by Rob Cable

The application of educational neuroscience in schools has faced a lot of criticism with many believing that there is a sufficient lack of concrete evidence to support its effectiveness and validity in the classroom. Despite this, the interest that surrounds this emerging topic is continually growing and this is encouraging to gain a clearer understanding of the correlation between childrens education and brain development. Although neuro-myths have distorted public perception and casted some doubts, many agree that advances in neuroscience and our understanding of the brain could have a profound impact on how we teach young children to enhance their learning.

The fundamentals of educational neuroscience are at a relatively advanced stage. We are now able to use sophisticated scanners to capture images inside the brain which can be directly related to the classroom. This has been particularly useful when understanding and dealing with problem children with regards to social and emotional development, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and dyslexia. The hope for educational neuroscience is that we will be able to set biological markers to recognise learning difficulties in children and assist the developmental process of the brain from a much earlier age.

Neuroscience has improved our knowledge of the reading and mathematical processes in the brain. Research has shown a connection between phonological awareness (the patterns of speech and sound) and reading ability. Children who have developed a solid foundation in phonics tend to be better readers in comparison to children who have not established such skills. In mathematics neuroscience has helped to identify areas of the brain which specifically deal with numerical processing and mental arithmetic. Some childrens brains develop abnormally or slower than others. Therefore, neuroscientists recommend specialised interventions for children who find mathematics challenging, rather than subjecting every child to standardised interventions, which could be detrimental to some childrens academic development.

Neuroscientists contend that uncertain reward can be far more motivating than certain reward because humans have an attraction to challenges with equal odds. It is for this reason that educational games are extremely motivating for young learners because they are not focused on reward consistency.

Furthermore, neuroscience argues that the brain is a complex, interactive and interconnecting system that uses multiple senses to absorb, interpret and process information simultaneously. A student may have a preferred learning style such as visual or auditory however research shows that this is dictated by the development of the brain and that it is unethical to label a child a kinaesthetic learner. Instead, neuroscientists suggest that the more difficult a task is the greater the chance we have of memorising it.Thus, inadequate or incompetent learning styles should be practised to strengthen them.

There is currently a debate among neuroscientists about how the brain functions; whether we use certain parts of the brain for specific types of learning or whether learning occurs throughout the whole brain. Thus, it is important that neuroscientists do not overstate their findings and instead take time to provide conclusive evidence for educators to successfully implement neuroscience into their classrooms.

Rob Cable is a primary year 3/1 classroom teacher at the Mooltripakdee International School.

Read more here:
Neuroscience in the Classroom | Pattaya Today Newspaper - Pattaya Today

US biotech PureTech Health has named Atul Pande its chief medical officer.

To continue reading this article and to access exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space you need to be logged into the site and have an active subscription or trial subscription. Please loginorsubscribe in order to continue reading. Claim a week's trial subscriptionby signing up for free today and receive our daily pharma and biotech news bulletin free of charge, forever.

BiotechnologyBoardroomCNS DiseasesGlaxoSmithKlineIn DepthManagementNeurologicalPuretechUSA

Access The Pharma Letter's latest news free for 7 days

PLUS... you can receive the Pharma Letter headlines and news roundup email free forever

Click here to take a free trial

Unlimited access to The Pharma Letter site for a whole year Only 77 per month or 820 per year

Click here to subscribe

Go here to read the rest:
Former GSK neuroscience head named PureTech's CMO - The Pharma Letter (registration)

Do you want to be happier? That's a pretty silly question--who doesn't want more happiness? Fortunately, there are simple things we can all do to raise our happiness quotient that are actually supported by scientific research. And even though brain scans show that the happiest person on earth is Tibetan monk Matthieu Ricard, you can do each of these things every day. No need to travel to a remote mountaintop, sit in meditation for hours, or even quit your day job.

UCLA neuroscientist Alex Korb, Psychology Today blogger and author of The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time, has studied many of the ways we can gently tweak our attitudes, outlooks, and behaviors to bring more happiness into our lives. Here are some of his top recommendations:

There's plenty of scientific evidence to support the notion that being grateful makes us happier. As Korb notes, it increases dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with our reward centers, and also the pleasurable effects of taking drugs. In other words, feeling grateful gives you a natural high. Not only that, feelings of gratitude increase your serotonin levels, which is what antidepressants also do. No wonder gratitude is such a mood-booster. And, Korb says, even if you're feeling very down and can't come up with a single thing you're grateful for, the mere act of searching will give you some of these effects by leading you to focus on the good aspects of your life.

