Category Archives: Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Two from UAB lauded as among 100 inspiring black scientists in America – UAB News

Two UAB neuroscientists have been included in a listing of 100 of the most inspiring black scientists in the nation.

Farah Lubin, Ph.D., and Michelle Gray, Ph.D.Two scientists on the faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have been named to a list of 100 inspiring black scientists in America by Cross Talk, the official blog of Cell Press, a leading publisher of cutting-edge biomedical and physical science research and reviews.

Farah Lubin, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurobiology, and Michelle Gray, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurology, made the list.

The blogs guest author is Antentor O. Hinton Jr., Ph.D., a Ford Foundation and Burroughs Wellcome Fund postdoctoral fellow at the University of Iowa.

Theres a plethora of black scientists who make significant contributions to science, but many of them are unknown to the masses, Hinton said. Its imperative that young black scientists know about the myriad accomplished scientists from African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, and African American backgrounds in the fields of life sciences, chemistry, engineering and physics.

Lubin is the director of the NINDS-funded Neuroscience Roadmap Scholar Program. She is also a scientist in the Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging, the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, and the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute. Her research focuses on learning, memory and synaptic plasticity, epigenetics, non-coding RNAs gene transcription, epilepsy disorders, neurodevelopment, and developmental disabilities.

Gray is the Dixon Scholar in Neuroscience in the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, a scientist in the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center and the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, and co-director for the School of Medicines Summer in Biomedical Sciences Undergraduate Research Program. Her research focuses on the pathogenesis of Huntingtons disease with a specific interest in astrocytes, as well as cardiac abnormalities in Huntingtons disease and X-linked dystonia Parkinsonism.

The list includes 75 established investigators, including Lubin and Gray, who range from tenure track assistant professors to full professors and 25 scientists whom the author labels as rising stars.

Visit Cross Talk to see the list in its entirety.

Originally posted here:
Two from UAB lauded as among 100 inspiring black scientists in America - UAB News

Neuroscience

The Science Of Falling In Love – NPR

A promotional still from Skunk Bear's episode "A Neuroscience Love Song." Adam Cole/NPR's Skunk Bear hide caption

A promotional still from Skunk Bear's episode "A Neuroscience Love Song."

Ever wonder what's causing all those reactions in your body when you're falling in love with someone? We certainly did. So, we called up Adam Cole. He's a freelancer right now (read: for hire), but back in the day, he worked for NPR's Skunk Bear. That's when he gathered up a bunch of science about bodily reactions to love and wrote "A Neuroscience Love Song."

You can check out the additional reporting he and co-producer Ryan Kellman did around the Skunk Bear episode here. Plus, see their entire YouTube series here.

Follow Maddie Sofia and Adam Cole on Twitter. Email love letters to the show at shortwave@npr.org.

- XOXO, Short Wave

This episode was produced by Rebecca Ramirez and edited by Viet Le.

Read the rest here:
The Science Of Falling In Love - NPR

Neuroscience

Andre Walker Balancing Career in NFL And Neuroscience – Heavy.com

GettyA video board displays the text "THE PICK IS IN" for the Carolina Panthers.

Former Houston Baptist defensive end, Andre Walker III, is one of the most intriguing prospects in this years NFL Draft class.

The 61 225 pound collegiate defensive end turned professional linebacker has captured the attention of multiple NFL scouts and team personnel.

Walker is arguably one of the best pass rushers in the 2020 class and has separated himself as one of the best FCS prospects available.

In his last year at Houston Baptist, Walker was second in all of division one in sacks per game. He averaged an impressive 1.25 sacks per contest which trailed only Ohio States Chase Young at 1.38 sacks per game.

Young will likely be a top 5 pick in April. On the other hand, Walker will probably be a day 2 or day 3 selection.

Yet, Walker has the potential to be one of those hidden gems selected in the later rounds of the draft that could immediately produce for a franchise.

Walkers attention to detail, commitment to precision, and ability to retain information quickly will make him a stellar professional football player on the next level.

However, his love for neuroscience could make him one of the most influential players the game has ever witnessed.

Walker is a New Orleans, Louisiana, native who was not highly recruited coming out of high school.

