Podcasts about human cognitive

Empathy is a very important skill when it comes to life. And its almost a must that every parent should teach this to their children. Lets talk about this : heres the transcript : Host: Welcome back, wonderful listeners, to another episode of "The Podcast By Dr Dad"! I'm your host, Dr. Gaurav Nigam, the funniest pediatrician this side of the stethoscope. Today, we're diving into the deep end of the kiddie pool to discuss something super important: empathy! *Cue imaginary applause*[Cheerful Intro Music Fades Out]Host: Now, empathy isn't just for the Hallmark card aisle or those tear-jerker movies. It's a crucial skill that can make the world a better place, starting right from childhood. So, buckle up and get ready to laugh and learn because we're about to embark on a journey through the land of feelings and understanding.[Transition Music]Host: But first, let's get nerdy for a moment. Empathy isn't just some touchy-feely concept; it's backed by science! Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, have been poking around the brain to see what makes us tick. And guess what? Turns out, empathy isn't just in our hearts; it's in our heads too![Cheeky Drum Roll]Host: They've discovered that when we feel empathy, our brains light up like a Christmas tree, especially in areas responsible for understanding other people's emotions. So, basically, empathy is like brain fireworks! Who knew understanding feelings could be so flashy?[Transition Music]Host: Now, you might be wondering, "But Dr. Gaurav Nigam, how do we turn our little ankle biters into empathy superheroes?" Well, fear not, dear listeners, because I've got some top-secret, highly classified tips just for you![Spy Music Plays]Host: Tip number one: Lead by example! Kids are like tiny sponges, soaking up everything around them, including your actions. So, if you want your kiddos to be empathy champs, show them what it looks like! Whether it's comforting a friend or helping a neighbor, let them see your empathy superpowers in action.[Transition Music]Host: Tip number two: Encourage perspective-taking! Now, I'm not talking about putting on a pair of tiny glasses and pretending to be someone else. Although, that would be adorable. I'm talking about helping kids see things from different points of view. Like, "How would you feel if someone did that to you?" It's like giving their empathy muscles a little workout![Transition Music]Host: And last but not least, tip number three: Practice gratitude! Research from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, shows that gratitude and empathy go together like peanut butter and jelly. By helping kids appreciate the little things in life, they're more likely to empathize with others' experiences. So, bust out those thank you notes and get grateful![Transition Music]

SummaryWhat is scaling? And how is it different from growing?What's the role of partner strategies or multiplier strategies in scaling?What are the implications of scaling in an era of decolonizing aid, localizing development, and shifting roles of nonprofits and NGOs, shifting power, authority and decision rights?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Amy Ragsdale, Director at Spring Impact, a consulting, coaching and training agency specializing in scaling strategiesfor mission-focused organizations, on how to navigate the big scaling quandary. Amy's Bio:Director at Spring ImpactSenior Consultant at Capgemini Consulting Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesWe discuss: Spring Impact offers coaching, consulting services, and training for mission-focused organizations keen to scale their impactGrowing the size of an organization or solution means increasing its revenue and/or impact at the same rate as adding resources to an organization. Scaling means you are impacting a societal problem at a larger scale, by increasing impact exponentially, while adding resources incrementallyCentral questions to ask: 1/ What are we scaling?; 2/ Where are we scaling?; 3/ Who will do the scaling? Who are the ‘doers'? Who are the ‘payers'?The following attributes of the organizational culture of social mission organizations act as enablers for scaling success: 1/openness to failure; 2/ an ability to hold our hypothesis on what works lightly; 3/ a realization that invention is not the same as innovation!The following leadership mindsets are enablers as well: 1/ clarity whether your org is pursuing growth or impact; 2/ staying committed to the problem (NOT the solution); 3/ being collaborative by defaultFinancial sustainability models underpinning scaling strategies: examples can be government funding; earned income revenue; fee for service; advertising - and more Quotes:“Scaling is not the same as growing. The two are often confused. ”“Invention is not the same as innovation! (the latter involves testing and learning)” Resources:Amy's LinkedIn ProfileWebsite of Spring ImpactPodcast Mission to Scale YouTube video of this podcastClick here to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces.Or email Tosca at tosca@5oaksconsulting.org if you want to talk about your social sector organization's needs, challenges, and opportunities.You can find Tosca's content by following her on her social media channels: Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Youtube

Today, Bea talks to Prof. Dr. Christian F. Doeller, a director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences and vice president of the Max Planck Society. His research is focused on studying how the brain and the mind work. Together with his research group they try to answer some of the fundamental questions about neuroscience.  Bea and Christian talk about the concept of the memory, the role the memory plays in our lives, and how memory is different in different people. Christian explains the memory in different species and how we can improve our memory, and so on. To find out more listen to the episode!      To find out more information about Prof. Dr. Christian F. Doeller, check out here: https://doellerlab.com/       MPE_EVA's Twitter: @doellerlab and @mpi_cbs   Episode Art: Picture of Prof. Doeller © Steffen Roth, Berlin                   Photo by Milad Fakurian on Unsplash   You can follow us on:   Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast   YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/MaxPlanckPhDnet   If you have any feedback, comments, or suggestions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de     Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/outreach/offspring-blog   Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus   See you soon!  

Today's guest is Daniel Faggella, Head of Research and CEO at Emerj Technology Research. Dan joins Seth Earley and Chris Featherstone and shares how martial arts influenced him to get into artificial intelligence. Dan also discusses what his experience was like with surveillance technology creation technology. Dan had a machine that could generate the next 10 slides of your desired moving picture. Be sure to listen in on Dan giving his advice on how you should properly use open AI!Takeaways:Dan got into artificial intelligence by practicing the martial art, Jujitsu. He started a Jujitsu gym which helped support him when he was in school. Jujitsu helped motivate him and keep his mind balanced.Dan mentions how generative AI has been starting to bubble up since the spark of ChatGPT. He sees people starting to experiment with social and proposals. With AI in general, people are looking at junctures within the workflow. Identifying junctures where can push a button will lead to streamlined deliverables.Generative AI finds the juncture pockets and knows exactly where those settle in.Dan speculates that people will evolve their use of ChatGPT and structure different FAQs.Dan believes that one day we'll use Generative AI to create a feedback loop allowing humans to say what's wrong and what's right to train AI systems.Quote of the Show:“The dust has yet to settle on the early cluster of those use cases in Generative AI.” (19:06)Links:Twitter: https://twitter.com/danfaggella LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfaggella/ Website: https://emerj.com/ Podcast: The AI and Business PodcastArticle: Lotus Eaters and World EatersWays to Tune In:Website: https://www.earley.com/earley-ai-podcast-home Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1586654770 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5nkcZvVYjHHj6wtBABqLbE?si=73cd5d5fc89f4781 iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-earley-ai-podcast-87108370/ Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/earley-ai-podcast Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/18524b67-09cf-433f-82db-07b6213ad3ba/earley-ai-podcast Buzzsprout: https://earleyai.buzzsprout.com/ Thanks to our sponsors: Marketing AI Institute CMSWire Earley Information Science AI Powered Enterprise Book

Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2023.02.09.527639v1?rss=1 Authors: Popp, J. L., Thiele, J. A., Faskowitz, J., Seguin, C., Sporns, O., Hilger, K. Abstract: Individual differences in general cognitive ability (GCA) have a biological basis within the structure and function of the human brain. Network neuroscience investigations revealed neural correlates of GCA in structural as well as in functional brain networks. However, whether the relationship between structural and functional networks, the structural-functional brain network coupling (SC-FC coupling), is related to individual differences in GCA remains an open question. We used data from 1030 adults of the Human Connectome Project, derived structural connectivity from diffusion weighted imaging, functional connectivity from resting-state fMRI, and assessed GCA as a latent g-factor from 12 cognitive tasks. Two similarity measures and six communication measures were used to model possible functional interactions arising from structural brain networks. SC-FC coupling was estimated as the degree to which these measures align with the actual functional connectivity, providing insights into different neural communication strategies. At the whole-brain level, higher GCA was associated with higher SC-FC coupling, but only when considering path transitivity as neural communication strategy. Taking region-specific variations in the SC-FC coupling strategy into account and differentiating between positive and negative associations with GCA, allows for prediction of individual cognitive ability scores in a cross-validated prediction framework (correlation between predicted and observed scores: r = .25, p less than .001). The same model also predicts GCA scores in a completely independent sample (N = 567, r = .19, p less than .001). Our results propose structural-functional brain network coupling as a neurobiological correlate of GCA and suggest brain region-specific coupling strategies as neural basis of efficient information processing predictive of cognitive ability. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info Podcast created by Paper Player, LLC

The OHBM Communications Committee, otherwise called ComCom, was created in 2015 to address the growing need to enhance communication between the society members and leadership. It has rapidly grown, both in number of members and in its reach and impact, fostering a presence in social media, establishing a website and a blog, increasing connections to lay media, and recently, starting up and putting in the time to support the podcast OHBM Neurosalience. In general, communication is so absolutely fundamental in science and in any organization. The quality of how information is captured and disseminated directly determines the vibrancy of a field and community. ComCom has been doing a tremendous job. This conversation touches on all the aspects of what ComCom does and the impact of their efforts. In this episode, some of the challenges, the types of communication that ComCom fosters, its outreach to lay media, and how such committee receives feedback to guide and focus its efforts, were discussed. Guests*: Elizabeth DuPre, Ph.D. is a new post doc at Stanford University. She completed her PhD in Neuroscience at McGil University where she worked on improving inter-individual comparisons with functional alignment and naturalistic stimuli. She is the current chair of ComCom. Ilona Lipp, Ph.D. is a post doc in the Department of Neurophysics in the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences working on postmortem imaging and microstructure. She completed her Ph.D. at Cardiff University Brain Imaging Center (CUBRIC). She is the past chair of ComCom. Stephanie Forkel, Ph.D. is a group leader at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Bahavior, in the Netherlands. Her team is studying anatomical variability and language recovery. She received her Ph.D. in NeuroImaging from the Department of NeuroImaging in Kings College London and carried out a post doc at University College London. Kevin Sitek, Ph.D. is a research scientist at the University of Pittsburgh. His research focus is subcortical systems as they relate to sound, communication, and language processing. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, and carried out his post doc at Baylor College of Medicine. He is currently the Blog team lead. Nils Mulhert, Ph.D. is a Lecturer at the School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK. His research is focused on brain structure correlates of memory and impulsivity, and how these forms of cognition are affected in clinical disorders, such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Sheffield, and carried out two post docs at UCL and then Cardiff University. He is also a past chair of ComCom. This episode was produced by Alfie Wearn and Stephania Assimopoulos. Featured artwork "The Great Ape Within" by Zaki Alasmar. *Note: This episode was recorded a little while ago so some of the names and positions mentioned may be slightly out of date!

