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Category Archives: Neuroscience
Study Links Diet, Diabetes, and Alzheimers – Neuroscience News
Summary: A new study explores the molecular connections between Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimers, supporting the notion of Alzheimers as Type 3 diabetes.
This study finds that a high-fat diet suppresses a crucial gut protein, Jak3, leading to Alzheimers-like brain changes in mice. It underscores the importance of managing diabetes or avoiding it through diet to reduce Alzheimers risk.
The findings illuminate a potential path from diet through gut inflammation to brain health, offering hope for preventative strategies.
Key Facts:
Source: ASBMB
New research conducted in mice offers insights into whats going on at the molecular level that could cause people with diabetes to develop Alzheimers disease.
The study adds to a growing body of research on the links between Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimers disease, which some scientists have called Type 3 diabetes.
The findings suggest that it should be possible to reduce the risk of Alzheimers by keeping diabetes well controlled or avoiding it in the first place, according to researchers.
NarendraKumar, an associate professor at Texas A&M University in College Station, led the study.
We think that diabetes and Alzheimers disease are strongly linked, Kumar said, and by taking preventative or amelioration measures for diabetes, we can prevent or at least significantly slow down the progression of the symptoms of dementia in Alzheimers disease.
Kumar will present the new research atDiscover BMB, the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which is being held March 2326 in San Antonio.
Diabetes and Alzheimers are two of the fastest-growing health concerns worldwide. Diabetes alters the bodys ability to turn food into energy and affects an estimated 1 in 10 U.S. adults. Alzheimers, a form of dementia that causes progressive decline in memory and thinking skills, is among the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States.
Diet is known to influence the development of diabetes as well as the severity of its health impacts. To find out how diet could influence the development of Alzheimers in people with diabetes, the researchers traced how a particular protein in the gut influences the brain.
They found that a high-fat diet suppresses the expression of the protein, called Jak3, and that mice without this protein experienced a cascade of inflammation starting with the intestine, moving through the liver and on to the brain.
Ultimately, the mice showed signs of Alzheimers-like symptoms in the brain, including an overexpressed mouse beta-amyloid and hyperphosphorylated tau, as well as evidence of cognitive impairment.
Liver being the metabolizer for everything we eat, we think that the path from gut to the brain goes through liver, Kumar said.
His lab has been studying functions of Jak3 for a long time, he added, and they now know that the impact of food on the changes in the expression of Jak3 leads to leaky gut. This in turn results in low-grade chronic inflammation, diabetes, decreased ability of the brain to clear its toxic substances and dementia-like symptoms seen in Alzheimers disease.
The good news, according to Kumar, is that it may be possible to stop this inflammatory pathway by eating a healthy diet and getting blood sugar under control as early as possible.
In particular, people with prediabetes which includes an estimated 98 million U.S. adults could benefit from adopting lifestyle changes to reverse prediabetes, prevent the progression to Type 2 diabetes and potentially reduce the risk of Alzheimers.
Author: Anne Johnson Source: ASBMB Contact: Anne Johnson ASBMB Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The findings will be presented at Discover BMB
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Study Links Diet, Diabetes, and Alzheimers - Neuroscience News
Neuroscience and Society Series: Aligning Science with the Public’s Values – The Hastings Center
Hastings Center News Published March 22, 2024March 22, 2024Posted in Neuroscience
Research that involves implanting devices into the brains of human volunteers creates a special moral obligation that extends beyond the trial periodan obligation that researchers, device manufacturers, and funders owe to the volunteers. This is the conclusion of two new essays in the Hastings Center Report that launch a series on the ethical and social issues raised by brain research.
The Neuroscience and Society series is supported by the Dana Foundation and will be published in open-access format online over the next three years.
The series seeks to promote deliberative public engagement about neuroscience, writes Hastings Center senior research scholar Gregory E. Kaebnick, who leads the development of the series, in Neuroscience and Society: Supporting and Unsettling Public Engagement, the introductory essay. The ultimate goal of the Neuroscience and Society series is to contribute to a vitally important but somewhat uncertain political project often called alignment. The guiding thought in that project is that science should align with the publics values; it should take society in a direction thats good for society, as judged by society.