Even though Walker competed in the same high school district as some of the most notable names in college football such as LSUs Kristian Fulton and JaMarr Chase in addition to Alabamas Dylan Moses, he did not receive the same level of interest from those schools.

The talented defensive playmaker admitted that he was small coming out of high school and only weighed 213 pounds. He was able to capture a few FCS offers but he decided to attend Houston Baptist to leave his legacy on an emerging program.

I wasnt getting a lot of attention, said Walker. Houston Baptist was a small school but I felt excited about working with the program and I just wanted to build up a legacy to help start something new.

As a result of his decision to go to Houston Baptist, Walker would not only gain powerful football insight to transform his playing career, he would gain knowledge to transform the minds of others.

Walker graduated from his university after majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He maintained a 3.69 GPA while becoming a major force in FCS opponents backfields.

A lot of times I would be missing practice because I was in lab, stated Walker. There were a lot of research experiments I had to do outside of class.

Even last season we tried to isolate a bacteriophage from sweat, Walker continued. So, after every practice I would run up and collect everybodys sweat. I was sitting there ringing out shirts and stuff.

Walkers commitment to both the classroom and the football field have helped create one of the most interesting prospects that we have seen come into the Draft in years.

The defensive standout plans to go to medical school when he is done playing football and wants to transition into becoming a neurosurgeon.

Walker has had a significant interest in the brain for awhile and says that he was inspired to study the brain when he realized the detrimental effects that the sport of football could cause on arguably the most important organ in your body.

CTE is what actually sparked my interest in medicine, said Walker. Neurodegeneration is definitely something I am going to study in the future.

For Walker, the future might be closer than you think. He may look to balance his science interests while testing different methods to get to the quarterback on Sundays.

Im really big on Astrophysics and all that type of stuff so you know who knows at that point, said Walker. Im really leaning toward space medicine as well too theres really a lot of things I can do with it Just taking it day by day and doing my research.

See the article here:
Andre Walker Balancing Career in NFL And Neuroscience - Heavy.com

Neuroscience

Will That Antidepressant Work For You? The Answer May Lie In Your Brain Waves – WMFE

Scientists have taken a small step toward personalizing treatment for depression.

A study of more than 300 people with major depression found that brain wave patterns predicted which ones were most likely to respond to the drug sertraline (Zoloft), a team reported Monday in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

If the approach pans out, it could offer better care for the millions of people in the U.S. with major depression.

This is definitely a step forward, says Michele Ferrante, who directs the computational psychiatry and computational neuroscience programs at the National Institute of Mental Health. He was not a part of the study.

Right now, one of our great frustrations is that when a patient comes in with depression we have very little idea what the right treatment for them is, says Dr. Amit Etkin, an author of the study and a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University. Essentially, the medications are chosen by trial and error.

Etkin is also the CEO of Alto Neuroscience, a Stanford-backed start-up developing computer-based approaches to diagnosing mental illness and selecting treatments.

In the study, researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze the brainwave patterns in more than 300 patients whod been diagnosed with major depression. Then they looked to see what happened when these same patients started treatment with sertraline.

And one pattern of electrical activity seemed to predict how well a patient would do. If the person scores particularly high on that, the recommendation would be to get sertraline, Etkin says.

Also, people whose brain waves showed they wouldnt do well with the drug, were more likely to respond to a non-drug therapy called transcranial magnetic stimulation.

The results suggest depression treatment doesnt have to rely on trial and error. By finding people who are particularly sensitive to an antidepressant, we can find those people for whom the drug is very effective, Etkin says.

And he says most psychiatrists and psychologists already have the EEG equipment needed to collect brainwave data though they would need to upload that data to be analyzed.

Its something that could be done very quickly and easily in any clinic, and then you can get your result by the time you leave the office, he says.

Someday, perhaps, says Ferrante. It should be clear that these are like just the first promising efforts in that space, he says.

But Ferrante thinks the study shows that scientists are finally getting closer to understanding how to pick the best treatment for someone with depression.

We are certainly pushing in that direction, he says.

The next step will be to show whether depression patients really are more likely to get better when treatment is decided by brain wave patterns, Ferrante says, adding that future research will need to include more than a single drug.

What we would like to have is models that can distinguish across multiple treatments, he says.

