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Brain Can't Empathize And Analyze At Same Time, New Study

Scientists have discovered that the brain circuits we engage when we think about social matters, such as considering other people's views, or moral issues, inhibit the circuits that we use when we think about inanimate, analytical things, such as working on a physics problem or making sure the numbers add up when we balance our budget. And they say, the same happens the other way around: the analytic brain network inhibits the social network.
Perhaps the study, led by researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in the US, and reported early online on 27 October in the journal NeuroImage, explains why some business leaders sometimes overlook the public relations consequences of their cost-cutting exercises.
The authors suggest their findings help increase understanding of disorders like autism, ADHD and schizophrenia.

Empathic and Analytic Thinking are Mutually Exclusive

The study is believed to be the first to show that humans have a built in neural constraint that stops us thinking empathically and analytically at the same time.

Researchers say that the human brain can't empathize and analyze at the same time.

When not doing anything in particular, our brains switch between social and analytic networks. But, when working on a goal-directed task, healthy adults engage the appropriate neural pathways, say the researchers.
Lead author Anthony Jack, an assistant professor of cognitive science at Case Western Reserve, says in a news blog on the university's website, that "this is the cognitive structure we've evolved":
"Empathetic and analytic thinking are, at least to some extent, mutually exclusive in the brain," says Jack.

Two Networks in Tension

Before this study, from previous research, scientists already thought there were two large networks in the brain that were in tension, one called the default mode network and the other called the task positive network. However, there are different views on what drives them.
One view proposes that one network is deployed in goal-directed tasks, and when this happens, the other one allows the mind to wander.
Another view proposes that one network engages in external attention, while the other is for internal attention.
The new study suggests a new explanation: both networks focus on external stimuli, but one is for social problems and the other is for analytical problems, and when the one concerned with one type of problem is engaged, the neural pathways for the other type are repressed.

The Study

For their study, Jack and colleagues recruited 45 healthy volunteers, all college students.
The participants each spent 10 minutes at a time inside a f MRI brain scanner while a screen in front of them presented them with random selections of 20 written and 20 video problems where they had to think about how other people might feel, and another random selection of 20 written and 20 video problems where they had to use knowledge of physics to solve.
After reading a written problem or viewing a video one, each participant then had to give a yes or no answer to a question within 7 seconds.
During each session in the scanner, the participants also underwent rest periods lasting 27 seconds, and there were also various timed delays between each test, some lasting 1 second, others lasting 3 or 5 seconds. During the rest breaks the participants were asked to relax and look at a red cross on the screen.

The Results

When they examined the results of the fMRI brain scans, the researchers found that when the participants were presented with social problems, the brain regions associated with analytical thinking were deactivated and the regions associated with empathy and social thinking were active.
And this was also the same the other way around: when presented with physics questions, the analytic regions were active and the empathy regions were inactivated.
These findings were the same for written and video versions of problems.
But when the participants were in the resting state, that is not challenged to solve any problems, the activity cycled naturally between the two networks.
"This tells us that it's the structure of the adult brain that is driving this, that it's a physiological constraint on cognition," says Jack.

The Explanatory Gap

Jack says the study was inspired by one of the eternal philosophical questions surrounding the nature of consciousness:
"Why can we describe the workings of a brain, but that doesn't tell us what it's like to be that person?"
Something that intrigues scientists interested in this field is what they call the "explanatory gap", which Jack describes as the "disconnect between experiential understanding and scientific understanding".
He explains how in 2006 he and Philip Robbins, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri, boldly proposed that the explanatory gap is driven by our neural structure.
Looking back on that time after completing this new study, Jack says, "I was genuinely surprised to see how powerfully these findings fit that theory".

Perceptual Rivalry

The results from this latest study appear to suggest that the same brain mechanisms drive the explanatory gap as that which become engaged when we look at a visual illusion known as the "duck-rabbit", a drawing that can be seen in one of two ways. When you look at it you either see a duck facing one way or a rabbit facing the other way, but you never see both at the same time.
Jack says that phenomenon is known as "perceptual rivalry", which occurs because of neural inhibition between the two representations.
"What we see in this study is similar, but much more wide-scale. We see neural inhibition between the entire brain network we use to socially, emotionally and morally engage with others, and the entire network we use for scientific, mathematical and logical reasoning," he explains.
He suggests this means scientific explanations "really do leave something out - the human touch".
Jack says a major challenge for scientists of the mind is how better to translate between the "cold and distant mechanical descriptions that neuroscience produces, and the emotionally engaged intuitive understanding which allows us to relate to one another as people".

Implications

The researchers suggest their findings have implications for a number of disorders that have a social dysfunction component, from anxiety, depression and ADHD to schizophrenia.
They propose their ideas are particularly relevant to development disabilities such as autism and Williams syndrome. For instance autistic people tend to be very good at solving visuospatial problems, but have poor social skills. And people with Williams syndrome are the other way around: they come across as warm and friendly, but don't do well on visuospatial tests.
"Treatment needs to target a balance between these two networks," suggests Jack.
Current methods, including rehabilitation and education, appear to work mostly on strengthening the analytic network.
"Yet, we found more cortex dedicated to the social network," says Jack.