Following the introduction, two essays discuss post-trial ethical obligations raised by studies with cutting-edge neural devices that have a range of potential benefits, such as deep brain stimulation to alleviate psychiatric conditions and brain-computer interfaces to aid communication.
Brain Pioneers and Moral Entanglement: An Argument for Post-trial Responsibilities in Neural-Device Trials Sara Goering, Andrew I. Brown, and Eran Klein
Human participants in neural-device trials are brain pioneers, entrusting researchers with access to their brains. For many of these researchers, what should happen at the end of the study is a troubling question without a clear answer. Researchers and funders of neural-device trials owe something to participants that, we insist, exceeds the usual benefits of participating, write the authors. In many cases, it includes ensuring participants continued access to neural devices.
Identity Theft, Deep Brain Stimulation, and the Primacy of Post-trial Obligations Joseph J. Fins, Amanda R. Merner, Megan S. Wright, and Gabriel Lzaro-Muoz
When neuroethicists write about deep brain stimulation (DBS) via implanted neural devices, they sometimes resort to science fiction hyperboleimagining parables of cyborgs whose identities are hijacked by the technology, the essay begins. This is because with the implantation of such technology comes the threat of a loss of personal identity, that sense of self that is felt as unique to a person. But findings from two deep brain stimulation trials for traumatic brain injury and obsessive-compulsive disorder reveal that injury and illness rob individuals of personal identity and that neuromodulation can restore it. The early success of these interventions makes a compelling case for continued post-trial access to these technologies.
The series is developed with support from Hastings Center senior research scholar Erik Parens. and the guidance of a steering committee of six scholars:
Jennifer Chandler, University of Ottawa Winston Chiong, University of California San Francisco Joseph J. Fins, Weill Cornell Medical School Sara Goering, University of Washington Jonathan D. Moreno, University of Pennsylvania Oliver Rollins, University of Washington
Learn more about the series here.
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Neuroscience and Society Series: Aligning Science with the Public's Values - The Hastings Center
Hardwiring Your Brain: The Neuroscience Of Behaviour Change | TheHealthSite.com – TheHealthSite
Children Care World Down Syndrome Day: What Kind Of Dietary, Fitness Parameters Should Kids With Down Syndrome Have?
In December 2011, the UN General Assembly declared March 21 as 'World Down Syndrome Day'. Around the world, there is a need for more societal acceptance for people born with this disorder, so that they are rewarded with inclusivity, proper healthcare, career opportunities and everything else needed to live a regular life.
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Hardwiring Your Brain: The Neuroscience Of Behaviour Change | TheHealthSite.com - TheHealthSite
Refined Carb Intake’s Effect on Facial Attractiveness – Neuroscience News
Summary: A new study reveals a statistical connection between the consumption of refined carbohydrates and decreased facial attractiveness, as judged by heterosexual volunteers of the opposite sex. Participants who consumed a high-glycemic breakfast, rich in refined carbohydrates, were rated as less attractive than those who had a low-glycemic meal.
This research, involving 104 French adults, adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that diet, specifically the intake of refined carbohydrates found in the Western diet, may impact non-medical traits such as attractiveness. The study also observed sex-specific differences in how snack consumption affects attractiveness, highlighting the complex relationship between diet and social perceptions.
Key Facts:
Source: PLOS
In a new study, participants levels of consumption of refined carbohydrates were statistically linked with their facial attractiveness as rated by heterosexual volunteers of the opposite sex.
Visine and colleagues at the University of Montpellier, France, present these findings in the open-access journalPLOS ONEon March 6, 2024.
The Western diet consists of high levels of refined carbohydratesfoods processed in ways that typically remove much of their nutritional value, such as white flour, table sugar, and ingredients in many packaged snacks.
Prior research has linked increased consumption of refined carbohydrates with adverse health effects, such as obesity, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Preliminary evidence has suggested that consuming high levels of refined carbohydrates might also affect non-medical traits, such as a persons attractiveness.
