Brains On Purpose™

Amygdala's the seat of fear? Yes, and . . .

Are psychological events such as emotions localized to specific places in the brain? Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett does not think so. From "Redefining emotion" (News @ Northeastern):

“Right now, the field and even pop­ular cul­ture writes about the brain as if spe­cific psy­cho­log­ical events are local­ized to spe­cific brain tis­sues,” Bar­rett said. “So, for example, when you have a memory it hap­pens in the hip­pocampus and when you have fear it hap­pens in the amygdala.

Barrett’s find­ings sug­gested the exact opposite.

Her Inter­dis­ci­pli­nary Affec­tive Sci­ence Lab­o­ra­tory com­pleted a meta-​​analysis of thou­sands of data points from hun­dreds of studies between the years 1990 and 2005. The find­ings sug­gest that brain regions once thought to be specif­i­cally and con­sis­tently asso­ci­ated with par­tic­ular emo­tions are in fact active across a variety of emo­tional — and even non-​​emotional — states.

...

“These data sug­gest that the brain is pop­u­lated by a set of basic oper­a­tions, or ingre­di­ents, that are not spe­cific to emo­tions or thoughts or mem­o­ries,” Bar­rett said.

...

The amyg­dala, for example, which Bar­rett said is one of the most con­nected regions in the brain, doesn’t fire only when a person expe­ri­ences fear, but when­ever the brain doesn’t have enough infor­ma­tion about what to do next. Some­times, but not always, we sub­jec­tively expe­ri­ence this uncer­tainty as fear, Bar­rett said.

Related: "Neural reuse: Yay, team brain" (past post at this blog).

Even though factual, this short lesson on how neurons communicate may make you smile

What a fine job BrainU has done in creating an animation to teach us about our neurons and snyapses. Click to watch "The Story of the Synapse." It is educational—and fun.

From the BrainU Web site:

A unique neuroscience program for Minnesota students and teachers, BrainU provides teachers with three years of neuroscience training, materials, and staff support to bring brain science to their students. In these professional workshops, participants receive updates on the latest in neuroscience research -- discussion is complemented with hands-on activities and lab work. Teachers also receive curriculum materials to aid them in using neuroscience topics in support of Minnesota Intermediate and Middle Level standards. The program was expanded in 2008 to include high school teachers.

Tempests and tales: challenges to the study of sex differences in the brain

The debate as to what differences, if any, exist between the brains of men and women, boys and girls, is nothing if not spirited. Lest we make the mistake that this question is settled, here's a reminder that it is not. (I saw this article recently on the Facebook wall of the Neuroanthropology Interest Group.)

Excerpt from "Tempests and tales: challenges to the study of sex differences in the brain" (Biology of Sex Differences):

The topic of sex differences in brain and behavior continues to garner broad interest and generate considerable controversy. A spate of popular books in the past decade has heralded many of the recent advances in the study of the biological basis of human brain differences in relation to sex and gender. Volumes such as Doreen Kimura's Sex and Cognition [1], Simon Baron-Cohen's The Essential Difference: Men, Women and the Extreme Male Brain [2], Melissa Hines's Brain Gender [3] and Louann Brizendine's The Female Brain [4] have reviewed, and in some instances overinterpreted, the current state-of-the-art. This flurry of attention has also generated lightning rods for criticism, as evidenced by the two books reviewed here: Rebecca M Jordan-Young's Brain Storm: The Flaws in the Science of Sex Differences [5] and Cordelia Fine's Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society and Neurosexism Create a Difference [6]. Both books contain much of merit that we think readers of the Biology of Sex Differences will agree with, but both books can be vexing in the ways the scientific study of sex differences in brain and behavior is portrayed and the current state-of-the-art is presented.

...

Cordelia Fine's penning of Delusions of Gender was apparently motivated by her observation of her son's kindergarten

Interview of authors of new book EMOTIONAL LIFE OF YOUR BRAIN

Click to watch Charlie Rose conduct a short interview of Richie Davidson and Sharon Begley about their book Emotional Life of Your Brain. In reading the book, I particularly appreciated that it reminds the reader of two things:

• We each are unique and thus one size does not fit all
• We can change our brains (and thus behavior) if we want to.

Note (added March 15, 2012): Click for an interview  of the authors by Diane Rehm of NPR.

