Physiological Psychology Course Blog

Link http://neurosciencenews.com/synapse-loss-alzheimers-drug-7952/ Summary Synapse loss is a key factor in Alzheimer’s disease that is initiated by amyloid beta peptides.There are two Wnt signalling pathways. The canonical pathway (Wnt–catenin) promotes synapse and neuronal maintenance. The non-canonical pathway (Wnt-PCP) promotes synaptic disassembly and degradation. The pathways work together to provide a balanced maintenance of synapses. In an Alzheimer disease brain the Wnt-PCP pathway is overactive and causes too much synaptic loss. The increased presence of amyloid beta protein triggers the Wnt-PCP synaptic signalling. Researchers investigated whether they could disrupt this pathway to stop the synaptic damage and spreading.  The researchers treated mice with a drug called fasudil, which targets a protein called ROCK in the Wnt-PCP signalling pathway. This derais the synaptotoxic cascade of amyloid production. Fasudil shutting off the Wnt-PCP pathway, which protected syn...

Summary: In this study the researchers conducted an experiment with two groups, the sleep group and the non-sleep group.  Each of the participants were shown a word on the screen and asked to later point to where they thought it was.  The sleep group was allowed a 90-minute nap and the non-sleep group did not receive any nap.  The research showed that those who did nap were able to closer show where the word on the screen was compared to the non-sleep sleep group.  Our sleep helps to strengthen our memories.  It keeps the original memory we have but also refreshes it.   As tested in the article, the brain holds onto the old memory and makes a new version of it.  A problem with this could be that our brain could rewire a memory differently. Relationship to book: As we read in Brain Rules sleep has many benefiting factors for us but especially memory enhancement.  Sleep helps us to refresh our memories from the day and also strengthen them. Ref...

A Heroin Vaccine? http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2017/06/26/a-heroin-vaccine     This article discusses a potential vaccine to treat heroin addiction. While this idea has been around for many year, it has never been researched or implemented. Due to the rapidly increasing opioid epidemic in America, people are re-evaluating the current treatment methods and looking for alternative and possibly more effective options. Most psychoactive compounds are small molecules which are far to small to trigger any kind of autoimmune antibody reaction within the body. However, if the drug is bound to a protein which the body does recognize, it can effectively be trained to eventually react solely to the target drug molecule by itself. The vaccine is constructed using a tetanus toxide core, which is the same as used in the commonly used tetanus vaccine. However, this core is then attached to heroin molecules by chemical bridges called linkers. It is these linkers which...

Summary : This article states that emotions are not innate but rather cognitive. We experience emotions by observing the environment we are in. Current research propose that emotions and feelings are innate and intrinsic to who we are. However, LeDoux and Brown refute that claim. They argue that emotions has the same processes as consciousness. The brain structures required to process a conscious experience are the same structures that are engaged when processing an emotional producing stimulus after receiving cues from the environment. They believe an emotion is the "conscious experience that occurs when you are aware that you are in a particular situation."  Therefore a visual stimulus elicits a physiological and behavioral response and not the other way around. Reflection : I found this article very interesting because it reminded me of what we have been discussing in class about emotions. This view reminded me of the "Cognitive theory" in connection to emotio...

Summary: Recent studies have shown that playing video games can affect, not only the functioning of the brain, but the physical structure of it as well. Marc Palaus and his colleages collected the results of 116 different studies in order to try and find a link between video games and brain function. Out of the 116 articles they compiled, 100 of them showed that there was a change in brain function, while 22 of the studies showed actual change to the brains physical structure. Many of the studies show that playing video games helps improve some types of attention. The research also shows that video games can increase the size and efficiency of the area of the brain involved in visuospacial skills (parietal lobe). The research also states that despite the positive results, negative results have also been found. Video game addiction, which is also known as "Internet Gaming Disorder", can be a big issue for some people. The research results have shown an increase in function an...

Two very common issues with aging are lack of physical fitness and deterioration of the brain. This article explains how the effects of dancing can improve both of those elements. Many elderly people do not get a lot of exercise, so dancing is a great way to get some exercise. It does not have to be elaborate dancing, but just moving around to music is better than nothing, and it is more fun than other exercises. According to the article, dancing effects the hippocampus, which controls memory and other functions such as learning. Dancing directly effects the hippocampus because it works the learning function of the brain when the elderly are learning the dances. This ties into my psychology of aging class because we spent a lot of time talking about how the brain ages and different ways to help your brain age properly. We also discussed how important it is to exercise while you are young because it will help you be able to move around better and be able to do more things on your own as...

Music Training Changes Children's Brain Structure and Boosts Decision Making Network  By, Collin Morley Link:  http :// neurosciencenews .com/kids-music-brain-structure-7941/ Summary: Three studies were conducted at The University of Southern California to examine how music training for children can improve their brain networks. The first study involved  neuroscientists  monitoring the brain development and behavior of children from under served neighborhoods   in Los Angeles. Some of the children were learning to play music with the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles at HOLA. Scientists used behavioral testing, structural and functional MRI scans, and EEG to examine the impact of music training on the children's brains. Results showed that music training improves maturity areas in the brain responsible for sound processing, language development, speech perception, and reading skills. In the second...

