Monthly Archives: January 2024

Human Behavior

Tapping Into The Power Of Positive Psychology With Acclaimed Expert Niyc Pidgeon – GirlTalkHQ

[Trigger warning: mention of suicide and suicide attempt]

According to Psychology Today, the term Positive Psychology refers to a branch of psychology focused on the character strengths and behaviors that allow individuals to build a life of meaning and purpose. Positive psychology emphasizes meaning and deep satisfaction, not just on fleeting happiness.

While there is overlap with traditional areas of psychology, positive psychology has been described as different from other areas due to its primary interest in identifying and building mental assets, as opposed to addressing weaknesses and problems.

Positive Psychology expert Niyc Pidgeon not only makes it her life mission to help clients build a life of meaning and purpose, she has the personal experience to back it up. She isan award-winning and best-selling motivationalspeaker, accomplished author, business mentor, and positive psychologist, deeply committed to igniting joy and personal empowerment in her clients. Niyc shares her insights and tips through her podcast series Unstoppable Success, which we highly recommend subscribing to.

Niyc has a thriving positive psychology practice that she scaled from her friends bedroom floor and has touched the lives of over 100k people through her seminars and books like Now is Your Chance. Shes opened up about incredibly tough subjects, like inher interview with Marie Clairewhichcovers the time she was abducted and sexually assaulted while on vacation in Ibiza. She has also lost several friends to suicide and survived a suicide attempt herself.

Without falling into the tropes of toxic positivity we see online and in mental health conversations today, Niyc has found ways to encourage others to tap into their communities for support and buoy their resilience in the face of the insurmountable.Today, Niyc is known as one of the most influential positive psychologists, according toForbes,Marie ClaireandRichard Branson. NBD

As 2024 continues to unfold and we work our way through goal-setting, and living up to the resolutions and commitments we have made for ourselves this year, we wanted to learn more from Niyc and tap into the power of positive psychology. Read on below to learn how Niyc utilizes her personal story to create connection, the daily rituals she swears by, and her definition of success.

I became fascinated by human behavior after having a conversation with my boyfriend back in 2005. He was a professional cricket player and the sport psychologist he was working with had him do a visualization process in a session where he guided him to imagine he was on the cricket field with the bat in his hand. He asked him not to look at the fielders, but to look for the gaps in between them instead.

It made me think about what might be possible when we focus on opportunities instead of problems. And from that single conversation I was inspired to cancel my mechanical and automotive engineering degrees and study psychology instead and Im so glad I did.

Ive always been entrepreneurial with a desire to help people. My first business was as a kid ironing my dads work shirts and charging him 50p per item. I wasnt very good at it at all!

Then after reading Tim Ferris 4 hour work week back in 2009 I decided I wanted to set up an online business to create passive income. My first online business was actually a supplements company, and alongside that I was working as a personal trainer, as well as lecturing in universities, and running my own events, and studying my masters degree! I was far too busy and I had to reassess my strategy because I was making money some months and struggling other months. The income rollercoaster was also an emotional rollercoaster and I was putting in a lot of effort and helping a lot of people, but wasnt getting paid enough to thrive.

So I decided to look at what was most profitable and scalable in alignment with my vision for the future. I set up my online courses and coaching in 2015 based on what Id learned from so many years of testing and doing it wrong! Then finally things started to take off. I made $35,000 in my first month of getting focused and taking my coaching business online, then went on to scale a multi million dollar business from there.

All of the challenges we experience in life are opportunities for us to grow and learn. I know Im able to help other people now from a place of more depth and strength and Im able to support people to keep going even when they feel like giving up. Post traumatic growth is a phenomenon we study in positive psychology which shows it is possible to not just bounce back after experiencing hard things, but actually go on to be stronger than ever before.

My challenges help me lead with greater compassion and perspective we all go through tough times and by sharing and supporting each other to show theres a light at the end of the tunnel were able to foster more resilience and live with more hope.

Every step of the way Ive looked for the lessons and the blessings within the challenges. In positive psychology we talk about about two types of mindsets the growth mindset and the fixed mindset. The fixed mindset is very rigid and only focuses on the outcome and sees absolute failure or absolute success. The growth mindset finds the joy in the journey, trusts the process and looks for the learning along the way.

