Phat Research for our Fat Society

Take a quick walk through Houston and there is no question that America is fat. At a whopping 34% overweight rating, it seems everything really is bigger in Texas (1). Reflecting this chubby city’s status, the nationwide obesity sits just a little higher at a hefty 34.9% (2). With our nation carrying around these heavy statistics, our media outlets are saturated with weight loss programs. Whether that is an quantitative system like Weight Watchers or a radical program like The Biggest Loser, Americans are infatuated with the concept of weight loss. But what if there is a way to lose weight without the gym or carb calculators?

In 2013, Marci Glick, lead researcher at the National Institutes of Health, made this utopian idea a reality. Gluck and her research team found 9 overweight participants and manipulated their eating habits through a behavioral neuroscience approach. They used a process called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to stimulate the neurological processes of the brain (3). Their research goal: Will an increase in brain activity in a certain part of the brain decrease food and drink intake, thus resulting in weight loss?

To determine this, the researchers focused on a part of the brain called the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC). This area of the brain is responsible for many higher cognitive critical functions including memory and attention. For this study, the researchers instead focused on the reward processing and behavior regulation associated within this cortex (4). In regards to this area of the brain, the level of cortical stimulation determines the ability of an individual to pay attention or control their behavior. So, according to Gluck and her co-researchers, continually reaching for more handfuls of sour cream and onion potato chips is simply just low levels of LDLPFC activity. Great! So how do we change that?

Our motherboard that sits between our ears is basically just a large, mushy electrical circuit board. Much like an actual computer, electrical activity is responsible for every process of cognition. So, to alter activity of the brain, the NIH researchers used the aforementioned transcranial direct-current stimulation process. This relatively simple device is a non-invasive treatment that stimulates the brain by applying direct, painless electrical currents to the brain (5). After a session of stimulation, a patient would have increased activity in LDLPFC, and ideally, a decreased affinity to deep-fried snacks.

Time for the big reveal… after brain stimulation, did the nine participants lose weight? Yes. After the study, the volunteers that underwent brain stimulation consumed less calories from soda and fatty foods. Additionally, they lost a small amount of weight and had no side-effects. Compared to the individuals that were given the placebo (fake stimulation), it seems that this pain-free process could be a viable weight loss option.

So what does this mean for the future of weight loss? Should Jenny Craig be nervous? While research is reshaping the way we think about weight loss, there is still a lot of research to be done to make conclusive statements. Even though the participants lost weight, it is very unrealistic for individuals to pay for transcranial direct current stimulation instead of cut down on soda (6). However, if people are willing to go through the rigors of Bootcamp on The Biggest Loser, the possibilities of weight loss solutions are endless. 

(1) http://www.mensfitness.com/weight-loss/burn-fat-fast/the-fittest-and-fattest-cities-in-america

(2) http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

(3) http://time.com/4100194/brain-stimulation-weight-loss/

(4) https://www.quora.com/Neuroanatomy/What-are-the-primary-functions-of-the-dorsolateral-prefrontal-cortex

(5) http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/specialty_areas/brain_stimulation/tdcs.html

(6) http://www.webmd.com/diet/20151106/could-brain-stimulation-be-a-way-to-weight-loss?page=1

11 Exercises to get you to Finals Week!

As much as we would like to deny it, finals are right around the corner and the fall semester is coming to an end. As we struggle to pay attention in class with the help of caffeine, we sometimes rest our heads down in our textbook to take a nap. This article, from the online site artofmanliness, stated that individuals who can keep their attention for longer periods of time would perform better on all kinds of cognitive challenges than people who can't. Think of your brain as a muscle that you want to work out in the body. There are no shortcuts to getting that six pack or to get those huge biceps. There are 11 exercises that are given by Brett and Kate McKay. Let's use them to chug through the rest of the semester and finish our finals with a flourish!