Cutting back on free sugars can not only do wonders for your waistline and your oral hygiene, surprising research shows it could also improve your memory and help your brain. But it can be hard to resist those sugar cravings! In this episode, Michael Mosley is joined by Dr Evelyn Medawar, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, who has been studying the effects of our gut microbiome on our eating preferences, and reveals a potential tip to help crack sugar cravings. The secret lies in dietary fibre, like that found in fruit. So, trade your sweet treats for fruit and learn how this healthy switch can transform your brain, biome and your life.

Human cognition and behavior are highly heritable and so is liability to disorders that affect them. This includes neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have started to integrate genetic risk data with the emerging maps of gene regulation to study human specific aspects of gene expression and gene regulation. These analyses indicate that human specific aspects of gene regulation, such as genes regulated by human specific enhancers, are indeed enriched in mutations or common genetic variants that increase risk for ASD and allied neurodevelopmental disorders. This provides evidence that genetic elements underlying human brain evolution are particularly susceptible to disruption in disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 38299]

Human cognition and behavior are highly heritable and so is liability to disorders that affect them. This includes neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have started to integrate genetic risk data with the emerging maps of gene regulation to study human specific aspects of gene expression and gene regulation. These analyses indicate that human specific aspects of gene regulation, such as genes regulated by human specific enhancers, are indeed enriched in mutations or common genetic variants that increase risk for ASD and allied neurodevelopmental disorders. This provides evidence that genetic elements underlying human brain evolution are particularly susceptible to disruption in disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 38299]

Human cognition and behavior are highly heritable and so is liability to disorders that affect them. This includes neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have started to integrate genetic risk data with the emerging maps of gene regulation to study human specific aspects of gene expression and gene regulation. These analyses indicate that human specific aspects of gene regulation, such as genes regulated by human specific enhancers, are indeed enriched in mutations or common genetic variants that increase risk for ASD and allied neurodevelopmental disorders. This provides evidence that genetic elements underlying human brain evolution are particularly susceptible to disruption in disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 38299]

Human cognition and behavior are highly heritable and so is liability to disorders that affect them. This includes neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have started to integrate genetic risk data with the emerging maps of gene regulation to study human specific aspects of gene expression and gene regulation. These analyses indicate that human specific aspects of gene regulation, such as genes regulated by human specific enhancers, are indeed enriched in mutations or common genetic variants that increase risk for ASD and allied neurodevelopmental disorders. This provides evidence that genetic elements underlying human brain evolution are particularly susceptible to disruption in disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 38299]

Human cognition and behavior are highly heritable and so is liability to disorders that affect them. This includes neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have started to integrate genetic risk data with the emerging maps of gene regulation to study human specific aspects of gene expression and gene regulation. These analyses indicate that human specific aspects of gene regulation, such as genes regulated by human specific enhancers, are indeed enriched in mutations or common genetic variants that increase risk for ASD and allied neurodevelopmental disorders. This provides evidence that genetic elements underlying human brain evolution are particularly susceptible to disruption in disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 38299]

Human cognition and behavior are highly heritable and so is liability to disorders that affect them. This includes neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have started to integrate genetic risk data with the emerging maps of gene regulation to study human specific aspects of gene expression and gene regulation. These analyses indicate that human specific aspects of gene regulation, such as genes regulated by human specific enhancers, are indeed enriched in mutations or common genetic variants that increase risk for ASD and allied neurodevelopmental disorders. This provides evidence that genetic elements underlying human brain evolution are particularly susceptible to disruption in disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 38299]

Human cognition and behavior are highly heritable and so is liability to disorders that affect them. This includes neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have started to integrate genetic risk data with the emerging maps of gene regulation to study human specific aspects of gene expression and gene regulation. These analyses indicate that human specific aspects of gene regulation, such as genes regulated by human specific enhancers, are indeed enriched in mutations or common genetic variants that increase risk for ASD and allied neurodevelopmental disorders. This provides evidence that genetic elements underlying human brain evolution are particularly susceptible to disruption in disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 38299]

Human cognition and behavior are highly heritable and so is liability to disorders that affect them. This includes neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have started to integrate genetic risk data with the emerging maps of gene regulation to study human specific aspects of gene expression and gene regulation. These analyses indicate that human specific aspects of gene regulation, such as genes regulated by human specific enhancers, are indeed enriched in mutations or common genetic variants that increase risk for ASD and allied neurodevelopmental disorders. This provides evidence that genetic elements underlying human brain evolution are particularly susceptible to disruption in disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 38299]

Human cognition and behavior are highly heritable and so is liability to disorders that affect them. This includes neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have started to integrate genetic risk data with the emerging maps of gene regulation to study human specific aspects of gene expression and gene regulation. These analyses indicate that human specific aspects of gene regulation, such as genes regulated by human specific enhancers, are indeed enriched in mutations or common genetic variants that increase risk for ASD and allied neurodevelopmental disorders. This provides evidence that genetic elements underlying human brain evolution are particularly susceptible to disruption in disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 38299]

Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2022.12.23.521743v1?rss=1 Authors: Wehrheim, M. H., Faskowitz, J., Sporns, O., Fiebach, C., Kaschube, M., Hilger, K. Abstract: Human functional brain connectivity can be temporally decomposed into states of high and low cofluctuation, defined as coactivation of brain regions over time. Despite their low frequency of occurrence, states of particularly high cofluctuation have been shown to reflect fundamentals of intrinsic functional network architecture (derived from resting-state fMRI) and to be highly subject-specific. However, it is currently unclear whether such network-defining states of high cofluctuation also contribute to individual variations in cognitive abilities, which strongly rely on the interactions among distributed brain regions. By introducing CMEP, an eigenvector-based prediction framework, we show that functional connectivity estimates from as few as 20 temporally separated time frames ( less than 3% of a 10 min resting-state fMRI scan) are significantly predictive of individual differences in intelligence (N = 281, p less than .001). In contrast and against previous expectations, individual's network-defining time frames of particularly high cofluctuation do not achieve significant prediction of intelligence. Multiple functional brain networks contribute to the prediction, and all results replicate in an independent sample (N = 831). Our results suggest that although fundamentals of person-specific functional connectomes can be derived from few time frames of highest brain connectivity, temporally distributed information is necessary to extract information about cognitive abilities from functional connectivity time series. This information, however, is not restricted to specific connectivity states, like network-defining high-cofluctuation states, but rather reflected across the entire length of the brain connectivity time series. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info Podcast created by Paper Player, LLC

In this discussion, we start with his pioneering work on developing susceptibility contrast for imaging perfusion while at MGH, and then his pioneering work on developing Near Infrared Spectroscopy, and using this approach to help validate fMRI contrast and shed some light on it. After this we discuss a wide range of topics that his group has been working on - falling into the categories of either methods development or mind-body interactions. He has played a major role in many insightful studies that include those using simultaneous EEG and fMRI, and looking at neuromodulation, brain plasticity, subliminal stimulation and processing, and resting state fMRI. He has been perfectly positioned and extremely active over the years to not only add to cutting edge methods and understanding of the brain, but to carry these over into eventual clinical practice. Guest: Arno Villringer, M.D. is the Director of the Department of Neurology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig. He is also the Director of the Department of Cognitive Neurology at Leipzig University Hospital, and Professor of Cognitive Neurology, Leipzig University. In addition he's Director of the MindBrainInstitute Berlin School of Mind and Brain. Arno received his MD in 1984 from Albert Ludwig University Freiburg in Germany and did a short but highly impactful fellowship at the MGH NMR Center in Boston. From 1986 to 1993, he was in Munich at the Ludwig Maximilian University department of Neurology. From 1993 to 2007 he was at Charité University Medicine in Berlin in the Department of Neurology, working up to Vice Chairman. Finally in 2007 he took on his primary role as Director of the Department of Neurology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig.

This week we have Christy on his own to discuss the Masters he completed at the University of Edinburgh. The program includes courses on the theoretical and methodological aspects of cognitive neuroscience, clinical neuropsychology and brain imaging, and you will complete a dissertation on one of these areas. You will also receive thorough training in advanced academic skills and research methods within psychology, including a comprehensive coverage of statistical modelling and research design using the R statistical language. Links: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? - Franz De Waal (Book) : https://amzn.to/3OarkcM Check out our website and follow us on social media for more tips and advice: Website - motuslearning.com Instagram - @motuslearning Facebook - @MotusLearning1 Twitter - @MotusL And as always; Mind Yourself :) ! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/motus-learning/message