To further explore this possibility, Visine and colleagues conducted a study involving 104 French male and female adults.
The researchers gave some of the participants a high-glycemic breakfastone with refined carbohydrates known to boost blood sugar levelswhile others received a low-glycemic breakfast.
The participants also completed a questionnaire to evaluate their typical habits of consumption of refined carbohydrates. Additional heterosexual volunteers were then asked to rate the facial attractiveness of opposite-sex participants as captured in photos taken two hours after the provided breakfast.
Only participants and volunteers with four grandparents of European origin were included in this research, to reduce cultural heterogeneity.
Statistical analysis showed that consuming the high-glycemic breakfast was associated with lower subsequent facial attractiveness ratings for both men and women.
Chronic consumption of refined carbohydrates during breakfast and snacks was also associated with lower attractiveness ratings, although consumption of high-energy foods at these times was associated with higher attractiveness ratings.
The researchers noted some sex differences: for afternoon snacking in men specifically, high-energy intake was instead associated with lower attractiveness ratings, while high-glycemic intake was linked to higher attractiveness ratings.
All results held true after statistically accounting for other factors that could affect attractiveness, such as actual age, perceived age, BMI, smoking habits, and facial hairiness.
Further research, including for larger and more diverse sample sizes, is needed to deepen understanding of exactly how refined carbohydrates may be linked to attractiveness and other social traits.
The authors add: Facial attractiveness, an important factor of social interactions, seems to be impacted by immediate and chronic refined carbohydrate consumption in men and women.
Funding:This work was supported by Agence Nationale pour la Recherche HUMANWAY project (ANR-12- BSV7-0008-01). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Author: Hanna Abdallah Source: PLOS Contact: Hanna Abdallah PLOS Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. Chronic and immediate refined carbohydrate consumption and facial attractiveness by Visine A et al. PLOS ONE
Abstract
Chronic and immediate refined carbohydrate consumption and facial attractiveness
The Western diet has undergone a massive switch since the second half of the 20thcentury, with the massive increase of the consumption of refined carbohydrate associated with many adverse health effects.
The physiological mechanisms linked to this consumption, such as hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinemia, may impact non medical traits such as facial attractiveness.
To explore this issue, the relationship between facial attractiveness and immediate and chronic refined carbohydrate consumption estimated by glycemic load was studied for 104 French subjects.
Facial attractiveness was assessed by opposite sex raters using pictures taken two hours after a controlled breakfast. Chronic consumption was assessed considering three high glycemic risk meals: breakfast, afternoon snacking and between-meal snacking.
Immediate consumption of a high glycemic breakfast decreased facial attractiveness for men and women while controlling for several control variables, including energy intake. Chronic refined carbohydrate consumption had different effects on attractiveness depending on the meal and/or the sex.
Chronic refined carbohydrate consumption, estimated by the glycemic load, during the three studied meals reduced attractiveness, while a high energy intake increased it.
Nevertheless, the effect was reversed for men concerning the afternoon snack, for which a high energy intake reduced attractiveness and a high glycemic load increased it.
These effects were maintained when potential confounders for facial attractiveness were controlled such as age, age departure from actual age, masculinity/femininity (perceived and measured), BMI, physical activity, parental home ownership, smoking, couple status, hormonal contraceptive use (for women), and facial hairiness (for men).
Results were possibly mediated by an increase in age appearance for women and a decrease in perceived masculinity for men. The physiological differences between the three meals studied and the interpretation of the results from an adaptive/maladaptive point of view in relation to our new dietary environment are discussed.
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Refined Carb Intake's Effect on Facial Attractiveness - Neuroscience News
Linking Childhood Adversity to Adult Mental Health – Neuroscience News
Summary: Researchers delved into how adverse childhood experiences contribute to the risk of psychiatric illness in adulthood, leveraging data from over 25,000 twins in the Swedish Twin Registry. The study uncovers a dose-response relationship between childhood adversity and later mental health problems, while also highlighting the significant role of genetic and environmental factors within families.