Love Syndrome

Etiology: Unknown.

Age of Onset:
Mostly teenage. Recent studies have shown that it may affect people of any age group.

Risk Factors:
The age itself is the major risk factor. Others include…
(a) Co-education
(b) Cell Phones
(c) Movies
(d) Internet
of these the part played by the cell phones is noteworthy.

Pathology:
Multi-organ System Failure.

Clinical Features

Symptoms:
A) The most common presenting feature is throbbing pain in the heart often described by the patient as sweet pain.
B) Loss of appetite.
C) Sleeplessness.
D) Daydreaming
E) Disinterest in any type of work. There is a danger of patient being transformed into a poet.

Signs:
A) Very much dilated pupil (In search of his sweet heart).
B) Blushing of cheeks (mainly seen in girls).
C) On Auscultation: The First Heart Sound is heard as LOVE instead of LUB.
D) Smiling to self.

Pathogenesis and Clinical Course:
The Disease is gradual in onset. The patient presents with vague symptoms like loss of appetite, sleeplessness, etc., As time progress multi-organ system involvement occurs with varied symptoms. The symptoms are aggravated at the sight of patients sweetheart  The sight of patients love causes the contraction of the radial fibres of the iris muscle leading to the dilation of the pupil. The eyes remain wide open and cease to blink. The Zygomaticus major muscle automatically contracts and the patient smiles (Smile at Sight Phenomenon). As the patient approaches his sweetheart  action potentials are generated at an irregular rate in the heart and the normal rhythm of the heart is lost. Microscopic examination of the cardiac muscle reveals the presence of abnormal pacemaker tissue at certain areas called the ROMANTIC SPOTS that are responsible for the lost rhythm of the Heart. The patient feels agitated, and a throbbing pain develops in the heart. The characteristic feature of the pain that patient wants to feel it more and more. In advanced stages, the brain is affected. If not treated properly, the patient may go bad.

Treatment:
Marriage Therapy holds promise of 100% cure rates. If is effective only after 22 years of age. If performed early, it may lead to adverse reactions.

Preventive Measures:
Several attempts have been made to prevent the disease. The WLO (World Love Organization) expert committee has finally declared that the disease is inevitable during the age group and its prevention is literally impossible. Any attempts to interrupt the normal course of the disease may lead to more severe from of disease. So interventional measures are highly contraindicated for this disease.

Complication:

Complication of love syndrome is euphoria, financial crisis, idiotic look, loss of appetite and sleep. Acute romantic failure lead to suicidal tendency. Survival may have life long immunity.

Sexual Behavior Influenced By Religious Affiliation And Residence In Muslim-Majority Nations

Hindus and Muslims are less likely than Christians and Jews to have premarital sex, and Muslims are the least likely among people of these religious groups to have extramarital sex, according to a new study that analyzed data on premarital and extramarital sexual behaviors in over 30 developing countries around the world.

Co-authored by Amy Adamczyk, an Associate Professor of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Brittany Hayes, a Ph.D. student in John Jay's Criminal Justice program, the study, "Religion and Sexual Behaviors: Understanding the Influence of Islamic Cultures and Religious Affiliation for Explaining Sex Outside of Marriage," appears in the October issue of theAmerican Sociological Review.
According to the researchers, Muslims' lower likelihood of premarital and extramarital sex is related to their commitment to, and community support for, strict religious tenants that only permit sex within marriage. Adamczyk and Hayes also found that national Islamic cultures influence the sexual behaviors of all residents, even people who do not identify themselves as Muslim. The authors posit that religion tends to have a more powerful effect than restrictions on women's movement in many Muslim countries.
"One of the most surprising findings was that religious affiliations have a real influence on people's sexual behaviors,"said Adamczyk. "Specifically, Muslim and Hindus are significantly less likely to report having had premarital sex than Christians and Jews. One of the novelties of our study is our analysis of behaviors, rather than attitudes. While a lot of research attention has been given to understanding differences between the major world religions in adherents' attitudes, much less attention has been given to understanding differences based on behaviors."
The study was inspired by Adamczyk's earlier work where she observed the differences in HIV/AIDS infection rates between Christian- and Muslim-majority nations in which residents in Muslim-majority nations had lower infection rates than residents of Christian nations. Adamczyk and Hayes speculate that differences in sexual behaviors may help explain why people in Muslim-majority nations tend to have lower prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS than residents of other countries.

Protecting Your Brain: 'Use It or Lose It'

The findings of a new study suggest that the protective effects of an active cognitive lifestyle arise through multiple biological pathways. For some time researchers have been aware of a link between what we do with our brains and the long term risk for dementia. In general, those who are more mentally active or maintain an active cognitive lifestyle throughout their lives are at lower risk.

"The ideas of a 'brain reserve' or 'cognitive reserve' have been suggested to explain this, but were basically a black box. This research throws some light on what may be happening at the biological level," said Associate Professor Michael J. Valenzuela, a brain aging expert at the Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Australia, who led this new study.