When you realize the process is the reward youre able to gain perspective more easily and enjoy the journey instead of just wishing you could get to a goal. Knowing the growth mindset framework helps me to remember Im always capable and that Im developing my emotional, spiritual and psychological tool kit which allows me to help myself, and then share with others how they might be able to navigate tough things too. On paper youd think Id had a terrible life with a suicide attempt, losing 7 close friends 3 of which died by suicide, surviving an assault, domestic violence, and healing heavy metals poisoning, mold poisoning and adrenal fatigue.

But all of these experiences have given me so much energy for my mission to help other people. As Ive healed through one tough experience, Ive had multiple other people who have come to me for support with the same thing. Its helped me help more people, and helped me guide the narrative for my books too.

We all need to feel we have somewhere to belong whether thats within your family, a social club, or within an online network. Consider which platforms or relationships bring you joy and choose to get more intentional about showing up there.

Humans are social creatures and we cannot thrive alone so its important to remember to cultivate positive relationships in your life. Look for who you already have in your circle who is a cheerleader for you and invest more energy into the people who are already supporting you. Look at what it is you love and value about this person and ask yourself how you might be able to demonstrate more of that quality yourself so you can become a great friend too both for your existing connections and new people who come into your world. Starting from this place of strength can remind you of the simplicity of looking for what already works and doing more of that.

Relationships are one of the core 6 elements of psychological flourishing, along with positive emotions, engagement, meaning, accomplishment, and health. A simple question you can ask to help build relationships, whether online or offline, is whats been going well for you this week? People love to talk about themselves and instead of complaining and blaming this shifts a conversation into celebration which helps both of you access more positive emotions. Following up with active constructive responding and asking more questions about the thing they are celebrating can help you to deepen your connections.

Its not all about pretending to be positive all of the time too. Being a safe place for a friend to share vulnerably, and you being willing to open up to a friend about where you have been navigating something tough, can also be a powerful way to deepen relationships and remind each other that we are stronger together.

Success is having the freedom to choose to live your life exactly the way you want to. This is going to be different for everybody. For me it means having peace in my heart, peace in my home, and the ability to structure my day as I wish, and travel whenever I want. I always start with the vision and version of success thats present for that person and work backwards from the goal. When you know how you want your ideal day and week to look you can build a business model and personal success systems to support that.

The strategy and protocols wont be the same for everyone and its never a prescription. I always invite our students to discover more about who they are through positive psychology and use what they learned to guide the development of their business on their terms.

Women come to work with me when they want to accelerate within themselves and their career. They know theyre made for more but they often need more clarity around the steps to take to reach their goal. As well as this I see theyve often been jaded by negative comments or people around them which has affected their self belief. Sometimes we are our own biggest barrier to success and were getting in our own way without realizing it.

Coming into a supportive community with a new perspective and a trusted mentor always helps them feel more certain on their path. Theyre able to break through past perceived income ceilings, and create values driven, purpose led businesses which allow them to make more money, reclaim their time and invest more special moments with their loved ones many have also even retired their husbands too!

I start my day in gratitude by saying to myself as soon as I wake up and even before I open my eyes, thank you thank you thank you thank you for this day, I am grateful in every possible way. I then meditate with a kundalini mantra and practice a breath work which helps energize me for the day. Ill listen to Abraham hicks, workout, and use the sauna, infra-red PEMF mat, and ice bath daily. I love to hike, and also have a Pilates trainer. Or Ill go for a run or do a workout on my peloton bike or lululemon mirror. I like to stay active and always have so many ideas when Im moving my body too!

First of all I highly recommend diving into positive psychology and learning about yourself through practicing the exercises and tools. Even after 15 years of working with the science of happiness Im still learning so much about myself and I love boosting my well-being through the practices.

What I love about positive psychology is its not difficult to start using it. The tools are really simple steps you can take daily to shift the way you feel. The small positive actions compound together to create big results and youre able to look back and see how far youve come.