By analyzing twins with differing experiences of abuse but shared family backgrounds, the research provides nuanced insights into the interplay between direct abuse effects and inherited or environmental influences. This study underscores the importance of family-wide health interventions to mitigate the long-term mental health risks associated with childhood adversities.
Key Facts:
Source: Karolinska Institute
A research team has examined the link between adverse childhood experiences and the risk of mental health problems later in life, according to a study inJAMA Psychiatry.
The researchers from Karolinska Institutet and University of Iceland have found that the risk of suffering from mental illness later in life among those experiencing significant adversity in childhood can be partly explained by factors shared by family members, such as genetics and environment.
Several previous studies have shown that people who have experienced various types of adverse childhood experiences have a higher risk of suffering from psychiatric illness later in life.
Now, a new study from Karolinska Institutet, using a special type of twin research design, can confirm the link, show a clear dose-response relationship and at the same time broaden the picture.
The researchers can now show that there are also significant genetic and environmental factors that play a role and contribute to mental illness.
The researchers used three different cohorts of the Swedish Twin Registry, comprising over 25,000 individuals. The twins responded to a large web-based questionnaire and answered questions about different types of adverse childhood experiences including family violence, emotional abuse or neglect, physical neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, rape and hate crime. In addition, information about adult psychiatric disorders was obtained from the Swedish Patient Registry.
These are of course very difficult questions to answer, but this is the best data source we have access to, says Hilda Bjrk Danelsdttir, a doctoral student at the University of Iceland and visiting doctoral student at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and the studys first author.
By identifying twin pairs who reported different experiences of abuse while growing up in the same family and then following those who later received a psychiatric diagnosis, the researchers have been able to sort out how much of the increased risk is due to the abuse itself and how much is due to genetics and environment.
Most previous studies on the mental health effects of childhood adversity have not been able to take these things into account. Now we can show that the increased risk of mental health problems after adverse childhood experiences can be partly explained by factors shared by family members, such as genetic factors or factors in the childhood environment, says Hilda Bjrk Danelsdttir.
She argues that this finding should therefore lead to health care interventions addressing risk factors within the whole family, not just the affected child or children.
The more different types of childhood adversities individuals experienced, the higher the risk was of receiving a psychiatric diagnosis later in life. The researchers can also show that sexual abuse and rape in childhood as well as having experienced three or more types of adversities were the experiences most strongly linked to future mental health problems. This is something that is also important knowledge when treating vulnerable children and their families.
I hope that our study can raise awareness of childhood circumstances as possible causes of psychiatric disorders in adulthood and how to best address them, says Hilda Bjrk Danelsdttir.
Funding: The research was funded by the European Research Council, the Icelandic Research Center and the EUs Horizon 2020.
Author: Hilda Bjrk Danelsdttir Source: Karolinska Institute Contact: Hilda Bjrk Danelsdttir Karolinska Institute Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. Adverse Childhood Experience and Adult Mental Health Outcomes by Hilda Bjrk Danelsdttir et al. JAMA Psychiatry
Abstract
Adverse Childhood Experience and Adult Mental Health Outcomes
Importance
Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has consistently been associated with multiple negative mental health outcomes extending into adulthood. However, given that ACEs and psychiatric disorders cluster within families, it remains to be comprehensively assessed to what extent familial confounding contributes to associations between ACEs and clinically confirmed adult psychiatric disorders.
Objective
To investigate whether associations between ACEs and adult mental health outcomes remain after adjusting for familial (genetic and environmental) confounding.
Design, Setting, and Participants
This Swedish twin cohort study used a discordant twin pair design based on monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. A total of 25252 adult twins (aged 18-47 years) from the Swedish Twin Registry born between 1959 and 1998 were followed up from age 19 years until 2016, with a maximum follow-up time of 39 years. Data were analyzed from April 2022 to November 2023.
Exposures
A total of 7 ACEs, including family violence, emotional abuse or neglect, physical neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, rape, and hate crime, were assessed with items from the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised in a web-based survey.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Adult (ages >18 years) clinical diagnosis of psychiatric disorders (ie, depressive, anxiety, alcohol or drug misuse, or stress-related disorders) were obtained from the Swedish National Patient Register.
