Category Archives: Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Emotion vs. Reason: Rethinking Decision-Making – Neuroscience News

Summary: Researchers challenge the notion that rational thinking is the only path to good decision-making. Highlighting the limited role of rationality in our choices, the researchers emphasize the profound influence of emotions, as demonstrated in his wine tasting study where perceived value affected enjoyment. This revelation not only questions our reliance on logic but also underscores the importance of emotional engagement in ensuring decision confidence. They advocate for a balanced approach, integrating instinct and intuition into our decision-making processes.

Key Facts:

Source: Stanford

Rational, analytical thinking is often seen as the gold standard when it comes to decision-making.

Yet according to Professor Baba Shiv, cool, level-headed intellect isnt the only game in town. Is a good decision based on reason? he asks. Or is it based on emotion?

Shivis the Sanwa Bank, Limited, Professor of Marketing at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Throughout his career, hes researched how brain structures related to emotion and motivation affect the choices we make.

In exploring the complex neurology that leads people to choose one course of action over another, he has uncovered insights that challenge our prevailing ideas about reason and rationality. Shiv explores how we can use our emotions and instincts to make meaningful decisions instead of relying on our rational brains alone.

Post-Enlightenment Western thought is infused with the assumption that rationality is at the core of properly functioning individuals and, by extension, properly functioning societies.

We have this embedded in our minds from childhood, Shiv says. If youre making consequential decisions, be as rational as possible.

Its an idea that Shiv traces from Aristotle to Descartes to the present, but one that forgets that we have evolved with emotion. If emotion were irrelevant, we would have evolved very differently.

According to Shiv, the rational brain is only responsible for about 5 to 10% of our decision-making. Emotions have a profound influence on our decisions and we arent aware of it, he says.

Shiv demonstrated this in a study involving wine drinkers and the neural processes used to distinguish different vintages. Subjects were told that they would be trying five different cabernet sauvignons, each identified by price.

In fact, only three wines were used two were poured twice, and each was marked with a fake price ranging from $5 to $90. As the participants tasted each wine, Shiv monitored their brain activity.

What intrigued me was that people swore that the more expensive the wine is, the better it tastes, Shiv says.

And the question I had was: Is this just a figment of our imagination? Or is the brain extracting more pleasure when the wine is more expensive?

That is exactly what his results found: The area of the brain that codes for pleasure shows greater activation when the brain thinks it is tasting a higher-priced wine than when its tasting a lower-priced wine, even though subjects tasted the same wine.

In addition to helping us make decisions, emotions play a critical role in helping us commit to the choices that we make. To move forward with a decision, we need what Shiv calls decision confidence, the conviction that our choice is the correct one.

If you emerge from the decision with doubts, youre more likely to give up too early and not persist in the course of action that you adopted, he says.

You need to emerge from the decision feeling absolutely confident. Its not making the right decision but making the decision right.

Much of society, especially business, places a premium on rational thinking, but Shiv encourages us to embrace our instincts and intuitions. If we want to make better decisions, then we need to think more like an artist.

Author: Baba Shiv Source: Stanford Contact: Baba Shiv Stanford Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

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Emotion vs. Reason: Rethinking Decision-Making - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

DNA Damage and Inflammation Key to Memory Formation – Neuroscience News

Summary: Researchers unveiled a groundbreaking discovery that DNA damage and brain inflammation are vital processes for forming long-term memories, particularly within the brains hippocampus.

Contrary to previous beliefs associating inflammation with neurological diseases, this study highlights inflammations critical role in memory formation through the activation of the Toll-Like Receptor 9 (TLR9) pathway following DNA damage in hippocampal neurons.

These findings not only challenge conventional views on brain inflammation but also caution against indiscriminate inhibition of the TLR9 pathway, given its importance in memory encoding and the potential risks of genomic instability.

Key Facts:

Source: Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Just as you cant make an omelet without breaking eggs, scientists atAlbert Einstein College of Medicinehave found that you cant make long-term memories without DNA damage and brain inflammation.

Their surprising findings were published online today in the journalNature.

Inflammation of brain neurons is usually considered to be a bad thing, since it can lead to neurological problems such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease, said study leaderJelena Radulovic, M.D., Ph.D., professor in theDominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and the Sylvia and Robert S. Olnick Chair in Neuroscience at Einstein.

But our findings suggest that inflammation in certain neurons in the brains hippocampal region is essential for making long-lasting memories.

The hippocampus has long been known as the brains memory center. Dr. Radulovic and her colleagues found that a stimulus sets off a cycle of DNA damage and repair within certain hippocampal neurons that leads to stable memory assembliesclusters of brain cells that represent our past experiences. Elizabeth Wood, a Ph.D. student, and Ana Cicvaric, a postdoc in the Radulovic lab, were the studys first authors at Einstein.