My simple approach to daily gratitude is to mentally list three things I'm grateful for before getting out of bed in the morning. That helps set me up for a better mood throughout the day. But any time is a good time for gratitude.

Our brains are hard-wired to pay more attention to negative rather than positive information, and this applies at least as much to our evaluation of ourselves as it does to anything else. But focusing on the things we're proud of has many brain benefits. For one thing, pride is a powerful brain-stimulating emotion, and focusing on happy memories (assuming your accomplishments made you happy) is another way to release serotonin in your brain. And, Korb notes, "Several studies have shown that reflecting on your positive qualities is a type of self-affirmation that actually strengthens your abilities to change bad habits." So focusing on what you've done right might actually help you accomplish more good stuff in the future.

Making a decision, choosing a goal or setting an intention all have a positive effect on the brain, decreasing stress and anxiety and increasing problem-solving ability, according to Korb. And--this will be difficult for some people (including me)--but your brain will benefit most if you make a good-enough decision sooner, rather than wait for the most complete information in order to make the best possible decision.

Research suggests that the ability to make decisions quickly (and then make them right after the fact if need be) is one of the ways entrepreneurs' brains differ from everyone else's. And, according to Korb, making a good-enough decision activates a part of the pre-frontal cortex that makes you feel more in control. And choosing to do something you want to do will not only make you happier. Research shows that the mere act of having chosen will make you enjoy whatever you choose more. In other words, choose what you love and you'll love what you choose.

View original post here:
3 Simple Ways to Make Yourself Happy Every Day According to Neuroscience - Inc.com

Two lecture courses constitute the core curriculum in the first year:

NEU 555 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (6 credit hours)* *Course is crosslisted with BIO. Neuroscience students need to register for the NEU prefix. Course is only offered in the fall semesters.

NEU 556 Systems Neuroscience (4 credit hours)* *Course is crosslisted with BME. Neuroscience students need to register for the NEU prefix. Course is only offered in the spring semesters.

The core courses are designed for students who already have a background in basic Neuroscience. The course sequence that has two major goals. One is to expose students to advanced, cutting-edge research from all levels of analysis in Neuroscience - that is, from molecular through systems-level processes, including how those processes affect behavioral and cognitive processes. A second goal will be to introduce students to application of basic and practical knowledge in biomedical settings.

The courses consist of modules led by faculty members who specialize in those areas of research. Each module is one to two weeks in length, consisting of both lecture and translational' components. Modules are taught in ASU classrooms and in facilities at ourClinical Partner institutions. In both types of locations, part of each module may consist of tours of laboratories and clinical facilities as well as discussions with clinicians and neurosurgeons. This exposure in particular will help to provide an overview of major interdisciplinary projects that are currently underway at ASU and at the Clinical Partner Institutions. It will also provide an opportunity for students to observe firsthand how team-oriented translational projects can be implemented to help solve problems in biomedicine that have a direct societal impact.

This list of ASU courses is subject to change. Courses may not be available each semester or academic year. New courses are being developed and you are encouraged to propose course and seminar topics to participating faculty.

BIO 598: Neuroscience, Ethics and the Law (3) Meets for 15 weeks (full semester). Instructors: Betsy Grey (Law) and Jason Robert (SOLS)

BIO 611: Current Topics in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) in Life Sciences (1) Meets for 5 weeks. Instructor: Karin Ellison

Bio 611: Current Topics in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) in Life Sciences (1) Meets for 15 weeks (full semester). Instructors: Betsy Grey (Law) and Jason Robert (SOLS)

BME 451: Cell Biotechnology Laboratory (4) Mammalian cell culture techniques including mouse embryonic stem cells, the use of biorectors, cell fractionation and digital video imaging.

BME 520: Bioelectric Phenomena (3) Study of the origin, propagation and interactions of bioelectricity in living things; volume conductor problems, mathematical analysis of bioelectric interactions, and uses in medical diagnostics.

BME 521: Neuromuscular Control Systems (3) Overview of sensorimotor brain structures. Application of nonlinear, adaptive, optimal and supervisory control theory to eye-head-hand coordination and locomotion.

BME 524: Fundamentals of Applied Neural Control (3) Fundamental concepts of electrical stimulation and recording in the nervous system with the goal of functional control restoration.

BME 532: Prosthetic and Rehabilitation Engineering (3) Analysis and critical assessment of design and control strategies for state-of-the-art medical devices used in rehabilitation engineering.

BME 551: Movement Biomechanics (3) Mechanics applied to the analysis and modeling of physiological movements. Computational modeling of muscles, tendons, joints, and the skeletal system, with application to sports and rehabilitation.