1) Increase the Strength of your Focus Gradually

The “Pomodoro Method” is to study for 45 minutes straight and then having a 15 minute break. This is repeated as long as needed. If this is too hard, however, you can increase the strength of your focus gradually. First start off with five minutes of straight concentration. Take a two minute break and repeat this process. Everyday, you add another 5 minutes to your focused work time and 2 minutes to your break time. This helps build up your stamina and ability to focus for a longer period of time.

2)   Distraction List

The hardest part of studying is when your mind starts to wander and you want to look up the information on your phone. However, once we get distracted, it takes on average 25 minutes to return to our original task. This article recommends that the best method to maintain your attention is to write down your question on a piece of paper and form a list. This will keep your attention and drain less of your precious brain energy as there’s less shifting of your attention.

3) Build your willpower!

Form a goal and finish it! For example, write out a realistic schedule of what to do during a short amount of time. If you know an assignment will only take 25 minutes, finish it within that time! Don’t extend the time required to finish it by 45 minutes just because you’re distracted.

4) Meditate

Meditating can keep you calm and collected. It will boost your attention span significantly and it only takes about 10-20 minutes of your day to change your mindset.

5) Practice Mindfulness throughout the day

Take time to focus on the things you take for granted throughout the day. Take time to chew and taste the flavors of the foods you enjoy. Smell the fragrances and odors of everything around you. Push back the distractions and focus all your senses on one task at hand. This activity will help you increase your attention and decrease all distractions. 

6) Exercise your Body

Although it may be tempting to take a nap or watch Netflix and binge on snacks before studying, it may be better to take a couple laps at Halas! Research showed that students who engaged in moderate physical exercise before taking a test that measured attention spans performed better than students who didn't. Exercise your body before exercising your mind!

7) Memorize Stuff...Other Stuff!!

I know college students can be overwhelmed with the amount of concepts and theories to memorize and a tip to memorize more can seem counter-intuitive, but it’s not! Make it a goal to memorize one poem or a verse of text per week. It’s a great way to exercise the muscles in your brain.

8) Read Long Stuff Slowly

Although it may be tempting to skim through documents, slow down and read them slowly. This trains your mind to pay attention to long articles. Try and read one or two long articles a week!

9) Stay Curious

The more curious you are, the great your stamina of concentration will be. While reading your textbook, try and do active reading. Ask questions while you’re reading the textbook so it pushes you to read the next section.

10) Practice Attentive Listening

Get your information from lectures that your professor gives out! Put away your phone and listen as attentively as possible. Not only are you increasing your concentration but you’re learning the material from the professor who is the one that writes out your exam!

11) Perform Concentration Exercises

Boost your focus by performing concentration exercises. Commit to solely increasing your brain’s concentration by doing exercises. These can be found online or there’s a ton of apps!

Let's take a step back and look at the bigger picture. We only have a month left of school. Three weeks if we don't count finals. Two weeks and a half if we don't count Thanksgiving Break. Let's use the concept of selective attention we learned in class and turn up our signals for lectures and assignments and turn down the noise for our phones, TVs, and forms of social media.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/01/30/your-concentration-training-program-11-exercises-that-will-strengthen-your-attention/

Empathy: The Ability to Share and Understand, or the Opportunity to Manipulate?

Humans possess many traits that philosophers and scientists agree set us apart from other animals. Characteristics such as language, self-awareness, and specifically, our ability to empathize. I am an animal lover, and do believe that animals have the capability to feel various emotions and display personalities, however, I definitely do agree that human experiences of feelings and emotions are extremely complex and enigmatic. Since true emotion is hard to quantify and gauge in experimental settings, emotional studies are difficult to reinforce with the scientific method. Nonetheless, there are many studies have been successfully conducted and several hypotheses supported.

            In class we studied that empathy may originate from imitation. Singer et al (2004) showed that when participants were presented with an image of another person in pain, some areas of the brain activate even though there was no physical pain caused to the participant. But what happens when our emotions are put to test in social situations?