Results
Of 25252 twins included in the study (15038 female [59.6%]; mean [SD] age at ACE assessment, 29.9 [8.7] years), 9751 individuals (38.6%) reported exposure to at least 1 ACE. A greater number of ACEs was associated with increased odds of any psychiatric disorder in the full cohort (odds ratio [OR] per additional ACE, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.48-1.57). The association remained but ORs per additional ACE were attenuated in DZ (1.29; 95% CI, 1.14-1.47) and MZ (1.20; 95% CI, 1.02-1.40) twin pairs. Individuals who were exposed to sexual abuse compared with those who were not exposed had increased odds of any clinically confirmed psychiatric disorder in all comparisons: full cohort (OR, 3.09; 95% CI, 2.68-3.56), DZ twin pairs (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.33-3.32), and MZ twin pairs (1.80; 95% CI, 1.04-3.11).
Conclusions and relevance
This study found that associations between ACEs and adult mental health outcomes remained after controlling for shared genetic and environmental factors, which was particularly evident after multiple ACEs or sexual abuse. These findings suggest that targeted interventions may be associated with reduced risks of future psychopathology.
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Linking Childhood Adversity to Adult Mental Health - Neuroscience News
Overnight neuronal plasticity and adaptation to emotional distress – Nature.com
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Original post:
Overnight neuronal plasticity and adaptation to emotional distress - Nature.com
Less Obesity and Depression in NPD Individuals – Neuroscience News
Summary: A comprehensive study across 38 states in the U.S. has revealed a surprising link between narcissism and positive health outcomes, including lower obesity and depression rates. States with higher levels of narcissism also showed a lower likelihood of heart failure and hypertension deaths, highlighting the complex role of narcissistic traits in public health.
However, these states also experienced less sleep and a higher demand for plastic surgeons, suggesting a nuanced interplay between narcissisms adaptive and maladaptive aspects. This groundbreaking research underscores the importance of considering psychological traits in public health strategies and interventions.
Key Facts:
Source: Neuroscience News
The exploration of narcissisms association with state-level health outcomes across the United States reveals a fascinating paradox within the realm of public health and personality psychology.
This extensive study, drawing on data from over 4,000 individuals in 38 states, transcends the traditional confines of individual behavior to uncover the broader societal implications of the dark triad traits, particularly narcissism.
It challenges the pervasive narrative that narcissism is solely detrimental, highlighting instead its complex dual naturewherein lies a potential ally for public health.
Narcissism, part of the dark triad of personality traits alongside Machiavellianism and psychopathy, is typically characterized by grandiosity, entitlement, and a preoccupation with self-image. However, this study sheds light on its less recognized facet: the adaptive qualities that can foster resilience, ambition, and an enhanced focus on personal health.
The findings intriguingly suggest that these adaptive aspects may lead to healthier lifestyle choices, such as regular exercise, dietary mindfulness, and engagement with preventive healthcare measures.
At a societal level, the study reveals that states with higher levels of narcissism exhibit lower rates of obesity and depression, alongside reduced mortality from heart failure and hypertension.
This correlation suggests that the positive health behaviors adopted by narcissistic individuals could aggregate to influence broader health trends within populations. Such a pattern points towards the potential of harnessing narcissisms adaptive aspects for public health benefits.
However, the study also unveils the downsides of these traits at a societal scale, including reduced sleep durations and an elevated demand for plastic surgery.
These findings hint at the societal pressures and possibly unhealthy standards of beauty that might be more prevalent in areas with higher narcissistic tendencies.
It underscores the importance of a balanced view of narcissism, recognizing both its potential to motivate healthful behaviors and its capacity to drive less beneficial outcomes, such as sleep deprivation and an obsession with physical appearance.
The nuanced understanding of narcissisms impact on health outcomes has profound implications for public health policies and interventions.
Recognizing the dual nature of narcissism can inform the development of more targeted health promotion strategies that leverage its adaptive qualities while mitigating its maladaptive aspects.