Imagine if human’s had the ability to express or suppress any thought of their choice.   A new study reports that neuroscientists have recently discovered a chemical within the memory region of our brain that creates the ability to inhibit unpleasant thoughts.   The study was referred to as the ‘Think/No-Think’ procedure and its goal was to identify any neuro-processes that may enable the prefrontal cortex to suppress any unwanted thoughts.   In the first stage of the study, subjects were asked to associate two unconnected words, specifically “ordeal” and “roach.”   Then, the participants were asked to recall the association if the cue was colored green, and suppress the association if the cue was colored red.   So, if the word “ordeal” was presented in red, the subject was asked to stare at the phrase but refrain from connecting it to the recently learned association.   Magnetic resonance imaging, as well as magnetic resonance spectroscopy, helped aid the...

http://neurosciencenews.com/opioid-painkiller-overdose-7962/ In this article Dr. Laura Bohn details her findings that after two decades of research her and her colleagues were successfully able to separate the pathways of painkilling and respiration thus allowing them to develop an opioid they describe as on par with morphine that does not stop or slow breathing, which is the main cause of opioid overdose deaths. Through their research they were able to see their new opioid was able to enter the brain of mice just as potently as typical opioids. In class we discussed addiction and the number of deaths associated with overdoses caused by it. While being addicted to any drug is harmful and needs treatment the development of this drug has the potential to be used to help those already addicted to opioids cut out and decrease what they are already taking as they transition into being clean. Since the body quickly builds tolerance to pain killers often leading people to using high...

Music Training Changes Children’s Brain Structure and Boost Decision Making Network Summary: In as little as two years, music instruction can have multiple benefits. Music instruction boost areas of the brain that are important for decision making as well was attention and impulse inhibition. In order to track this information, doctors have used fMRI’s and EEGs to track activity in the brain. In Children who have received musical training had stronger connectivity in their corpus collosum and differences in thickness of the auditory areas. Connection: I remember in fourth grade when I decided to play the violin. From fourth grade until twelfth I continued with music lessons and practiced every week. Music was an outlet for me where I could be with my friends and express myself through the music we played. During that time I received many social benefits from music but I was unaware of the mental benefits that music can provide.   In Brain Rules, Jo...

http://neurosciencenews.com/hearing-ear-stem-cells-7891/ Summary: Scientists at Rutgers University found that they can reverse deafness by injecting stem cells into the inner ear. The cells can be converted into auditory neurons. However, they also found that the cells increase the risk of cancer due to rapid cell division. After more research, they determined that this can be controlled. They found that a gene called NEUROG1 that was used in the stem cells were causing the cell division. They also found that by changing the chromatin in the cells, it can potentially reduce the unwanted division. These studies will help scientists determine the best cell replacement therapy. Connection: We learned about hearing in Physiological Psychology. We learned about how there are hair cells in our inner ear which bend when vibrations hit them. When they bend, they open K+ and Ca+ channels which allow action potentials to go through the auditory nerve and then relay the message to the brain t...

Summary: This article begins by questioning the association between the amount of activity in grid cell networks and the risk for developing Alzheimer’s. These networks are said to be navigational brain cells, found in the entorhinal, which is where Alzheimer’s develops. A study of two groups was conducted; one group with the APOE-e4 variant and the other without; neither of these groups showed symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Having the APOE-e4 variant is said to be the largest genetic risk factor and leading cause of Alzheimer’s diagnosis later in life. The results of this study was as hypothesized, those who carried APOE-e4 variant showed fewer grid-like representations of grid cell networks while participating in the trial. Although they showed less grid-like representations, their ability to carry out the task like the group without this APOE-e4 variant did not differ. The research was then focused on the brain compensating for lack of these networks. Axmacher suggests that activity ...

Link:  https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/an-upbeat-emotion-thats-surprisingly-good-for-you/?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth Article Title: Upbeat Emotion That's Surprisingly Good For You Article Summary :   Previous health based research has conveyed a relationship between overall health and individual mood. This article outlines scientific methods used by Stellar et. al of the University of Berkeley to observe correlations between subjective feelings of “awe” and the frequency of inflammation experienced by each participant within the last month. Researchers hypothesized that participants with more frequent feelings of “awe” will have lower levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a molecules that promotes inflammation in the body, and better overall health. Aligning with the posed hypothesis, study participants with more positive emotions experienced had lower levels of IL-6 in the body, while those with more negative emotions had higher levels of IL-6. The...

Link: http://neurosciencenews.com/love-psychology-neuroscience-5982/ Article:  The Science Behind Love Summary: Are love feelings really uncontrollable? A study was conducted on individuals who are in a relationship and those dealing with a break up. A questionnaire was given out to the participants measuring their beliefs on regulation of love feelings. All of the participants came to a conclusion that love feelings are uncontrollable. However, the participants were asked four open questions that revealed their method for maintain their love feelings for their partner or removing their love feelings from their previous partner. Those in a relationship used techniques like cognitive reappraisal to make the feelings stronger. While those dealing with a breakup dealt with avoidance and distractions. In conclusion, love feelings is very much controllable. Many people forget that love is all cognitive. Reaction:  I've always thought of love as something that is uncontrollabl...

Link: http://neurosciencenews.com/genetics-sex-addiction-7935/ Article: Impact of a Genetic Risk Factor For Substance Use Differs By Sex in Adolescents Summary:           A Study was conducted examine the how substance use differs by sex in adolescents. The study was conducted by Penn State University and Georgetown University medical center neuroscientists. The research involved looking at a genotype via saliva samples and gray matter volume in the brain by MRI of 101 adolescents who haven’t started to partake in consuming alcohol. It was discovered that an allele in the dopamine receptor delayed the maturation of a very important brain region that is involved in “reward-related” planning in boys. However, in girls, this was not an issue. In girls a different allele of the dopamine receptor gene delayed cortical maturation. Reaction: Recently in class the topic of addiction was discussed. This discovery is particul...