Read the original:
Will That Antidepressant Work For You? The Answer May Lie In Your Brain Waves - WMFE

Neuroscience

Why virtual reality is a ‘far from perfect’ tool for studying how the brain works – Genetic Literacy Project

Virtual Reality (VR) is not just for video games. Researchers use it in studies of brains from all kinds of animals .Thishas become a powerful tool in neuroscience, because it has many advantages for researchers that allow them to answer new questions about the brain.

If youve ever experienced VR, you know that it is still quite far from the real world. And this has consequences for how your brain responds to it.

One ofthe issues with VRis thelimited number of sensesit works on. Often the environment is only projected on a screen, giving visual input, without the subject getting any other inputs, such as touch or smell.

We know that we should be critical when interpreting results from neuroscience studies that use VR. Although VR is a great tool, it is far from perfect, and it affects the way our brain acts. We should not readily accept conclusions from VR studies, without first considering how the use of VR in that study may have affected those conclusions. Hopefully, as our methods get more sophisticated, the differences in brain activity between VR and the real world will also become smaller.

Read the original post

See the article here:
Why virtual reality is a 'far from perfect' tool for studying how the brain works - Genetic Literacy Project

Neuroscience

Physician-scientist bridges the neurobiology lab to the NICU – Newswise

MEDIA CONTACT

Available for logged-in reporters only

Newswise As a neonatologist at UChicago Medicine Comer Childrens Hospital,Timothy Sanders, MD, PhD, provides care for some of the most vulnerable infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. But as a scientist with a lab in theGrossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior, he studies some of the most basic elements of life, including how cells organize and communicate with each other during embryogenesis to develop tissues, organs, limbs and the nervous system.

Sanders earned his PhD in neurobiology at the University of Chicago in the lab ofCliff Ragsdale, PhD, who is best known for decoding the octopus genome. After medical school and additional training in neonatal medicine elsewhere, these two stages of Sanders career would seem like polar opposites, yet his background is characteristic of a physician-scientist at the University of Chicago Medicine.

I came back to the University of Chicago, in part because of the rich intellectual community that is engaging, welcoming and open to collaboration, he said. The developmental biology community and the neuroscience community are exceptional, both in talent and also in their willingness to embrace new ideas and to explore projects. I find that very appealing.

Sanders studies the mechanisms that early embryos and maturing tissues use as the blueprint for development at a cellular level. These mechanisms are essential for understanding how organs develop and how tissues prepare themselves to regenerate. While some developmental biologists focus on how genetic instructions embedded in DNA determine the shape and form of cells and tissues, Sanders believes that their ultimate fate is also determined by their environment, which instructs the behavior of cells and in turn activates their developmental programs.

Using powerful new imaging tools and data processing technology, partnering with the likes of UChicagosAdvanced Electron Microscopy FacilityandIntegrated Light Microscopy Core Facility, this line of inquiry can help Sanders and his colleagues understand not just how tissues form, but what happens when things go wrong. These early cellular mishaps can lead to the kinds of congenital anomalies Sanders sees in patients from the NICU, things like cleft lip and palate, missing digits or malformed limbs, or spinal conditions like spina bifida. By learning more about the root causes of these conditions, he hopes to uncover clues to predicting or even preventing them.

Yes, we can understand how congenital malformations occur, but how can we convince cells to regenerate and repair themselves? How can we more effectively use stem cells during this process? he said. Now with advanced imaging, we can actually look and see at extremely high resolution how cells are communicating and reacting to their environment during development.

Here is the original post:
Physician-scientist bridges the neurobiology lab to the NICU - Newswise

Neuroscience

Looking age in the eye: Daniel J. Levitin on how to live well, not just longer – Montreal Gazette

The numbers dont lie.

In 2018, 17.2 per cent of Canadians were 65 or older. By 2030, according to Statistics Canada, that number will be up to 23 per cent. There are more of us, and whats more, were living longer. But are we living better? The jury is very much out on that question.

We need to learn to think more in terms of health span, and less in terms of simple life span, said part-time Montrealer Daniel J. Levitin. The writer, cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist and musician sensed a gap in the literature on the subject and, as he has done with such bestselling titles as This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind, he set out to fill it.