When it comes to sleep, there are a lot of things that we can do to help us fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. But one of the most effective things that we can do is listen to relaxing rain and thunder sounds.The sound of rain can help to soothe and relax our mind and body, which can lead to a better night's sleep. In fact, studies have shown that the sound of rain can help to reduce stress levels and blood pressure.So if you're looking for a way to help you sleep better, why not give ASMR of rain and thunder a try? This relaxing podcast features 8-hour long episodes with over 500 episodes and growing! Plus, we have an ad-free version of this in Apple Podcast and Patreon so please if you find this helpful, consider supporting us.ASMR (“Acute Sense of Relief”) has been shown to have a calming and relaxing effect. This is because ASMR triggers the release of dopamine into your brain, which in turn makes you feel better.ASMR videos consist of people whispering, singing or tapping. They may contain slow Foley effects such as whispering or the sound of a zipper.If you search for an ASMR video on YouTube you will get a quite a few million hits.What is ASMR?ASMR is a sensation created by people listening to or watching content. Some people feel a vibration in the back of their head while others feel a tingling or itching sensation on their face.The sensation is heightened if a certain sound or video is used. The sensation is also heightened if the person watching or listening is someone they know.ASMR videos can be created by people on videos where they just talk or tap. Some ASMR videos have been created through a song. An example of such a video is “ASMR – Shutterbugs” by cEvin Ramone.ASMR has been classified as an Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). ASMR was first identified by a group of researchers from Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in 2013.The trigger for ASMR videos is binaural sound. ASMR triggers are auditory sensations. The sensation is heightened when certain sounds are played.ASMR can be triggered by a number of different things. The most common of which is slow whispering. The whispering must be slow enough that you can hear the words being said.Certain sounds such as the opening and closing of a door can trigger the sensation.It is important that the sound or video must be slow enough so that you can hear the person talking or tapping.Some ASMR videos have been created through a song. An example of such a video is “ASMR – Shutterbugs” by cEvin Ramone.ASMR videos can be created by people on videos where they just talk or tap. Some ASMR videos have been created through a song. An example of such a video is “ASMR – Shutterbugs” by cEvin Ramone.ASMR has been classified as an Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). ASMR was first identified by a group of researchers from Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in 2013.The trigger for ASMR videos is binaural sound. ASMR triggers are auditory sensations. The sensation is heightened when certain sounds are played.ASMR can be triggered by a number of different things. The most common of which is slow whispering. The whispering must be slow enough that you can hear the words being said.Certain sounds such as the opening and closing of a door can trigger the sensation.It is important that the sound or video must be slow enough so that you can hear the person talking or tapping.Some ASMR videos have been created through a song. An example of such a video is “ASMR – Shutterbugs” by cEvin Ramone.ASMR videos can be created by people on videos where they just talk or tap. Some ASMR videos have been created through a song. An example of such a video is “ASMR – Shutterbugs” by cEvin Ramone.ASMR has been classified as an Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). ASMR was first identified by a group of researchers from Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in 2013.The trigger for ASMR videos is binaural sound. ASMR triggers are auditory sensations. The sensation is heightened when certain sounds are played.ASMR can be triggered by a number of different things. The most common of which is slow whispering. The whispering must be slow enough that you can hear the words being said.Certain sounds such as the opening and closing of a door can trigger the sensation.It is important that the sound or video must be slow enough so that you can hear the person talking or tapping.Some ASMR videos have been created through a song. An example of such a video is “ASMR – Shutterbugs” by cEvin Ramone.=======DISCLAIMER:This episode is ad-supported and you can support us financially by subscribing as little as $5 a month on our Patreon page or on Apple Podcast Subscriber-Only Audio. This subscription plan comes with an ad-free weekly podcast, plus a few more extras like exclusive Podcast promos and early access to certain episodes that are not published everywhere till the following week. Check our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/join/hustlestudios/checkout?rid=4127472or in Apple Podcasts app, just click here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/hustle-studios/id6443291424Thank you so much for your generosity!

In this episode, Karl Friston (director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences) discusses the animal model of degenerative disease and its relevance to human pathology. He talks about the use of rodent models to study chemotherapeutics, and highlights some of the pitfalls of this research.

Parish: Our Lady of The Assumption and The English Martyrs, Cambridge The speakers at the event were Prof. Robert Turner and Dr. Mihnea Turcanu. Robert is a British neuroscientist, physicist, and social anthropologist. He has been a director and professor at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, and is an internationally recognized expert in brain physics and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Mihnea pursued a PhD in biomedical engineering at the University of Glasgow where he specialized in ultrasound-mediated targeted drug delivery technology. He is currently a research associate at the university of Leuven, Belgium where he has been using AI technology to enhance ultrasound imaging that is used in radiotherapy cancer treatments. We thank ECLAS for their generosity to make our tour to parishes possible. If you would like to get in touch, email: scienceandfaith@radiomariaengland.uk Facebook/Instagram: @radiomariaengland #RMESCIENCEANDFAITH https://radiomariaengland.uk/science-and-faith-on-tour-season-3-faith-journeys-in-science-ep1/

ABOUT THE EPISODE Thanks for tuning in to another SIGGRAPH Spotlight! In this episode, SIGGRAPH 2022 Technical Papers Chair Niloy Mitra (professor of computer science, University College London) sits down with Dr. Michael Gaebler, a cognitive and neuroscientist for the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in the department of neurology's Mind-Body-Emotion Group and MindBrainBody Institute. Press play to learn more about the effect of virtual reality on emotion, specifically through the lens of Michael's recent research paper titled “Decoding Subjective Emotional Arousal From EEG During an Immersive Virtual Reality Experience.” Plus, get the 4-1-1 on VR research trends on the horizon. || MUSIC Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos. || LINKS *Episode* https://s2022.siggraph.org/ | https://s2022.siggraph.org/program/technical-papers/ | https://www.michaelgaebler.com/ | https://twitter.com/michagaebler | https://elifesciences.org/articles/64812 | https://www.cbs.mpg.de/departments/neurology/mind-body-emotion | https://www.hhi.fraunhofer.de/en/news/nachrichten/2021/kick-off-for-vr-project-neurohum.html *Social Media* http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/ *Conference Website* https://s2022.siggraph.org/

Functional MRI is a profoundly successful and powerful technique that so many of us use. It's still developing and adding to our insight about the human brain. While MRI was developed in the late 1970's and early 80's, it would be another decade before it was realized that MRI could be used to detect and map, non-invasively, human brain activation. My guests today, Ken Kwong, Bob Turner, and Ravi Menon were the first who showed this capability. Ken's successful experiment in early May of 1991 was arguably the first. Ravi, who was the key player in the Minnesota group, had produced solid fMRI results by the summer of 1991, and I had my first successful experiment in Sept of 1991. Bob Turner was a key player in his physiologic manipulation experiments in Cats. He collaborated with Ken, and also showed results of his own at 4T shortly after as well. We were all there at the Society for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Meeting in San Francisco in August of 1991 when Tom Brady (who headed MGH NMR Center at the time), first showed in his plenary lecture, the crude but stunning jaw dropping brain activation movies. The moment I saw that, I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my career. We have them all here to reflect on those heady days, what led up to their findings, and the bright future of fMRI. Guests: Ken Kwong has been conducting MRI research at the Mass General Hospital since the late 80's when he pioneered diffusion imaging, as well as perfusion imaging approaches. He's currently associate professor at the MGH Martinos Center. Robert Turner trained with inventor of Echo Planar Imaging, Peter Mansfield, among others, and while working at the NIH, performed those first critical experiments, demonstrating BOLD contrast as well as obtaining some of the first results in humans at 4T using his home built gradient coil. One of Bob's major contributions to the field was his early work in gradient coil design - which remains fundamental to what we do. From 2006 to 2014 he was the Director of the Department of Neurophysics at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and is currently retired and living in Cambridge, England. Ravi Menon was a post doc at Minnesota and a driving force in the effort to produce functional images using a highly challenging non-EPI approach at 4T. He has been a steady contributor to fMRI methods ever since and is currently a Robarts Scientist and Canada Research Chair in Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Co-Scientific Director of BrainsCAN which is Canada First Research Excellence Fund, Scientific Director, Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, and Professor of Medical Biophysics, Medical Imaging & Psychiatry at The University of Western Ontario

DID YOU KNOW that research from the Max Plank Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science in Germany, led by neuroscientist John Dylan-Haynes has shown that the decisions we make daily to act on something, begins “automatically and without involvement of our consciousness”[i] up to 7 seconds BEFORE we take the action we are thinking about? I learned this from Adele Spraggon,[ii] the author of Shift, in this week's interview #184, while talking about her 4 STEP re-patterning process to break habits for an improved 2022 and it got me thinking about how we could use and understand this brain fact to take our results to new heights, especially as we are preparing for a New Year. If you are like me, and have ever done something and then wondered “why did I just do that?” then this episode is for you! Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for BRAIN FACT FRIDAY and EPISODE #185 on “Using Neuroscience to Repattern Our Brain.” For those new, or returning guests, welcome back! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. This week's Brain Fact Friday took me back to the late 1990s, when I worked in the personal development industry[iii] and first learned about how our results were all determined by our thoughts, feelings and actions. I'll put an image I want you to see in the show notes.   I used to have this picture taped to my wall so I could see it every day from the speaker I worked with. I'm sure he used to carry it around when he would speak to people one on one, explaining that our thoughts come first. We think an idea (I really want this goal) and then we add emotion or feeling to this goal, that charges us up as we picture ourselves in possession of that goal, changing our body state, and getting us to take action of some sort, moving us in the direction of this goal. The action steps that we take (calling someone, getting mentored and getting ideas to take NEW actions) give us new information that we didn't have before, and this in turn, changes our conditions, circumstances, and environment, taking us to places beyond where we have ever been before and we achieve our goals, the end result.  This is how I was taught how to bridge the gap between goal setting and achieving, over 20 years ago,  and how I've tackled every single goal since then.  I've taught this concept to thousands of people (of all different ages) around the world over the years through the books and courses I've created. They are old, but the information is still relevant. If you want to take a look, you can access some of my first online courses on Udemy[iv].  On the back of my first book, The Secret for Teens Revealed,[v] I even wrote something that showed how important it was to distinguish the difference between a goal setter and achiever. I wrote: “When we look at people who have achieved great things, we often believe they are more talented than the rest of us, or luckier, or more well-connected. But the only thing that separates the successful from everybody else is that they have learned to bridge the gap between setting goals and achieving them. They have developed ways of behaving and—more importantly—ways of thinking that enable them to get what they want.” I knew when I wrote that in 2008 that there was a fine line between setting and achieving goals, and that we must have an unwavering mindset around the goal we are going after, but what I didn't know, that I learned this week, was that our thinking precedes our actions by up to seven seconds and is pre-determined with a pattern or neural pathway that's created in my brain, as unique as my own fingerprint long before I take any action.  Understanding this pattern is behind why some people achieve their goals, or not, not their rock-solid mental mindset that's important, but probably wouldn't be the deal-breaker. We must understand that the old way of THINK/FEEL/ACT can lead us into a habit loop, getting the same result over and over again, that no one wants. We want NEW results, and when we use neuroscience to re-pattern our brain, we know it begins with understanding and re-patterning our brain when something isn't working for us. I learned from Adele Spraggon's book Shift that “we FEEL first (information comes in though the senses, and it changes the body's vibration). We ACT second and THINK last and that thought does not activate the sequence; it follows.”[vi] If we want to take a different action and get a new result, we need a NEW pattern that begins with being in tune with what we FEEL first, then ACT and THINK last. If you haven't listened to EPISODE #184 where Adele explains her 4 STEP approach, I would be sure to listen to this episode next, but I thought it was too important to not cover this on this week's Brain Fact Friday. To review this week's brain fact, Did you know that we can predict what someone is thinking up to seven seconds before we think that thought[vii] and “by looking at brain activity while making a decision, researchers could predict” what people were thinking before they were consciously aware of it?[viii] We know this to be true because we have all done this—taken an action, not being consciously aware of exactly what we are doing and then asking ourselves “why did I just do that?” The difference between goal setters and goal achievers are that they THINK and BEHAVE differently. How do they do this? They are 100% in tune with what's working for them, or not. They know the patterns that they are taking that lead them towards the results they are looking for, and when something is not leading them towards what they want, they switch the pattern. It's that simple. Here's how implement this week's brain fact Friday. STEP 1: Uncover What's Not Working: If you want to achieve new results with something you are working on, is all you need to do is ask yourself “What's not working with what I am doing” and this will help put you back on course to achieving your end result. It begins with being honest with what needs to change. STEP 2: Listen to What Your Feel Before You Act. To avoid taking actions that put you back into your habit loop, pay attention to how you feel. We've talked about interoception, or listening to what you feel in your body on many different episodes. Slow down and pay attention and you will know if the action is right for you, or not. STEP 3: Take a NEW Action: Different to what wasn't working and notice the results. If you are moving in the direction of what you want, you have re-patterned your brain to a new result. Life should feel easy, peaceful and like Adele mentioned, “everyone should feel happy” around you. If you are thinking of what you would like to change in 2022, I hope you can see how this re-patterning approach can help take you to new heights. As we are progressing on this podcast, and I look back at older episodes, like EPISODE #35 from January 2020 “Using Your Brain to Break Bad Habits”[ix] I can see where we are learning new ideas together that are essentially re-patterning our brains. 2 years ago, I was setting goals with the idea that “Neurons that Fire Together, Wire Together” and “Neurons that are out of Synch, Fail to Link” so I knew that old habits would eventually die out, (and fail to link) which they usually do. Habit breaking shouldn't be difficult, when you follow Adele Spraggon's 4 STEP Method from our last episode, but when something is difficult to break, it always goes back to the patterns that YOU'VE created in YOUR brain that you need to re-pattern. If you were able to create the habit, then you can also create a new habit that works better for you. Remember: The decisions we make daily to act on something, begins “automatically and without involvement of our consciousness” so we had better be sure that the actions we are taking daily are moving us towards those things that we want (our goals) not away from them. See you next week! FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI:  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi   Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com   Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697   Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/  REFERENCES: [i] Our Brains Make Up Our Minds Before We Know it by Douglas Van Preet Dec. 21, 2020 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/unconscious-branding/202012/our-brains-make-our-minds-we-know-it [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #184 with Adele Spraggon on “Using Science to Break Up with Your Bad Habits”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/adele-spraggon-on-using-science-to-break-up-with-your-bad-habits-in-4-simple-steps/ [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 on “Expanding Your Awareness with a Deep Dive into Bob Proctor's Seminars” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/ [iv] The Secret for Teens Revealed Online Course on Udemy by Andrea Samadi https://www.udemy.com/course/the-secret-for-teens-revealed-a-10-step-success-blueprint/ [v] The Secret for Teens Revealed by Andrea Samadi Sept. 15, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Teens-Revealed-Teenagers-Leadership/dp/1604940336 [vi] Adele Spraggon, Shift (Page 12) http://www.shift4steps.com/ [vii] Mind Reading with Brain Scanners John Dylan-Haynes TEXxBerlin Published on YouTube October 1, 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMDuakmEEV4 [viii] Brain Makes Decisions Before You Even Know it Published April, 2008 by Kerri Smith https://www.nature.com/articles/news.2008.751 [ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-to-use-your-brain-to-break-bad-habits-in-2020/