Researchers used data from the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study, a large population-based study in the United Kingdom that has been following over 13,000 elderly individuals prospectively since 1991.
At the time of this study, 329 brains had been donated and were available for analysis. Brains were compared based on the individual's dementia status at death (yes or no) and cognitive lifestyle score, or CLS (low, middle, or high).
The three CLS groups did not differ among multiple Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology measures, including plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and atrophy. This means that cognitive lifestyle seems to have no effect on the brain changes typically seen in those with Alzheimer's disease.
However, an active cognitive lifestyle in men was associated with less cerebrovascular disease, in particular disease of the brain's microscopic blood vessels. An active cognitive lifestyle in women was associated with greater brain weight. In both men and women, high CLS was associated with greater neuronal density and cortical thickness in the frontal lobe.
"These findings suggest that increased engagement in stimulating activities are part of a lifestyle that is, overall, more healthy," commented Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry. "Rather than specifically protecting the health of activated circuits, it seems that a more active lifestyle has general effects on brain health reflected in greater neuronal density and preservation of the blood supply to the brain."
"Overall, our research suggests that multiple complex brain changes may be responsible for the 'use it or lose it' effect," Valenzuela added.
With a globally aging society and the risk of dementia increasing significantly with age, dementia-prevention strategies are of rising importance. Understanding the mechanisms of cognitive enhancement through research such as this can help support and inform the development of effective strategies to enrich cognitive lifestyle and potentially reduce dementia risk.

Brain-eating amoeba Rising

Naegleria fowleri So called Brain Eating Amoeba was found  in Australia in 1965

Naegleria fowleri  is  typically found in warm bodies of fresh water, such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and hot springs. It is also found in soil, near warm-water discharges of industrial plants, and unchlorinated swimming pools in an amoeboid or temporary flagellate stage.There is no evidence of this organism living in ocean water

Recently News on this was on Pakistan at 9 October 2012

A brain-eating amoeba has killed at least 10 people in Pakistan’s most populous city since May, a World Health Organization official says.

Naegleria fowleri, which has a fatality rate of more than 98%, is transmitted when contaminated water enters the body through the nose. It cannot be passed from person to person.

It exist in Fresh water and Improper Chlorinated Water for swimming it is very rare yet because from 1965 there is 144+ cases found , but still very dangerous.

Symptoms

Onset symptoms of infection start about five days (range is from one to seven days) after exposure. The initial symptoms include, but are not limited to, changes in taste and smell, headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and stiff neck. Secondary symptoms include confusion, hallucinations, lack of attention, ataxia, and seizures. After the start of symptoms, the disease progresses rapidly over three to seven days, with death occurring from seven to 14 days after exposure

Smiling Reduces Stress And Helps The Heart

A new study suggests that holding a smile on one's face during periods of stress may help the heart. The study, due to be published in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science, lends support to the old adage "grin and bear it", suggesting it may also make us feel better.
The study is the work of psychological scientists Tara Kraft and Sarah Pressman of the University of Kansas. They looked at how different types of smiling, and people being aware of smiling, affected their ability to recover from stressful episodes.
Kraft told the press they wanted to explore whether old adages like "grin and bear it" had any scientific merit.
The age-old saying suggests smiling not only signals happiness to others, but could also be a way to help cope with life stresses.
Previous studies have shown that smiling affects emotion, and that positive emotions have an effect on stress. But Kraft and Pressman are the first to experiment with types of smile to see what effect they have on stress.
Researchers often class smiles as being of two types: standard smiles, where only the mouth shapes the smile, and genuine or Duchenne smiles, where the muscles around the mouth and the eyes shape the smile. (The latter was named after Guillaume-Benjamin Duchenne, who used electrophysiology to show how truly happy smiles also use the muscles around the eyes).

Kraft and Pressman experimented with types of smile to see what effect they had on stress

For their latest study, Kraft and Pressman invited 169 volunteers from a Midwestern university to undergo an experiment in two stages: training and testing.
In the training stage, the researchers taught the volunteers how to either hold their faces in a neutral expression, hold a standard smile, or hold a Duchenne smile.
They also got some of the volunteers to hold their face in a forced smile by holding chopsticks in their mouths.
In the testing phase, the volunteers performed some multi-tasking activities, during which they held their faces in the manner instructed.
The activities were designed to increase stress levels, but the volunteers didn't know this. One test for instance, asks the participant to use their non-dominant hand to follow the path of a moving star that they observe in a mirror. The other test involves plunging a hand into a bucket of ice water.
The researchers monitored the participants' heart rates as they performed their various tasks.
They found the participants who were instructed to smile, and in particular those whose faces expressed genuine or Duchenne smiles, had lower heart rates after recovery from the stress activities than the ones who held their faces in neutral expressions.
Even the volunteers who held chopsticks in their mouths, that forced the muscles to express a smile (but they had not explicitly been instructed to smile), had lower recovery heart rates compared to the ones who held neutral facial expressions.
The researchers say their findings suggest smiling during brief periods of stress may help reduce the body's stress response, regardless of whether the person actually feels happy or not.
Pressman said this could be useful to know, for instance if you find yourself stuck in a traffic jam, try to hold your face in a smile for a few moments: it may do more than just help you "grin and bear it", it may actually help your heart health too.

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