Now more than ever before it is vital to take action to support your own mental well-being. And through the ripple effect of positive psychology youre then able to impact your family and loved ones. Working on your own well-being isnt selfish as youre also helping everyone around you too.

Want to tap into the power of positive psychology with Niyc Pidgeon? See more of her work on her website, and connect with Niyc on Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin.

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Tapping Into The Power Of Positive Psychology With Acclaimed Expert Niyc Pidgeon - GirlTalkHQ

Neuroscience

Multivitamins May Slow Cognitive Aging – Neuroscience News

Summary: A new study suggests that daily multivitamin supplements may help slow cognitive aging and memory loss in older adults. The study found statistically significant benefits of multivitamins for memory and global cognition, indicating a potential delay in cognitive aging by about two years compared to placebo.

This research, a part of a nationwide trial, included detailed cognitive assessments in-person and through telephone and web-based methods. The findings could have significant implications for older adults looking for accessible ways to preserve brain health.

Key Facts:

Source: Mass General

By 2060, according to the Alzheimers Association, nearly one in four Americans will be in an age bracket at elevated risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimers disease unless interventions can help preserve cognitive function before deficits begin.

The COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) is a large-scale, nationwide, randomized trial rigorously testing cocoa extract and multivitamin supplements directed by researchers at Mass General Brigham.

Two previously published studies of cognition in COSMOS suggested a positive effect for a daily multivitamin. COSMOS researchers now report the results of a third study of cognition in COSMOS, which focused on participants who underwent in-person assessments, together with the results of a combined analysis from the three separate studies.

The results from this latest report confirm consistent and statistically significant benefits of a daily multivitamin versus placebo for both memory and global cognition.

Results are published today inTheAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Cognitive decline is among the top health concerns for most older adults, and a daily supplement of multivitamins has the potential as an appealing and accessible approach to slow cognitive aging, said first author Chirag Vyas, MBBS, MPH, instructor in investigation at the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system.

In the in-clinic study the researchers administered detailed, in-person cognitive assessments among 573 participants in the subset of COSMOS known as COSMOS-Clinic. Within COSMOS, two previous studies had tested multivitamin supplementation on cognition using telephone-based cognitive assessments (COSMOS-MIND) and online web-based cognitive assessments (COSMOS-Web).

In their prespecified analyses of data from COSMOS-Clinic, investigators observed a modest benefit for the multivitamin, compared to placebo, on global cognition over two years. There was a statistically significant benefit of multivitamin supplementation for change in episodic memory, but not in executive function/attention.

The team also conducted a meta-analysis based on the three separate studies, with non-overlapping COSMOS participants (ranging 2-3 years in treatment duration), which showed strong evidence of benefits for both global cognition and episodic memory. The authors estimate that the daily multivitamin slowed global cognitive aging by the equivalent of two years compared to placebo.

Vyas said, The meta-analysis of three separate cognition studies provides strong and consistent evidence that taking a daily multivitamin, containing more than 20 essential micronutrients, helps prevent memory loss and slow down cognitive aging.

Olivia Okereke, MD SM, senior author of the report and director of Geriatric Psychiatry at MGH, added These findings will garner attention among many older adults who are, understandably, very interested in ways to preserve brain health, as they provide evidence for the role of a daily multivitamin in supporting better cognitive aging.

The overall COSMOS trial is led by JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH, and Howard Sesso, ScD, MPH, both of Brigham and Womens Hospital (BWH), also a founding member of Mass General Brigham. Manson, co-author of the report and Chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at BWH, commented:

The finding that a daily multivitamin improved memory and slowed cognitive aging in three separate placebo-controlled studies in COSMOS is exciting and further supports the promise of multivitamins as a safe, accessible and affordable approach to protecting cognitive health in older adults.

The COSMOS consortium of cognitive studies represents a collaboration between MGH, BWH, Columbia University, and Wake Forest University, using both traditional and innovative approaches to assessing cognitive outcomes.

These approaches allow large numbers of participants (>5,000 in total) to be included in cognitive studies in a high-quality and cost-efficient manner. COSMOS participants are aged 60 and older and reside throughout the U.S.