Humans are naturally logical beings, our wiring may sometimes hinder us from enjoying the fullness of all that God could be to us. Faith is a major force in our walk with God, which we may not be able to properly analyse with our senses. There is something called cognitive belief and non-cognitive belief. Cognitive belief is to believe in something or someone that you know and that you can see physically. The non-cognitive belief is to believe in something or someone you do not know. In this episode, my guest and I had a conversation about human cognitive psychology and our faith, how religion affects our cognitive behaviour, and other aspects of building a healthy cognition and faith. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/faith-dolapo/message

Eating leafy greens could help prevent macular degeneration Westmead Institute for Medical Research (Australia), October 13, 2021    A new study has shown that eating vegetable nitrates, found mainly in green leafy vegetables and beetroot, could help reduce your risk of developing early-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Researchers at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research interviewed more than 2,000 Australian adults aged over 49 and followed them over a 15-year period. The research showed that people who ate between 100 to 142 mgs of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35% lower risk of developing early AMD than people who ate less than 69mgs of vegetable nitrates each day. Lead Researcher Associate Professor Bamini Gopinath from the Westmead Institute and the University of Sydney said the link between vegetable nitrates and macular degeneration could have important implications. "This is the first time the effects of dietary nitrates on macular degeneration risk has been measured. "Essentially we found that people who ate 100 to 142 mgs of vegetable nitrates every day had a reduced risk of developing early signs of macular degeneration compared with people who ate fewer nitrates. "If our findings are confirmed, incorporating a range of foods rich in dietary nitrates - like green leafy vegetables and beetroot - could be a simple strategy to reduce the risk of early macular degeneration," Associate Professor Gopinath said. Spinach has approximately 20mg of nitrate per 100g, while beetroot has nearly 15mg of nitrate per 100g. The research did not show any additional benefits for people who exceeded 142mgs of dietary nitrate each day. It also did not show any significant connections between vegetable nitrates and late stage AMD, or between non-vegetable nitrates and AMD risk. One in seven Australians over 50 have some signs of macular degeneration. Age is the strongest known risk factor and the disease is more likely to occur after the age of 50. There is currently no cure for the disease. The research compiled data from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, a benchmark population-based study that started in 1992. It is one of the world's largest epidemiology studies, measuring diet and lifestyle factors against health outcomes and a range of chronic diseases. "Our research aims to understand why eye diseases occur, as well as the genetic and environmental conditions that may threaten vision," Associate Professor Gopinath concluded.     Research review shows intermittent fasting works for weight loss, health changes University of Illinois Chicago, October 13, 2021 Intermittent fasting can produce clinically significant weight loss as well as improve metabolic health in individuals with obesity, according to a new study review led by University of Illinois Chicago researchers. "We noted that intermittent fasting is not better than regular dieting; both produce the same amount of weight loss and similar changes in blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation," said Krista Varady, professor of nutrition at the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences and author of "Cardiometabolic Benefits of Intermittent Fasting."  According to the analysis published in the Annual Review of Nutrition, all forms of fasting reviewed produced mild to moderate weight loss, 1 percent to 8 percent from baseline weight, which represents results that are similar to that of more traditional, calorie-restrictive diets. Intermittent fasting regimens may also benefit health by decreasing blood pressure and insulin resistance, and in some cases, cholesterol and triglyceride levels are also lowered. Other health benefits, such as improved appetite regulation and positive changes in the gut microbiome, have also been demonstrated.  The review looked at over 25 research studies involving three types of intermittent fasting:  Alternate day fasting, which typically involves a feast day alternated with a fast day where 500 calories are consumed in one meal.  5:2 diet, a modified version of alternate day fasting that involves five feast days and two fast days per week.  Time-restricted eating, which confines eating to a specified number of hours per day, usually four to 10 hours, with no calorie restrictions during the eating period.  Various studies of time-restricted eating show participants with obesity losing an average of 3 percent of their body weight, regardless of the time of the eating window.  Studies showed alternate day fasting resulted in weight loss of 3 percent to 8 percent of body weight over three to eight weeks, with results peaking at 12 weeks. Individuals on alternate day fasting typically do not overeat or binge on feast days, which results in mild to moderate weight loss, according to the review.  Studies for the 5:2 diet showed similar results to alternate day fasting, which surprised the study's reviewers. The subjects who participate in the 5:2 diet fast much less frequently than alternate-day fasting participants do, but the weight loss results are similar.  Weight loss with alternate day and 5:2 fasting are comparable to more traditional daily calorie-restrictive diets. And, both fasting diets showed individuals were able to maintain an average of 7 percent weight loss for a year.  "You're fooling your body into eating a little bit less and that's why people are losing weight," Varady said.  Varady added the review set out to debunk some myths regarding intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting does not negatively affect metabolism, nor does it cause disordered eating, according to the studies reviewed.  "Fasting people are worried about feeling lethargic and not being able to concentrate. Even though you are not eating, it won't affect your energy," Varady said. "A lot of people experience a boost of energy on fasting days. Don't worry, you won't feel crappy. You may even feel better."  The study review includes a summary of practical considerations for those who may want to try intermittent fasting. Among the considerations are:  Adjustment time—Side effects such as headaches, dizziness and constipation subside after one to two weeks of fasting. Increased water intake can help alleviate headaches caused by dehydration during this time.  Exercise—Moderate to high-intensity endurance or resistance training during food abstention can be done, and some study participants reported having more energy on fast days. However, studies recommend those following alternate day fasting eat their fasting day meal after exercise.  Diet during fasting—There are no specific recommendations for food consumption during intermittent fasting, but eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help boost fiber intake and help relieve constipation that sometimes accompanies fasting.  Alcohol and caffeine—For those using an alternate day or 5:2 fasting plan, alcohol is not recommended on fast days as the limited calories should be used on healthy foods that provide nutrition.  There are several groups who should not intermittent fast, according to the studies. Those individuals include:  Those who are pregnant or lactating.  Children under 12.  Those with a history of disordered eating.  Those with a body mass index, or BMI, less than 18.5. Shift workers. Studies have shown they may struggle with fasting regimens because of shifting work schedules.  Those who need to take medication with food at regimented times.  "People love intermittent fasting because it's easy. People need to find diets that they can stick to long term. It's definitely effective for weight loss and it's gained popularity because there are no special foods or apps necessary. You can also combine it with other diets, like Keto," Varady said.  Varady has recently been awarded a National Institutes of Health grant to study time-restricted eating for 12 months to see if it works long term.   Antioxidants to prevent Alzheimer's disease A balanced intake of antioxidants could prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease. Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), October 13, 2021 Research conducted by the Ph.D student Mohamed Raâfet Ben Khedher and the postdoctoral researcher Mohamed Haddad of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has shown that an oxidation-antioxidant imbalance in the blood is an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease, rather than a consequence. This breakthrough made by researchers under the supervision of the Professor Charles Ramassamy provides an avenue for preventive intervention: the antioxidants intake.  The research team showed that oxidative markers, known to be involved in Alzheimer's disease, show an increase up to five years before the onset of the disease. The results of this study, published in the Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring (DADM) journal, suggest that oxidation may be an early marker of this disease that affects more than 500,000 Canadians. “Given that there is an increase in oxidative stress in people who develop the disease, we may regulate the antioxidant systems. For example, we could modulate the antioxidant systems, such as apolipoproteins J and D, which transport lipids and cholesterol in the blood and play an important role in brain function and Alzheimer's disease. Another avenue would be to increase the intake of antioxidants through nutrition”, says Professor Ramassamy.  Accessible biomarkers Unlike the current set of invasive and expensive tests used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, the oxidative markers discovered by Professor Ramassamy's research team can be detected by a blood test. These markers are found in plasma extracellular vesicles, which are pockets released by all cells in the body, including those in the brain.     The research team focused specifically on the "sporadic" Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of the disease which results primarily from the presence of the APOE4 susceptibility gene. This same form of the disease had been studied by the team for other early markers. “By identifying oxidative markers in the blood of individuals at risk five years before the onset of the disease, we could make recommendations to slow the onset of the disease and limit the risks”, scientists noted. This breakthrough brings new hope to Alzheimer's research. Once the disease is symptomatic, it is difficult, if not impossible, to reverse it.         Meditation training reduces long-term stress, according to hair analysis Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Germany), October 11, 2021 Mental training that promotes skills such as mindfulness, gratitude or compassion reduces the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol in hair. This is what scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and the Social Neuroscience Research Group of the Max Planck Society in Berlin have found out. The amount of cortisol in hair provides information about how much a person is burdened by persistent stress. Earlier positive training effects had been shown in acutely stressful situations or on individual days—or were based on study participants' self-reports. According to a study by the Techniker Krankenkasse, 23 percent of people in Germany frequently suffer from stress. This condition not only puts a strain on the well-being of those affected, but it is also linked to a number of physiological diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and psychological disorders such as depression, one of the world's leading causes of disease burden (Global Burden of Disease Study, 2017). Therefore, effective methods are being sought to reduce everyday stress in the long term. One promising option is mindfulness training, in which participants train their cognitive and social skills, including attention, gratitude and compassion, through various meditation and behavioral exercises. Various studies have already shown that even healthy people feel less stressed after a typical eight-week training program. Until now, however, it has been unclear how much the training actually contributes to reducing the constant burden of everyday stress. The problem with many previous studies on chronic stress is that the study participants were usually asked to self-assess their stress levels after the training. However, this self-reporting by means of questionnaires could have distorted the effects and made the results appear more positive than they actually were. The reason for such a bias: The participants knew they were training their mindfulness, and a reduction in stress levels was a desired effect of this training. This awareness alone has an impact