Dana Foundation Blog

The Power of Data

Once a scientist has finished her research and published a paper, where is that data stored?

Three of the panelists at Science Online New York City (SONYC)’s event last night, “Thinking Digital: Giving your research more reach (and making sure others can find it),” are figuring out answers to this question.

Carol Feltes, Rockefeller University’s head librarian, comes from a business background. In a for-profit setting, there are clear policies and procedures for data management, retention, and removal. But at Rockefeller, each lab head is responsible for his or her data—there is no overarching policy for data management.

The library encourages lab heads to store data on its DSpace, “a managed, digital repository designed to archive, preserve and make accessible the scholarly works authored by The Rockefeller University faculty, staff and students.” So far, only six labs have started using the open-access repository. “Unless they absolutely need it, we can’t sell it,” Feltes said.

There are also data storage solutions outside institutional settings. The new repository Figshare invites researchers to post research data, both publically and privately, under a creative commons license (materials can used with proper attribution). Figshare developer Mark Hahnel finished his Ph.D. in September, and during the process realized that most of his research would never be seen outside of his lab group—much of it was negative, or simply didn’t fit into the larger research picture. He wanted to share and get credit for all his research, and found that existing online places to store and share data were too difficult to use. Thus, Figshare was born. Hahnel hopes that the visible metrics on the site, tracking page views, shares, and citations, will encourage people to post their research.

Efforts are also underway to make published literature available. One such undertaking is the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), a consortium of 12 libraries digitizing all published biodiversity literature. To date, said Cathy Norton, library scholar at BHL and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Library, 32 million pages—or 6.5 percent of the literature—has been scanned. Much of that material predates 1923, and is no longer under copyright. In addition, publishers have given the project materials to scan.

But once these materials are available, how can people find them? Rare and old works do not have DOIs or ISBNs, and digitizers must add metadata and discoverability tools. The next step, said Norton, it to contextualize data, providing a story regarding what the collection is all about.

Clearly, research tools are changing as more information becomes available. And, if used well, this could change the speed of science. As Feltes said, “People begin to realize that with greater access to a greater variety [of data], the pace of knowledge generation increases. Having data available accelerates the pace at which problems are solved and disparate disciplines are stitched together.”

--Johanna Goldberg

Changing the Diagnoses

It's not a surprise that each time researchers and other experts revise the "bible" of psychiatric diagnosis in America, they change categories and definitions of disabilities. But when that change hits close to home—say, narrowing the definition of autism spectrum disorder—it gets a lot more press than usual.

The next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which psychiatrists and other practitioners use as a guide to diagnose psychiatric disorders, is in the late stages of a long revision process; it goes to the printers in December. Many of the suggested changes have been posted for comment for the past year. This past week, The New York Times weighed in on two proposed changes.

In "New Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many, Study Suggests," writer Benedict Carey describes a recent analysis by Dr. Fred Volkmar that estimates how many people now classified as having Asperger's syndrome or "pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified" (PDD-NOS) would not qualify as autistic under the proposed guidelines. Without the "autistic" label, these people might not qualify for extra help at school; insurers might not cover their therapy. Small wonder people started to panic (at least in the comments on the Times story). Still, as Gil Tippy of the Rebecca School in New York advised on the Thinking Person's Guide to Autism site, "If you, or your son or daughter has an appropriate diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum now, responsible clinicians will find that you or your children meet the criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder under the new guidelines."

Another change highlighted this week would add "grief and grieving" to the list of criteria used to diagnose depression (writer Benedict Carey also mentions other changes, too). A lively discussion follows on the Times's Well blog.

Back in 2009, when discussion about the DSM-5 was starting to roll, we invited the scientists leading the revision process to describe their plan. Their essay, for our Cerebrum periodical, may not have been one of our better-read pieces at the time, but has grown in interest since. We paired it with a call from Johns Hopkins psychiatry professor Paul R. McHugh that the editors focus on disorders’ causes and disease processes, in part to improve upon what the two most recent editions of DSM have produced: “a psychiatry that’s boring.”

Early in 2011, former Harvard provost Steven E. Hyman weighed in for Cerebrum on how the process was going—his title: "Diagnostic Classification Needs Fundamental Reform." (Hyman is a member of the DSM revision task force, but was writing as an individual.) In his argument, he acknowledges that radical reform may need more time (i.e., the 10 years until DSM-6). In terms of individual diagnostic categories, though, "I would recommend that the DSM-5 take a conservative approach, leaving criteria unchanged unless compelling new evidence suggests that a change would be beneficial. Whatever the ultimate approach to the DSM-5, it is critical that the scientific community escape the artificial diagnostic silos that control so much research, ultimately to our detriment."

(Also, Seth Mnookin has posted a great roundtable discussion on the image of autism, including who speaks for autistic people and how the spectrum is covered by the media.)

--Nicky Penttila

From the Archives: Suicide Prevention

In this month’s Cerebrum article, “Suicide and the United States Army,” Dr. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, a retired Army colonel, explains how the U.S. Military now collects data on suicides. She recommends ways to put that data to use through new strategies—like means restriction and service animals—that could bring down the high suicide rate in the military.

In July of 2011, Kay Redfield Jamison wrote the Cerebrum article “Suicide in the Young: An Essay.” She said:

“We know, first, that suicide is a terrible killer of the young. In the United States, suicide is the third major cause of death in 15-to-19-year-olds and the second leading cause of death in college-age students. In 1996, more teenagers and young adults died from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, stroke, and lung disease combined. Suicide kills the young dreadfully and disproportionately. And, across the world, in those between the ages of 15 and 44, suicide is the second leading killer of women and the fourth of men.”