BME 568: Medical Imaging (3) CT, SPECT, PET and MRI. 3-D in vivo measurements. Instrument design, physiological modeling, clinical protocols, reconstruction algorithms and quantitation issues.

BME 598: ST Integrative Neuroscience (3)

BME 598: ST Research Ethics/Law (2-3)

BIO 451: Cell Biotechnology Laboratory (4) Mammalian cell culture techniques, including mouse embryonic stem cells, the use of bioreactors, cell fractionation, and digital video imaging.

BIO 465: Neurophysiology (3) Detailed treatment of cellular and organismal neurophysiology and nervous system function.

BIO 467: Neurobiology (3) Introduction into basic nervous system anatomy and function.

BIO 508: Scientific Data Presentation (2) Techniques necessary for presentation of scientific data used in journal publications, grant proposals, and visual presentations.

BIO 515: Science, Technology and Public Affairs (3) Explores the political, economic, cultural, and moral foundations of science and technology policy and governance in democratic society.

BIO 550: Advanced Cell Biology (3) Applies contemporary electron microscopic and biochemical/molecular techniques for studying eukaryotic cell functions. Mechanisms of intracellular protein trafficking.

BIO 551: Biomembranes (3) Structure and function of biological membranes, emphasizing synthesis, fluidity, exocytosis, endocytosis, and cell responses to hormones and neurotransmitters.

BIO 591: Responsible conduct of research (3) The class is designed to introduce graduate students to ethical issues in the research environment. Topics will include skills needed for success in graduate school and beyond, ethical issues in data handling, authorship, human genetics, conflict of interest, mentoring, experimental animals and human subjects, and other issues. Faculty facilitators will participate in discussing case studies and students will develop case studies based on their own experiences.

BIO 598: Developmental Neurobiology (6)* *Course prefix will change to NEU 557 beginning Fall 2011 This course is designed to examine the Development of the Nervous System. The class starts with neural induction, birth order, NS system axis formation, then goes to pathfinding, dendritic growth, synaptogenesis. This is followed by synapse elimination and programmed cell death. Finally, excitability homeostasis, neural circuit development, and Rett and Fragile X will be covered as two examples for neurodevelopmental diseases.

BIO 569: Cellular Physiology (3) Emphasizes the molecular basis for cell structure and function.

APM 530: Mathematical Cell Physiology (3) Alternate Fall or Spring Mathematical modeling of dynamical aspects of cell physiology. Diffusion, membrane transport, intracellular calcium channel kinetics, calcium oscillations and waves.

APM 531: Mathematical Neuroscience I (3) Fall Mathematical modeling of electrochemical processes in nerve cells. Dendritic modeling, dendritic spines and synaptic plasticity, bifurcation analysis of excitable membrane models, deterministic and stochastic methods for threshold dynamics and bursting, relaxation oscillations. You should have taken a previous graduate-level PDE course.

APM 532: Mathematical Neuroscience II (3) Spring Mathematical modeling of systems neuroscience. Network dynamics, coupled phase oscillators, central pattern generators, neural coding, learning and memory. You should have taken advanced ordinary differential equations and also taken APM 530 or APM 531 prior to enrolling in this course.

PSY 426: Neuroanatomy (4) fall Structure and function of mammalian brain, including sheep brain dissection (cross-listed with 591).

PSY 425: Biobasis of Behavior (3) spring

PSY 470: Psychopharmacology (3) select semesters

PSY 512: Advanced Learning (3) select semesters

PSY 524: Advanced Physiological Psychology (3) select semesters Contributions of physiological processes and brain function to fundamental behavioral processes.

PSY 528: Sensation and Perception (3) select semesters Principles of sensory and perceptual processes, emphasizing research literature.

PSY 573: Psychopathology (3) - fall Theory and research relating to the contribution of psychological, social, physiological, and genetic factors to the development and persistence of abnormal behavior.

PSY 591: Neuroanatomy (4) fall Structure and function of mammalian brain, including sheep brain dissection (cross-listed with 426).

PSY 591: Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (3)

PSY 591: Neuropsychopharmacology (3) select semesters

PSY 591: Grant Writing and Professional Development (3) select semesters

PSY 624: Clinical Neuroscience (3) select semesters Examines the biological underpinnings of psychological disorders at the molecular, cellular, and system levels (e.g., schizophrenia, depression, anxiety). Lecture, pro-seminar.

PSY 555: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research (3) select semesters Reviews research techniques. Analyzes lab and field research; applications to specific topics.