Sesso, also a co-author and the associate director of the BWH Division of Preventive Medicine, added: With these three studies using different approaches for assessing cognition in COSMOS, each providing support for a daily multivitamin, it is now critical to understand the mechanisms by which a daily multivitamin may protect against memory loss and cognitive decline with a focus on nutritional status and other aging-related factors.

For example, the modifying role of baseline nutritional status on protecting against cognitive decline has been shown for the COSMOS cocoa extract intervention. A typical multivitamin such as that tested in COSMOS contains many essential vitamins and minerals that could explain its potential benefits.

COSMOS Cognition Coauthors:

Chirag M. Vyas (MGH), JoAnn E. Manson (BWH); Howard D. Sesso (BWH); Nancy R. Cook (BWH); Pamela M. Rist (BWH); Alison Weinberg (BWH); M Vinayaga Moorthy (BWH); Laura D. Baker (Wake Forest University); Mark A. Espeland (Wake Forest University); Lok-Kin Yeung (Columbia University); Adam M. Brickman (Columbia University); Olivia I. Okereke (MGH).

Disclosures:Sesso additionally reported receiving investigator-initiated grants from Pure Encapsulations and Pfizer Inc. and honoraria and/or travel for lectures from the Council for Responsible Nutrition, BASF, NIH, and the American Society of Nutrition during the conduct of the study.

Funding:COSMOS-Clinic and the cognition studies in the meta-analysis were supportedin partby investigator-initiated grants from Mars Edge, a segment of Mars Inc., and the National Institutes of Health. Multivitamin and placebo tablets and packaging were donated by Pfizer, Inc Consumer Healthcare (now Haleon).

Author: Serena Bronda Source: Mass General Contact: Serena Bronda Mass General Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: The findings will appear in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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Multivitamins May Slow Cognitive Aging - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Social Media Posts: Misleading Windows to Our Personalities – Neuroscience News

Summary: New research reveals that social media posts, particularly on Facebook, can lead to misconceptions about our personalities.

The study analyzed Facebook status updates and found significant differences between how users perceive themselves and how others view them. Updates with multimedia content like photos and videos provided a more accurate reflection of personality than text-only posts.

This research highlights the complexities of digital identity construction and the potential for misinterpretation in the realm of social media.

Key Facts:

Source: Cornell University

People may form inaccurate impressions about us from our social media posts, finds new Cornell University research that is the first to examine perceptions of our personalities based on online posts.

An analysis of Facebook status updates found substantial discrepancies between how viewers saw the authors across a range of personality traits, and the authors self-perceptions. Viewers rated the Facebook users on average as having lower self-esteem and being more self-revealing, for example, than the users rated themselves.

Status updates containing photos, video or links in addition to text facilitated more accurate assessments than those with just text, the researchers found. Overall, they said, the study sheds light on the dynamic process by which a cyber audience tries to make sense of who we are from isolated fragments of shared information, jointly constructing our digital identity.

The impression people form about us on social media based on what we post can differ from the way we view ourselves, saidQi Wang, professor of psychology and director of theCulture & Cognition Lab. A mismatch between who we are and how people perceive us could influence our ability to feel connected online and the benefits of engaging in social media interaction.

Wang is the lead author of The Self Online: When Meaning-Making is Outsourced to the Cyber Audience, published inPLOS One.

Prior research has focused on perceptions of personality traits gleaned from personal websites, such as blogs or online profiles, finding that readers can assess them accurately. The Cornell researchers believe their study is the first to investigate audience perceptions of social media users through their posts, on platforms where users often dont share cohesive personal narratives while interacting with friends they may know only a little or sometimes not at all.

Interestingly, the study found that Facebook status updates generated perceptions of users that were consistent with cultural norms in offline contexts concerning gender and ethnicity even though viewers were blind to their identities.

For example, female Facebook users were rated as more extraverted than male users, in line with general findings that women score higher on extraversion. White Facebook users were seen as being more extraverted and having greater self-esteem than Asian users, whose cultures place more emphasis on modesty, Wang said.

We present ourselves in line with our cultural frameworks, she said, and others can discern our cultured persona through meaning making of our posts.

The scholars said future research should explore this outsourced meaning-making process with larger samples of posts, and on other popular platforms such as Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter.