My parents are in their 80s and I wanted to recommend a book for them, the 62-year-old said last week. I looked and looked, but couldnt find one. I realized that a lot of the new neuroscience hadnt trickled down to the average person, so I read roughly 4,000 peer-reviewed papers, thinking, How would I explain this to my parents?

The result is Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives (Allen Lane, 528 pages, $34), a wide-ranging work that confirms the authors flair for marshalling voluminous research and tested science into an accessible whole a layered practice in which, in his words, what might seem like superficial things are stand-ins for really big issues.

Part of the societal narrative that I want to push back on is that we tend to think of life as comprising these developmental stages prenatal, infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood and so on, and that after some point 65, 70, whatever its just decline, Levitin said. And thats not borne out by the research.

(Old age) is a distinct developmental stage, and as with any other, there are pluses and minuses. So I wanted to write about what science had to say about the course of aging and what happens in the brain, from the womb right up to old age.

As for practical application, said Levitin, The book wasnt intended as a problem-solving book, a what do I do about my elderly aunt? book. What Im really concerned with is that we start talking about and preparing for (old age) sooner.

A big part of that, he stressed, has to do with making the appropriate decision, whenever possible, about where you live: the common desire to retire to a rural or exurban setting, for example, comes with complications. In Successful Aging, a three-part catchphrase ice cream, lunch and light bulbs serves as a way into the idea.

If you want to just walk down the street and get an ice cream and be surrounded by people, are you living in a way that allows you to be spontaneous? Levitin said. Are you in a place socially and geographically where you can have a standing (weekly) lunch with someone? As for the light bulb, are you really going to climb a ladder to replace it, or is there someone who can help you?

Daniel J. Levitin, the James McGill Professor Emeritus of behavioural neuroscience at McGill University, displays his knack for making potentially daunting research accessible in Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives.John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette

Another popular perception Levitin would like to help dispel is the idea that people need less sleep as they get older.

When were younger, as with other things, we can be somewhat cavalier about sleep, he said. But as we get older some bodily systems become less efficient, and one of the things that declines is the ability of your biological clock to reset itself. Sleep hygiene is the idea that you have to look after and tend to your sleep cycle by going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time every day, insofar as possible. Older people tend to get less sleep, but they need eight or nine hours just like the rest of us. Many cases of Alzheimers are misdiagnosed cases of sleep deprivation.

For all the growing unease about possible long-term effects of online culture, the digital realm is undeniably where were having more and more of our interactions a situation Levitin is at pains to warn against.

I like that in the three minutes every morning I allocate to Facebook I can quickly catch up on people who are far from me, he said. But its not a substitute for face-to-face conversation. Weve been sold a lack of nuance in the name of efficiency, but in the long run its less efficient, because nuance contributes to efficiency.

Montreal science writer Susan Pinker decries the relative lack of third spaces places other than home and the workplace where people can gather that cater to the elderly.Random House Canada

Another prominent Montreal science writer, Susan Pinker dealt with the subject above in her 2015 book The Village Effect: How Face-to-Face Contact Can Make Us Healthier and Happier. She said last week that her subsequent research following my nose, she called it has underlined her findings.

The research has continued to indicate that in-person social interaction has a different impact on our brains and bodies than digital interaction, said Pinker, 62. Although she stressed that one needs to be careful when it comes to anti-digital jeremiads.

Ive found that theres no wrath quite like the wrath of a grandparent whos been told that Skype isnt as good as the real thing, she said. Dont try to tell someone that seeing her grandchilds face on a screen is a bad thing.

The increasing recognition of the need to balance out the atomizing effects of the internet in short, to get out more can be a challenge for those who are more inclined toward solitude and introspection.

You cant just will yourself out of that, Levitin acknowledged. But for many adults, after a certain age neurochemical shifts cause them to be more outgoing. Grandparents do tend to talk and communicate more than parents, and its the micro-connections that are crucial talking to your postal carrier, to the person next in line at the checkout counter at the grocery store. It brings you out of loneliness.

But I would add a distinction that I maybe didnt make enough of in the book that loneliness and solitude are not the same. Some people enjoy solitude and dont feel lonely; other people are lonely in a crowded room. Loneliness is the killer, not solitude. I write about Sonny Rollins, Donald Fagen, Malcolm Gladwell people who really seem to enjoy their solitude. I see Gladwell in New York City having lunch alone. Ive never seen him lunching with someone.