on subsequent information. "If you are asked whether you are stressed after a training session that is declared as stress-reducing, even addressing this question can distort the statements," explains Lara Puhlmann, doctoral student at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences and first author of the underlying publication, which has now appeared in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Factors such as social desirability and placebo effects played a role here. Unlike pharmacological studies, for example, in which the study participants do not know whether they have actually received the active substance or not, so-called blinded studies are not possible in mental training. "The participants know that they are ingesting the 'antidote,'" says Puhlmann. "In mindfulness research, we are therefore increasingly using more objective, i.e. physiological, methods to measure the stress-reducing effect more precisely." The concentration of cortisol in hair is considered a suitable measure of exposure to prolonged stress. Cortisol is a hormone that is released when we are confronted with an overwhelming challenge, for example. In that particular situation, it helps put our body on alert and mobilize energy to overcome the challenge. The longer the stress lasts, the longer an increased concentration of cortisol circulates around our body—and the more it accumulates in our hair. On average, hair grows one centimeter per month. To measure the study participants' stress levels during the 9-month training, the researchers, in cooperation with the working group of Clemens Kirschbaum at the University of Dresden, analyzed the amount of cortisol every three months in the first three centimeters of hair, starting at the scalp. The mental training itself was developed as part of a large-scale longitudinal study on the effects of mental training, the ReSource project, led by Tania Singer, scientific director of the Social Neuroscience Research Group. This 9-month mental training program consisted of three 3-month sessions, each designed to train a specific skill area using Western and Far Eastern mental exercises. The focus was either on the factors of attention and mindfulness, on socio-affective skills such as compassion and gratitude, or on so-called socio-cognitive skills, in particular the ability to take perspective on one's own and others' thoughts. Three groups of about 80 participants each completed the training modules in different order. The training lasted up to nine months, 30 minutes a day, six days a week. Less stress, less cortisol And it really showed: After six months of training, the amount of cortisol in the subjects' hair had decreased significantly, on average by 25 percent. In the first three months, slight effects were seen at first, which increased over the following three months. In the last third, the concentration remained at a low level. The researchers therefore assume that only sufficiently long training leads to the desired stress-reducing effects. The effect did not seem to depend on the content of the training. It is therefore possible that several of the mental approaches studied are similarly effective in improving the way people deal with chronic everyday stress. In an earlier study from the ReSource project with the same sample, the researchers had investigated the effects of training on dealing with acute stressful situations. In this study, the participants were placed in a stressful job interview and had to solve difficult maths problems under observation. The results showed that people who had undergone socio-cognitive or socio-affective training released up to 51 percent less cortisol under stress than those who had not been trained. In this case, they did not measure the amount of cortisol in the subjects' hair, but instead acute cortisolsurges in their saliva. Overall, the researchers conclude that training can improve the handling of acute particularly stressful social situations as well as chronic everyday stress. "We assume that different training aspects are particularly helpful for these different forms of stress," says Veronika Engert, head of the research group "Social Stress and Family Health" at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences. "There are many diseases worldwide, including depression, that are directly or indirectly related to long-term stress," explains Puhlmann. "We need to work on counteracting the effects of chronic stress in a preventive way. Our study uses physiological measurements to prove that meditation-based training interventions can alleviate general stress levels even in healthy individuals."   Study: Moderate carbohydrate intake is a cardiovascular benefit for women Monash University (Australia), October 13, 2021 Women's heart health has been the focus of a recent study by Monash University, with researchers finding that proportional carbohydrate intake and not saturated fat was significantly associated with cardiovascular disease benefit in Australian women. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women. Poor diet is recognized as both an independent CVD risk factor and a contributor to other CVD risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and dyslipidaemia. The research found that in middle-aged Australian women, increasing the percentage of carbohydrate intake was significantly associated with reduced odds of CVD, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. Furthermore, a moderate carbohydrate intake between 41.0 percent—44.3 percent of total energy intake was associated with the lowest risk of CVD compared to women who consumed less than 37 percent energy as carbohydrates. No significant relationship was demonstrated between proportional carbohydrate intake and all-cause mortality. In addition, increasing proportional saturated fat intake was not associated with cardiovascular disease or mortality in women; rather, increasing saturated fat intakecorrelated with lower odds of developing diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity. The findings are now published in the British Medical Journal. The results contradict much of the historical epidemiological research that supported a link between saturated fat and CVD. Instead, the results mirror contemporary meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies where saturated fat was found to have no significant relationship with total mortality or CVD. While the cause of this inconsistency in the literature is unclear, it has been suggested that historical studies neglected to adjust for fiber, which is known to help prevent plaque from forming in the arteries. "Controversy still exists surrounding the best diet to prevent CVD," said Sarah Zaman, a former Monash University professor who is now an associate professor at the University of Sydney. "A low-fat diet has historically been the mainstay of primary prevention guidelines, but the major issue within our dietary guidelines is that many dietary trials have predominately involved male participants or lacked sex-specific analyses." She adds: "Further research is needed to tailor our dietary guidelines according to sex." The study's first author Sarah Gribbin, a Doctor of Medicine and BMedSc (Hons) student, says: "As an observational study, our findings only show association and not causation. Our research is purely hypothesis-generating. We are hoping that our findings will spark future research into sex-specific dietary research." The Heart Foundation, which is one of the study's funders, welcomed the focus on women and CVD, which has historically been under-researched. Heart Foundation manager, food and nutrition, Eithne Cahill, cautioned that "not all carbohydrates are created equal." "We know that quality carbohydrate foods such as vegetables and whole grains—including whole grain bread, cereals, and pasta—are beneficial for heart health, whereas poor quality carbohydrates such as white bread, biscuits, cakes, and pastries can increase risk," she said. "Similarly, different fats have different effects on heart health. That is why the Heart Foundation focuses on healthy eating patterns—that is, a combination of foods, chosen regularly over time—rather than a single nutrient or food. Include plenty of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains, and heart-healthy fat choices such as nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils for cooking and a variety of healthy proteins especially seafood, beans and lentils, eggs and dairy."   Anti-cancer effects found in natural compound derived from onions   Kumamoto University (Japan), October 18, 2021   Research from Kumamoto University, Japan has found that a natural compound isolated from onions, onionin A (ONA), has several anti-ovarian cancer properties. This discovery is a result of research on the effects of ONA on a preclinical model of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) both in vivo and in vitro. This research comes from the same group that found ONA suppressed pro-tumor activation of host myeloid cells.   According to a 2014 review of cancer medicines from the World Health Organization, EOC is the most common type of ovarian cancer and has a 5-year survival rate of approximately 40%. It has a relatively low lifetime risk that is less than 1%, but that can increase up to 40% if there is a family history of the disease. A majority of patients (80%) experience a relapse after their initial treatment with chemotherapy, therefore a more effective line of treatment is needed.   Kumamoto University researchers found that ONA has several effects on EOC. The group's in vitro experiments showed that EOCs, which usually proliferate in the presence of pro-tumor M2 macrophages, showed inhibited growth after introduction of ONA. This was thought to be due to ONAs influence on STAT3, a transcription factor known to be involved in both M2 polarization and cancer cell proliferation. Furthermore, the team found that ONA inhibited the pro-tumor functions of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), which are closely associated with the suppression of the anti-tumor immune response of host lymphocytes, by using preclinical sarcoma model. ONA was also found to enhance the effects of anti-cancer drugs by strengthening their anti-proliferation capabilities. Moreover, experiments on an ovarian cancer murine model that investigated the effects of orally administered ONA resulted in longer lifespans and inhibited ovarian cancer tumor development. This was considered to be a result of ONA's suppression of M2 polarized macrophages.   The research shows that ONA reduces the progression of malignant ovarian cancer tumors by interfering with the pro-tumor function of myeloid cells. ONA appears to activate anti-tumor immune responses by nullifying the immunosuppressive function of myeloid cells. ONA has the potential to enhance existing anti-cancer drugs while also having little to no cytotoxic effects on normal cells. Additionally, side effects in animals have not been seen. With a little more testing, an oral ONA supplement should greatly benefit cancer patients.     Risk of chronic diseases caused by exogenous chemical residues Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (China), October 13, 2021 Chronic diseases are main killers affecting the health of human. The morbidities of major chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hyperuricemia and dyslipidemia are as high as 10% to 30%, showing a gradually upward trend as well. More and more studies have shown that environmental pollution is a major health risk factor that cannot be ignored. However, the evidence for their relationship is equivocal and the underlying mechanisms is unclear. Recently, a research group led by Prof. Xu Guowang from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) discovered the risk of chronic diseases caused by exogenous chemical residues through metabolome-wide association study. Their findings were published in Environment International on Oct. 8. Researchers from National Institute for Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology were also involved in this study. The researchers discovered positive associations of serum perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) with hyperuricemia, and revealed the mechanism of the relationship between the exogenous chemical residues in the serum and the risk of chronic diseases at the metabolic level. The researchers investigated the relationship between 106 exogenous chemical residues and five chronic diseases in 496 serum samples. They revealed the metabolic perturbations related to exogenous chemical residues and chronic diseases by the metabolome-wide association study combined with meeting-in-the-middle approach and mediation analysis, and investigated the further potential underlying mechanism at the metabolic level. "PFASs were the risk factor for hyperuricemia," said Prof. Xu. Lipid species including glycerophospholipids and glycerides presented the strongest correlation with exposure and disease, which were not only positively related to PFASs exposure but also the risk factor for hyperuricemia. "We also found that key mediation metabolites mediated 25% to 68% of the exposure-disease risk relationship," Prof. Xu added. This study provides in-depth etiological understanding for the occurrence and development of diseases, which may be helpful for the early detection of the disease and the identification of early warning markers.