These numbers have not changed much. According to the CDC, suicide is still the third leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds, and for every completed suicide in this age range, there are 100-200 unsuccessful suicide attempts.

Dr. Ritchie says in her new article that military suicide differs from civilian suicide in part due to the role of mental illness. Most soldiers who commit suicide have not been diagnosed with a mental illness, although substance abuse issues can be a factor. She writes that an accumulation of stressors, like pain, disability, and estrangement from friends and family are more common risk factors among active duty personnel.

In contrast, in the civilian population, writes Dr. Jamison:

“We have compelling evidence from a large number of studies that the single most important factor in suicide is psychopathology: More than 90 percent of all people who kill themselves suffered from a major psychiatric or addictive illness (depression, manic-depression, schizophrenia, or alcohol and drug abuse), a severe anxiety disorder, or borderline or antisocial personality disorder. Those who are victims of both depression and alcohol or drug abuse are especially at risk. Most people who were depressed will not kill themselves. But of those who do, the majority were profoundly depressed.”

This, too, remains true today.

So what can be done to prevent suicide in the civilian population? The National Institute for Mental Health recommends treating underlying disorders, like depression and substance abuse, while addressing suicide risks. Studies have shown that cognitive behavior therapy can effectively reduce the number of suicide attempts. A combination of medication and therapy may be even more effective. In addition, primary care physicians should be better trained to recognize warning signs of suicide.

If someone you know talks to you about suicide, take him or her seriously. Call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

--Johanna Goldberg

Learning About Learning

How does school work, brain-wise? Do children teach themselves or is it something about the instruction that gets their brains firing and wiring faster? Last fall, a few hundred neuroscientists, teachers, and curriculum-makers met for a weekend to hash out what we know about learning and how we could use it to help every child succeed at school. One early answer: Play. 

The Aspen Brain Forum was sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences, which has posted an extensive summary of the event as well as slides and audio from eighteen of the sessions. For an introductory taste of the event, though, try the 18-min podcast (which we sponsored). Science and the City's Nadja Popovich talked with three of the presenters, who sketch the growing field and describe a few surprising results.  

Many of these results are connected to the cognitive properties of executive function, especially attention: inhibiting distraction, focusing on the correct aspect of a task, and maintaining focus. For example, Adele Diamond of the University of British Columbia describes the "red-pencil technique" for children who are writing their letters or numbers the wrong way (mirrored). Asking them to remind themselves to stop before they have to write a "6" and switch from their regular pencil to another one to write that number slows them down enough that they write the number correctly, a change that seems to last. Diamond also points out that learning programs that include social, emotional, and physical components (such as play) "are better for academic achievement and executive function" than those that focus solely on academics. "Addressing only the cognitive seems to be less beneficial," she says.

On the subject of play, Daphne Bavalier of the University of Rochester offers tantalizing research into the benefits of often-denigrated video games. Studies done on undergraduate non-gamers who played games for the first time for a few dozen hours seem to show they have improved vision acuity and speed as well as attention. How might programmers tweak games to foster improvements that could last?

Bruce McCandliss of Vanderbilt University describes research that suggests that differences in learning abilities and styles may have a grounding in attention, too—or rather, what we focus our attention on. Brain scans of young people focusing on the beginnings and endings of spoken words differ in predictable ways from the scans of those who focus on the melody of the sentences, for example. Might "poor" readers be focusing on a less-helpful aspect of the language, perhaps enjoying the music of the language and missing its meaning? "Different learning styles may rely on different styles of attention," he says, and might benefit from different methods of instruction.

Like most of neuroscience, questions are more plentiful than answers. We do know some things work better than others, though; Diamond cites the Montessori, Tools of the Mind, and Path curriculums; Jump Math also seems to be making mathematicians of entire classrooms, not just a lucky few, according to John Mighton (who was not on the podcast but did attend the meeting).

The main take-away? Everyone learns a little differently, so relax about it. As Diamond says, "stress impairs executive function."

--Nicky Penttila

Gearing Up for Brain Awareness Week

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is less than two months away (March 12–18) and here at the Dana Foundation we are excited. Hospitals, universities, schools, senior centers, and other organizations across the world are already buzzing about the brain. Events are being planned in preparation for the big week. Remember, the Dana Foundation and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives (DABI) are here to help. If you register your organization with DABI and become a BAW partner at www.dana.org/brainweek/, you’ll get access to free BAW materials. Each year hundreds of BAW partners from Texas to Morocco register events with DABI and receive fun and valuable materials and resources for free.

This year the BAW publications and resources are stacked with past favorites like the brain-shaped erasers and pencils, Mindboggling series of booklets, and Dana Alliance Puzzles. The 2012 BAW order form also has some new items. If you are looking for some fun handouts for your event, the Brain Awareness Week buttons and stickers are a great option, as they display the fresh, new design. My laptop is already covered in BAW stickers.  

There are also a number of new additions from the Dana Alliances publications and resources section. The updated Brain Connections pamphlet lists more than 240 organizations in the United States that offer help and guidance in connection with brain-related disorders. The PDF is available online, but a pamphlet-sized physical copy is also available for distribution at BAW events.