SHS 513: Neurophysiology of the Auditory System (3) fall or spring Focuses on the neurophysiology of the normal auditory system and on changes associated with hearing loss. Lecture, discussion, demonstrations. Prerequisite: instructor approval.

SHS 519: Auditory Pathologies and Disorders (3) Familiarizes students with major diseases, pathologies, and disorders of the human auditory system. Lecture, discussion, case studies, demonstrations, field trips, seminar, student.

SHS 520: Otoneurologic Applications in Audiology (3) Advanced otologic, neurologic, and audiologic approaches in the differential diagnosis of peripheral and central disorders of the auditory system. Lecture, lab, discussion, case studies, seminar, student presentations.

SHS 545: Speech Perception by the Hearing Impaired (2) Focuses on the perception of speech by normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. Lecture, discussion, case studies, seminar, student presentations. Prerequisite: instructor approval.

SHS 555: Cochlear Implants The design and function of implantable neural prostheses for the restoration of hearing in adults and children.

SHS 567: Neural Bases of Communication Disorders (3) Neuroscience and its application to matters of normal and disordered communication.

SHS 575: Aphasia and Related Neurogenic Language Disorders (3)Assessment and treatment of acquired neurolinguistic impairment.

SHS 576: Neuromotor Speech Disorders Neurophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of motor speech disorders; theory and models of normal and disordered speech production.

SHS 581: Right Hemisphere Syndrome, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Dementia (3) Studies the nature, characteristics, and clinical management of cognitive and communicative impairments accompanying right hemisphere damage, TBI, and dementia.

See the original post:
Neuroscience (PhD) | School of Life Sciences

Behavioral neuroscience, also known as biological psychology,[1]biopsychology, or psychobiology[2] is the application of the principles of biology to the study of physiological, genetic, and developmental mechanisms of behavior in humans and other animals. [3]

Behavioral neuroscience as a scientific discipline emerged from a variety of scientific and philosophical traditions in the 18th and 19th centuries. In philosophy, people like Ren Descartes proposed physical models to explain animal and human behavior. Descartes, for example, suggested that the pineal gland, a midline unpaired structure in the brain of many organisms, was the point of contact between mind and body. Descartes also elaborated on a theory in which the pneumatics of bodily fluids could explain reflexes and other motor behavior. This theory was inspired by moving statues in a garden in Paris.[4]

Other philosophers also helped give birth to psychology. One of the earliest textbooks in the new field, The Principles of Psychology by William James, argues that the scientific study of psychology should be grounded in an understanding of biology:

Our first conclusion, then, is that a certain amount of brain-physiology must be presupposed or included in Psychology.[5]

The emergence of both psychology and behavioral neuroscience as legitimate sciences can be traced from the emergence of physiology from anatomy, particularly neuroanatomy. Physiologists conducted experiments on living organisms, a practice that was distrusted by the dominant anatomists of the 18th and 19th centuries.[6] The influential work of Claude Bernard, Charles Bell, and William Harvey helped to convince the scientific community that reliable data could be obtained from living subjects.

Even before the 18th and 19th century, behavioral neuroscience was beginning to take form as far back as 1700 B.C.[7] The question that seems to continually arise is what is the connection between the mind and body. The debate is formally referred to as the mind-body problem. There are two major schools of thought that attempt to resolve the mindbody problem; monism and dualism.[4]Plato and Aristotle are two of several philosophers who participated in this debate. Plato believed that the brain was where all mental thought and processes happened.[7] In contrast, Aristotle believed that the brain served the purpose of cooling down the emotions derived from the heart.[4] The mind-body problem was a stepping stone toward attempting to understand the connection between the mind and body.

Another debate arose about was localization of function or functional specialization versus equipotentiality which played a significant role in the development in behavioral neuroscience. As a result of localization of function research, many famous people found within psychology have come to various different conclusions. Wilder Penfield was able to develop a map of the cerebral cortex through studying epileptic patients along with Rassmussen.[4] Research on localization of function has led behavioral neuroscientist to a better understanding of which parts of the brain control behavior. This is best exemplified through the case study of Phineas Gage.