In this episode, we talk with Lisa Beinborn, an assistant professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, about how to use human cognitive signals to improve and analyze NLP models. We start by discussing different kinds of cognitive signals—eye-tracking, EEG, MEG, and fMRI—and challenges associated with using them. We then turn to Lisa's recent work connecting interpretability measures with eye-tracking data, which reflect the relative importance measures of different tokens in human reading comprehension. We discuss empirical results suggesting that eye-tracking signals correlate strongly with gradient-based saliency measures, but not attention, in NLP methods. We conclude with discussion of the implications of these findings, as well as avenues for future work. Papers discussed in this episode: Towards best practices for leveraging human language processing signals for natural language processing: https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:219309655 Relative Importance in Sentence Processing: https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:235358922 Lisa Beinborn's webpage: https://beinborn.eu/ The hosts for this episode are Alexis Ross and Pradeep Dasigi.

Join host Peter Bandettini as he talks with Dr. Nikolaus Weiskopf, Director of the Department of Neurophysics at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.

This week on the Sales Hacker podcast, we speak with Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, an internationally recognized thought leader known as the disaster avoidance. Dr. Gleb is on a mission to protect leaders from dangerous judgment errors known as cognitive biases by developing the most effective decision making strategies. His cutting edge thought leadership has been featured in over 550 articles and 450 interviews in the likes of Fast Company, CBS News, and Time. His expertise stems from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, speaking training, and writing. His most recent book is called Resilience: Adapt And Plan For The New Abnormal Of The COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.

This week on the Sales Hacker podcast, we speak with Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, an internationally recognized thought leader known as the disaster avoidance. Dr. Gleb is on a mission to protect leaders from dangerous judgment errors known as cognitive biases by developing the most effective decision making strategies. His cutting edge thought leadership has been featured in over 550 articles and 450 interviews in the likes of Fast Company, CBS News, and Time. His expertise stems from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, speaking training, and writing. His most recent book is called Resilience: Adapt And Plan For The New Abnormal Of The COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.

Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.04.24.060657v1?rss=1 Authors: Zhang, Y., Tetrel, L., Thirion, B., Bellec, P. Abstract: A key goal in neuroscience is to understand the brain mechanisms of cognitive functions. An emerging approach is brain decoding, which consists of inferring a set of experimental conditions performed by a participant, using pattern classification of brain activity. Few works so far have attempted to train a brain decoding model that would generalize across many different cognitive tasks drawn from multiple cognitive domains. To tackle this problem, we proposed a domain-general brain decoder that automatically learns the spatiotemporal dynamics of brain response within a short time window using a deep learning approach. By leveraging our prior knowledge on network organization of human brain cognition, we constructed deep graph convolutional neural networks to annotate cognitive states by first mapping the task-evoked fMRI response onto a brain graph, propagating brain dynamics among interconnected brain regions and functional networks, and generating state-specific representations of recorded brain activity. We evaluated the decoding model on a large population of 1200 participants, under 21 different experimental conditions spanning 6 different cognitive domains, acquired from the Human Connectome Project task-fMRI database. Using a 10s window of fMRI response, the 21 cognitive states were identified with a test accuracy of 89% (chance level 4.8%). Performance remained good when using a 6s window (82%). It was even feasible to decode cognitive states from a single fMRI volume (720ms), with the performance following the shape of the hemodynamic response. Moreover, a saliency map analysis demonstrated that the high decoding performance was driven by the response of biologically meaningful brain regions. Together, we provide an automated tool to annotate human brain activity with fine temporal resolution and fine cognitive granularity. Our model shows potential applications as a reference model for domain adaptation, possibly making contributions in a variety of domains, including neurological and psychiatric disorders. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info

In the eighth episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast we discuss the role of AI in psychiatric treatments with Dr. Maryna Polyakova. Maryna is a medical doctor by training and a scientist who recieved her PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig. She is also the CEO and co-founder of AccuBio, a company that enables personalized treatments for depression leveraging AI approaches.Together with Maryna we discussed: ◦ The heterogeneity of depression ◦ Investigation of blood biomarkers for depression ◦ Integration of clinical neuroimaging, proteomic and genomic data ◦ Switching from researcher to entrepreneur, and back ◦ Science and business ◦ How entrepreneurs can transfer their ideas to clinics ◦ What motivates young entrepreneurs starting companies in healthcare (hint: not money) ◦ Why is it hard to find treatment for neurodegenerative diseases ◦ Alzheimer’s disease beyond amyloid theory ◦ The role of personalized medicine in neurological disordersGet in touch with Maryna: ◦ Twitter: @dr_polyakova ◦ LinkedIn: Dr. Maryna Polyakova ◦ Mail: polyakova@cbs.mpg.de ◦ Web (Max Planck Institute): Maryna PolyakovaMake sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at personalizedmedicinemedia.com