We’re introducing three new Staying Sharp booklets in addition to the well-known Successful Aging and Your Brain. First, Late-Life Brain Disorders discusses a few of the most common disorders that affect seniors, including dementia, depression, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic pain. Learning as We Age describes what recent neuroscience research has uncovered about lifelong learning. The booklet illustrates how continual, active engaging of the brain throughout life can be beneficial to the health of the aging brain. Memory and Aging explains the difference between what’s normal and what’s not in regards to memory loss and aging. The booklet describes the differences between typical age-related changes in memory and the signs of dementia, and gives information on how to maintain brain health.

Brain Awareness Week is right around the corner and now is the time to start planning an event and making use of the free supplies that the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives has to offer. Remember, you must be a BAW partner to take advantage of these great resources, so register today at www.dana.org/brainweek/. And for the social-media fans, follow the action on Twitter (hashtag #brainweek) and on the BAW Facebook page.

--Simon Fischweicher

Growing Concern over Internet Addiction Disorder

I didn’t realize how serious Internet addiction was until I read a recent article on The Huffington Post and learned that people can die from it. I know people who are obsessed with certain websites and Internet games that can take up most of their day. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Science have gone beyond anecdotes and found brain differences in those with an Internet addiction.

The research was conducted on people under the age of 21, half of whom were identified as having Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). Researchers said that the part of the brain affected by the Internet is linked to emotional processing, executive thinking skills, and cognitive functioning. The brain changes of those with IAD were similar to what to expect from an alcoholic. According to the article, researchers are deciding if Internet and video game addiction should be classified as a mental disorder.

I’ve seen people who check their Facebook page every few minutes or rush home to play the “Call of Duty” videogame. Sadly, they are over 30 years old. I can understand why researchers would consider it a mental disorder because these people are certainly displaying addictive behavior.

The article mentions two deaths that were at least partly attributed to Internet addiction. In 2007, when IAD’s bid for inclusion in the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was rejected, it was understandable, but today the idea of such a thing seems very real.

--Blayne Jeffries

Dana News Email Blast: January

Below is this week's Dana news email blast. You can sign up to receive this (and other Dana email alerts and/or print publications) by going here.

Social Neuroscience

by John T. Cacioppo, Ph.D. and Stephanie Ortigue, Ph.D.

Social neuroscientists boost our knowledge of the biology of animal and human interactions in areas as diverse as drug abuse, pair-bonding, and social isolation. As the field continues to grow, we will better understand the social, biological, and cognitive factors that determine how we relate to others. From Cerebrum, our online magazine of ideas.

Playing Video Games May Make Specific Changes to the Brain

Areas that are linked to reward and self-control appear to change when young people play video games, according to two recent studies.

Wanted: Better Brain-Process Biomarkers for Drug Trials

Researchers seek faster, cheaper ways to evaluate potential neurodegenerative disease.

Neuromarketing: Prove Thyself & Protect Consumers (Dana Briefing Paper)

Neuromarketing, the practice of using neuroscience to try to determine a person's unconscious biological reactions to a product, is here to stay, but whether it works is much harder to prove.

The Tangles of Neurodegeneration Not Easy to Unravel

Targeting different neurotransmitters hasn't offered a breakthrough, said Ann Young during the recent Society for Neuroscience meeting. Perhaps genetics and attention to the misfolded proteins seen in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other diseases can offer a better therapeutic solution.

Delirium: A Preventable Problem

Delirium in the hospital is a common occurrence for the elderly, but there are ways to lower the risk, says Guy McKhann, professor of neurology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University.

See also: Brain in the News -- scientifically vetted stories from around the Web, updated weekly

Last Call for Design a Brain Experiment Competition

The Dana Foundation is holding a competition where high school classrooms can compete for a chance to win $500 by designing an original brain-related experiment. Entries are due by January 19, 2012.

Navigating Love and Autism

As they reach adulthood, the overarching quest of many in this first generation to be identified with Asperger syndrome is the same as many of their nonautistic peers: to find someone to love who will love them back. From The New York Times.

 

 

 

Our Two Senses of Smell

It’s lunchtime. You heat up those Chinese takeout leftovers in the microwave and the aroma makes you hungry. Then you take a bite—delicious.

Clearly, you process the smell from the microwave through your nose. But did you know that processing flavor also comes from your sense of smell?

In his new book Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters, Dana Alliance Member Gordon M. Shepherd explains that we actually have two senses of smell: orthonasal and retronasal.

Orthonasal smell is what happens when we sniff—we breathe in through our noses to sense environmental odors, like the smell from the microwave.

Retronasal smell, on the other hand, is where flavor comes from. Try holding your nose while eating some of those leftovers—you won’t taste much. Breathing out while eating is the doorway to flavor. While we are born recognizing sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and  umami—which are tastes, not flavors, writes Shephard,  “retronasal smells are learned and thus open to individual differences. They account, therefore, for the vast variety of cuisines in the world.”

Bon appetit!

--Johanna Goldberg

Brainwave Returns to the Rubin Museum

Tomorrow, January 11, tickets go on sale for the general public for the Rubin Museum’s fifth annual Brainwave series. The program “brings people from diverse walks of life together to engage with neuroscientists in one-on-one conversations in order to better understand the workings of our minds.”

This year’s slate of neuroscientists includes Nobel Prize winner and Dana Alliance member Eric Kandel, as well as Sebastian Seung and Todd Sacktor. The program runs from February through April.

To learn more about Brainwave and to view videos from prior years, visit the official Brainwave page.

--Ann L. Whitman

Can Brain Science Decipher Love?