Wang said the findings could help developers design interfaces that allow people to express themselves most authentically. For users, misunderstandings about who they are on social media might not cause direct harm, she said, but could hinder their efforts to foster good communication and relationships.

If peoples view of us is very different from who we actually are, or how we would like to be perceived, Wang said, it could undermine our social life and well-being.

Author: Becka Bowyer Source: Cornell University Contact: Becka Bowyer Cornell University Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access. The self online: When meaning-making is outsourced to the cyber audience by Qi Wang et al. PLOS ONE

Abstract

The self online: When meaning-making is outsourced to the cyber audience

This study examines the cyber audiences perception of social media users persona based on their online posts from a cognitive meaning-making perspective. Participants (N = 158) answered questions about their personal characteristics and provided their 20 most recent Facebook status updates.

Two groups of viewers, who viewed either the text-only or multimedia version of the status updates, answered questions about the Facebook users personal characteristics. The viewers perceptions of Facebook users deviated from the users self-perceptions, although user characteristics that serve social motives were more accurately perceived.

Multimedia viewers were more accurate than text viewers, whereas the latter showed a greater consensus. Gender and ethnic differences of Facebook users also emerged in online person perceptions, in line with gendered and cultured characteristics.

These findings shed critical light on the dynamic interplay between social media users and the cyber audience in the co-construction of a digitally extended self.

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Social Media Posts: Misleading Windows to Our Personalities - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

St. Louis All Local PM: More cold and snow, WashU neuroscience, facial recognition, Bar PM video, John Mozeliak … – KMOX

The top local news with Michael Calhoun and the KMOX news team.

Stories include: More winter weather's on the way for tonight. Washington University's new Neuroscience Research Building, between the hospital complex and Cortex, is being called the hub for the world's largest concentration of neuro-scientists. With just one look, technology developed here in the St. Louis region can stop criminals before they ever step foot in a store. Newly released bystander video shows the moment one of the owners of BAR:PM is arrested by officers. Groups that support abortion rights in Missouri officially launched their petition drive today. Menthol cigarettes are a personal issue for St. Louis Mayor Tishuara Jones.

Plus, Matt Pauley goes in-depth with Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak and Michael talks with Wall Street Journal reporter Will Feuer about entertainment venues facing fewer sales on weeknights.

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St. Louis All Local PM: More cold and snow, WashU neuroscience, facial recognition, Bar PM video, John Mozeliak ... - KMOX

Neuroscience

MEDIA ADVISORY: Dedication of Washington University Neuroscience Research Building Washington University … – Washington University School of…

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Neuroscience

Depression and Schizophrenia Impact Learning – Neuroscience News

Summary: A new study reveals that patients with schizophrenia or depression struggle with optimal information utilization in learning processes.

Using EEG and advanced computer modeling, researchers found that these patients place greater emphasis on less important information, leading to suboptimal decision-making. This diminished flexibility in processing new information was particularly pronounced in feedback management for future behavior.

The findings suggest cognitive limitations in schizophrenia and depression could be addressed through targeted treatments focusing on these specific learning deficits.

Key Facts:

Source: Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg

When learning, patients with schizophrenia or depression have difficulty making optimal use of information that is new to them. In the learning process, both groups of patients give greater weight to less important information and, as a result, make less than ideal decisions.

This was the finding of a several-months-long study conducted by a team led by neuroscientist Professor Dr. med. Markus Ullsperger from the Institute of Psychology at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg in collaboration with colleagues from the University Clinic for Psychiatry & Psychotherapy and the German Center for Mental Health.

By using electroencephalography (EEG) and complex mathematical computer modeling, the team of researchers discovered that learning deficits in depressive and schizophrenicpatientsare caused by diminished/reduced flexibility in the use of new information.

The study has just beenpublishedinBrainand is titled Transdiagnostic inflexible learning dynamics explain deficits in depression and schizophrenia.

People with depression or schizophrenia often suffer from cognitive limitations, says the lead author of the study, Dr. Hans Kirschner. For example, they find it difficult to understand complex information, to learn, to plan or to generalize a situation.

In particular, deficits in using feedback from the past to manage future behavior, poses a fundamental problem for those affected.