The need for what Pinker identifies as third spaces places other than home and the workplace where people can gather to satisfy a natural craving for human contact is increasingly evident.

If your municipality doesnt create them, then people will find them, Pinker said. Tims (Tim Hortons) is a great Canadian example of that.

The relative paucity of such places is an example of something Pinker decries with regard to the elderly: a frustrating gap between need and service.

I would love to see more policy efforts directed at the fact that we are living longer, and people who are living longer want to live well, she said. One of my biggest bugaboos about some of the cultural scenes here is that theyre not accessible to the seniors who would love to participate. My mom loves classical music, but my dad has passed away and shes having mobility issues, so shes not going to go by herself. But if the orchestra, say, convened a group of seniors and gave them a good deal on tickets, and had concerts for them, possibly during the day when its easier for them to get out, theyd get a huge number of subscribers. I dont think they see it that way. Theyre upset that their market is greying, as opposed to saying, Thats what our market is, lets go get them.

The book wasnt intended as a problem-solving book, a what do I do about my elderly aunt? book, Daniel J. Levitin says of Successful Aging. What Im really concerned with is that we start talking about and preparing for (old age) sooner.John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette

In much of the talk around age, the elephant in the room is the need to overcome deep-rooted cultural ageism. Progress is being made, but its an ongoing battle.

Its a huge battle, Levitin concurred. Even within the neuroscience community its not talked about. When you think about all of the different isms or prejudices that face society, whether its sexism, racism, prejudice against LGBTQ people all of these are far from solved, but at least theyre part of the national conversation. Theyre on the table. Ageism is not. If youre 60, 62, 65, its virtually impossible to get a promotion, very very difficult to move into a new company. Even in the arts, Ive seen musicians and artists denied the opportunities younger people would get, for reasons having nothing to do with talent.

Another question that needs addressing involves the growing existential crisis posed by climate change: Can we have more and more people staying active for longer and longer without overtaxing an environment already at crisis point? Levitin believes we can.

It seems to me that if youve got more people working and contributing to the economy, rather than drawing on a strained social insurance system, thats a good thing, he said. And if youve got more older people with experience and wisdom helping younger adults solve problems wisdom being the aggregate of experiences, and older adults being much better at problem solving thats a good thing, too.

ianmcgillis2@gmail.com

Margaret Atwood in Montreal in 2012: at the centre of our culture for longer than any other writer.Dario Ayala / Montreal Gazette files

There is no current shortage of people who have remained vital cultural presences far past the age when previous eras might have seen them step politely aside. Here are six of them.

Paul Simon

Anyone who witnessed Simons remarkable 2018 concert at the Bell Centre 2 1/2 hours of high-intensity performance, including a spot of lively Cajun two-step dancing had to be impressed at his protean energy and commitment to his art. Ive known him for many years, said Levitin. He said he decided (around) age 60, starting with the Youre the One album (in 2000), to raise his game and hone his craft to a new level. Not bad for someone whod been no slouch through age 59. (See also: Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Paul McCartney, Elton John.)

The Dalai Lama

His Holiness made a deep impression on Levitin when the writer visited him in India last year. He was 83 and he had just published his 125th book, Levitin said. Hes a very happy guy a bit of a prankster. He told me, The thing Ive discovered about being 83 is that when you tell people you dont want to travel, they say OK.

Margaret Atwood

The remarkable ongoing impact of The Handmaids Tale has underlined something we may sometimes take for granted: Atwood has been at the centre of our culture for longer than any other writer. At 80 she shows no sign of slowing down, and of all the praise we can bestow on her, theres none more telling than the fact that we have no real idea what she might do next.

Paul Simon showcased an undeniable energy and commitment to his art at the Bell Centre in 2018.Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette files

Charles Taylor

The acclaimed and influential 88-year-old philosopher is Susan Pinkers nomination for this list.Everybody has their own way of being human, something we each have to find in our own way, he told the Montreal Gazette in 2018. Thats something that needs to be articulated, and you find youre missing something if youre not going outside the usual objective factors and quantifiable things.