Any day now, the stores will be awash in red decorations in preparation for Valentine’s Day. The day is more a clever marketing ploy than a holiday, but nevertheless, when faced with images of red hearts everywhere, people may well start to ponder the status of their relationships (or how to find a relationship) and the general notion of love.

What is love? Is it an intense attraction? A diamond necklace? The feeling parents have for their children? We know it when we feel it, but can we explain it? In her book, Dirty Minds: How Our Brains Influence Love, Sex, and Relationships, released earlier this week, science writer and frequent Dana Foundation contributor Kayt Sukel looks into the neuroscience behind our decisions of the heart.

This is not a dry science textbook we’re talking about; with sections like “Hot Monkey Loving,” and “Sexy as a Boar’s Saliva,” you’ll be entertained as you learn about the inner workings of the brain. Written in a conversational tone, the language is easy to follow, and some personal anecdotes add humor and colorful imagery.

In the chapter “Neurobiology of Attraction,” Sukel weighs in on the debate surrounding the existence of human pheromones and how smell can contribute to attraction (something discussed in the 2009 Dana briefing paper, “The Chemistry of Love”). Despite what you may see in some perfume advertisements, scientists have yet to identify a single human chemical as a pheromone.  

But certain mammals, such as the boar, are equipped with pheromones to attract mates, reports Sukel. The male boar produces androstenone in its saliva, which is replicated in the spray, BOARMATE, used by farms to get female boars “in the mood.” In a funny moment in the book, Sukel describes a spur-of-the-moment experiment, in which she sprays her docile cat Boo Boo with BOARMATE to see if it promotes sexual behavior. It does not—after a few wide-eyed sniffs, the cat bolts.

What’s somewhat unbelievable is that some people actually use BOARMATE as a tool to attract the opposite sex. Even more incredible is that they discuss it openly on the Internet (I’m sorry, but if that was my secret weapon, I think I’d keep it to myself).

When all is said and done, smell can factor into human attraction, but don’t buy into gimmicks. As Charles Wysocki of the Monell Chemical Senses Center tells Sukel, “We know there is some unconscious processing of human body odor. And there is some evidence to suggest body odor can help us identify individuals we know or perhaps attract us to others. But there is simply no good, reliable, experimental evidence to support the claim that some pheromone spray you buy on the Internet is going to help make you more attractive to others.”

Boo Boo agrees.

If you’d like to learn more about Dirty Minds, several reviews of the book are available online and a trailer is posted on YouTube.

-Ann Whitman

Brain Bee Challenge: Round III

If you follow our blog, you may have already participated in Round I or II of the Brain Bee Challenge. If not, they’re quizzes based on live Q&A neuroscience competitions for high school students. As you would expect, with each round the questions get tougher; in this round, you need to get eight questions right (instead of the previous seven) to “pass” to the next round (coming in January).

If you want a quick refresher before diving in, consider flipping through Brain Facts, the official study guide of the U.S. Brain Bee competitions. If you’re feeling confident, let’s get to it!

Round Three.

Good luck!

--Ann L. Whitman

Hunger and the Brain

When it comes to eating, I don’t mess around. I look forward to good food; for me, eating is not only essential, but it can be an enjoyable experience.

After reading an NPR article published earlier this week, I discovered a neurological basis for my cravings. Ira Ockene, a cardiologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, has done research on caloric intake as it relates to weather. He found that people tend to eat more—and consume their food faster—starting in the fall and carrying over into the winter. Said Ockene: “We are driven by things implanted in our brain a long, long time ago.”

I like all types of food, no matter the season, and I think I eat as much in the winter as I do any other time of year (though I have found that my taste buds change according to the weather). For example, in the summer I tend to want colder food; in the winter, I desire warmer foods. This, to me, seems fairly intuitive and common.

Marcia Pelchat of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia said in her NPR interview that winter eating habits are done more out of opportunity than out of habit. Pelchat said the winter holidays just happen to be more food-focused—with plenty of left-overs—which gives people the opportunity to eat more than usual.

Add that to the good memories often associated with particular foods and, Pelchat claims, there is a strong chance of indulgence. Like most, I associate Thanksgiving with several foods that I only eat at that particular holiday.

No matter what the season is, eating is something we all must do to survive. Winter, spring, summer, fall—I look forward to whatever is on my plate.

--Blayne Jeffries

From the Archives: Top 10 Stories of 2011

We have a deep archive of great stories about the brain and the people who study it, and thanks to the internet, none of it is further than a quick search away. Here are the stories folks found most popular on www.dana.org from Dec. 15, 2010, to Dec. 15, 2011.

1. Video Games Affect the Brain—for Better and Worse (from Cerebrum)

We hear conflicting reports about how video games affect our brains. One study will suggest that video games help us learn; another might imply that they make young people more aggressive. Douglas A. Gentile, Ph.D., argues that how games influence our brains is not an either-or proposition; games can have both positive and negative consequences, and which of these results researchers find depends on what they are testing. Gentile proposes that researchers focus their investigations on five attributes of video game design to tease out these disparate effects. (Posted July 2009)

2. Basal Ganglia Contribute to Learning, but Also Certain Disorders (from BrainWork)

Move over, hippocampus: The basal ganglia, a group of interconnected brain areas located deep in the cerebral cortex, have proved to be at work in learning, the formation of good and bad habits, and some psychiatric and addictive disorders. (Jan. 2007)