From Shocks to Stable Memories

The researchers discovered this memory-forming mechanism by giving mice brief, mild shocks sufficient to form a memory of the shock event (episodic memory). They then analyzed neurons in the hippocampal region and found that genes participating in an important inflammatory signaling pathway had been activated.

We observed strong activation of genes involved in the Toll-Like Receptor 9 (TLR9) pathway, said Dr. Radulovic, who is also director of thePsychiatry Research Institute at Montefiore Einstein(PRIME).

This inflammatory pathway is best known for triggering immune responses by detecting small fragments of pathogen DNA. So at first we assumed the TLR9 pathway was activated because the mice had an infection. But looking more closely, we found, to our surprise, that TLR9 was activated only in clusters of hippocampal cells that showed DNA damage.

Brain activity routinely induces small breaks in DNA that are repaired within minutes. But in this population of hippocampal neurons, the DNA damage appeared to be more substantial and sustained.

Triggering Inflammation to Make Memories

Further analysis showed that DNA fragments, along with other molecules resulting from the DNA damage, were released from the nucleus, after which the neurons TLR9 inflammatory pathway was activated; this pathway in turn stimulated DNA repair complexes to form at an unusual location: the centrosomes.

These organelles are present in the cytoplasm of most animal cells and are essential for coordinating cell division. But in neuronswhich dont dividethe stimulated centrosomes participated in cycles of DNA repair that appeared to organize individual neurons into memory assemblies.

Cell division and the immune response have been highly conserved in animal life over millions of years, enabling life to continue while providing protection from foreign pathogens, Dr. Radulovic said.

It seems likely that over the course of evolution, hippocampal neurons have adopted this immune-based memory mechanism by combining the immune responses DNA-sensing TLR9 pathway with a DNA repair centrosome function to form memories without progressing to cell division.

Resisting Inputs of Extraneous Information

During the week required to complete the inflammatory process, the mouse memory-encoding neurons were found to have changed in various ways, including becoming more resistant to new or similar environmental stimuli.

This is noteworthy, said Dr. Radulovic, because were constantly flooded by information, and the neurons that encode memories need to preserve the information theyve already acquired and not be distracted by new inputs.

Importantly, the researchers found that blocking the TLR9 inflammatory pathway in hippocampal neurons not only prevented mice from forming long-term memories but also caused profound genomic instability, i.e, a high frequency of DNA damage in these neurons.

Genomic instability is considered a hallmark of accelerated aging as well as cancer and psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers, Dr. Radulovic said.

Drugs that inhibit the TLR9 pathway have been proposed for relieving the symptoms of long COVID. But caution needs to be shown because fully inhibiting the TLR9 pathway may pose significant health risks.

The study is titled Formation of memory assemblies through the DNA sensing TLR9 pathway. Other Einstein authors are: Hui Zhang, Ph.D., Zorica Petrovic, B.A., Anna Carboncino, Ph.D., Kendra K. Parker, B.A., Thomas E. Bassett, Ph.D., Xusheng Zhang, M.S.

The other contributors are: co-first author Vladimir Jovasevic, Ph.D., at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Maria Moltesen, Ph.D., Naoki Yamawaki, Ph.D., Hande Login, Ph.D., Joanna Kalucka, Ph.D., all at Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Farahnaz Sananbenesi, and Andre Fischer, Ph.D., at University Medical Center, Gttingen, Germany.

Author: Elaine Iandoli Source: Albert Einstein College of Medicine Contact: Elaine Iandoli Albert Einstein College of Medicine Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access. Formation of memory assemblies through the DNA sensing TLR9 pathway byJelena Radulovic et al. Nature

Abstract

Formation of memory assemblies through the DNA sensing TLR9 pathway

As hippocampal neurons respond to diverse types of information, a subset assembles into microcircuits representing a memory. Those neurons typically undergo energy-intensive molecular adaptations, occasionally resulting in transient DNA damage.

Here we found discrete clusters of excitatory hippocampal CA1 neurons with persistent double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) breaks, nuclear envelope ruptures and perinuclear release of histone and dsDNA fragments hours after learning.

Following these early events, some neurons acquired an inflammatory phenotype involving activation of TLR9 signalling and accumulation of centrosomal DNA damage repair complexes.

Neuron-specific knockdown ofTlr9impaired memory while blunting contextual fear conditioning-induced changes of gene expression in specific clusters of excitatory CA1 neurons.

Notably, TLR9 had an essential role in centrosome function, including DNA damage repair, ciliogenesis and build-up of perineuronal nets.

We demonstrate a novel cascade of learning-induced molecular events in discrete neuronal clusters undergoing dsDNA damage and TLR9-mediated repair, resulting in their recruitment to memory circuits.

With compromised TLR9 function, this fundamental memory mechanism becomes a gateway to genomic instability and cognitive impairments implicated in accelerated senescence, psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative disorders.

