Politics and the Brain

Have you ever wondered how the brains of conservative politicians differ from the brains of those who are more liberal? The recent feuding between a Democratic President and a Republican-controlled House might trigger such a though. Turns out that a recent study has uncovered the proverbial tip of an iceberg.

Studies at the University College London have linked personality traits with specific brain structures (the study reportedly having been commissioned by Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth). Using data from MRI scans, researchers found that self-described liberals had a larger anterior cingulate cortex, while individuals who described themselves as conservatives were more likely to have larger amygdalae. Based on what is known about the functions of those two brain regions, the structural differences are consistent with reports showing a greater ability of liberals to cope with conflicting information and a greater ability of conservatives to recognize a threat.

Of course this raises a whole host of questions. For example, are humans born with a predisposition to gravitate toward specific political beliefs or does the brain adjust itself to life experiences? Do structures of the brain alter as its owner embraces specific attitudes or do existing brain structures somehow mediate the formation of specific political attitudes? I love it!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20110411/pl_yblog_theticket/will-president-obama-and-the-house-gop-ever-agree-science-suggests-no

Longevity Study

Authors Friedman and Martin have recently released a book entitled "The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight-Decade Study." The contents of this book upends some of the advice that, up until now, has comprised the accepted recipe for how to live to a healthy old age. The authors expose what really impacts a person's lifespan (e.g., friends, family, personality, and work) and burst some long-standing myths related to achieving health and long life. For example, people do not die from working long hours at a challenging job; many who worked the hardest lived the longest. Getting and staying married is not the magic ticket to long life, especially if you’re a woman. And it’s the prudent and persistent who flourish through the years, not necessarily the happy-go-lucky ones. Expect the results of this study to change conversations about what it means to live a long, healthy life.

Frontal versus Temporal Lobes and Languages

MRI studies have shown that distinct regions of the brain are used to process different types of sentences in different languages. For examples, sentences in which word order determined the relationships between the sentence elements (e.g., English language with sentences such as "Sally greets Bob") utilized parts of the frontal cortex that give humans the ability to put information into sequences. On the other hand, sentences in which inflection was providing that same type of information (e.g., Spanish language) utilized parts of the temporal lobe that specialize in dividing information into its constituent parts. The hope is that this information could prove valuable assistance in assessing how best to teach language to a person with brain damage in certain areas but not others, such as a person who has experienced a stroke.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/uor-sls042910.php

Modern Medicine: Science or Religion?

Dr.Malerba is board certified in Homeotherapeutics, a Clinical Assistant Professor at New York Medical College, a visiting lecturer at Albany Medical College, and past president of the New York State Homeopathic Medical Society. The title of a recent article: "Is modern medicine more science or religion?" If you enjoy viewing more than one side of a coin, you may find his perceptions thought-provoking, certainly controversial. Here are a few of his comments.

In its quest for objectivity, medicine has rejected its spiritual roots and lost sight of its humanity. The church of medicine found its origins with Rene Descartes, a seventeenth century proponent of rationalism, a philosophy that elevated the mind and its ability to reason to a superior status above all other sources of knowledge. There are many thoughtful individuals, however, who would consider spiritual insight to be a superior form of knowledge. Like some religious faiths, medicine clings ferociously to its worldview when challenged by congregants (patients) whose firsthand experiences sometimes lead them to believe otherwise. It defends its dogma with a powerful form of groupthink and is quick to lash out at heretical ideas that threaten its doctrine and its territorial interests. Like some religious movements that purport to be the one and only true path to salvation, it displays an unusual degree of intolerance when faced with nonbelievers who dare to ask questions. It is a closed belief system that does not allow innovation or new ideas.

http://www.naturalnews.com/031589_modern_medicine_scientism.html#ixzz1FeBFkwBj

Watson on Jeopardy

Have you been following "Watson" on Jeopardy? It appears this computer is performing at the level of some of the best Jeopardy players. Ray Kurzweil, you may recall, predicted that a computer would defeat the world chess champion by 1998. Indeed, Deep Blue defeated Gary Kasparov in 1997. You may find Kurzweil's blog on Watson interesting reading.

(http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-significance-of-watson?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=39af374744-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email)

Parkinson's Disease (PD) Update

Do you know anyone whose brain is challenged with PD? Parkinson’s cases now known to have genetic origins are shedding light on the cellular mechanisms of all the rest, bringing researchers closer to a cause—and perhaps a cure. This is not only interesting but also exciting! Study results have shown some compelling evidence suggesting that loss-of-function mutations rendering three genes (parkin, PINK1 and DJ-1) functionally inactive, underlie common forms of autosomal-recessive PD. Identification and characterization of familial PD-linked genes has sparked an extremely fruitful line of research, delineating molecular pathways that are involved in the pathogenesis of PD.

Read more: The Genes of Parkinsons Disease - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences http://www.the-scientist.com/2011/2/1/36/1/

E-Readers

Now that e-readers such as amazon.com's "Kindle" are proliferating, studies about their benefits are beginning to surface. For example, Kindle was shown to be motivational for "less-enthusiastic" readers. That's one reason we have elected to upload the Aimi books to Kindle. Not only are the Aimi books designed to help children absorb helpful information about brain function, but also to motivate those who are electronically-oriented--to read. According to Larson, it's interesting to see the kinds of things the kids have been able to do: sometimes they make comments summarizing the plot, therefore reinforcing their understanding of the book. Other times they ponder character development, jotting down things like 'If I were him, I'd say no way!' Larson said, "As a teacher, I know a student understands the book if she's talking to the characters. . . If you take a look at those notes, it's like having a glimpse into their brains as they're reading."

Kansas State University (2010, April 17). Kindle e-reader motivates less-enthusiastic readers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 24, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2010/04/100416144546.htm

Lotta C. Larson. Digital Literacies e-Reading and e-Responding: New Tools for the Next Generation of Readers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(3), 255%u2013258 DOI: 10.1598/JAAL.53.3.7