  This month on Episode 10 of the Discover CircRes podcast, host Cindy St. Hilaire highlights four featured articles from the February 28 and March 13, 2020 issues of Circulation Research and talks with Dr Mary McDermott about her article Cocoa to Improve Walking Performance in Older People With Peripheral Artery Disease: The Cocoa-Pad Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.   Article highlights:   Rykaczewska, et al. PCSK6 Is a Key Protease in Vascular Injury   Lebek, et al. SDB Induces Arrhythmias via CaMKII and Late Ina   Mueller, et al. Brain Damage With Heart Failure Napierski, et al. Cut and Paste of cMyBP-C Domains In Situ Transcript Cindy St. Hilaire: Hi. Welcome to Discover CircRes, the podcast of the American Heart Association's journal Circulation Research. I'm your host, Dr Cindy St. Hilaire, and I'm from the Vascular Medicine Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Today I'm going to share with you four articles selected from the February 28th and the March 13th issues of Circulation Research as well as have an in-depth discussion with Dr Mary McDermott, who is the corresponding author of the study COCOA-PAD Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. So first, the highlights. The first article I'm sharing with you is titled PCSK6 Is a Key Protease in the Control of Smooth Muscle Cell Function in Vascular Remodeling. The first authors are Urszula Rykaczewska, Bianca Suur, Samuel Röhl, and the corresponding author is Ljubica Matic from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The family of proprotein convertase subtilisins/kexins, or PCSKs case for short, are a group of proteases whose role in vascular disease was only recently recognized. Humans with gain- and loss-of-function mutations in PCSK9 exhibit very high or very low levels of cholesterol, respectively, and this information was leveraged for the development of novel, albeit extremely expensive, drugs for regulating cholesterol. However, the role of other members of the PCSK family in cardiovascular disease is not known. This group previously found that PCSK6 was one of the most enriched molecules in human carotid artery plaques as compared to normal arteries, while other PCSK family members did not show the same trend. This prompted the group to further explore the role of PCSK6 in vascular disease. They used a very integrative approach drawing from several independent human biobanks for genetic information, conducting in situ functional investigations using human tissue, also conducting in vivo animal models of vascular injury, including using the PCSK6 knockout mice, as well as ex vivo and in vitro mechanistic studies. And they found that PCSK6 was a key modulator of smooth muscle cell function in vascular remodeling and atherosclerosis through a very novel mechanism implicating MMP14 and MMP2 activation upon cytokine stimulation. Future studies will investigate the role of PCSK6 on atherosclerotic plaque remodeling and instability because, as we know, plaque rupture can have devastating consequences. The second article I will highlight is titled Enhanced CaMKII-Dependent Late I Na Induces Atrial Pro-Arrhythmic Activity in Patients with Sleep-Disordered Breathing. The first author is Simon Lebek, and the corresponding author is Stefan Wagner, from the University Hospital Regensburg in Regensburg, Germany. Sleep-disordered breathing is an umbrella term for any chronic condition involving the complete or partial interruption of breathing during sleep, and this is commonly called sleep apnea. Aside from daytime sleepiness, people with sleep-disordered breathing run the risk of developing arrhythmia, such as atrial fibrillation. Arrhythmias are an electrical problem as opposed to a mechanical one. And at the cellular level, arrhythmias are associated with increased activity of the enzyme calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase 2, or CaMKII, and this protein regulates cellular electrophysiology. Despite the role of CaMKII in propagating electrical signals in the heart, its activity has not been investigated in sleep-disordered breathing patients. This group now shows in a study that used 113 patients undergoing heart surgery that those with sleep-disordered breathing have higher CaMKII in biopsied myocardium than those without the condition. Furthermore, this CaMKII increase was associated with other pro-arrhythmic alterations to the tissue, including increased reactive oxygen species production, enhanced phosphorylation of a major sodium channel, and consequent late firing of sodium currents. Importantly, these alterations could be prevented by pharmacological inhibition of CaMKII, suggesting that such an inhibitor could be a novel treatment strategy for patients with sleep-disordered breathing to reduce their arrhythmia risk. The next article I want to share with you is titled Brain Damage with Heart Failure: Cardiac Biomarker Alterations and Gray Matter Decline. The first authors are Karsten Mueller and Friederike Thiel, and the corresponding author is Matthias Schroeter, and the work was completed at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. Heart failure leads to decreased blood flow due to a reduced pumping efficiency of the heart, and as a consequence, this can cause insufficient oxygen supply to the tissues, including the brain. Cardiovascular insults, including heart failure, increase the risk for the development of neurological diseases later in life, such as vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Patients with heart failure can show neurological symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, and dizziness. However, the long-term consequences of the effects of heart failure on brain integrity are not well understood. However, several studies suggest that structural changes in the gray matter can occur. This study sought to identify correlations between cardiovascular biomarkers and structural gray matter changes in the brain. They found that patients who suffered from heart failure undergo detrimental brain structural changes. Reduced gray matter density in several regions of the brain correlated with decreased ejection fraction at baseline and increased NT-proBNP, which is a heart failure biomarker. While these observations might reflect structural brain damage in areas that are related to cognition, whether these structural changes facilitate the development of cognitive alterations will need to be proven in future longitudinal studies. The last article I want to share with you before we switch to our interview is titled A Novel "Cut And Paste" Method for In Situ Replacement of Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein C Reveals a New Role for This Protein in the Regulation of Contractile Oscillations. The first author is Nathaniel Napierski, and the corresponding author is Samantha Harris, and they're from the University of Arizona. Actin and myosin are the respective thin and thick filament proteins that allow for muscle contraction, including in the cardiomyocytes, the muscle cells of the heart. Cardiac myosin binding protein C is a critical protein that regulates heart contraction, but the mechanisms by which this protein affects actin and myosin are only partially understood. One reason for this is that cardiac myosin binding protein C localization on the thick filaments may be a key component of contraction, but most in vitro studies cannot spatially replicate arrangements of cardiac myosin binding protein C within the sarcomere. To address this technical gap, this group created a novel hybrid genetic/protein engineering approach that allows for rapid manipulation of cardiac myosin binding protein C in sarcomeres of permeabilized myocytes isolated from genetically engineered Spy-C mice in situ. So essentially, they can do some gene editing in tissue in situ. Using this approach, they were able to rapidly remove and replace cardiac myosin binding protein C. Deletion of this protein fully recapitulates effects obtained using traditional knockout and transgenic mouse models of cardiac myosin binding protein C. However, the ability to rapidly remove and replace this protein identified a new regulatory role for cardiac myosin binding protein C where it functions to dampen contractile oscillations. The novel cut and paste approach should be very useful in testing these new hypotheses of the role of cardiac myosin binding protein C function as well as in defining the role of how spontaneous contractile oscillations affect cardiac contractility during both health and disease. Okay. Now we're going to switch over to the interview portion of the podcast. I have with me Dr Mary McDermott from the Departments of Medicine and Preventative Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. And today we're going to be discussing her manuscript titled Cocoa to Prevent Walking Performance in Older People With Peripheral Artery Disease: The COCOA-PAD Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. Thank you for joining me. Mary McDermott: Oh, it's a pleasure to be here. Cindy St. Hilaire: Before we dig into the details and the nitty-gritty of the study, could you maybe first explain to us what peripheral artery disease is and perhaps maybe why it's so pernicious? Mary McDermott: Sure. So peripheral artery disease is atherosclerosis of the arteries that supply the legs, and it is a problem because it causes great difficulty with walking. People with peripheral artery disease, or PAD, can typically walk only at one or two blocks before they have to stop because of symptoms or weakness or pain or tightness in their lower extremities, in their legs. And it's also difficult to treat because we have very few medical therapies available that are effective. Cindy St. Hilaire: So this is really something that you only know it's there until you're feeling the adverse symptoms. Mary McDermott: That's correct. Cindy St. Hilaire: That sounds very difficult to treat clinically. This study was called the COCOA-PAD study, and it was a double-blind pilot, randomized clinical trial, and it was designed to test the hypothesis that daily cocoa consumption for about six months improves or prevents the decline in something called the six-minute walk distance test. So my first burning question is, is it okay to eat a lot of chocolate every day? And then my second question is, what is the significance of the six-minute walk test? And maybe you could tell us a little bit about this trial's design. Mary McDermott: Sure. Maybe I'll go in reverse order for those questions. Cindy St. Hilaire: Sure. Mary McDermott: So the trial design, it was a randomized clinical trial. 44 participants with peripheral artery disease were randomized to receive either the cocoa beverages, we asked them to take three a day, or a placebo control, which was very much like the intervention except that the placebo did not have cocoa or cocoa flavanols. And participants were followed for six months, and at baseline and six-month follow-up, we measured the six-minute walk test, and we also did muscle biopsy on those who consented to that, and we also measured lower extremity perfusion with MRI. Now, the six-minute walk test is a test that's very well-validated in patients with peripheral artery disease, and it's really a measure of walking endurance. The way you conduct it is you need a hundred-foot hallway. We use standardized instructions. We actually use a script where the research assistant reads the script with the instructions, and the goal of the test is for the participant to walk as many lengths as they can in the six minutes. And often what you see in people with peripheral artery disease is they start out fine, but after maybe a few hundred-foot lengths, they start to slow down or they start to limp, and many of them cannot finish the six-minute walk without having to stop and rest. If they need to stop, then they can start walking again. Cindy St. Hilaire: That's interesting. Is it a fatigue or is it a pain, or what is prompting them to stop? Mary McDermott: It's symptoms in the legs or the hips classically, and it can be either of those symptoms that you mentioned. It may be a fatigue or a weakness. Some people will say, "I don't have pain. My legs just get weak, and I can't keep walking." Others will have pain. Many will have tightness or burning. And it's interesting, some people will get symptoms mainly in their feet or ankles, others will get it classically in the calves, but many will get it in the hips. And the location depends in part on the location of the atherosclerosis and where they're experiencing the ischemia. Cindy St. Hilaire: Interesting. And so ultimately this is due to the atherosclerotic plaque blocking blood flow? Mary McDermott: Exactly. Right. So when they go to walk, their muscles are not getting an adequate oxygen supply, and that causes these symptoms or weakness in the legs. Cindy St. Hilaire: Interesting. What's so special about cocoa, and what are these flavonoids that you mentioned? Mary McDermott: Sure. Cocoa actually comes from the cacao plant, and in that plant there's cocoa, but also something called cocoa flavonoids, and this is a nutritional substance. And there's a variety, but in cocoa, epicatechin is the most prevalent flavonoid. And flavonoids have health benefits that include improving blood flow by causing dilation of vessels, but also, they've been shown to have favorable effects on muscles, skeletal muscle. And so this is particularly potentially helpful in peripheral artery disease because, obviously, patients with PAD have difficulty with blood flow because of those atherosclerotic blockages, but also they've been shown to have skeletal muscle abnormalities, probably because their leg muscles aren't getting enough oxygen. So they develop loss of muscle mass, they develop mitochondrial dysfunction and other abnormalities in their muscle that also make it hard for them to walk. So cocoa and cocoa flavonoids are an attractive therapy in PAD because they both can improve blood flow and improve the health of the skeletal muscle in the legs. Cindy St. Hilaire: Interesting. So it's kind of a two-pronged approach to possibly helping these patients. What was the scientific evidence out there that the flavonoids or maybe even just dark chocolate may be beneficial, and how was your study different from other studies? Mary McDermott: Some of the evidence comes from animal studies where it's clearly been shown to improve skeletal muscle mitochondrial activity and muscle growth and also blood flow. But there were also some preliminary studies in humans, a couple of them really small sample sizes of patients with heart failure, showing improvements in skeletal muscle health. But there was one trial published about five years ago in patients with PAD where the PAD patients were given one dose of dark chocolate or one dose of milk chocolate, and that one dose helped them achieve increased walking distance on a treadmill about two to three hours later. But to our knowledge, no prior studies had tested whether a daily dose of cocoa could improve six-minute walk or improve skeletal muscle or blood flow. Cindy St. Hilaire: So should I eat chocolate every day? Mary McDermott: Well, there's a couple of important things about chocolate. First of all, most of the chocolate that you can buy at the store is not the type we used in our study. Oftentimes chocolate is alkalized, and what that does is it makes it taste better, but it also removes some of those cocoa flavonoids that are thought to be responsible for the health benefits. The cocoa that we studied was rich in the cocoa flavanols. It had not been alkalized, and it was more of the dark chocolate. So if you want to eat it for health benefits, you need to read the label, and it should tell you whether the chocolate has been alkalized. The other thing to take note of is, of course, many forms of chocolate come with a lot of calories or sugars, so that can be problematic if it leads to weight gain. The chocolate that we used in our study and the placebo added about 180 calories per day to the diet, and prior to starting the study we did a little bit of diet counseling with all the participants, and we helped them identify drinks or foods they were eating that maybe could be removed so that they could take the 180 calories without gaining weight. And we did not find weight gain in either group in this study. Cindy St. Hilaire: That's good. That's good. One of your results I found interesting was that it showed that this daily supplementation of cocoa in the diet improved the six-minute walk test at a timeframe that was shortly after the chocolate dosing, but not 24 hours after. Can you maybe talk about that result and what the implications for that mean? Mary McDermott: Sure. Because of that prior trial that I mentioned, which indicated that cocoa had an acute effect, we were interested in separating out the acute and the chronic effects. So we did two six-minute walk tests at six-month follow-up. The first was performed two and a half hours after the final cocoa dose, and the second was performed 24 hours later. And we saw the biggest benefit at the time point that was two and a half hours after the final cocoa dose. The benefit was about 42 meters favoring the cocoa intervention. When participants came back 24 hours later, the difference between the intervention and the placebo was only 18 meters, and that didn't quite achieve statistical significance in our primary analyses. Now, we were a little surprised by the difference in those findings. One possible explanation is that cocoa has both the chronic and acute benefit and that first measurement reflected both the acute and the chronic benefits. So that's one possible explanation. Another is, interestingly, we found that the placebo group had a bit of a learning effect between the two-and-a-half-hour time point and the 24-hour time point, and it's possible that that explained the diminishment in the difference of the 24-hour time point. But we didn't see that learning effect in the cocoa group, so that didn't quite make sense. In my mind, the best explanation is there may be both an acute and a chronic effect, and we saw the benefit of both of those at that first time point. Cindy St. Hilaire: Interesting. And a learning effect, by that you just mean the patients just learned to do the test better? Mary McDermott: Yeah. So they got more comfortable with it between the first and the second measurement, which were just 24 hours apart. Prior study in peripheral artery disease patients has not shown a learning effect. But in the prior study, the six-minute walk tests were performed one or two weeks apart. And to my knowledge, no one's ever tested it just 24 hours apart. Cindy St. Hilaire: Interesting. Very interesting. What was really the most challenging aspect of  this study? Can you talk about some of the limitations also? Mary McDermott: Sure. I'd say the biggest limitation was the sample size. This was a pilot study. It's not a definitive result. There were 44 people, so that is certainly a limitation. And perhaps related to that, we did see some imbalances at baseline between the two groups in terms of BMI and prevalence of African-Americans between the two groups. Our analyses do adjust for those differences to try to overcome that potential difference. With regard to challenges, well, recruiting for studies of peripheral artery disease is always a challenge because the patients are limited in their own mobility, and it can be hard for them to come in for the study visits. A study like this requires multiple visits at baseline and follow-up. Another potential challenge is that the adherence rate was about 64% in the intervention group versus closer to 80% in the placebo group. We don't know- Cindy St. Hilaire: Oh, interesting. What do you think that is? Mary McDermott: We don't know exactly why. It's possible that the cocoa intervention had a different taste and maybe was not as palatable, but since participants only had their own drink, we didn't ask them to compare, and we can't say that for sure. That could've been just due to chance. Cindy St. Hilaire: Sure. Wow. Well, hopefully, a future study can help figure that out. Speaking of that, what would be next really in terms of kind of translating this study into either a bigger study or really translating it to the clinic? What do you see for this moving forward? Mary McDermott: Well, couple things. I think most immediately, because there are so few therapies for peripheral artery disease and because cocoa has essentially no side effects with the caveat being the potential for weight gain, that it would be reasonable to recommend it to patients who are really symptomatic and can't seem to get better with standard options such as exercise or maybe in addition to exercise. But I do think before we can reach a definitive conclusion, a definitive trial is needed. We have applied, we have submitted a grant application to obtain funding to do a larger study, but we'll need to wait and see how that goes. Cindy St. Hilaire: Well, hopefully, that gets funded because I would love any excuse to eat a little more chocolate, even if it's non-alkalized. Well, great. Well, thank you so much for joining me today, Dr McDermott. This is a wonderful study, and I wish you the best of luck on that next funding to do a larger study. Mary McDermott: Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate your interest in this work. Thank you. Cindy St. Hilaire: That's it for highlights from the February 28th and March 13th issues of Circulation Research. Thank you so much for listening. This podcast is produced by Rebecca McTavish, edited by Melissa Stoner, and supported by the editorial team of Circulation Research. Some of the copy text for highlighted articles was provided by Ruth Williams. Thank you to our guest, Dr Mary McDermott. I'm your host, Dr Cindy St Hilaire, and this is Discover CircRes, your source for the most up-to-date and exciting discoveries in basic cardiovascular research.  