3. Brains Do It: Lust, Attraction, and Attachment (from Cerebrum)

Did you ever experience the unsettling sense that your sexual desires, romantic longings, and feelings of long-term emotional unionwere racing down different tracks? And perhaps ask yourself: Which of these is love? The three tracks may be different brain circuits, says Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University researching the brain chemistry of emotions associated with mating, reproduction, and parenting. With classic understatement, she suggests that the three emotional systems—lust, attraction, and attachment—“are somewhat disconnected in human beings...” But the situation is not hopeless, Fisher argues; the role of the prefrontal cortex in humans is to control and direct these emotions—if we so choose. (January 2000)

4. Visualizing How We Read (news)

Neuroimaging is opening a window into how we learn to read. Acquiring this complex, demanding skill, researchers find, is a richly orchestrated process that recruits and connects diverse brain regions. Ultimately, researchers hope, what’s learned in the laboratory will guide more powerful teaching methods adapted to the quirks and variations of individual children’s brains. (March 2011)

5. The World Needs People With Asperger’s Syndrome (book review of American Normal)

"The world needs the Asperger’s people," says Temple Grandin in this extensive review of both a book and the field. "After all, the social people who sat around the campfire talking were probably not the makers of the first stone spear. It is also likely that the most social people did not create the great culture of our civilization, such as literature, art, engineering, music, science, and mathematics. Genetics and biology provide the world with different kinds of minds. Whether or not these minds make great contributions to society is determined by both biology and the environment." (Oct. 2002)

6. Effects of Music Training on Brain and Cognitive Development in Under-Privileged 3- to 5-Year-Olds - Preliminary Results (Research summary)

A report on one of the studies included in our Arts & Cognition initiative, researchers including Helen Neville study tested the hypothesis that music training causes improvements in several diverse aspects of cognition, and that one way music training produces these effects is by improving attention. They enrolled 88 children from Head Start preschools, measuring their test scores at baseline, prior to musicial intervention, and again following the intervention. "There were strong and significant improvements in non-verbal IQ and numeracy and spatial cognition within a group measured before and after training (i.e., within-group differences) in children who received music training and those who received attention training." (March 2008)

7. How Music Helps to Heal the Injured Brain (from Cerebrum)

The use of music in therapy for the brain has evolved rapidly as brain-imaging techniques have revealed the brain’s plasticity and have identified networks that music activates. Armed with this growing knowledge, doctors and researchers are employing music to retrain the injured brain. Studies by this essay's authors, Michael Thaut, Ph.D. and Gerald McIntosh, M.D., and other researchers have revealed that because music and motor control share circuits, music can improve movement in patients who have suffered a stroke or who have Parkinson’s disease. Research has shown that neurologic music therapy can also help patients with language or cognitive difficulties, and the authors suggest that these techniques should become part of rehabilitative care. Future findings may well indicate that music should be included on the list of therapies for a host of other disorders as well. (March 2010) 

8. The Frustrating No-Man’s-Land of Borderline Personality Disorder (from Cerebrum)

Can the label “brain disease” be applied to a cluster of willful, irritating, often manipulative behaviors—from aggressiveness to roller-coaster emotional attachments—that may cause even psychiatrists to dismiss a patient as simply “impossible”? Impossible or not, these behaviors are part of a syndrome that psychiatry has consigned to the borderland between neurosis and psychosis, a gray area where more than one in ten psychiatric outpatients may be wandering, often without appropriate professional care—and where thousands will commit suicide. 

Psychiatrists Larry J. Siever and Harold W. Koenigsberg argue that the complexity of borderline personality disorder may stem from the interaction among genetic vulnerabilities (such as extremes of temperament), early experiences, and vast differences in patients’ coping patterns. Patients must be held responsible, they argue, but so must the mental health professionals whose role is to understand and help them. (Oct. 2000)

9. Left Hand, Left Brain: The Plot Thickens (from Cerebrum)

Over the centuries, humans have been intrigued, and disturbed, by those among us who are “lefties,” writes Carolyn Asbury. Why favor a different hand from the other 90 percent of humanity? Is it biological destiny? Choice? Scientists have sought patterns among the left-handed and thought they saw links with everything from musical talent to mental illness. Science’s discovery of another asymmetry, between left and right brain, added greatly to the complexity—but perhaps also the importance—of understanding “handedness.” Geneticist Amar Klar has a theory that seems to explain a great deal, if only the gene required by the theory can be found. (Oct. 2005)

10. Protecting the Brain from a Glutamate Storm (from Cerebrum)

When a stroke or head injury releases a flood of the chemical messenger glutamate, the excess glutamate leaves damaged neurons in its wake. Israeli scientist Vivian Teichberg, Ph.D., has developed a new method that may protect the brain from this destruction by harnessing the brain’s natural ability to keep glutamate levels in check. (May 2007)

--Nicky Penttila

My Friend’s Concussion

My friend Griffin sat on the gym’s hardwood floor and leaned against the bleachers. My girlfriend, a nursing student, was the most qualified medical care person available, so I let her do the talking.

“Do you know where you are?” she said.

“Yes,” Griffin said, looking off in the distance.

“Where?”

“The gym.”

But then Megan increased the difficulty of the questions, asking what day it was. Griffin, a history buff, was stumped, even though it was the anniversary of a “day that lives in infamy.” We also would have accepted “Wednesday,” but he didn’t know that either.

Holding a paper towel above his right eye to stop the bleeding, Griffin complained of blurred vision, and repeated himself—asking over and over whether his head-first dive for a loose ball was “a good play” (given the outcome, it was not).