Larry David

Hailed as a style icon on the cover of the February issue of GQ magazine, David was already something of a late bloomer when he came to prominence as co-creator of Seinfeld. Now 72 and still very much visible as the face of Curb Your Enthusiasm, David found his niche by acknowledging indeed, embracing and celebrating his inner curmudgeon. Happiness is where you find it.

Sheila Fischman

The doyenne of Canadian literary translation remains on the job at 82, rendering Quebec writers like Kim Thy accessible to English-language readers just as she did for the first wave of modern Qubcois writers in the 1960s, and for every generation since.

Read the original:
Looking age in the eye: Daniel J. Levitin on how to live well, not just longer - Montreal Gazette

Neuroscience

Thornton professor wins research award – Daily Trojan Online

Lynn Helding knew she wanted to be a singer when she was 8 years old. Now, years later, Helding is a professor of voice and coordinator of vocology and voice pedagogy at the Thornton School of Music and was named the 2020 Contemporary Commercial Music Institute Lifetime Achievement Award recipient by Shenandoah University for her research in cognitive neuroscience and the teaching of voice.

Helding will receive the award in July when she gives the keynote address at the Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at the University.

It was a total surprise, Helding said. It is an honor to be there with the other past awardees They just started [the award] in 2017, and I feel honored to be only the fourth awardee.

Helding, who studies the intersection between cognitive neuroscience and vocology, has used her research findings in cognitive psychology to protect the vocal health of singers and enhance their learning and performance. She has also applied the mechanisms from her studies to ensure the physical well-being of her students.

The more we can understand how our body functions, the better we can sing but also the better we can teach, so when you start teaching, you really learn, Helding said. I would say that in performing arts, our singers are closest to dancers in terms of how we use our bodies.

As part of her emphasis on vocal health, Helding brought in the vocal health component to the Musicians Wellness Initiative program that Thornton professors William Kanengiser and Stephen Pierce started four years ago, right as Helding started her job at USC.

The Musicians Wellness Initiative program is a partnership between Thornton and Keck School of Medicine in which Thornton student singers get screened at the start of each new academic year at the USC Voice Center.

The doctors look at their voice and make sure they have at least a baseline of good vocal health, Helding said. If they dont, they get flagged and [are] advised to get services.

Thornton Dean Robert Cutietta said that Heldings research was well-developed even before she came to USC but joined due to its medical school where she could further her research.

Her research is all about healthy singing, Cutietta said. It is really easy for a singer who isnt trained properly to ruin her voice, to overuse it or use it incorrectly.

Helding said that as part of her research, she has read and analyzed hundreds of published academic articles on cognitive psychology and its application to classroom environments.

I had my own laboratory because I teach studio, Helding said. So, I started putting together my own experience as a teacher and coach and connecting the dots between what the research is saying about how people learn.

Lisa Sylvester, chair of the vocal arts and opera department at Thornton, said that the work done in the wellness program was critically important to the music industry and the way music was processed and performed.

[Her research] really represents a very high level and high standard of academic work, Sylvester said.

Helding is also the author of The Musicians Mind: Teaching, Learning, and Performance in the Age of Brain Science that released earlier this month. She started writing the book 10 years ago when she created a column called Mindful Voice in the Journal of Singing, where she introduced the mind as an important part of vocal science.

Shes had a whole career developing this research, Cutietta said. Its not as if there was just one study [where] she discovered something. This has been her whole career.

The highlight of Heldings research is the new focus of pedagogy that she has proposed. Cutietta said her specialization in the field complemented Thorntons program that incorporates workshops on wellness components such as posture while practicing.

We had a search several years back, and we needed someone who could teach the classes and who could advise our teaching assistants, Sylvester said. We needed someone for whom that was a focus and she was clearly the most qualified.

Helding said her study of pedagogy requires an understanding of how students learn.

A paradigm shift in how we teach should be on how well students learn, Helding said. You have to think about how people actually learn and how they learn best Those are all questions that cognitive science is looking at.

Helding said that she hopes to publish the second edition of The Musicians Mind. Meanwhile, she wishes to pass on her legacy to her students, which is why she decided to work at USC after 22 years of teaching at Dickinson College.

I wanted to have graduate students, Helding said. As we near the end of our careers, we want to be able to pass on our intellectual property.