Dr. Tilmann Klein, neuropsychologist and psychotherapist adds that these cognitive limitations are very onerous for the affected groups of patients and have a strong influence on the outcome of treatment.

If we understand these deficits and their causes better, in the long term we can design forms of treatment such as functional training to be more specific and targeted.

To find out whether the psychological and neuronal mechanisms that lead to cognitive limitations are the same in different mental disorders, the scientists examined patients with a diagnosis of a severe depressive disorder and of schizophrenia as well as acontrol groupcomprising 33 people.

The test subjects were repeatedly presented with images of animals on a screen that were associated with either a high or low probability of reward or punishment, that is positive ornegative feedback.

The test subjects had to decide whether they wanted to bet on the animal or not, and thus either win or lose 10 points. If they did not bet, they neither won nor lost anything, but would then see what would have happened, had they opted to bet.

Dr. Kirschner describes the test setup as follows: During the experiment, the objective for the participants was to find out whether it was worthwhile betting and therefore risking the loss that might entail, or if it was better not to bet and thus avoid losing.

The process is a little bit like a game of roulette, explains the neuroscientist. If you place your bet, you either win or lose. If you do not bet, you nevertheless get to see where the little ball ends up and you can work out what would have happened if you had placed a bet.

The difference in our study is that the participants were actually able to learn because over time they came to realize if an animal was more likely, on average, to be rewarded or punished and could then either always bet on the animal and thus maximize their winnings or minimize their losses.

According to Kirschner, optimal learning in this task would mean that thetest subjectstook more note of the feedbacki.e., the wins or losses of an animalat the beginning of thelearning process.

Once they have a feel for an animals likelihood of winning, they ignore misleading feedback, for example, a picture that usually is highly likely to lose also wins occasionally.

While healthy control participants did exactly this, the patient groups that were suffering from depression or schizophrenia were more strongly influenced by randomly occurring errors.

Imagine a basketball player throwing balls at a basket, Dr. Kirschner goes on to say. A poor player scores rarely and is not picked for the team. Even if they do not score every time, a good player scores often and is therefore picked for the team. However, in the study, both groups of patients would replace the good player after a poor shot.

In the EEG it could be seen that both patient groups have a diminished neuronal representation of reward expectation.

This means that the scoring rate of a good basketball player is not stored as well in the brain and is more quickly overwritten, when the player occasionally fails to score.

In summary, Dr. Kirschner explains that the study expanded the teams knowledge of cognitive limitations in patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or depression. In particular we were also able to demonstrate the benefits of computer models in which we attempt to describe complex learning mechanisms mathematically and implement them in the form of computer simulations.

This made it possible to simulate hard-to-predict learning behavior and compare it with the behavior of participants inspecific tasks.

With this approach in [the] future, we will be able to quantify and characterize learning deficits in a more nuanced way. And a better understanding of these deficits will, in turn, help direct us towards further developing existing treatments for depression and schizophrenia in a more targeted way.

We hope that in future our research will benefit patients affected by learning impairments and help them to cope better in their everyday lives.

Author: Katharina Vorwerk Source: Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg Contact: Katharina Vorwerk Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access. Transdiagnostic inflexible learning dynamics explain deficits in depression and schizophrenia by Hans Kirschner et al. Brain

Abstract

Transdiagnostic inflexible learning dynamics explain deficits in depression and schizophrenia

Deficits in reward learning are core symptoms across many mental disorders. Recent work suggests that such learning impairments arise by a diminished ability to use reward history to guide behaviour, but the neuro-computational mechanisms through which these impairments emerge remain unclear. Moreover, limited work has taken a transdiagnostic approach to investigate whether the psychological and neural mechanisms that give rise to learning deficits are shared across forms of psychopathology.

To provide insight into this issue, we explored probabilistic reward learning in patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (n= 33) or schizophrenia (n= 24) and 33 matched healthy controls by combining computational modelling and single-trial EEG regression. In our task, participants had to integrate the reward history of a stimulus to decide whether it is worthwhile to gamble on it. Adaptive learning in this task is achieved through dynamic learning rates that are maximal on the first encounters with a given stimulus and decay with increasing stimulus repetitions. Hence, over the course of learning, choice preferences would ideally stabilize and be less susceptible to misleading information.