For instance, public health campaigns could emphasize self-enhancement and confidence as motivators for healthy living, while also addressing the potential pitfalls of excessive self-focus and appearance-based self-esteem.
Moreover, this study highlights the importance of psychological traits in shaping health behaviors and outcomes at a population level.
It suggests that public health strategies could benefit from considering the psychological makeup of target populations, tailoring interventions to not only address physical health needs but also the underlying personality factors that influence behavior.
While this study provides valuable insights into the relationship between narcissism and health outcomes, it also opens the door for further research.
Future studies could explore the mechanisms through which narcissism influences health behaviors and outcomes, and how these may vary across different contexts and populations.
Additionally, research could examine the interactions between narcissism and other psychological and social factors, offering a more comprehensive understanding of its role in public health.
This groundbreaking study challenges conventional views of narcissism, revealing its complex relationship with health at both individual and societal levels. By illuminating the adaptive aspects of narcissism that can contribute to positive health outcomes, it invites a reevaluation of how we understand and leverage personality traits in public health.
As we move forward, this research not only broadens our understanding of the interplay between psychology and health but also offers a promising avenue for developing more nuanced and effective public health strategies.
Author: Neuroscience News Communications Source: Neuroscience News Contact: Neuroscience News Communications Neuroscience News Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. Mirror, mirror on the wall, whos the healthiest of them all The surprising role of narcissism in state-level health outcomes by DritjonGruda et al. Journal of Research in Personality
Abstract
Mirror, mirror on the wall, whos the healthiest of them all The surprising role of narcissism in state-level health outcomes
This study investigates narcissisms role in state-level health outcomes across the U.S. While often seen as maladaptive, narcissisms adaptive aspects, like self-enhancement, might promote better health.
Analyzing data from 4,230 participants in 38 states, we explore the link between dark triad traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) and health outcomes.
States with higher narcissism had lower obesity and depression rates, and a lower likelihood of heart failure and hypertension deaths. However, these states reported less sleep and higher demand for plastic surgeons.
This study is the first to provide a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between dark triad traits and health on the state level, with significant implications for public health policies and interventions.
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Less Obesity and Depression in NPD Individuals - Neuroscience News
Unlocking Creative Flow: How the Brain Enters the Zone – Neuroscience News
Summary: A new study unveils how the brain enters the creative flow state, famously known as being in the zone. By analyzing jazz improvisations through EEGs, the research confirms that creative flow combines extensive experience with a conscious release of control, allowing for automatic idea generation.
This expertise-plus-release model suggests that deep creative flow is more accessible to those with significant experience and the ability to let go. The findings offer a new understanding of flow, challenging previous theories and opening avenues for enhancing creativity through practice and relinquishment of control.
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Source: Drexel University
Effortless, enjoyable productivity is a state of consciousness prized and sought after by people in business, the arts, research, education and anyone else who wants to produce a stream of creative ideas and products.
Thats theflow, or the sense of being in the zone. A new neuroimagingstudyfrom Drexel UniversitysCreativity Research Labis the first to reveal how the brain gets to the creative flow state.
The study isolated flow-related brain activity during a creative task: jazz improvisation. The findings reveal the creative flow state involves two key factors:extensive experience, which leads to a network of brain areas specialized for generating the desired type of ideas, plus therelease of control letting go to allow this network to work with little or no conscious supervision.
Led by John Kounios, PhD, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences and Creativity Research Lab director, and David Rosen, PhD, a recent graduate from the College and Johns Hopkins University postdoc the team determined their results suggest that creative flow can be achieved by training people to release control when they have built up enough expertise in a particular domain.
Flow was first identified and studied by the pioneering psychological scientist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, said Kounios. He defined it as a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.
Kounios noted that although flow has long been a topic of public fascination as well as the focus of hundreds of behavioral research studies, there has been no consensus about what flow is. Their new study decided between different theories of how flow is involved when people produce creative ideas.
One view is that flow might be a state of highly focused concentration or hyperfocus that shuts out extraneous thoughts and other distractions to enable superior performance on a task.