Griffin had suffered a concussion after smacking his head twice—first when the back of his head struck the knee of an opposing player and much harder hit when he face-planted into the court—while diving for the basketball during a rec league game last week.

Unconscious for just a second or two, he tried to stand after the collision but lost his balance and stumbled off the court like a drunk leaving a bar. The game was stopped; Megan attended to him while a teammate called an ambulance. That’s when Griffin revealed the severity of his injury: He couldn’t recall his address.

 

The above image demonstrated primary and secondary impact, and Griffin likely sustained each type twice, since he hit his head twice."

The concussion section of the Dana Guide to Brain Health outlines the appropriate steps for reacting with someone who has sustained a head injury. I read it again after last week’s incident, and was relieved to confirm we handled Griffin’s injury correctly. He was conscious, had no trouble breathing, and didn’t vomit, meaning he had not sustained “severe” head trauma (though all head injuries should be considered “serious”). He was taken to the hospital where he was examined by a doctor, who decided it was not necessary for Griffin to stay the night.

Megan and I waited for Griffin’s brother to arrive at the hospital before we left, and he made sure Griffin got home and did not spend the night alone. That last bit is important: just because the injured person is no longer incoherent, he still should be monitored by someone for at least the next 24 hours.

For days following the injury, Griffin had a headache, also to be expected. Once the stitches dissolve—he needed them above his eye and in the back of his head, behind his ear—and the bruises fade, I’m glad to report that he should have no noticeable reminders of the injury. Though it wouldn’t hurt if he didn’t forget what happened. If nothing else, it may prevent him from diving head-first for a loose ball when his team is already down 15 points.

--Andrew Kahn

Freedom of Memory

Should people who have experienced a traumatic event be allowed or even encouraged to take memory-dampening drugs to ward off potential psychological distress?

This was the central question of law professor Adam Kolber’s talk last Friday at the Neuroethics of Memory symposium, hosted by SUNY Downstate in New York City.

Kolber believes that, for the most part, a person should have the right to control his or her memories, calling this the “freedom of memory.” For those of you familiar with Kolber’s work, this should not come as a surprise; in August he published a paper, “Neuroethics: Give memory-altering drugs a chance,” which was covered by a number of media outlets.

Drugs such as propranolol, studied on patients with PTSD, have shown signs of dampening a memory’s impact if given within a few hours of trauma. But some worry that if these drugs become widely available, they could complicate trials (among other issues), which largely depend on witness testimony (an issue being reviewed by the United States Supreme Court).

As a lawyer, Kolber understands the importance of informational recall in the courtroom. A large part of his lecture focused on how dampened memories could affect legal decisions (after all, emotional distress can be a consideration in a case). He deferred to legal precedent to explain his opinions on various scenarios, noting that the law often has to confront difficult issues before the science is ready.

Looking to a hypothetical future scenario in which memory-dampening drugs are widely available, Kolber posits that an accident victim might be expected to take a memory-dampening drug to treat potential emotional distress. Electing not to take the drug following a serious car accident, for example, could render that person responsible for delayed psychological trauma. Kolber likens this to a current-day scenario, in which someone elects not to fix a broken leg following an accident, but later sues for emotional distress due to pain and suffering caused by the leg. In both of these cases, Kolber believes that the injured person should not expect to receive damages for emotional distress.

Should people really be required to make such an important decision immediately following a traumatic event? They don’t yet know if they’ll suffer from emotional impairment down the road. But, as Kolber counters, even today a patient may have to decide whether to amputate a limb, not knowing all future ramifications of the decision.

The neuroethics of memory is clearly a topic that will become more prominent as technologies and drugs advance and demand for memory-dampening technology grows. Kolber cited a recent pilot experiment in which researchers asked traumatized people if they would want to take a memory-dampening drug – approximately 50 percent said yes.

--Ann L. Whitman

Dana News Email Blast: December

Below is last week's Dana news email blast. You can sign up to receive this (and other Dana email alerts and/or print publications) by going here.

Optogenetics: Using Light to Control the Brain

by Edward S. Boyden, Ph.D.

In 2004, scientists, including author Edward S. Boyden, Ph.D., found that the neural expression of a protein, channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), allowed light to activate or silence brain cells. This technology, now known as optogenetics, is helping scientists determine the functions of specific neurons in the brain, and could play a significant role in treating medical issues as diverse as sleep disorders and vision impairment. From Cerebrum, our online magazine of ideas.

For First Time, Researchers Describe Molecular Mechanism for a 'Gateway Drug' -- Nicotine

Epidemiologists have been searching for decades for scientific evidence that tobacco and other substances really are "gateways" to harder drugs. Now neuroscientist Eric Kandel and colleagues, in partnership with his wife, epidemiologist Denise Kandel, have described a molecular mechanism by which nicotine enhances cocaine cravings in mice.

Do-It-Yourself Neuroscience

Using off-the-shelf electronics and a little ingenuity, teachers and scientists are helping kids do basic brain science -- and even high-tech optogenetics.

Finding the Key to Open the Blood-Brain Barrier

The tightly knit cellular fence protecting the brain from foreign invaders in the bloodstream also blocks the entry of helpful drugs. Researchers are trying a variety of approaches to temporarily pry open a safe portal.

Q&A: Tracking the Tracts

The current treatment for a baby diagnosed with Krabbe disease, a rare and often fatal movement disorder, can be very effective, but it also carries a 30 percent chance of death. Dana grantee Maria Escolar's research may provide a better way to diagnose and treat infants with this disease and other movement disorders before the onset of visible symptoms, when treatment works best.