Maintaining the integrity of TLR9 inflammatory signalling thus emerges as a promising preventive strategy for neurocognitive deficits.

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Neuroscience

Embracing Neurodiversity: Beyond Stigma to Strength – Neuroscience News

Summary: A new study highlights the need to recognize and celebrate the diverse skills of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD, dyslexia, and autism. The research advocates for a shift in perspective, focusing on strengths such as creativity, resilience, and problem-solving, rather than deficits.

The study emphasizes that acknowledging these enhanced skills can lead to reduced stigma and better outcomes in education and employment for those with neurodevelopmental conditions. The teams findings encourage a systematic review to further explore and validate the unique abilities associated with neurodiversity.

Key Facts:

Source: Swansea University

New research says the wide variety of skills displayed by people with conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia and autism should be celebrated to help reduce stigma and change societys expectations.

Creativity, resilience and problem-solving are just some of the strengths exhibited and a study is now calling for a change in the way we think about people with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Dr Edwin Burns, senior lecturer from theSchool of Psychologyat Swansea University, worked with academics from Edge Hill University on the study andtheir findingshave just been published by online journalNeuropsychologia.

The researchers say people with these conditions are almost always discussed in terms of the problems that they face.

They are often characterised by a range of associated cognitive impairments in, for example, sensory processing, facial recognition, visual imagery, attention, and coordination.

However,Dr Burns said:We would say that if only the wider public were aware that these groups exhibit many strengths and skills some which are actuallyenhancedcompared to the general population then this should reduce stigma and improve their educational and employment outcomes.

For the study, the team identified a wide variety of skills exhibited in different groups such as Williams syndrome, dyslexia, autism, ADHD, developmental coordination disorder, aphantasia.

These skills include improved social skills, creativity, problem-solving, resilience, and visual search.

The research also puts forward reasons why these skills occur such as genetics, experience adapting to the environment, repurposing the brain, and medication.

Dr Burns added:In our research we present a table of potential strengths across conditions, and we hope that this may act as a stimulus for a major systematic review in the future. This should help reduce the stigma around neurodiversity, instead promoting greater social inclusion and significant societal benefits.

Author: Kathy Thomas Source: Swansea University Contact: Kathy Thomas Swansea University Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access. Cognitive strengths in neurodevelopmental disorders, conditions and differences: A critical review by Edwin Burns et al. Neuropsychologia

Abstract

Cognitive strengths in neurodevelopmental disorders, conditions and differences: A critical review

Neurodevelopmental disorders are traditionally characterised by a range of associated cognitive impairments in, for example, sensory processing, facial recognition, visual imagery, attention, and coordination. In this critical review, we propose a major reframing, highlighting the variety of unique cognitive strengths that people with neurodevelopmental differences can exhibit.

These include enhanced visual perception, strong spatial, auditory, and semantic memory, superior empathy and theory of mind, along with higher levels of divergent thinking.

Whilst we acknowledge the heterogeneity of cognitive profiles in neurodevelopmental conditions, we present a more encouraging and affirmative perspective of these groups, contrasting with the predominant, deficit-based position prevalent throughout both cognitive and neuropsychological research.

In addition, we provide a theoretical basis and rationale for these cognitive strengths, arguing for the critical role of hereditability, behavioural adaptation, neuronal-recycling, and we draw on psychopharmacological and social explanations.

We present a table of potential strengths across conditions and invite researchers to systematically investigate these in their future work. This should help reduce the stigma around neurodiversity, instead promoting greater social inclusion and significant societal benefits.

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Embracing Neurodiversity: Beyond Stigma to Strength - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Devil in the Details: The Visual World of Prosopometamorphopsia – Neuroscience News

Summary: Researchers conducted a pioneering study on prosopometamorphopsia (PMO), a rare condition where individuals perceive facial features as distorted. The study details the unique case of a 58-year-old male who experiences facial distortions exclusively in person, not when viewing images on screens or paper, allowing researchers to create accurate visualizations of his perceptions.

This novel approach offers insight into PMO, challenging previous diagnostic practices and aiming to enhance understanding and recognition of the condition, which has often been misdiagnosed as a psychiatric disorder due to a lack of awareness.

Key Facts:

Source: Dartmouth College

Imagine if every time you saw a face, it appeared distorted. Well, for those who have a very rare condition known asprosopometamorphopsia(PMO), which causes facial features to appear distorted, that is reality.

As the Dartmouth-basedwebsite about prosopometamorphopsiaexplains, Prosopo comes from the Greek word for face prosopon while metamorphopsia refers to perceptual distortions.

Specific symptoms vary from case to case and can affect the shape, size, color, and position of facial features. The duration of PMO also varies; it can last for days, weeks, or even years.