We show evidence of reduced learning dynamics, whereby both patient groups demonstrated hypersensitive learning (i.e. less decaying learning rates), rendering their choices more susceptible to misleading feedback. Moreover, there was a schizophrenia-specific approach bias and a depression-specific heightened sensitivity to disconfirmational feedback (factual losses and counterfactual wins). The inflexible learning in both patient groups was accompanied by altered neural processing, including no tracking of expected values in either patient group.

Taken together, our results thus provide evidence that reduced trial-by-trial learning dynamics reflect a convergent deficit across depression and schizophrenia. Moreover, we identified disorder distinct learning deficits.

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Depression and Schizophrenia Impact Learning - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

What makes love so strong? The neuroscience behind love and loss – Open Access Government

Published in the journal Current Biology on January 12, the research focuses on prairie voles, understanding the intricate role of dopamine in maintaining long-term relationships similar to human bonds.

Prairie voles are among the rare 3% to 5% of mammals that form monogamous pair bonds, offering a unique opportunity to study the neurochemical basis of intimate relationships.

Like humans, prairie voles engage in long-term partnerships, share a home, raise offspring, and experience a sense of grief when separated from their partners.

The research, led by senior author Zoe Donaldson, associate professor of behavioural neuroscience at CU Boulder, utilises state-of-the-art neuroimaging technology to look into the real-time brain activity of voles during attempts to reunite with their partners.

The findings reveal that dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, plays a pivotal role in sustaining the bonds of love.

Donaldson explains, As humans, our entire social world is basically defined by different degrees of selective desire to interact with different people, whether its your romantic partner or your close friends. This research suggests that certain people leave a unique chemical imprint on our brain that drives us to maintain these bonds over time.

certain people leave a unique chemical imprint on our brain

The researchers monitored the voles as they navigated obstacles to reach their partners, with a fibre-optic sensor tracking dopamine activity in the nucleus accumbens, a region responsible for motivating individuals to seek rewarding experiences.

The results showed that dopamine surges, lighting up the voles brains like a glow stick during interactions with their life partners.

Anne Pierce, the studys first author, explains, This suggests that not only is dopamine really important for motivating us to seek out our partner, but theres actually more dopamine coursing through our reward center when we are with our partner than when we are with a stranger.

In an experiment simulating separation, the voles were kept apart for four weeks, a significant duration in their lives. Upon reuniting, while the voles remembered each other, their signature dopamine surge had diminished significantly. The researchers interpret this as a neural reset, allowing the animals to form new bonds.

The implications for humans are deep, especially for those suffering from heartbreak or loss. The study hints at an inherent mechanism within the brain to protect individuals from prolonged, unrequited love.

The authors acknowledge the need for further research to determine how well these results translate to humans. They believe the findings could offer insights into mental health conditions affecting social relationships.

Zoe Donaldson expresses hope for the future, stating, The hope is that by understanding what healthy bonds look like within the brain, we can begin to identify new therapies to help the many people with mental illnesses that affect their social world.

This research provides a glimpse into the neuroscience of love and holds promise for potential therapeutic interventions to assist those struggling with forming or overcoming close relationships. As the field progresses, scientists aim to unlock the mysteries of the human brain, offering new perspectives on emotional bonds and avenues for mental health support.

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What makes love so strong? The neuroscience behind love and loss - Open Access Government

Neuroscience

Plant Protein-Based Diet Is Key to Healthier Aging for Women – Neuroscience News

Summary: A new study reveals that women consuming higher amounts of plant-based protein experience fewer chronic diseases and maintain better health as they age.

Analyzing data from over 48,000 women in the Harvard-based Nurses Health Study, the research showed a significant link between plant protein intake and reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and cognitive decline. Protein source matters, with plant proteins being more beneficial for long-term health compared to animal proteins.