Punched Out: The Life and Death of a Hockey Enforcer

Over six months, The New York Times examined the life and death of the professional hockey player Derek Boogaard, who rose to fame as one of the sport's most feared fighters before dying at age 28 on May 13. Find links to the three-part series below:

A Boy Learns to Brawl

Blood on the Ice

A Brain 'Going Bad'

The Science Cheerleaders

When I read a dense, technical science article or listen to a researcher's jargon, I am often convinced that scientists speak a different language and maybe even come from a different planet. This language "problem" between scientists and the general public can make it hard for scientists and advocates to convey important scientific messages and discoveries. Without public understanding and support, scientific research and discoveries remain underfunded and misunderstood.

So I was intrigued to hear some creative new ideas for outreach during an event hosted by Science Online NYC titled “Matching medium and messengers to meet the masses.” The discussion was carried on by four panelists: Darlene Cavalier, the woman behind “Science Cheerleaders;” Jamie Vernon, a science policy analyst; Molly Webster, one of the producers for live programming at the World Science Festival; and Kevin Zelnio, the assistant editor and webmaster for Deep Sea News. 

Each panelist described successes and failures in engaging a broader audience in science. As well as popular strategies including live events such as the World Science Festival; the use of social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr; and blogging; they have tried more creative and interesting approaches. One idea, Science in the Pub, involves scientists talking about their work informally and tapping into their passion for science while also tapping into the keg and their affinity for alcohol. Another panelist started a program where University of Texas researchers explained their dissertation to a twelve-year-old. That program turned out to be an especially rewarding challenge for the scientists.

The strategy that stood out to me was Darlene Cavalier’s “Science Cheerleaders” program. Cavalier organizes events, videos, and other venues where cheerleaders with science backgrounds essentially cheer for science. Cavalier is a former cheerleader who has a passion for science. Like me, she wants to promote and discuss science with the public but lacks a technical background. Without a Ph.D., Cavalier found the world of science could be a bit intimidating at times. To combat that sense of intimidation, she brought her passion for science and cheerleading together.

What started as one video is now a national movement. After the initial Science Cheerleading video, Cavalier was bombarded with interested cheerleaders from across the United States. She found that more than 100 professional sports cheerleaders have degrees and backgrounds in science and engineering. The genius of Cavalier’s mission is that it engages segments of society (sports and cheerleading) that are unfortunately, more often than not, removed from the world of science. The program has been a major success. In fact, the Science Cheerleaders recently broke the record for largest cheer:

Science is certainly something to cheer about and it needs more cheerleaders. As I learned from the discussion, scientific discoveries carry no social good if few people know or care about them. It was inspiring to hear some fresh ideas for engaging the public.

SONYC is a monthly discussion organized by Nature.com and Ars Technica, hosted at Rockfeller University.

--Simon Fischweicher

Collegiate Football Player Tackles Concussion Research

There are certainly stereotypes about the academic legitimacy of college athletes. Commentators and fans often joke about administrators’ insistence on referring to the players as “student-athletes.

That is why Tuesday’s press conference for the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Class was so refreshing. Here were 16 of the nation’s best and brightest college football players, with an average GPA of 3.81, all of whom will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship for their achievements. There were quarterbacks and linemen, business and history majors, with off-field pursuits ranging from hospital volunteering to opera singing.

One of them, Jared Karstetter, is a senior at Washington State University, in Pullman. On the field, he is a wide receiver who ranks in the top 10 in school history in receptions and touchdown catches. In the classroom, he is a zoology major holding a 3.61 GPA, and aspires to become a dentist. For his senior thesis, he has decided to research the correlation between neck strength and concussions in athletes. He is in the process of analyzing the results now, with his paper scheduled for publication in the spring.

Karstetter tested 120 athletes—football and basketball players at Washington State and soccer and basketball players at Pullman High School (including soccer players is particularly relevant given recent news on heading the ball). After reading an article in Sports Illustrated about concussions, Karstetter figured it would make an interesting topic for his thesis. His initial idea was to study whether head injuries decrease cognitive ability over a season, but after Washington State acquired a machine designed to test neck strength, he narrowed his focus.

Karstetter and his fellow researchers tested his subjects’ neck strength using a multicervial isometric machine (a device like this) before the season and then recorded any concussions the athletes suffered. He is currently reviewing the data to determine if there is in fact any correlation between neck strength and concussions.

Karstetter has been reviewing literature to learn about CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and second impact syndrome. “Second impact syndrome in particular is so preventable," he said. "People need to realize that putting a player back in the game after he’s had a head injury, and putting them at risk for another concussion, is extremely dangerous. If we educate people about that, we can prevent it.”

Karstetter has had a few concussions during his playing career. This season, in light of his research, he has given more thought to the inherent risks of football. “Especially for a scholar-athlete, it’s scary to think there are adverse effects of playing football,” Karstetter told me during Tuesday’s event, held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan.

He stressed the importance of awareness, and said he is starting to see a change in the culture. “The athletic trainers and team doctors really need to have a good grasp of the information. And the trainers are so much more cautious about holding guys out and being careful with head injuries than they used to be.

“The athletes themselves need to understand and be smart with their body. We know our bodies better than anyone else. Just understand what you’re putting yourself at risk for if you decide to continue playing with a head injury.”