A related theory based on recent research on the neuroscience of creativity is that flow occurs when the brains default-mode network, a collection of brain areas that work together when a person daydreams or introspects, generates ideas under the supervision of the executive control network in the brains frontal lobes, which directs the kinds of ideas the default-mode network produces. Kounios likened it to the analogy of a person supervising a TV by picking the movie it streams.
An alternative theory of creative flow is that through years of intense practice, the brain develops a specialized network or circuit to automatically produce a specific type of ideas, in this case musical ones, with little conscious effort. In this view, the executive control network relaxes its supervision so that the musician can let go and allow this specialized circuit to go on autopilot without interference.
The research team said the key to this notion is the idea that people who do not have extensive experience at a task or who have difficulty releasing control will be less likely to experience deep creative flow.
The studys results support the expertise-plus-release view of creative flow.
The researchers tested these competing theories of creative flow by recording high-density electroencephalograms (EEGs) from 32 jazz guitar players, some highly experienced and others less experienced. Each musician improvised to six jazz lead sheets (songs) with programmed drums, bass and piano accompaniment and rated the intensity of their flow experience for each improvisation.
The resulting 192 recorded jazz improvisations, or takes, were subsequently played for four jazz experts individually so they could rate each for creativity and other qualities. The researchers then analyzed the EEGs to discover which brain areas were associated with high-flow takes (compared to low-flow takes).
The high-experience musicians experienced flow more often and more intensely than the low-experience musicians. This shows that expertise enables flow. However, expertise is not the only factor contributing to creative flow.
The EEGs showed that a high-flow state was associated with increased activity in left-hemisphere auditory and touch areas that are involved in hearing and playing music. Importantly, high flow was also associated withdecreasedactivity in the brains superior frontal gyri, an executive control region.
This is consistent with the idea that creative flow is associated with reduced conscious control, that is, letting go. This previously hypothesized phenomenon has been called transient hypofrontality.
For the high-experience musicians, flow was associated with greater activity in auditory and vision areas. However, they also showedreducedactivity in parts of the default-mode network, suggesting that the default-mode network was not contributing much to flow-related idea generation in these musicians.
In contrast, the low-experience musicians showed little flow-related brain activity.
A practical implication of these results is that productive flow states can be attained by practice to build up expertise in a particular creative outlet coupled with training to withdraw conscious control when enough expertise has been achieved, said Kounios. This can be the basis for new techniques for instructing people to produce creative ideas.
Kounios added, If you want to be able to stream ideas fluently, then keep working on those musical scales, physics problems or whatever else you want to do creativelycomputer coding, fiction writingyou name it. But then, try letting go. As jazz great Charlie Parker said, Youve got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail.
Author: Annie Korp Source: Drexel University Contact: Annie Korp Drexel University Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. Creative flow as optimized processing: Evidence from brain oscillations during jazz improvisations by expert and non-expert musicians by John Kounios et all. Neuropsychologia
Abstract
Creative flow as optimized processing: Evidence from brain oscillations during jazz improvisations by expert and non-expert musicians
Using a creative production task, jazz improvisation, we tested alternative hypotheses about the flow experience: (A) that it is a state of domain-specific processing optimized by experience and characterized by minimal interference from task-negative default-mode network (DMN) activity versus (B) that it recruits domain-general task-positive DMN activity supervised by the fronto-parietal control network (FPCN) to support ideation. We recorded jazz guitarists electroencephalograms (EEGs) while they improvised to provided chord sequences.
Their flow-states were measured with the Core Flow State Scale. Flow-related neural sources were reconstructed using SPM12. Over all musicians, high-flow (relative to low-flow) improvisations were associated with transient hypofrontality. High-experience musicians high-flow improvisations showed reduced activity in posterior DMN nodes.
Low-experience musicians showed no flow-related DMN or FPCN modulation. High-experience musicians also showed modality-specific left-hemisphere flow-related activity while low-experience musicians showed modality-specific right-hemisphere flow-related deactivations.
These results are consistent with the idea that creative flow represents optimized domain-specific processing enabled by extensive practice paired with reduced cognitive control.