See the article here:
Thornton professor wins research award - Daily Trojan Online

Neuroscience

BYU researches where religious OCD is activated in the brain – Universe.byu.edu

See also Religious OCD: When faith becomes an obsession

Elizabeth Patterson never imagined herself struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) until it became a reality while she served a full-time mission. Her fixations were centered on doing what she thought was right, focusing on certain rules in the missionary handbook and striving for extreme perfectionism.

I was stressed all the time, Patterson said. I struggled to feel happy and find purpose. I hurt my relationships with other people.

Patterson realized she was struggling with scrupulosity, a form of OCD that manifests itself through an obsession with moral and religious issues.

I would always say, We need to do whats right, and my companions would always say, Chill! We need to follow the Spirit! The Spirit prompts us to do whats right, but I just stopped listening, Patterson said.

Patterson isnt the only BYU student who has dealt with scrupulous thoughts and behavior. BYU psychology and neuroscience researchers recognized the need to better understand this phenomenon.

A look into the scrupulous brain

Kawika Allen is an assistant psychology professor and a scrupulosity researcher at BYU. He has conducted studies exploring scrupulosity in relation to legalism (the notion one has to earn Gods love to be worthy), family perfectionism and well-being among Latter-day Saints.

Last year, BYU neuroscience department researcher Jared Nielsen approached Allen and invited him to participate in a new study to detect where scrupulosity is being activated in the brain, and then comparing that to other OCD symptoms. The project is currently in the works and the plan is to have around 30-40 subjects with scrupulous tendencies to go through an MRI scan. Researchers will then observe whether theres a consistent, localized area where scrupulosity is coming from.

It may not tell us how its caused, but we can know where its coming from in terms of the location in the brain, Allen said. We suspect its somewhere just above the fornix area around the limbic system of the brain.

The research team consists of Allen, Nielsen, licensed psychologist Debra McClendon and students Benson Bunker, Eli Baughn and David Johnson. The team is in the process of conceptualizing the project. The next steps include drafting an Institutional Review Board (IRB) proposal to gain approval and then starting the MRI scans within the next few months.

BYU psychology major Benson Bunker joined Allens research team a year ago. The Henderson, Nevada native has personally struggled with scrupulosity, and researched it for an assignment in a psychology writing class. He joined Allens team after hearing about the opportunity from a friend.

Bunker, along with Allen and other team members, presented at the Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists (AMCAP) conference in Salt Lake City last October. A major part of their presentation was gathering information on scrupulosity and directing attention to the issue.

For the upcoming research project, Bunkers responsibility has been to compile a list of questions designed to trigger scrupulous thoughts. One of the main tasks subjects are expected to do is read and answer to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints previous temple recommend interview questions.

A big issue for people with scrupulosity in this Church is going in and being interviewed by a bishop, Bunker said. We thought it would be a good idea to reproduce that through questions based on the temple recommend interview questions.

According to Allen, the black and white dichotomy of the old interview questions tend to invoke scrupulosity in individuals more.

The new questions are much better in terms of the language. The words are softer and in three of the questions, they include the word strive so its not an absolute are you, or are you not, Allen said. Were using the old questions because thats what invokes scrupulosity more.

When considering the well-being of scrupulous individuals, Allen believes the change of wording in the temple reccomend interview questions was a step in the right direction.

I think the brethren and leaders of the church were inspired to change the interview questions because they know were human, that were imperfect and we have flaws, Allen said.

Bunker believes many individuals who struggle with scrupulosity dont know what it is or how they can overcome the symptoms attached to it.

I hope they dont think its normal for them to think theyre going to be cast into hell for a little mistake they made 10 years ago, Bunker said. I feel like if they understand what it is, and know there is help out there, that they can get better and still have a healthy relationship with God.

See the article here:
BYU researches where religious OCD is activated in the brain - Universe.byu.edu

Neuroscience

Satire | Sleeping around what different majors are like in bed – University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News

Close

Eli Savage | Contributing Editor

Eli Savage | Contributing Editor

Eli Savage | Contributing Editor

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sleep with that cute guy you always make eye contact with in your gen ed class? How about that girl from your chemistry lab? You know, the one who always looks amazing even though its 9 p.m. and, well, a chem lab? Well, wonder no more! While you probably dont know what kind of lover they are, Im confident that you probably know what theyre majoring in. Before you hop into bed with anybody new, consult this list to see if theyre even worth your time.