Karstetter is hoping he does find a link between neck strength and concussions, and can use that information to raise awareness about concussion prevention. For now, he says the athletes must disregard the gladiator mentality often associated with contact sports. “We all want to compete and be out there playing, but as an athlete you know whether you are seriously injured. It’s not worth it to keep playing.”

--Andrew Kahn

(Photo Credit: Bob Hubner/Washington State University)

Dogs in Distress

They search for bombs. They engage in combat with terrorists. They ride in military vehicles and walk war-ravaged streets, witnesses to death and destruction. They risk their lives serving in the military.

So why can’t dogs develop post-traumatic stress disorder, too?

According to a recent article in The New York Times, more than 5 percent of the 650 or so dogs deployed by the U.S. military may have canine PTSD. The idea of such a thing is about 18 months old; it may have been noticed now because so many dogs are being used at once in the military.

These heroic dogs received a lot of media coverage after the mission that led to Osama Bin Laden’s death, when it was reported that a dog entered the compound along with the Navy SEALs. It was likely a German shepherd, the most common breed used by the military, but Belgian Malinois and Labrador retrievers also make great service dogs.

While physically attacking the enemy is one role of a military dog, its specialty is sniffing out bombs. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) typically don’t contain metal, making dogs’ superior sense of smell extremely valuable.

Exposure to explosions has its consequences, though. As is the case with humans, different dogs display different symptoms of stress. Some become less social and are fearful of entering unfamiliar buildings.

“If you want to put doggy thoughts into their heads, the dog is thinking: When I see this kind of individual, things go boom, and I’m distressed,” Dr. Walter F. Burghardt Jr., chief of behavioral medicine at a military working dog hospital, told the Times.

There are instances of dogs having a similar response after the 9/11 attacks. Dogs were used to find bodies—some alive, most dead—in the rubble following the collapse of the Twin Towers. When some of the dogs started showing signs of depression over the lack of results, their handlers would stage mock rescues to keep the dogs motivated.

While some veterinarians hesitate to assign the PTSD label to animals, fearing it undermines human military personnel who have the disorder, the idea of canine PTSD is gaining steam among experts, even for household pets that witness traumatic events.

--Andrew Kahn

Measured Motion: A Columbia Mind Brain Behavior Initiative Event

The idea that someone who has become paralyzed from the waist down could regain the ability to walk fascinated me from the moment I learned it was possible.

Hybrid brain-machine interface (HBMI), also known as recurrent brain-computer interface, could make this a reality. Say you have a serious spinal cord injury. Reclaiming use of your legs is theoretically possible because the neurons that control motor function are still intact, as are the muscles themselves (although they atrophy over time).

Ultimately, HBMI researchers would like to create an implantable chip that could assume the role of the spinal cord and relay sensory and motor information between the brain and the affected limbs. Excited to learn more, I attended a lecture presented by Dana Alliance member Thomas Jessell of Columbia and hosted by the University’s Mind Brain Behavior Initiative, sponsored by The Dana Foundation.

Dr. Jessell, a tall man described as a “better-looking Colin Firth,” has a delightful English accent and an even more delightful mind. His research, which focuses on how neural circuits that control motor function are built and organized, has greatly aided the cartography of the nervous system. He spent a great deal of the lecture discussing stem cell research and its role in motor system therapy, to which his work has significantly contributed.

During the lecture, I realized that the motor system is perhaps the body system most taken for granted. Of the 10,000 cell types in the central nervous system, motor neurons are the only ones that communicate with the outside world—via our actions, they enable us to turn our thoughts and feelings into behavior.

One evolutionary theory holds that motion was the reason brains evolved in the first place. The motor system is remarkably complex; there are 50-70 different subtypes of motor neurons, which correspond to the muscles they innervate. In invertebrates, motor neurons can act on muscles in either an inhibitory (relaxing) or excitatory (contracting) way. In vertebrates, motor neurons can only excite muscle fibers (cause them to contract), which is why we often understand muscles as working in pairs to control limbs (think bicep and tricep, or quad and hamstring.) Thousands and thousands of cells must work flawlessly in concert to allow us to do things as common as making a sandwich or walking down stairs.

When things go wrong in the motor system, it makes life very difficult. Because of increased visibility, most people are aware of diseases like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease and how tragic they can be. Dr. Jessell described the evolution of therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Scientists have found a way to derive stem cells from adult somatic cells, like skin cells. These stem cells are induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Pluripotent stem cells can develop into any types of cell in the body, depending on cellular signals in their environment. By introducing certain signals to the iPSCs, researchers can encourage them to differentiate into cells like motor neurons (in the case of studying ALS). These motor neurons behave exactly as naturally-derived in vivo neurons. Furthermore, they are patient-specific, because they are derived from the patient’s own cells.

Creating patient-specific iPSCs opens the doors for all types of clinical research. Therapies can be safely tested on human tissue or customized to particular individuals. Some researchers are trying to determine how to reprogram damaged cells into healthy ones for re-introduction into the human body. The field of iPSC research may hold the cure for a host of neurological diseases that plague us today.

--Caitlin Schneider

For more reading about ALS, check out the piece “Night,” by the late historian Tony Judt. It’s an incredibly honest reflection of his battle with ALS and his emotional experiences with the disease. A copy of the article was provided for us at the lecture, and I made the mistake of reading it in public. Let me just say that I strongly recommend reading it with a box of tissues nearby (this is not the first time I’ve made this recommendation; I must read a lot of depressing stuff).