The term "psychobiology" has been used in a variety of contexts, emphasizing the importance of biology, which is the discipline that studies organic, neural and cellular modifications in behavior, plasticity in neuroscience, and biological diseases in all aspects, in addition, biology focuses and analyzes behavior and all the subjects it is concerned about, from a scientific point of view. In this context, psychology helps as a complementary, but important discipline in the neurobiological sciences. The role of psychology in this questions is that of a social tool that backs up the main or strongest biological science. The term "psychobiology" was first used in its modern sense by Knight Dunlap in his book An Outline of Psychobiology (1914).[8] Dunlap also was the founder and editor-in-chief of the journal Psychobiology. In the announcement of that journal, Dunlap writes that the journal will publish research "...bearing on the interconnection of mental and physiological functions", which describes the field of behavioral neuroscience even in its modern sense.[8]

In many cases, humans may serve as experimental subjects in behavioral neuroscience experiments; however, a great deal of the experimental literature in behavioral neuroscience comes from the study of non-human species, most frequently rats, mice, and monkeys. As a result, a critical assumption in behavioral neuroscience is that organisms share biological and behavioral similarities, enough to permit extrapolations across species. This allies behavioral neuroscience closely with comparative psychology, evolutionary psychology, evolutionary biology, and neurobiology. Behavioral neuroscience also has paradigmatic and methodological similarities to neuropsychology, which relies heavily on the study of the behavior of humans with nervous system dysfunction (i.e., a non-experimentally based biological manipulation).

Synonyms for behavioral neuroscience include biopsychology, biological psychology, and psychobiology.[9]Physiological psychology is a subfield of behavioral neuroscience, with an appropriately narrower definition

The distinguishing characteristic of a behavioral neuroscience experiment is that either the independent variable of the experiment is biological, or some dependent variable is biological. In other words, the nervous system of the organism under study is permanently or temporarily altered, or some aspect of the nervous system is measured (usually to be related to a behavioral variable).

Different manipulations have advantages and limitations. Neural tissue destroyed by surgery, electric shock or neurotoxcin is a permanent manipulation and therefore limits follow-up investigation.[23] Most genetic manipulation techniques are also considered permanent.[23] Temporary lesions can be achieved with advanced in genetic manipulations, for example, certain genes can now be switched on and off with diet.[23] Pharmacological manipulations also allow blocking of certain neurotransmitters temporarily as the function returns to its previous state after the drug has been metabolized.[23]

In general, behavioral neuroscientists study similar themes and issues as academic psychologists, though limited by the need to use nonhuman animals. As a result, the bulk of literature in behavioral neuroscience deals with mental processes and behaviors that are shared across different animal models such as:

However, with increasing technical sophistication and with the development of more precise noninvasive methods that can be applied to human subjects, behavioral neuroscientists are beginning to contribute to other classical topic areas of psychology, philosophy, and linguistics, such as:

Behavioral neuroscience has also had a strong history of contributing to the understanding of medical disorders, including those that fall under the purview of clinical psychology and biological psychopathology (also known as abnormal psychology). Although animal models do not exist for all mental illnesses, the field has contributed important therapeutic data on a variety of conditions, including:

Nobel Laureates

The following Nobel Prize winners could reasonably be considered behavioral neuroscientists or neurobiologists. (This list omits winners who were almost exclusively neuroanatomists or neurophysiologists; i.e., those that did not measure behavioral or neurobiological variables.)

Kavli Prize in Neuroscience

Link:
Behavioral neuroscience - Wikipedia

On March 9, the Emmet ONeal Library and UAB will come together to hold their second Neuroscience Caf.

Created by leadership with the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center at UAB, the program features a series of talks organized by Mountain Brook residents Dr. Peter King, professor of neurology at UAB, and Dr. Laura Volpicelli-Daley, assistant professor of neurology at UAB.

The series was designed to inform communities on disease topics, King said, and is held at various local libraries. The upcoming lecture at EOL will cover Substance Abuse and Addiction: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapeutics, and is led by Dr. Cayce Paddock, director of addiction psychiatry at UAB, and Dr. Jeremy Day, a UAB neuroscientist who is studying the regulation of genes involved in addiction. Other topics in the Mountain Brook series include depression, concussions in football, sleep disorders, autism, Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease.

These brain disorders have a high and often devastating impact on patients and their families, King said. UAB has a wealth of expertise in these brain disorders, both at the clinical and research level, and the caf is an opportunity to inform the community about these disorders and the exciting progress that has been made in understanding the causes and advancing new treatments.

The caf features a presentation designed to be understood by anyone with an interest in neuroscience without having a background in it, King said, but suggests people at high school age or older will benefit the most.

The caf starts at 6:30 p.m., and no registration is required. Subsequent Neuroscience Cafs will discuss autism on April 13 and Alzheimers on May 11. For more information, contact the Emmet ONeal Library at 879-0459.

More:
Neuroscience Caf brings science talks to Emmet O'Neal ... - Village Living