Key Facts:

Source: Tufts University

Women who consume higher amounts of protein, especially protein from plant-based sources, develop fewer chronic diseases and are more likely to be healthier overall as they age, according to astudyled by researchers at theJean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging(HNRCA) at Tufts University and published Jan. 17 inThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Analyzing self-reported data from more than 48,000 women, the researchers saw notably less heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and cognitive and mental health decline, in those who included more protein in their diets from sources such as fruits, vegetables, bread, beans, legumes, and pasta, compared to those who ate less.

Consuming protein in midlife was linked to promoting good health in older adulthood, saidAndres Ardisson Korat, a scientist at the HNRCA and lead author of the study. We also found that the source of protein matters. Getting the majority of your protein from plant sources at midlife, plus a small amount of animal protein seems to be conducive to good health and good survival to older ages.

Findings were derived from the seminal Harvard-basedNurses Health Study, which followed female health care professionals from 1984 to 2016. The women were between the ages of 38 and 59 in 1984 and deemed to be in good physical and mental health at the start of the study.

Ardisson Korat and fellow researchers, including senior author Qi Sun of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, examined thousands of surveys collected every four years from 1984 to 2016 on how frequently people ate certain foods to pinpoint dietary protein and its effects on healthy aging. They calculated protein intake by multiplying the number of times each food item was consumed by its protein content and then, using the Harvard University Food Composition Database, totaling the amount of protein across all food items.

The researchers then compared the diets of women who didnt develop 11 chronic diseases or lose a lot of physical function or mental health, with the diets of those who did.

Women who ate more plant-based protein, which in 1984 was defined as protein obtained from bread, vegetables, fruits, pizza, cereal, baked items, mashed potatoes, nuts, beans, peanut butter, and pasta, were 46 percent more likely to be healthy into their later years.

Those who consumed more animal protein such as beef, chicken, milk, fish/seafood, and cheese, however, were 6 percent less likely to stay healthy as they aged.

Those who consumed greater amounts of animal protein tended to have more chronic disease and didnt manage to obtain the improved physical function that we normally associate with eating protein, said Ardisson Korat.

Animal protein was modestly tied with fewer physical limitations in older age, but plant protein had a stronger, more consistent correlation across all observed models, and was more closely linked with sound mental health later in life.

For heart disease in particular, higher plant protein consumption came with lower levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity, while higher animal protein intake was tied to higher levels, along with increased insulin-like growth factor, which has been detected in multiple cancers.

Dairy protein alone (mainly milk, cheese, pizza, yogurt, and ice cream) was not significantly associated with better health status in older adulthood.

The team acknowledged that the benefits of plant protein might derive from components in plant-based food, rather than the proteincompared to animal foods, plants contain a higher proportion of dietary fiber, micronutrients, and beneficial compounds called polyphenols that are present in plants, rather than exclusively protein.

Ardisson Korat also said data from other groups is needed, as the Nurses Health Study surveyed primarily white females working in health care. The data from the study tended to be very homogeneous in terms of demographic and socioeconomic composition, so it will be valuable to follow up with a study in cohorts that are more diverse. Its a field that is still evolving, said Ardisson Korat.

But the teams findings so far support the recommendationthat women eat most of their protein in the form of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, although they should also consume some fish and animal protein for their iron and vitamin B12 content.

Dietary protein intake, especially plant protein, in midlife plays an important role in the promotion of healthy aging and in maintaining positive health status at older ages, Ardisson Korat said.

Funding: Research reported in this article was supported by the U.S. Department of AgriculturesAgricultural Research Service, and by the National Institutes of Health under award numbers UM1CA186107 (National Cancer Institute), P01CA87969 (National Cancer Institute), R01DK120870 (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases), U2CDK129670 (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases), R01DK127601 (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases), R01HL060712 (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute), R01HL034594 (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute), R01HL035464 (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute), and R01HL088521 (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute). Andres Ardisson Korat was supported by training grant KL2TR002545 from the National Institutes of Healths National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Complete information on authors, funders, limitations and conflicts of interest is available in the published paper.

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the National Institutes of Health.

Author: Lisa LaPoint Source: Tufts University Contact: Lisa LaPoint Tufts University Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: The findings will appear in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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Plant Protein-Based Diet Is Key to Healthier Aging for Women - Neuroscience News