Poor impulse control keeps children from sharing

News release from Max-Planck-Gesellschaft:

Late development of the prefrontal cortex explains why children find it hard to suppress selfish impulses

When children fail to share fairly with each other, it may not be due to poor understanding of what constitutes right and wrong; after all, they grasp early on that fairness and generosity can be advantageous. However, scientists at the Leipzig-based Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences have discovered that it takes some time before they possess the neuronal preconditions to act in accordance with this understanding. The prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain that is important for behavioural control, develops relatively late, so that sharing is more easily said than done for primary school children. The finding could impact educational strategies designed to promote successful social behaviour, the scientists write in the March 8th issue of the journal Neuron.

Sharing possessions is an essential theme in every community, but fraught with conflict. A question which remains enigmatic is how and at what stage of development fair sharing occurs spontaneously. Do children suddenly understand what is fair from one day to the next, and then behave accordingly? Or do they simply become better at controlling selfish impulses?

Using game theory, scientists have been studying strategic behaviour in sharing situations. Researchers Nikolaus Steinbeis, Boris Bernhardt and Tania Singer used two of the best-known experiments in this field – the Dictator Game and the Ultimatum Game – with a total of 174 schoolchildren between six and 13 years of age.

In this context, the children were given poker chips which they could later exchange for age-appropriate gifts. First,

Neural reuse: Yay, team brain

I have talked before about brain areas, pieces of brain real estate, restructuring as new teams, but I was mainly referring to situations where one part is damaged and another part of the brain is recruited to help. The theory of neural reuse tells us that team efforts may occur in the healthy brain, too. From "Exploring the Underpinnings of Cognition" ( a news release from Franklin & Marshall College):

Several years ago, [Michael] Anderson’s research was often rejected for publication in part, the professor says, because of its nonstandard approach. His work centered on neural reuse, a theory that explains cognitive function as the result of regions of the brain interacting in “multiple coalitions.” The idea runs against traditional thinking that regions of the brain are specialized for specific tasks.

“Individual regions of the brain are part of different teams,” said Anderson, who also authors a blog on Psychology Today. “Neural reuse is a different way of looking at cognitive function. I can have different roles, like being a father, husband, teacher and researcher. I think the brain is also like that. The regions of the brain aren’t specialized the way we think.”

In 2010, Anderson succeeded in publishing his research in the high-impact venue Behavioral and Brain Sciences. His paper argued that neural reuse offers a distinct take on the evolution and development of the brain, the degree of modularity of brain organization, and the degree of localization of cognitive function.

He believes neural reuse and embodied cognition—the realization that the brain is not the sole organ of cognition—are poised to become the dominant lenses through which we explore human cognition and behavior. ...

More on neural reuse:

• "Neural reuse: A fundamental organizational principle of the brain" (article by Anderson in Behavioral and Brain Sciences)
• Peer commentary on the article: "Neural Re-Use in the Social and Emotional Brain" (Behavioral and Brain Sciences)

Interpersonal neurobiology: Great slate of speakers next month at UCLA

If I were going to be near southern California in March, I would definitely consider attending this conference. The lineup of speakers is excellent; it includes Dan Siegel, Iain McGilchrist, Marion Solomon, Diane Ackerman, and John Gottman.

From the brochure for "Toward a New Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships" to be held March 9-11, 2012:

Discover how relationships shape the brain... And how the brain shapes relationships.

The Annual Attachment / Interpersonal Neurobiology Conference explores clinical implications of recent interpersonal neurobiological models, including brain/mind/body systems, and newer body-based trauma models that focus on the enduring impact of stress on the central and autonomic nervous systems. The goal is to integrate neuroscience, attachment research, and developmental studies to expand empirical ways to cultivate health and healing in our lives. We will look at how this impacts communications in relationships, including patient-therapist and couples interactions.

Those attending will hear perspectives on new body-based trauma models. The discussion provides a framework for understanding the chronic nature of trauma-related behaviors and how they affect interpersonal communications.

Quick flick of brain anatomy and functions

Click to watch "Brain Anatomy and Functions" from Nucleus Inc. medical animations. (You may enjoy watching some of the other animations available at the Nucleus Inc. link, too.)

H/T: Inside the Brain.

Good review of the tome MASTER AND HIS EMISSARY, an antidote to left-brain, right-brain mythology

If you go to your local bookstore, you'll see that a lot of junk science about the left and right hemispheres of the brain is still being published. That's why I was so glad to learn a bit over a year ago about a terrific book that gets the science right.

I have blogged more than once about this book titled The Master and His Emissary (links to those posts below), and have recommend it many, many, many times. A new review of the book has just been published in Los Angeles Review of Books and I wanted to make sure you saw it if you have any interest in brain hemispheres.

From "Oppositional Thinking: On reconciling the two hemispheres of the brain":

...In the 1970s and 1980s, the “split brain” became a hot topic in neuroscience, and soon popular wisdom produced a flood of books explaining how the left brain was a “scientist” and the right an “artist.”