A new Dartmouth studypublished in the Clinical Pictures section ofThe Lancetreports on a unique case of a patient with PMO. The research is the first to provide accurate and photorealistic visualizations of the facial distortions experienced by an individual with PMO.

The patient, a 58-year-old male with PMO, sees faces without any distortions when they are viewed on a screen and on paper, but he sees distorted faces that appear demonic when viewed in-person.

Most PMO cases however, see distortions in all contexts, so his case is especially rare and presented a unique opportunity to accurately depict his distortions.

For the study, the researchers took a photograph of a persons face. Then, they showed the patient the photograph on a computer screen while he looked at the real face of the same person.

The researchers obtained real-time feedback from the patient on how the face on the screen and the real face in front of him differed, as they modified the photograph using computer software to match the distortions perceived by the patient.

In other studies of the condition, patients with PMO are unable to assess how accurately a visualization of their distortions represents what they see because the visualization itself also depicts a face, so the patients will perceive distortions on it too, says lead authorAntnio Mello, a PhD student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth. In contrast, this patient doesnt see distortions on a screen.

This means that the researchers were able to modify the face in the photograph, and the patient could accurately compare how similar his perception of the real face was to the manipulated photograph.

Through the process, we were able to visualize the patients real-time perception of the face distortions, says Mello.

In their research with other PMO cases, the co-authors state that some of their PMO participants have seen health professionals who wanted to help but diagnosed them with another health condition, not PMO.

Weve heard from multiple people with PMO that they have been diagnosed by psychiatrists as having schizophrenia and put on anti-psychotics, when their condition is a problem with the visual system, says senior authorBrad Duchaine, a professor of psychological and brain sciences and principal investigator of theSocial Perception Labat Dartmouth.

And its not uncommon for people who have PMO to not tell others about their problem with face perception because they fear others will think the distortions are a sign of a psychiatric disorder, says Duchaine. Its a problem that people often dont understand.

Through their paper, the researchers hope to increase public awareness of what PMO is. For more information about PMO, visit theprosopometamorphopsia website.

Author: Amy Olson Source: Dartmouth College Contact: Amy Olson Dartmouth College Image: The top image is credited to Neuroscience News. The image in the post is credited to A. Mello et al.

Original Research: The findings will be published in The Lancet

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Neuroscience

Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute receives $2M grant for ultrasound drug addiction treatments – Health Imaging

The use of focused ultrasound as a treatment for long-term substance abuse and addiction is gaining steam, with the West Virginia Universitys (WVU) Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) receiving a $2 million grant to conduct further research on the technique.

The donation comes from the Encova Foundation of West Virginia, which supports care initiatives that improve public health.

The funding will facilitate the expansion of clinical trials on focused ultrasound, specifically the procurement of equipment and the recruitment of skilled clinicians to conduct the research on the utilization of focused ultrasound to target the nucleus accumbens, a crucial brain structure implicated in addiction and anxiety.

In order to advance treatments for this worsening public health crisis, new approaches and ideas must be explored, Ali Rezai, M.D., executive chair of the RNI, said in a statement. We are deeply appreciative of the Encova Foundations partnership and support as we work to develop innovative treatments that could save lives and develop new addiction treatments.

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Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute receives $2M grant for ultrasound drug addiction treatments - Health Imaging

Neuroscience

Empathy Begins in Infancy – Neuroscience News

Summary: Children as young as 18 months display empathic concern towards others, marking a significant milestone in early emotional and cognitive development. The research found that childrens capacity for empathic concern grows in environments where caregivers respond sensitively to their needs, highlighting the importance of social interactions in acquiring empathy.

Furthermore, empathic concern, crucial for prosocial behavior, is shown to be a learned trait rather than innate, with developmental psychology suggesting that emotional contagion in infants is a precursor to understanding and sharing the feelings of others.

Key Facts:

Source: LMU

Children already exhibit empathic concern at 18 months. In an LMU study, the facial expressions, gestures, or vocalizations of children at this age indicated they were emotionally affected by the distress of another person. From a psychological standpoint, this is an important developmental step.

To experience empathic concern, the child must be able to distinguish between the self and the other person, says Markus Paulus, Chair of Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology at LMU. This self-concept emerges during the second year of life, as evidenced for instance by children recognizing themselves in the mirror.

Infants are moved by the feelings of others, such as fear or grief, from an early age. Developmental psychology interprets this emotional contagion as a first step toward empathic concern.

For empathic concern, you also have to be able to regulate the emotion and not be overwhelmed by it, explains Markus Paulus.

Empathic concern requires not only affective resonance, but also cognitive understanding and the ability to take the perspective of the other person.

Empathic concern is acquired through social interactions

In the study, the researchers also investigated what role the behavior of caregivers plays in the ability of children to feel empathic concern for others.