Adequate vitamins and minerals are essential for normal cognitive development. Marcus Pembrey (University College London) uses iodine as an example. Severe iodine deficiency is a known cause of learning difficulties, but even suboptimal maternal iodine in early pregnancy can reduce the childs verbal IQ. Early humans thrived on the coast with a rich iodine diet. Bonobos dive for iodine-rich aquatic plants. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 35290]

Adequate vitamins and minerals are essential for normal cognitive development. Marcus Pembrey (University College London) uses iodine as an example. Severe iodine deficiency is a known cause of learning difficulties, but even suboptimal maternal iodine in early pregnancy can reduce the childs verbal IQ. Early humans thrived on the coast with a rich iodine diet. Bonobos dive for iodine-rich aquatic plants. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 35290]

Adequate vitamins and minerals are essential for normal cognitive development. Marcus Pembrey (University College London) uses iodine as an example. Severe iodine deficiency is a known cause of learning difficulties, but even suboptimal maternal iodine in early pregnancy can reduce the childs verbal IQ. Early humans thrived on the coast with a rich iodine diet. Bonobos dive for iodine-rich aquatic plants. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 35290]

Adequate vitamins and minerals are essential for normal cognitive development. Marcus Pembrey (University College London) uses iodine as an example. Severe iodine deficiency is a known cause of learning difficulties, but even suboptimal maternal iodine in early pregnancy can reduce the childs verbal IQ. Early humans thrived on the coast with a rich iodine diet. Bonobos dive for iodine-rich aquatic plants. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 35290]

Adequate vitamins and minerals are essential for normal cognitive development. Marcus Pembrey (University College London) uses iodine as an example. Severe iodine deficiency is a known cause of learning difficulties, but even suboptimal maternal iodine in early pregnancy can reduce the childs verbal IQ. Early humans thrived on the coast with a rich iodine diet. Bonobos dive for iodine-rich aquatic plants. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 35290]

Adequate vitamins and minerals are essential for normal cognitive development. Marcus Pembrey (University College London) uses iodine as an example. Severe iodine deficiency is a known cause of learning difficulties, but even suboptimal maternal iodine in early pregnancy can reduce the childs verbal IQ. Early humans thrived on the coast with a rich iodine diet. Bonobos dive for iodine-rich aquatic plants. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 35290]

Adequate vitamins and minerals are essential for normal cognitive development. Marcus Pembrey (University College London) uses iodine as an example. Severe iodine deficiency is a known cause of learning difficulties, but even suboptimal maternal iodine in early pregnancy can reduce the childs verbal IQ. Early humans thrived on the coast with a rich iodine diet. Bonobos dive for iodine-rich aquatic plants. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 35290]

Adequate vitamins and minerals are essential for normal cognitive development. Marcus Pembrey (University College London) uses iodine as an example. Severe iodine deficiency is a known cause of learning difficulties, but even suboptimal maternal iodine in early pregnancy can reduce the childs verbal IQ. Early humans thrived on the coast with a rich iodine diet. Bonobos dive for iodine-rich aquatic plants. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 35290]

Jonathan speaks to Jacob Bellmund - Cognitive Neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences - about how the brain's navigation system works. We're also joined by Dr Shane Bergin and Dr Susan Kelleher for all the latest science stories for Newsround, plus Jonathan responds to all your texts and tweets.

Those of you who have listened to my podcast for a while have heard me say something many times. “Better in yourself, and better with others.” Why do I say this? Well, when we improve our internal communication, we get better at external communication, too. I’m certainly not the only one who says so. Lead researcher Anne Böckler of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science put it simply. “There is a close link between getting better in understanding oneself and improvement in social intelligence.” For more, visit: bethrogerson.com

Researchers are finding that daydreaming actually has positive effects on the function of our brain. Here are a few studies:   A study done by Benjamin Baird and Jonathan Schooler of the University of California at Santa Barbara was published in the journal Psychological Science. They asked participants to take “unusual uses” test. This meant conceptualizing alternative ways of using everyday objects, such as egg cartons for two minutes. Participants performed two sessions and then were given a 12 minute break. In this break they either rested, performed a demanding memory exercise or did a reaction time activity designed to maximize their mind-wandering. When the test resumed, participants did four more “unusual uses” test, two of which were repeats. The group which had performed the mind-wandering tasks in the 12 minute break did 41% better on the re-tests than those who had focused on another mental exercise.   A study published in 2010 in the journal Neuron looked at memory consolidation. New York University neuroscientist Arielle Tambini wrote about how mind-wandering might play a vital function in helping us form memories. Participants were asked to look at pairs of images and in between take breaks to think about anything they wanted. Researchers used fMRI to look at the activity in the hippocampus cortical regions of the brain while participants did both, look at images and let their mind wander. What researchers found was that the two areas of the brain appeared to work together, and the greater the levels of brain activity in both, the stronger the subjects’ recall of the image pairing was. Your brain continues working for you even when you are resting. Resting is therefore important for memory and cognitive function. Taking a coffee break at work in between your projects can actually help you retain the information you just learned.   Researcher Jonathan Smallwood of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science published a journal in Psychological Science suggesting that  people who let their mind wander have a higher capacity for working memory. Working memory is what allows us to think about multiple things at once, and has been shown to be linked with intelligence.   Participants were asked to press a button and as they went researchers checked in to see if their minds were wandering. After the task was completed, researchers gave participants a measure of their working memory. They found that participants were more frequent mind-wanders during the first task showed a greater capacity of their working memory. From an evolutionary standpoint, mind-wandering seems very counterproductive and has even been viewed as dysfunctional because it comprises people’s performance in physical activities.  However, as per the research above, letting your mind wander when considering complex problems can have real benefits. Walking away and daydreaming for a bit and then coming back to the problem can give you a fresh and creative way to solve it. It can also help you with multitasking in other areas of your life.   How to: You can implement this in your own life in a few different ways. If you are in the office and need a break from the project you are working on, then follow these steps. Step 1 - Go to the search engine of your choice and search for a picture of something you have always wanted to do. Such as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. Step 2 - Focus on the picture for a couple of minutes, Step 3 - Now close your eyes and imagine yourself there. Ask yourself the following questions: What you would be wearing? What is the weather and how it feels on your skin? Be as detailed as possible. What emotions are your feeling in this moment? Who else is there with you? Picture and describe the landscape in detail to yourself. If you want to take this a step further, and we highly recommend you do. Put on some space music. We recommend Digitally Imported channel Space Dreams. This will really help you get in the zone and drift off to wherever you want to be.

Dr. Emily Cross is a Senior Lecturer of cognitive neuroscience and a dancer who shares a dual appointment at the School of Psychology at Bangor University in North Wales and the Department of Social and Cultural Psychology and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She studied psychology and dance as an undergraduate at Pomona College, and went on to complete a MSc in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand as a Fulbright fellow. She returned to the USA to complete a PhD in cognitive neuroscience at Dartmouth College, and then moved on to postdoctoral positions at the University of Nottingham in the UK and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. Emily is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dietrich Stout "Archaeological and Paleontological Record of Human Cognitive Evolution: What's human about the human brain? Exploring evolutionary specializations of the human brain." From Emory University's Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture Summer 2011 Workshop, May 25-27, 2011."