depression can’t be treated in a mind-over-matter way. Her compassionate logic made me review the pages of my forthcoming book, Beyond Blue, where I list the neurological and scientific reasons why. And I breathed a much-needed sigh of relief. You deserve one too. Here’s my passage: Trying too hard was precisely my problem. It was the mind over matter issue again. In my mind, I was failing because I couldn’t think myself to perfect... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3033621 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:23:30 +0100 3033621 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2851837&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F30%2F10-ways-to-lower-anxiety-and-find-empowerment%2F 1. Knowledge is power. The more you know about how your brain works the better. So here’s a little neuro-psychology lesson. What you need to know is that the most primitive part of our brains, the inner bit in the middle, is the limbic system, also called the reptilian brain because it’s the oldest most primitive part. Within that is the amygdala. For our purposes it’s enough to know that scientists believe that everything we need to keep ourselves, and therefore our species, alive originates here, including fear in its rawest form. Our frontal lobes are in the newest part of the brain, the neo-cortex. Our ability to judge, to filter out right from wrong, to determine appropriate from inappropriate behavior, real vs. unreal, reasonable vs. unreasonable resides here. It&#8... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2851837 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:38:54 +0100 2851837 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820279&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F22%2Fuse-caution-with-positive-thinking%2F Back in July, John Cloud wrote a piece for “Time” Magazine called “Yes, I Suck: Self-Help Through Negative Thinking.” In the article, Cloud lays out the research why “cognitive restructuring,” the process of retraining your thoughts–of changing self-defeating attitudes to constructive ones–simply doesn’t work. Actually, it’s worse than that. Sometimes when we tell ourselves statements that we don’t really believe (”I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me”), it can decrease the little self-esteem we had to begin with. As I mentioned in my post “Happy Thoughts Can Make You Sad,” this is precisely why Dr. Smith told me to stay away from self-help books when I was s... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820279 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:56:08 +0100 2820279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774735&cid=t_101422_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FT6qWkjZpDtg%2F Have you already read The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness? Let's see... 1. Pick the only part of your body that does not contain fat: a. Arm b. Thigh c. Brain d. None Answer: d) Fats are also present in the brain: in neurons’ membranes to keep them flexible. These fats are the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids molecules. (Page 32 of the book) 2. Pick the only food product that doesn’t contain Omega-3 fatty acids a. Tuna b. Walnut c. Kiwi d. Jelly Beans Answer: d) Fatty acids can be found in cold-water fish (such as mackerel, herring, salmon, and tuna), kiwi, and walnuts. (Page 33) 3. Pick the only food product that doesn’t contain antioxidants a. Olive oil b. Milk c. Nuts d. Berries Answer: b) Antioxidants can be found in vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables (e.g., spinach),... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774735 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:41:31 +0100 2774735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2685239&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fabstract_extracellular_serotonin_level_in_the_basolateral_n.htm Brain Res. 2009;doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2009.07.074 Extracellular serotonin level in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala and dorsal periaqueductal gray under unconditioned and conditioned fear states: an in vivo microdialysis study Zanoveli JM, Carvalho MC, Cunha JM, Brandão ML. Serotonin (5-HT) plays a key role in the neural circuitry mediating unconditioned and conditioned fear responses related to panic and generalized anxiety disorders. The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) and the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) appear to be mainly involved in these conditions. The aim of this study was to measure the extracellular level of 5-HT and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the BLA and dPAG during unconditioned and conditioned fear states using in vivo m... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2685239 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:39:00 +0100 2685239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2649052&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fscent_of_fear_puts_brain_in_emergency_mode.htm by Caroline Williams The smell of the sweat you produce when terrified is not only registered by the brains of others, but changes their behaviour too, according to new research. It adds to a growing body of evidence that humans may communicate using scent in a similar way to how other animals use pheromones. Lilianne Mujica-Parodi, a cognitive neuroscientist at Stony Brook University in New York and colleagues collected sweat from the armpits of first-time tandem skydivers as they hurtled towards the earth. More... © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2649052 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:35:00 +0100 2649052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2602042&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fabstract_shortterm_antidepressant_treatment_modulates_amyg.htm Conclusions: These early, direct effects of antidepressant administration on emotional processing are consistent with a cognitive neuropsychological model of antidepressant action. (Link added; ed.) Source... © Springer. Part of Springer Science+Business Media (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2602042 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:03:00 +0100 2602042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2594476&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2F12%2Fswearing-reduces-pain%2F Back in March, I reported on a study by Timothy Jay describing how and why humans swear. As a researcher studying swearing for 35 years, Jay had some interesting insights. Now add one more reason to the list — we swear not merely as a reaction to pain, but because it can actually reduce our sense of pain. The new finding comes from research that tested the hypothesis with a bunch (67) of college students and some ice cold water. Students were given a choice when they plunged their warm hands into the freezing water — chant a neutral word, or repeat a swear word instead. Those students who chose to swear reported less subjective pain than the neutral word chanters, and could endure the icy cold water with their hands for about 40 seconds longer on average. Some researcher spec... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2594476 Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:51:54 +0100 2594476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2580254&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Ffinding_fear_neuroscientists_locate_where_it_is_encoded_in_.htm Joel Schwarz Fear is a powerful emotion and neuroscientists have for the first time located the neurons responsible for fear conditioning in the mammalian brain. Fear conditioning is a form of Pavlovian, or associative, learning and is considered to be a model system for understanding human phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders. Using an imaging technique that enabled them to trace the process of neural activation in the brains of rats, University of Washington researchers have pinpointed the basolateral nucleus in the region of the amygdala as the place where fear conditioning is encoded. Neuroscientists previously suspected that both the amygdala and another brain region, the dorsal hippocampus, were where cues get associated when fear memories are formed. B... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2580254 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:10:00 +0100 2580254 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2416976&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fresearchers_identify_a_fear_onoff_switch.htm Adriana Bobinchock Researchers at McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School, have identified a protein in the brain that serves as a trigger for the body's innate fear response. This discovery suggests a new potential target for the development of new medications aimed at treating anxiety, particularly generalized anxiety disorder, a condition that afflicts millions. In a paper published in the current issue of Cell, Vadim Bolshakov, PhD, director of the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory at McLean and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and his colleagues report mice lacking the transient receptor potential channel 5 (TRPC5) gene showed diminished fear levels in response to stimuli that they normally would fear innately, compared t... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2416976 Mon, 18 May 2009 09:13:00 +0100 2416976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2380872&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fnew_antidepressant_target_identified.htm Disrupting an acid-sensitive protein in the brain produces antidepressant effects in mice Jennifer Brown & Todd Bentsen A protein in the brain may represent a new target for the treatment of depression, according to a study by University of Iowa and the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center researchers published in The Journal of Neuroscience. The study shows that disrupting the acid-sensitive ion channel-1a (ASIC1a) produces antidepressant-like effects in mice. The effect was similar to that produced by currently available antidepressants, but is produced through a different biological mechanism. They focused on ASIC1a because recent studies have pointed to a role for this ion channel in depression. In particular, previous animal studies [1, 2] from Wemmie's lab showed that ASIC1a... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2380872 Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:00:00 +0100 2380872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376222&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F26%2Fyou-really-hate-me-on-taking-criticism-real-or-imaginary%2F I guess we depressives are a tad sensitive. On the comment box of my post, “Brain Changes After Depression,” many readers confessed that they take criticism the same way I do–as a life sentence–and appreciated the scientific explanation as to why we might do that. Reader Leslie wrote: Oh, I can so identify with this. I’ve come close to suicide at times because of my fear response to criticism. I hope it helps you as it helps me to know it’s not because I’m a bad person that I can’t handle criticism - it’s just that my brain is not wired the way those other “healthy” people’s brains are. Yes, actually, it does help me to know what’s going on in my amygdala, or fear center, when I read the harsh comments that tempt... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376222 Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:30:54 +0100 2376222 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2150762&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F02%2F01%2Frecession-anxiety-8-tips-to-manage-financial-stress%2F Like most dinner conversations last night, ours was about Wall Street, the economic recession, and our course of action. As my husband, Eric, and I talked about what we should do in this financial crisis, it occurred to me that the same tools that I use for my general anxiety disorder can be applied to frenzy triggered by the economy: when you fret about losing your home, car, stocks, junk bonds, retirement savings, college funds, and everything else in the lyrics of a bad country song (truck, sorry forgot the truck). 1. Ignore Amy The amygdala, the almond-shaped group of neurons in the limbic system of the brain, is considered by most neurobiologists our fear system, and it acts like an ape or a human would have acted, say, back when we still had lots of hair all over. The adrenaline th... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2150762 Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:28:44 +0100 2150762 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2074926&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fbrain_scans_may_predict_anxiety_treatment_response.htm Jill Sakai A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment. A new study reports that high levels of brain activity in an emotional center called the amygdala reflect patients' hypersensitivity to anticipation of adverse events. At the same time, high activity in a regulatory region known as the anterior cingulate cortex is associated with a positive clinical response to a common antidepressant medication. The study will appear in an upcoming issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. For individuals with anxiety disorders, the anticipation of a bad outcome can be worse than the outcome itself, says Jack Nitschke, assistant professor and clinical psy... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2074926 Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:39:00 +0100 2074926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1927898&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fultra_fast_scanner_captures_brain_fear_response.htm Scientists have captured the split-second workings of the brain's fear circuitry in people viewing frightful faces. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) researchers visualized this fleeting activity in the brain's fear hub, called the amygdala, using a lightning-fast brain imaging technique called magnetoencephalography (MEG). They showed that such rapid, fear-related neural processes can now be studied non-invasively in living humans, with time resolution that other types of scanners can't even come close to matching. Until now, scientists studying mental illnesses have been limited in their ability to see emotion circuits at work deep in the human brain. Brain circuits operate on a millisecond time-scale. Yet the predominant functional brain imaging tool, functional magnetic re... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1927898 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:24:00 +0100 1927898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1901917&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Femotional_memories_study_gives_insights_into_anxiety_disorde.htm Neuroscientists at The University of Queensland, Australia have discovered a new way to explain how emotional events can sometimes lead to disturbing long term memories. In evolutionary terms, the brain's ability to remember a fear or trauma response has been crucial to our long term survival. However, in the modern world, when a similar type of fear response is triggered by a traumatic event such as being in combat; being exposed to abuse or being involved a major car accident, we do not want to repeatedly re-experience the episode, in vivid detail, for the rest of our lives. During studies of the almond-shaped part of the brain called the amygdala - a region associated with processing emotions - Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) scientists have uncovered a cellular mechanism underlying th... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901917 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:49:00 +0100 1901917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1883395&cid=t_101422_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FURmaxshP12k%2F A new research study states (per the October 15th Science Daily): People with autism-related disorders are less likely to make irrational decisions, and are less influenced by gut instincts. The study is published in the Journal of Neuroscience, and was funded by the Wellcome Trust. Professor Ray Dolan’s group at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London looked at how the “framing effect”—according to which how we respond to a problem depends on how the problem is presented—affects decision-making in individuals with autism spectrum disorders: Participants in the study performed a task involving deciding whether or not to gamble with a sum of money. For example, they would be given £50 and be presented with two options: opti... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1883395 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:00:27 +0100 1883395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1863006&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Flearned_safety_cheers_anxious__depressed_mice.htm Teaching mice not to be afraid reveals potential targets for anxiety and depression drugs Why do some people have the ability to remain calm and relaxed even in the most stressful situations? New experiments in mice by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers are providing insight into how the brain changes when the animals learn to feel safe and secure in situations that would normally make them anxious. Organisms ranging from simple invertebrates to mammals have evolved mechanisms for instinctive and learned fear that are critical for survival. However, in humans, pathological forms of learned fear can contribute to anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress, and depression. "The fact that learned fear can be associated with psychopathologies in humans suggests that this form of l... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1863006 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:21:00 +0100 1863006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1826158&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F402308871%2Foverheated_amygdala_is_bad_for.html   A small almond shaped amygdala lodged deep inside your brain, can toss a workday into turmoil almost before you get it off the ground. Has it happened to you?  Warning signals for an overheated amygdala are flashing when: * You freeze rather than react to a problem with solutions in mind.* Anxiety slips into your day through others' annoying behaviors.* The past week found you embarrassed over incidents at work. * Panic causes you to make knee-jerk reactions to annoying peers. * Moods spiral you so far down you have to look up to see bottom. Did you know that the above warning signals come from an over-sensitized amygdala, or that successful people often rewire their brains for calmer responses?It's a bit like bypassing your amygdala's automatic default op... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1826158 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:21:21 +0100 1826158 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1782845&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fbrain_uses_both_old_and_new_neural_mechanisms_to_ease_fear.htm Humans have developed complex thought processes that can help to regulate their emotions, but these processes are also linked with evolutionarily older mechanisms that are common across species, according to a study by neuroscientists at New York and Rutgers universities. The research, published in the September 11th issue of the journal Neuron, provides new insight into way the brain manages fear and may guide exploration of novel pharmacological and therapeutic treatments for anxiety disorders. "The ability to eliminate, control or diminish negative emotional responses is important for adaptive function and critical in the treatment of psychopathology," says study author, Dr Mauricio Delgado from Rutgers University. "Recent research examining the neural mechanisms for diminishing fears h... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1782845 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:12:00 +0100 1782845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1668659&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fneuopeptide_discovery_may_lead_to_better_panic_disorder_trea.htm Brain-cell mechanisms involved with adverse memories point way to more effective treatmentsResearchers from University of California, Irvine (UCI) have identified the brain mechanism that switches off traumatic feelings associated with bad memories, a finding that could lead to the development of drugs to treat panic disorders. Together with colleagues from the University of Muenster, Germany they found that a small brain protein, neuropeptide S, is involved in erasing traumatic responses to adverse memories by working on a tiny group of neurons inside the amygdala where those memories are stored. "The exciting part of this study is that we have discovered a completely new process that regulates the adverse responses to bad memories," said Rainer Reinscheid, pharmacology and pharmaceutical... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1668659 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:41:00 +0100 1668659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1606114&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fresearch_identifies_specific_fear_extinction_brain_cells.htm The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that in any given year, about 40 million adults (18 or older) will suffer from some form of anxiety disorder, including debilitating conditions such as phobias, panic disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is estimated that nearly 15 percent of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan develop PTSD, underscoring the urgency to develop better treatment strategies for anxiety disorders. These disorders can lead to myriad problems that hinder daily life - or ruin it altogether - such as drug abuse, alcoholism, marital problems, unemployment and suicide. Functional imaging studies in combat veterans have revealed that the amygdala, a cerebral structure of the temporal lobe known to play a key role in fear and anxiety, i... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1606114 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:19:00 +0100 1606114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1575896&cid=t_101422_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F326177263%2F What's the ultimate "brain training"? Learning. We at SharpBrains love to learn, and to see others learn. That's why we hope you enjoy this essay by educator Laurie Bartels as much as we do. --- 10 Brain Tips That Help Me Teach…and Learn -- By Laurie Bartels My natural rhythms are in cycle with the school calendar. January 1st takes a back seat to my new year, which gets ushered in with the month of September when there is crispness in the air that gradually shakes off the slower, more relaxed pace of summer. Conveniently, my career in teaching meshes with my natural cyclical year. And as this year draws to a close, I am reenergized by the pace of summer, knowing that anything may pop in to my mind as I engage in activities not directly related to school. But before that happen... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1575896 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:53:43 +0100 1575896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1500628&cid=t_101422_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F305506140%2F We had the fortune to interview Dr. Brett Steenbarger on Enhancing Trader Performance and The Psychology of Trading as we launched our Neuroscience Interview Series. Below, Expert Contributor Dr. Janice Dorn provides an in-depth brain-based discussion of the topic, concluding that "The brain is the most powerful structure in the known universe and the only trading tool that the trader needs to become an expert." No matter whether you are a Pro or Amateur Trader...this will certainly exercise your brain! (Dr. Dorn is preparing more articles on trading performance and the brain...so stay tuned). This is Your Brain On Trading -- By Dr. Janice Dorn  The opening bell sounds, and sixty million traders enter the greatest arena in the world to do battle with each other. They put their ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1500628 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:18:49 +0100 1500628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1498075&cid=t_101422_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F305506140%2F We had the fortune to interview Dr. Brett Steenbarger on Enhancing Trader Performance and The Psychology of Trading as we launched our Neuroscience Interview Series. Below, Expert Contributor Dr. Janice Dorn provides an in-depth brain-based discussion of the topic, concluding that "The brain is the most powerful structure in the known universe and the only trading tool that the trader needs to become an expert." No matter whether you are a Pro or Amateur Trader...this will certainly exercise your brain! (Dr. Dorn is preparing more articles on trading performance and the brain...so stay tuned). This is Your Brain On Trading -- By Dr. Janice Dorn  The opening bell sounds, and sixty million traders enter the greatest arena in the world to do battle with each other. They put their ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1498075 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:45:31 +0100 1498075 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1395090&cid=t_101422_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2008%2F4%2F24%2Fknow-your-place.html This study provides unequivocal neuro-anatomical proof.   (Source: The Doctor Weighs In) The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1395090 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:35:57 +0100 1395090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1375057&cid=t_101422_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2008%2F4%2F16%2Frandom-walks-through-stock-trading-testosterone-guts-and-bra.html By Dov michaeli MD, Ph.DThe April 14 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences carried an intriguing article titled “ Endogenous steroids and financial risk taking on a London trading floor”. Both authors, J.M. Coates and J. Herbert are from the Dept. of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at Cambridge University . But J.M.C. is also from the School of business at Cambridge , and his main research interests are summarized by him thusly: “ I have been sampling endogenous steroids from traders on a trading floor in the City to determine the role of both testosterone and cortisol in their decision making and in their performance. I compliment this field work with behavioral experiments set in the lab and in artificial asset markets” Rag... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1375057 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:28:29 +0100 1375057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1371910&cid=t_101422_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2008%2F4%2F15%2Fwe-are-the-only-animals-that-cry.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.D We are the Only Animals that Cry. By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.D I recently came across a news item about a tearless onion developed by scientists in New Zealand . I, for one, shed many tears over the chopping board, and all because of a substance called the lachrymatory factor. Now, using molecular engineering techniques, the Kiwi scientists silenced the gene that codes for this factor, and voilá – a tearless onion. This got me thinking: this kind of crying is really all reflex, a direct reaction to irritation. It is the same type of reflex that causes our eyes to well up when we are poked in the eye. Another type of tears is the so-called basal tearing, which bathes our eyes every time we blink. Now, these two types of tearing are common to many animals, and the... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1371910 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:52:02 +0100 1371910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1213338&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fyoung_brains_process_fear_differently.htm Very young brains process memories of fear differently than more mature ones, new research indicates. The work significantly advances scientific understanding of when and how fear is stored and unlearned, and introduces new thinking on the implications of fear experience early in life. Study co-authors Jee Hyun Kim and Rick Richardson, PhD, of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, homed in on the amygdala, using anesthesia to temporarily inactivate it and therefore isolate its role. The amygdala is critical for emotional learning and plays a central role in dulling the memory of a fear. Kim and Richardson trained rats that were 16 and 23 days old - the human equivalent of children and budding adolescents - to associate a specific sound with a mild shock to the foot. After... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1213338 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:50:00 +0100 1213338 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1114476&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fsome_brain_injuries_may_protect_against_ptsd.htm A new study of combat-exposed Vietnam War veterans shows that those with injuries to certain parts of the brain were less likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Naval Medical Center, suggest that drugs or pacemaker-like devices aimed at dampening activity in these brain regions might be effective treatments for PTSD. PTSD involves the persistent reliving of a traumatic experience through nightmares and flashbacks that may seem real. Twenty percent to 30 percent of Vietnam vets (more than 1 million) have been diagnosed with PTSD, and a similar rate has been reported among Hurricane Katrina survivors in New Orleans. Public health officials are currently tracking the disorder among soldiers returning... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1114476 Mon, 24 Dec 2007 08:03:00 +0100 1114476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1068771&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fmental_illness_and_drug_addiction_linked_to_disturbances_in_.htm Study finds rats with amygdalas damaged at birth showed abnormal adult behavior related to fear plus greater cocaine sensitivity Why do mental illness and drug addiction so often go together? New research reveals that this type of dual diagnosis may stem from a common cause: developmental changes in the amygdala, a walnut-shaped part of the brain linked to fear, anxiety and other emotions. A full report on why these "comorbid" disorders may develop appears in the December Behavioral Neuroscience, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Dual diagnosis is common yet difficult to treat. Addiction of all types - to nicotine, alcohol and drugs - is often found in people with a wide variety of mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders, unipolar and bipolar depression, schi... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1068771 Tue, 04 Dec 2007 07:39:00 +0100 1068771 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1068653&cid=t_101422_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F12%2F4%2Fshame-on-the-new-york-times.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DOn November 11 I read an Op Ed article in the New York Times titled “This is Your Brain on Politics”. Being interested in neurobiology, and an addict of all things political, I homed in like a laser beam: is this the holy grail of neuroscience? Are we capable of deciphering our innermost thoughts (in this case, political thoughts) using brain imaging techniques?The article was written by three neuroscientists: Marco Iacoboni, Joshua Freedman and Jonas Kaplan of the University of California, Los Angeles, Semel Institute for Neuroscience; a communications professor, Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania; and Tom Freedman, Bill Knapp and Kathryn Fitzgerald of FKF Applied Research. The experiment ... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1068653 Tue, 04 Dec 2007 05:34:59 +0100 1068653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1064935&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F193952051%2Fsurprising_news_from_neuroscie.html Would you agree that people tend to be hardwired to follow the golden rule? If this question intrigues you, you'll likely also be curious about new research that shows surprising results related to your brain and to ethical actions. Interestingly,  neuron pathways open to support you whenever you do something altruistic. At least that’s what Dr. Donald Pfaff discovered recently. In Pfaff’s new book, The Neuroscience of Fair Play, he shows how selfless acts swing into action from the same neural connections that fired to help up raise children with care.Dr. Pfaff shows how this nurturing neural circuitry seems to spring into action to help us help others. How so?Pfaff explains how ethics, fairness and care work from the brain’s perspective.Neurobiologically, ... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1064935 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 17:15:48 +0100 1064935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1028286&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Femotional_effects_of_social_isolation_traced_to_brain_hormon.htm The anxiety and aggression that result from social isolation have been traced to altered levels of an enzyme that controls production of a brain hormone. The study, done in mice by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine, is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "We use this animal model for human stress because social isolation in both animals and humans can be responsible for a range of psychological effects, including anxiety, aggression and memory impairment," said Dr. Erminio Costa, director of the UIC Psychiatric Institute, professor of biochemistry and one of the authors of the study. Previous studies had suggested that the neural pathways that underlie aggression, anxiety and fear include activation of specific types... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1028286 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:13:00 +0100 1028286 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1007609&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fabstract__amygdala_hyperfunction_in_phobic_fear_normalizes_.htm Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the effect of exposure on the amygdala in specific phobia. Our findings suggest that exposure therapy can have an effect on subcortical structures. (Text has been reformatted for clarity; ed.) Source... (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1007609 Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:38:00 +0100 1007609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=996496&cid=t_101422_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F11%2F1%2Fthe-psychology-and-neuroscience-of-hypocrisy.html  By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DAn article in the Sept. 17 2007 issue of Time magazine tweaked my interest. In it the author, John Cloud, argues that the recent crop of Republican homosexual legislators deserves our understanding of their weakness, rather the opprobrium of hypocrisy. To quote Cloud, he is offering “a moistly liberal request: Can we have a moment of pity for moralizers who fall?”His argument runs as follows:“Hypocrisy is among the most universal and well-studied of psychological phenomena, and the research suggests that Craig, Haggard and the others may be guilty not so much of moral hypocrisy as moral weakness. The distinction may sound trivial at first, but as a society, we tend to forgive the weak and shun the hypocritical.Assume for a moment that Craig a... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=996496 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 05:58:37 +0100 996496 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=980496&cid=t_101422_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2Fsleep-deprivation-is-hazardous-to-your-health.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.D“Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more!Macbeth does murder sleep’—the innocent sleep,… The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,Chief nourisher in life’s feast”Macbeth, William Shakespeare, 1600 AD.Four hundred years later UC Berkeley scientists used brain imaging techniques to explain Lady Macbeth’s sleep-deprived brain descent into the darkness of insanity. They studied 26 young adults, half of whom were kept awake for 35 hours straight and the other half were allowed a normal night’s sleep in that same time period. Their brain was then studied using fMRI imaging. This technique shows the blood flow to different areas of the brain... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=980496 Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:11:40 +0100 980496 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=977419&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fthe_neural_heart_of_optimism_identified.htm A neural network that may generate the human tendency to be optimistic has been identified by researchers at New York University. As humans, we expect to live longer and be more successful than average, and we underestimate our likelihood of getting a divorce or having cancer. The results, reported in the most recent issue of Nature, link the optimism bias to the same brain regions that show irregularities in depression. The NYU researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain function while participants thought of possible future life events (such as "winning an award" or "the end of a romantic relationship"). "When participants imagined positive future events relative to negative ones, enhanced activation was detected in the rostral anterior cingulate and am... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=977419 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:04:00 +0100 977419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=974671&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Ffunctional_neuroimaging_of_anxiety_disorders_focus_on_the_a.htm Norman Sussman, MD, DFAPA Many psychiatrists eagerly await the day when functional neuroimaging approaches can help us confirm diagnoses and assist in choosing interventions. Etkin and Wager performed a quantitative meta-analysis of anxiety studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. They looked for common and disorder-specific functional neurobiological deficits in several anxiety disorders-posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. They also compared these deficits to the neural systems engaged during anticipatory anxiety in healthy subjects. More... © 2007 Psychiatry Weekly, LLC (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=974671 Wed, 24 Oct 2007 09:25:00 +0100 974671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=873925&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F156844691%2Fanother_look_inside_your_brain.html Check inside the main parts of your mind and see mental resources that can make or break your career – at  MSNBC’s Interactive Mind Map. 1. Notice how the corpus callosum links your two brain hemispheres. There are huge differences in men’s and women’s corpus callosum – which is why we think and lead differently. 2. See the ofactory bulb where smell originates in your brain, and it’s location will likely explain how aromas at times affect memory and moods. 3. Check out the anterior cingulated gyrus … your attention manager to see where your brain helps you focus and stay on track until a work is completed.4. Locate the thalamus, deep in the central area of the brain, where your sensory switchboard operates. 5. Notice the hypothalamus, where y... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=873925 Sat, 15 Sep 2007 14:10:30 +0100 873925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=802384&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fdysfunctional_emotion_regulating_brain_circuits_may_be_at_he.htm In what may be the first study to use brain imaging to look at the neural circuits involved in emotional control in patients with depression, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that brains of people with clinical depression react very differently than those of healthy people when trying to cope with negative situations. According to the World Health Organization, clinical depression is one of the leading causes of disability and lost productivity in the world. Understanding the root cause of depression, however, has proved difficult. "It's normal for people to have negative emotions in certain circumstances," says lead study author Tom Johnstone. "One of the features of major depression is not that people have negative reactions to negative situations, it's that ... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=802384 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 08:26:00 +0100 802384 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=761698&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fabstract__amygdala_and_hippocampal_volumes_in_familial_earl.htm Conclusions: Reduced hippocampal volume may be suggestive of a risk factor for developing MDD. Source... (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=761698 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:39:00 +0100 761698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=654385&cid=t_101422_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Famygdala-politics-politics-of-fear.html Al Gore brings in a fair smattering of neuroscience in his excellent new book, especially in a chapter about the politics of fear.[photograph by anthony risser, copyright 2007.] (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=654385 Sat, 02 Jun 2007 14:03:00 +0100 654385 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=631503&cid=t_101422_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F5%2F22%2Fthe-obesity-epidemic-genes-or-addiction.html A few weeks ago (May 9, 2007) we posted a comment on Gina Kolata’s article in the New York Times (May 8, 2007) The article basically laid the blame for the obesity epidemic afflicting us at our genes. Kolata reviewed work suggesting that genes are involved in obesity, with the implication that a fight to lose and maintain a lower weight is not only excruciating, it is practically futile.That simply didn’t sound right. At least 10 genes have been discovered thus far that are involved in obesity and diabetes; more are bound to be discovered. We also know that the US population is fast approaching the 50% mark of overweight (BMI 25-29.99) or obese (BMI > 30). These genes presumably are not recent mutations. Why is it then, that only relatively recently did these genes express t... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=631503 Wed, 23 May 2007 06:21:07 +0100 631503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=570902&cid=t_101422_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F4%2F26%2Fthe-making-of-a-mass-killer.html  Genes In 1993 scientists reported on a Dutch family, 14 members of whom were sociopaths, involved in aggressive crimes such as bullying, physical violence, rape, and arson. They all had in common a mutation in a gene that makes an enzyme called MAOA. The function of this enzyme is break down neurotransmitters such as serotonin and noradrenaline (or norepinephrine, a chemical first cousin of adrenaline). The ready conclusion was: defective enzyme caused elevated level of serotonin and noradrenaline, resulting in overactive brain circuits that serve aggressive behavior. Case closed? Not so fast… In a wonderful summary of the topic in Newsweek magazine ( April 30, 2007 ) one of my favorite writers on the subject, Sharon Begley) describes a 2002 study in New Zealand of 442 men who... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=570902 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:00:48 +0100 570902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=651936&cid=t_101422_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Flinkblog%2Fjump%2F%3Fi%3D493380 Discourse on the findings of Corcoran K, et al. "Activity in Prelimbic Cortex is Necessary for the Expression of Learned, But Not Innate, Fears" Journal of Neuroscience, 24 Jan 2007, by by Sevil Duvarci and Denis Paré. Sevil Duvarci and Denis Paré research mechanisms of fear, learning, and memory at the Paré Lab at Rutgers University's Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, where Devarci is a graduate student and Paré is a professor of neuroscience. (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=651936 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 04:01:00 +0100 651936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=498494&cid=t_101422_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F3%2F23%2Fmoral-behavior-is-hardwired-in-your-brain.html A recent paper in the Journal Nature, Damage to the Prefrontal Cortex Increases Utilitarian Moral Judgments  (Nature, advance online publication 21 March 2007),  has provided strong evidence that we are indeed moral animals, and that certain aspects of our moral behavior are hardwired in our brain. The institutions involved in this research (U. Iowa Dept. of Neurology, Harvard U. Dept. of Psychology, and the Brain and Creativity Institute at the U. Southern California) reflect the multi-disciplinary approach required for such a study. Where in the brain is Morality? Our brain is organized in layers, somewhat like an onion. The deepest layer, like the brain stem and the structures around it, is the most ancient, or primitive, from an evolutionary point of view. These structures co... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=498494 Sat, 24 Mar 2007 00:21:09 +0100 498494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=477976&cid=t_101422_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F3%2F16%2Fthe-impact-of-abuse-on-the-brain.html I am at the Family Violence Prevention Fund’s National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence.  One of the panels that I attended examined the impact of child maltreatment on brain development. David McCollum, MD, President of the Academy on Violence and Abuse, reviewed the medical literature on brain changes that occur after child abuse … and I am not talking about brain injury due to being hit on the head, rather I am talking about structural and functional changes in the brain that occur as a result of being exposed to the terror of family violence Dr. McCollum briefly reviewed the biology of human brain maturation. Infants are born with an over  abundance of nerve cells, called neurons, and connections between nerve cells, called synapses. As the child gets... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=477976 Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:15:55 +0100 477976