They discovered that the degree of parental sensitivity is key: The more sensitively mothers responded to the needs of their infants, the greater the capacity of the children was in their second year of life to show empathic concern for a stranger. Thus, empathic concern is socially acquired.

A child couldnt survive without sensitive caregivers who act with empathic concern. Children learn from them how to deal with negative emotions. As a result, they are subsequently able to apply these lessons themselves, says Markus Paulus.

As such, the study shows that empathic concern is not innate, but develops in the context of social interactions.

For the further development of the child, empathic concern is critical for prosocial behavior.

Empathic concern helps us respond appropriately to the distress of others. It motivates us to care for them, says co-author Tamara Becher.

For the study, a team led by Markus Paulus and Tamara Becher invited the same infants and their mothers to behavioral experiments at LMU when the children were 6, 10, 14, and 18 months old.

A total of 127 mother-child pairs were studied over a period of one-and-a-half years. The researchers recorded signs of empathic concern in the children in playful situations at four different points in time.

In the experiment, the children observed how another person had a slight accident and simulated pain. Their response was additionally compared against their behavior when they saw another person laughing.

The children were six months old at the time of their first visit and 18 months old at the time of their last one.

Author: Constanze Drewlo Source: LMU Contact: Constanze Drewlo LMU Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access. When do children begin to care for others? The ontogenetic growth of empathic concern across the first two years of life by Markus Paulus et al. Cognitive Development

Abstract

When do children begin to care for others? The ontogenetic growth of empathic concern across the first two years of life

Empathic concern for others plays a central role for human cooperation and is proposed to be key in moral development.

Developmental theories disagree on the age of emergence of empathic concern in human ontogeny and the factors supporting its early development.

To assess different theoretical views, the current study longitudinally assessed infants (N=127) reactions towards an experimenter and their mothers simulating pain at 6, 10, 14, and 18 months. As an emotional control condition, infants reactions towards a laughing experimenter were assessed.

Maternal sensitivity, childrens temperamental emotionality, and self-recognition were included as predictors. True intraindividual change models were applied to capture the growth of empathic concern in early development.

Overall, there were minor and inconsistent differences in childrens responses to laughing and crying others in the first year of life, whereas clear differences emerged in the second year.

At 6 months, scale values of empathic concern were significantly related to measures of infant distress suggesting that infants experience emotional contagion and not veridical empathic concern.

At 18 months, childrens concern towards the experimenter was related to their concern towards their mother.

Maternal sensitivity, negative emotionality and self-recognition were related to childrens empathic concern within the second year.

These findings suggest that empathic concern emerges in the second year and point to a gradual emergence of concern for others in human ontogeny.

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Empathy Begins in Infancy - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Mapping Brain Activity with Brain-Computer Interface Technology – Neuroscience News

Summary: Researchers are trialing a novel brain-computer interface (BCI) with the potential to transform neurosurgical procedures and patient care. The Layer 7 Cortical Interface, boasting 1,024 electrodes for unparalleled brain activity mapping, promises new insights into neurological and psychiatric conditions. This flexible, ultra-thin device is designed for minimal tissue damage, marking a significant advancement in BCI technology. The study aims to leverage this detailed data to explore brain functions and disease impacts, with hopes of uncovering new treatments.

Key Facts:

Source: Mount Sinai Hospital

A multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons and neuroscientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are the first in New York to study a new brain-computer interface thats engineered to map a large area of the brains surface, in real time, at resolutions hundreds of times more detailed than typical arrays used in neurosurgical procedures.

A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a system that deciphers brain signals and translates them into commands for external technologies. The ultimate goal of a BCI is to restore function to patients with debilitating neurological conditions by enabling them to operate digital devices using only their thoughts.

The Layer 7 Cortical Interface, developed by Precision Neuroscience Corporation, contains 1,024 tiny electrodes spanning an area of 1.5 square centimeter, embedded in a flexible film that conforms to the brains surface. The film is one-fifth the thickness of a human hair and was designed to be implanted and removed by neurosurgeons without damaging brain tissue.

Mount Sinai has established an international reputation for our ability to conduct the most advanced biomedical and scientific research, for our commitment to exceptional patient care, and for our entrepreneurial approach to generating new treatments and advancements in care, said Joshua B. Bederson, MD, Chair of Neurosurgery at the Mount Sinai Health System and Co-Founder of Mount Sinai BioDesign.

This culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration attracts some of the brightest and best clinicians and researchers in the world who are capable of rapidly translating research breakthroughs into new products and services that provide meaningful benefit to patients and our society.

We are proud to be one of the leading sites participating in the trials for the new array and eager to see what we learn from the detailed information we will collect and analyze.

As part of an open-label, single-arm feasibility study, Mount Sinai neurosurgeons are temporarily placing the investigational device on the surface of the study participants brains during intracranial procedures where surface mapping is routinely performed and correlated to evoked potentials (tests that measure the brains response to sensory stimulation) or standardized behavioral tasks that are routinely performed as part of these procedures.