Much insight into human psychology can be gleaned from these popular accounts, but “hard” science soon recognized that this simple dichotomy could not accommodate the wealth of data that ongoing research into hemispheric function produced. And as no “real” scientist wants to be associated with popular misconceptions — for fear of peer disapproval — the fact that ongoing research revealed no appreciable functional differences between the hemispheres — they both seemed to “do” the same things, after all — made it justifiable for neuroscientists to put the split-brain question on the back burner, where it has pretty much stayed. Until now.

Links to previous posts on the book:

• Are you involved in half-brained mediations? Let's promote full-brained conflict resolution
• Review of The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
• About the vast left-brain conspiracy and those driven to ecstasy by all things neuro
• The brain and culture: "The mind's great conflict spills over onto the world stage"

Rescuing the amygdala from the swamp of pop culture

Coming on the heels of my blog post Clearing up confusion: The amygdala is not the same as the reptile brain & it's probably not reserved for fear is a news release from Association of Psychological Sciences with more information which I hope will continue the cleaning up of the amygdala's reputation in the media. And clear up its role in our day-to-day to lives.

The release:

The Amygdala And Fear Are Not The Same Thing

In a 2007 episode of the television show Boston Legal, a character claimed to have figured out that a cop was racist because his amygdala activated – displaying fear, when they showed him pictures of black people. This link between the amygdala and fear – especially a fear of others unlike us, has gone too far, not only in pop culture, but also in psychological science, say the authors of a new paper which will be published in the February issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Indeed, many experiments have found that the amygdala is active when people are afraid. But it also activates at other times, for example in response to pleasant photographs and happy faces.

The misconception came from how scientists first approached studying the brain. A lot of people came to the amygdala from the study of fear, says Wil Cunningham of Ohio State University, who co wrote the new paper with Tobias Brosch of New York University. “It’s a great emotion to study because it’s very important, evolutionarily, and we know a lot about fear in animals,” Cunningham says. Almost every study of fear finds that the amygdala is active. But that doesn’t mean every spark of activity in the amygdala means the person is afraid.

Instead, the amygdala seems to be doing something more subtle: processing events that are related to what a person cares about at the moment. So if you’re in a scary situation or have an anxious personality, the amygdala might be activated by a frightening image. But hungry people have increased amygdala activity in response to pictures of food and people who are very empathetic have an amygdala response to seeing other people.

“When we’re studying emotion, people want to find specific brain parts that are associated with different

Clearing up confusion: The amygdala is not the same as the reptile brain & it's probably not reserved for fear

The amygdala gets lots of attention in conflict resolution circles these days, but not all of what is said is accurate. For example, the amydala's role in fear seems often to be the sole focus. Therefore, I was very glad to see Wray Herbert write a post refining the idea of the role of the amygdala beyond just being the "fear center."  From "Fleeing the Brain’s Fear Center" (Association for Psychological Science blogs).

Cunningham and Brosch conducted a thorough review of the vast literature on amygdala function, and their analysis also reveals a lot of individual variation in amygdala activity. Some subjects respond more to positive and negative stimuli than to neutral stimuli; others mostly to negative stimuli; and still others to positive information. In other words, amygdala activation may not have the same meaning for everyone; it may instead reflect the psychological state of the individual. The amygdala appears initially to evaluate the relevance of stimuli, and then to tune the individual’s overall cognitive and emotional response.

These varying responses may reflect personality to some degree. ...

...

All of these recent findings, taken together, call into question the whole idea of brain modules that govern specific, universal emotions like fear, sadness, disgust and surprise. The new and more dynamic view of the amygdala—and the brain—raises doubts about such an emotional taxonomy. ...

I urge you to read the whole post, which includes an interesting section on racial prejudice.

I believe what we can say about the amygdala is that it

For those mediators who are convinced knowing about the brain is important

Here's fun way to learn more tonight: National Geographic is presenting a three-part series on that vitally important organ in our skull. The three parts are

• Watch This!-Hack into the ultimate supercomputer — the human brain — as Hollywood filmmakers create mind-bending sensory illusions.
• Pay Attention!-When it comes to mastering — and manipulating — attention, some of the world's leading experts aren't scientists; they're magicians.
• Remember This!-Our experts are on a mission — to find out where memories reside in the brain — and they're examining every millimeter for clues.

Sounds like a great way to remind ourselves of what the brain might be up to in the conflict resolution process! Let me know what you think.

Click for more information about the series, including videos and photos.