Communications

If youre looking for someone to talk dirty to you all night long, then a communications major is your ideal lover. Since their major is essentially dedicated to learning how to effectively convey information to a diverse audience, it makes sense theyd be a good communicator in bed. And hey, communication is key, right?

Nursing

Nursing majors are perfectly adequate in bed, maybe even good. Id say all their practice with bedside manner turns them into attentive, gentle lovers. The only downside to sleeping with a nursing major is that youll wake up at 5 a.m. when their alarm goes off to wake them up for clinicals.

Biology/pre-med

While you might be tempted to hookup with a bio major I know its convenient, especially since it sometimes seems like bio is the only major we have at Pitt, just like the only place Pitt students come from is outside of Philly I would strongly advise against it. It seems that their intense knowledge of the way life functions and their important medical aspirations have left them with a strangely distanced and almost medical approach to sex.

Engineering

If you can convince an engineering major to leave Benedum long enough to get them into bed with you, I will be seriously impressed. With their busy schedules and impossibly challenging course work, its a wonder they have time to breathe, let alone have sex. However, with their knowledge about whatever engineers know theyre probably pretty all right in bed.

Neuroscience

Rest assured that if you sleep with a neuroscience major, it will be nothing more than a hookup. Chances are theyre just trying to distract themselves from the insanity of their classes. That being said, if youre into casual sex and want a fun night with no strings attached, go on Tinder and find yourself a neuroscience major.

Psychology

If you have daddy issues, then you should definitely sleep with a psychology major. Theyll be able to psychoanalyze you all night, and maybe help you get to the bottom of some of your deep-seated childhood trauma. Alternatively, you could just go to therapy and save yourself a disappointing hookup.

Environmental Studies/Science

Let me be real with you. Environmental studies and science majors are quite possibly the best lovers you will ever find. Nothing compares to the passion and dedication these students have in their hearts, and their astute powers of observation keenly honed from hours of identifying miscellaneous rocks and minerals make them very attuned to their partners needs in the bedroom. I know I havent given any other major a numerical rating, but students who study environmental studies and science have earned a 10/10. And no, I am not biased at all. I dont know why you would think that. No way.

Business

For now, lets pretend there arent subsects of the business school and condense everything into one, nondescript major. Business majors are forever the subject of jokes about how easy their classes are and how little work they have to do. Fortunately for the business major, this leaves them plenty of free time, making it likely that they are highly experienced in the bedroom. Unfortunately, their sex may tend to feel transactional, possibly because theyre thinking about that macroeconomics exam they have on Thursday.

Math

Allow me to simplify all mathematics majors I think theres multiple? How many kinds of math are there? into one, all-knowing math major just for laughs. This all-encompassing major is perfectly fine in bed, maybe even better than some of the previously mentioned majors it must be the fact that you know they know how to add and subtract. Plus, if you sleep with a math major, you might be able to get them to help you with your calculus homework.

Film

If you want to reenact your favorite steamy scene from film, you should absolutely sleep with a film major. Tell them how much you loved the sex scene from Atonement you know, the one in the library with Keira Knightley and James McAvoy and chances are that theyll agree and do their best to make your fantasies come true. However, if youre not looking to have movie-inspired sex, you might not want to sleep with a film major. Im pretty sure they dont know how to do much else.

English

An English major is a safe bet for a hookup, or a long term sexual thing. It might be a little strange at first, as they might say some words youve never heard before, but such is life when you have sex with someone who reads a lot. The good news about sleeping with an English major is that when you wake up in their bed in the morning and have to wait, like, an hour and a half for them to wake up, and you cant reach your phone because its on the opposite nightstand, and you dont want to crawl across the bed to get it for fear of waking them up, you can just roll over and read the titles of the 80 books on their shelf.

Paige Lawler writes primarily about environmental policy and politics for The Pitt News. This is her first and probably only satirical piece. Tell her if you think shes funny at pml36@pitt.edu

Follow this link:
Satire | Sleeping around what different majors are like in bed - University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News