The device records high-resolution electrophysiological signals and the data collected is compared to that obtained using standard-of-care cortical surface arrays.

A team of Mount Sinai neuroscientists who have deep expertise in human electrophysiology will analyze and interpret the massive amount of data collected from the device.

A secondary objective of the study is to assess the ability of the thin-film electrode to map electrophysiological correlates of awake behavioral tasks, including motor, speech, and cognitive tasks.

Despite the vast complexity of activity across the human brain, standard monitoring tools can only capture a tiny fraction of the data we needfrom a small handful of areas, or at very slow temporal resolution.

This low-resolution data significantly limits our understanding of brain function and brain disorders, says Ignacio Saez, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, and Neurosurgery, Director of the Human Neurophysiology Laboratory, and Principal Investigator of the trial at Icahn Mount Sinai.

The new device is exciting because it provides us with an extremely detailed depiction of electrical activity in the brain, capturing thousands of data points per second from a thousand brain sites in each participant.

By monitoring neuronal activity at this unprecedented resolution, our interdisciplinary team at Mount Sinai hopes to gain important insights into how brain function supports behavior and is affected by disease states.

Our ultimate goal is to obtain actionable knowledge that will open the door to new treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders and improve quality of life for our patients.

Precision Neuroscience was co-founded by Benjamin Rapoport, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Icahn Mount Sinai, a practicing neurosurgeon who has a PhD in electrical engineering and computer science.

Dr. Rapoport also serves as the Scientific Director of Mount Sinai BioDesign, a medical technology prototyping center and incubator housed within the Mount Sinai Health System.

Dr. Rapoport is an equity owner in Precision Neuroscience and serves as their Chief Scientific Officer and a member of their board of directors. As a faculty member in the Department of Neurosurgery, he reports to Dr. Bederson.

Neither Dr. Bederson nor Mount Sinai have a financial interest in Precision Neuroscience. All Precision Neuroscience research at Mount Sinai is conducted by independent investigators without financial ties to the company.

Author: Elizabeth Dowling Source: Mount Sinai Hospital Contact: Elizabeth Dowling Mount Sinai Hospital Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

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Mapping Brain Activity with Brain-Computer Interface Technology - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

The neuroscience of groove: Why certain rhythms make us want to dance – PsyPost

Have you ever found yourself tapping your foot or nodding your head to the rhythm of a catchy tune, seemingly without any effort? It turns out, theres a scientific explanation behind our instinctual desire to move along with music. A recent study published in Science Advances sheds light on why certain rhythms make us want to dance more than others.

By analyzing brain activity and the sensation known as groove, researchers discovered that a rhythm of moderate complexity triggers the highest desire to move. This desire is mirrored in our brains, particularly within the left sensorimotor cortex, hinting at a deeply intertwined relationship between motor actions and sensory processes.

Prior studies have shown that even without actual movement, the perception of rhythmic music can activate areas of the brain associated with movement, such as the premotor cortices and basal ganglia. This activation suggests a link between how we process time through movement and how we perceive music.

Building on this foundation, the authors of the new study aimed to unravel the neurophysiological underpinnings of the groove by examining how changes in rhythmic properties of music could induce motor engagement through alterations in audio-motor neural dynamics.

In speech and music, rhythm appears to be a crucial parameter for capturing auditory sensory information. Furthermore, previous studies have implicated the motor-dedicated cortical area in time perception. Initially, we aimed to investigate the implications of these motor dynamics in auditory perception, said Arnaud Zalta, the first author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at ENS-PSL.

To explore these dynamics, the researchers conducted a series of experiments involving 111 participants across different settings, including online surveys, magnetoencephalography (MEG) sessions, and control tapping tasks. Participants ranged in age from 19 to 71 years, with a majority being females, and were selected without regard to their musical or dance background.

In the core of these experiments was a collection of 12 original melodies, each manipulated to vary in rhythmic predictability by adjusting the degree of syncopation. Syncopation, in this context, refers to the disruption of regular rhythm by placing accents on weak beats, creating a musical hiccup that challenges the listeners temporal expectations.

For the online survey component, participants were directed to a webpage where they listened to each melody through headphones or earphones. After each melody, they rated their level of groove on a Likert scale, expressing how much they felt moved to dance. This straightforward task was designed to capture the subjective experience of groove in a controlled yet flexible online setting.

In the laboratory, the MEG experiment took a deeper dive into the neurological underpinnings of groove. Participants listened to the same set of melodies while their brain activity was recorded using MEG, a technique capable of detecting the magnetic fields generated by neural activity. This allowed the researchers to observe how different rhythms influenced brain dynamics, particularly in areas associated with movement and auditory processing.