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Unlocking Creative Flow: How the Brain Enters the Zone - Neuroscience News
Self-Control, Not Impulsivity, Paves the Way to Power – Neuroscience News
Summary: Self-control, rather than impulsivity, often leads individuals to attain power. The research involved seven experiments with 3,500 participants, demonstrating that individuals exhibiting high levels of self-control were perceived as more powerful and suitable for leadership roles.
These findings challenge common perceptions of power dynamics, emphasizing the importance of aligning actions with goals. The study also suggests that failing to meet ambitious goals can diminish perceptions of power, providing valuable insights for organizations on goal setting and leadership selection.
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Source: UCSD
Out-of-control behavior by CEOs and other powerful people constantly makes headlines so much so that some might consider impulsivity a pathway to power.
New research from the UC San Diego Rady School of Management and Texas A&M University finds that having self-control is often what leads to power.
In a paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers find that showing self-control influences how powerful an individual is perceived to be by their peers, as well as how much power they are granted by those peers.
In a series of seven experiments with roughly 3,500 participants, both students and working adults read about or interacted with individuals with varying levels of self-control, which the researchers define as how much people tend to behave in ways aligned with their goals.
Across all experiments, individuals with high self-control were seen as more powerful, and as better suited for powerful roles, than individuals with low self-control.
In one experiment, working adults imagined a scenario where a colleague with the goal of being fit either ate a large dessert or abstained from dessert altogether. Researchers found that the colleague was seen as being better suited for high-power roles when they abstained from indulging, an indication of self-control.
It did not matter whether the colleague seemed to deliberate before acting, or just acted without thinking, said Pamela Smith, associateprofessor of management at the Rady School of Management and co-author of the study.
What mattered for participants judgments was whether the colleague acted in line with their goals. This pattern held across a variety of goals in our experiments, including saving money, being healthy and reading books.
The researchers also found that people are perceived as less powerful and less suited for powerful roles when they fail to meet ambitious goals, even if their performance is the same as their peers.
In an experiment investigating how self-control often leads to power,a group of undergraduate students interacted with individuals who set various reading goals.
Some set an ambitious goal of reading 200 pages each week, while others set a more moderate goal of reading 50 pages per week. All of these individuals read the same amount 100 pages but those who didnt meet their goal were seen as less powerful by study participants.
Furthermore, study participants were less interested in having those who didnt meet their goal as the group leader in later tasks.
To motivate their employees, organizations often want employees to set stretch goals goals that are challenging and hard-to-reach. However, we found that setting a stretch goal and not meeting it makes someone look less powerful than setting an easy goal and surpassing it, said Rady School PhD student Shuang Wu, the first author of the paper.
Author: Christine Clark Source: UCSD Contact: Christine Clark UCSD Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access. Self-Control Signals and Affords Power by Pamela Smith et al. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Abstract
Self-Control Signals and Affords Power
Whom do we perceive as more powerful and prefer to give power to: Those who have self-control or those who lack it?
Past theory and research provide divergent predictions. Low self-control can be seen as a form of disinhibition, and disinhibition has been associated with greater power. However, high self-control can be seen as a form of agency, which is associated with greater power.
Across seven studies, we found that individuals who exhibited high self-control were seen as more powerful, and given more power, than individuals who exhibited low self-control.
This result held when the low or high self-control behavior was chosen either quickly or slowly (Studies 3 and 4), and when exhibiting low versus high self-control entailed the same action but different goals (Studies 5 and 6).
Study 6 demonstrated important implications of our findings for goal setting: People were perceived as more powerful and given more power when they had a modest goal but exceeded it than when they had an ambitious goal but failed to meet it, even though in both cases they performed the same action.
A meta-analysis of our mediation results showed that people perceived individuals higher in self-control as more assertive and competent, which was associated with greater power perception and then with greater power conferral. Perceived competence also directly mediated the effect of self-control on power conferral.
The current research addresses a theoretical debate in the power literature and contributes to a better understanding of how power is perceived and accrued.
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Self-Control, Not Impulsivity, Paves the Way to Power - Neuroscience News