Finally, the control tapping experiment provided a behavioral counterpart to the brain imaging data. Participants tapped along to the rhythms of the melodies on a keyboard, offering a tangible measure of their motor engagement with the music. This task complemented the MEG findings by linking the subjective feeling of groove with observable motor responses.

The researchers discovered that our desire to dance, or the feeling of groove, is most strongly elicited by melodies with a medium level of syncopation. This finding implies that rhythms which strike a balance between predictability and rhythmic complexity are the most effective in inducing the urge to dance. In other words, rhythms that are neither too simple nor too complex, but rather those that offer a moderate challenge to our anticipatory and motor systems, are most likely to get us on our feet.

The researchers further uncovered that this groove sensation is closely tied to specific patterns of brain activity. Participants exhibited a unique neural response when listening to syncopated rhythms, with the left sensorimotor cortex a brain region involved in coordinating auditory and motor information playing a pivotal role.

This area of the brain showed increased engagement when participants were exposed to rhythms that evoked a strong desire to move. This suggests that the left sensorimotor cortex not only processes the music we hear but also anticipates and prepares our bodies for movement, acting as a bridge between hearing a rhythm and physically responding to it.

The brain region which is the site of the left sensorimotor cortex is currently considered to be the potential cornerstone of sensorimotor integration, essential for the perception of both music and speech. The fact that it appears in our study as necessary for cooperation between the auditory and motor systems reinforces this hypothesis, especially as we are using natural stimuli here, explained senior author Benjamin Morillon of Aix-Marseille Universit.

Moreover, the study introduced a neurodynamic model to explain the transformation of syncopated rhythms into the subjective experience of groove. This model proposes that our brains interpret the rhythms through a network of oscillators, which then translate these rhythms into motor engagement signals. Interestingly, the degree of syncopation correlated with neural activity at a specific frequency (2 Hz), indicating that our brains response to music involves an interaction between auditory perception and motor preparation.

Motor actions and sensory processes are closely intertwined to help us adapt better to our environment, Zalta told PsyPost. Specifically, when we listen to something, time becomes crucial as the auditory stimuli inherently impose high temporal constraints. When the auditory brain regions struggle to process temporal information accurately, motor dynamics appear to be recruited.

Furthermore, we observed that sensorimotor regions play a mediating role between sensory auditory and motor regions. In short, it is the interplay of these three regions that gives rise to the sensation of groove.

The research also highlighted a spectral gradient along the dorsal auditory pathways when participants listened to music. This means that as one moves from the auditory regions of the brain towards the motor areas, the dominant frequency of brain activity progressively increases. Lower frequencies were noted in regions closer to auditory processing, while higher frequencies were found as the gradient approached areas implicated in motor control.

When we examined the cortical dynamics of the brain during our task, we observed an ascending postero-anterior gradient which was not expected, Zalta said. However, this gradient does not seem to be related to the sensation of groove or the level of syncopation of the stimuli. This phenomenon remains unclear.

Regarding the long-term goals for this line of research, Zalta explained that the dopaminergic system is closely intertwined with motor processes and has been implicated in time perception. I aim to delve deeper into investigating this neurotransmitter.

The study, Neural dynamics of predictive timing and motor engagement in music listening, was authored by Arnaud Zalta, Edward W. Large, Daniele Schn, and Benjamin Morillon.

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The neuroscience of groove: Why certain rhythms make us want to dance - PsyPost

Neuroscience

High Rates of Suicidal Ideation in Rural Black Men – Neuroscience News

Summary: A new study highlights the alarming rates of suicidal thoughts among rural Black men, attributing significant causes to childhood adversity and racism. This research, involving over 500 African American men, demonstrates that experiences of economic hardship, trauma, and racial discrimination significantly impact mental health, leading to a sense of isolation and thoughts of suicide.

The findings emphasize the critical role of healthy relationships and community support in mitigating suicidal ideation. Furthermore, the study underscores the importance of addressing the effects of racism from childhood through adulthood to improve mental health outcomes for young Black men.

Key Facts:

Source: University of Georgia

One in three rural Black men reported they experienced suicidal ideation or thoughts of death in the past two weeks, reports anew studyfrom the University of Georgia. Childhood adversity and racism may hold much of the blame.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for African Americans between the ages of 15 and 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide is particularly prevalent among Black men, who die by suicide at a rate more than four times that of Black women.

It feels like nobody is talking about the problem. And its only getting worse.

I think we often dont look at where the disparities are and who the individuals most at risk are when were talking about suicide ideation, said Michael Curtis, co-author of the study and a graduate of UGAs Human Development and Family Science Department in theCollege of Family and Consumer Sciences.

We just know its bad, and particularly among young Black men.

Historically, research has not invested a lot of time and effort in looking into what are the unique cultural contexts that make certain men more at risk for suicidal thoughts than other men.

The study found that growing up in a low-resource environment and experiencing racial discrimination during young adulthood makes it difficult to engage in healthy, trusting relationships. Strong feelings of mistrust and caution toward social relationships can lead to feelings of isolation, which in turn can prompt thoughts of death and suicide.

Childhood trauma, racism take heavy toll on young Black men

The researchers followed more than 500 African American men from their late teens through early 20s in rural Georgia.

At three separate times over the course of several years, the men were asked to reflect on their childhood, including economic hardships and traumatic experiences.

Some of the questions included whether they experienced physical or emotional abuse, witnessed a relative being abused, felt loved and special, had enough to eat or had access to medical care when needed as a child.

Study participants were also asked about their feelings and beliefs about close relationships, such as trust in romantic partners, and concerns about being taken advantage of in relationships as well as how often in the past six months they had been treated unfairly because of their race.

Finally, the researchers asked the participants about depressive symptoms and how often they had thoughts about death or killing themselves in the past two weeks.

The researchers found that these childhood experiences with trauma, deprivation and racism took a heavy toll on study participants mental health as they entered adulthood.

We found when Black men were exposed to childhood adversity, they may develop an internal understanding of the world as somewhere they are devalued, where they could not trust others, and they could not engage the community in a supportive way, said Curtis, who practices as a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Engaging with social support is critical for young Black men who experience many challenges to success.

Young Black men experience higher rates of poverty than white peers

Young Black men in general, and those living in rural areas in particular, are disproportionately affected by childhood adversity. Theyre more likely to come from economically distressed families, grow up in low resource neighborhoods and experience trauma in their communities than their white peers.

Previous research has shown that racial discrimination increases the risks for depression, anxiety and psychological distress among Black children, adolescents and adults.

Although childhood neglect and trauma played a role in predicting suicidal thoughts, the researchers found that racial discrimination independently predicted higher rates of suicidal thoughts.

That means even participants who reported positive childhood experiences but experienced racial discrimination in young adulthood had a more difficult time developing and maintaining healthy relationships. As a result of that lack of community, they were more likely to experience thoughts of suicide.

The quality of our relationships is what sustains human beings, saidSteven Kogan, lead author of the study and a professor in UGAs College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

For people who have suicidal thoughts, theres this sense that no one knows me, nobody cares about me, theres nobody there for me, I am alone.

Healthy relationships can help prevent suicide

Those thoughts can set in quickly, and one of the biggest protective factors against suicide is healthy relationships, having someone to call when those feelings start to get overwhelming, the researchers said.

You dont wake up one day and say, You know, it would be better if I was gone. There are multiple factors in childhood and ones current context that inform suicidal thoughts.

To address these mens needs, we have to address how racism in childhood and adulthood erodes mental health and well-being.

Parents can play a key role in helping their children cope with these struggles, the researchers said.

More research is needed, but one finding is unequivocal: Loving yourself as a Black person is foundational, Kogan said.

Teaching children and youth to be proud of being Black counters the potential for them to internalize negative messages about Blackness that pervade U.S. society.

Published by Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology,the studywas co-authored by Ava Reck, a doctoral candidate in UGAsHuman Development and Family Scienceprogram, andAssaf Oshri, an associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Author: Cole Sosebee Source: University of Georgia Contact: Cole Sosebee University of Georgia Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Closed access. Childhood adversity and racial discrimination forecast suicidal and death ideation among emerging adult Black men: A longitudinal analysis by Steven Kogan et al. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology

Abstract

Childhood adversity and racial discrimination forecast suicidal and death ideation among emerging adult Black men: A longitudinal analysis

Objectives: Disproportionate exposure to childhood adversity and the effects of racial discrimination take a toll on Black American mens mental health. Despite increasing rates of suicidal behaviors and thoughts among young adult, Black American men, few longitudinal studies examine their risk for suicidal and death ideation (SDI).

We tested a developmental model linking childhood adversity (experiences of deprivation and threatening experiences) and emerging adult exposure to racial discrimination to increases in SDI and examined a potential mechanism for these effects, negative relational schemas.

Method: A sample of 504 Black men (Mage= 20.7) from rural Georgia were recruited with respondent-driven sampling and completed a baseline survey. Men participated in two additional follow-up surveys (Mage= 21.9 andMage= 23.5). Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.

Results: Analyses largely supported the proposed model. Childhood adversities were associated directly with reports of SDI. Childhood deprivation indirectly predicted SDI via negative schemas ( = 0.03, 95% CI [.014, .046]). Racial discrimination also indirectly predicted SDI via negative relational schemas ( = 0.01, 95% CI [.001, .018]).

Conclusion: Study results suggest that clinical and preventive interventions for suicidality should target the influence of racism and adverse experiences and the negative relational schemas they induce.

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High Rates of Suicidal Ideation in Rural Black Men - Neuroscience News