In “Using Empathy to Use People: Emotional Intelligence and Manipulation”, Jamil Zaki of Scientific American, highlighted two very interesting studies on empathy. Zaki circled the idea that the two elements of empathy can be intercepted from coming together and forming the textbook idea of empathy – the ability to be affected by and share another’s emotional state, and understand their perspective. Based on papers by Sara Konrath, and Yuki Nozaki and Masuo Koyasu, Zaki suggests that cognitive empathy, the understanding of another’s emotions, and emotional empathy, the sharing of these emotions, is disrupted when the idea of manipulating the other person is implanted.

It is close to impossible to study one emotion in isolation in a social situation. Humans are so complex, each of us uniquely wired, seeing the world in different ways, establishing our own schemas, and ultimately experiencing emotions in very distinct manners. It is interesting to read about studies that show subjects collectively displaying one type of behaviour based on emotions.  

           

Source: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/moral-universe/using-empathy-to-use-people-emotional-intelligence-and-manipulation/ (November 7th, 2013) 

Is it Time for Anatomy Textbooks to be Revised?

Recent findings published by the journal Nature suggest that the missing link between the central nervous system and the immune system has been found. According to Josh Barney, researchers at the University of Virginia recently made a revolutionary discovery that will allow a better understanding about the connection between the human brain and the immune system. These findings overturn current anatomy textbook knowledge and may be the path to better understanding neurological diseases such as autism, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s.

The lymphatic system consists of a network of organs, tissues, and lymphatic vessels that help the body eliminate unwanted substances and waste. It plays an important role in our bodies by helping to keep it healthy by eliminating infections and disease as it transports lymph, a fluid containing white-blood cells, throughout the body. Until recently, it was believed that the brain was the only organ that didn’t have a direct communication to the lymphatic system. Therefore, according to scientists, there was a different understanding about how the brain eliminated excess or waste substances because lymphatic vessels allegedly stopped before reaching the brain (Mercola 1).

However, these new findings, point to the existence of lymphatic vessels located in the meninges, the membranes that act as protective barriers covering the brain, as the connectors to the nervous system.

The experimental procedure that allowed these results ,were performed on mice. Researcher Antoine Louveau, was able to develop an innovative method to examine the meninges of a mouse as a whole: ‘ [they] fixed the meninges within the skullcap, so that the tissue is secured in its physiological condition, and then we dissected it. If we had done it the other way around, it wouldn’t have worked.’ As a result, the lymphatic vessels, hidden behind blood vessels, were discovered. These findings suggest a new mapping of the lymphatic system as follows:

Maps of the lymphatic system: old (left) and updated to reflect UVA's discovery.

Credit: University of Virginia Health System

The implications of this discovery are yet to be fully understood. Nevertheless, the intricate relationship between the nervous system and the immune system that these impressive findings suggest, may serve as an avenue to treat and understand complex neurological diseases. It also raises many questions regarding what is yet to discover about the complexity of the human body. 

Works Cited

Barney, Josh. “Researchers Find Textbook-Altering Link Between Brain. Immune System.” UVA today. 01 Jun. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. http://news.virginia.edu/content/researchers-find-textbook-altering-link-between-brain-immune-system

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/06/25/brain-immune-system-connection.aspx

Media and the Brain: Our Addiction to the Internet

In our society today, social media has impacted our lives tremendously. Internet usage has had a great deal of influence on how we think. Recently, there have been studies claiming that iPhone usage could be detrimental to our mental health. As research in this area gains more traction, we can discover detrimental effects as well as beneficial effects due to Internet usage. An article in Psychology Today titled, “Brain, Behavior, and Media,” Bernard J. Luskin investigates how the media is psychologically affecting our brains and our behavior by looking at brain research using MRI. 

The article discusses the recent development of Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). The symptoms include tremors, shivers, nausea, and anxiety. The symptoms of this disorder are similar to symptoms found in other addiction disorders so similar that some professionals believe that IAD is analogous to substance abuse. or behaviors like gambling and eating disorders. Detaching people from the internet or from iPhones can be very difficult. This is typically illustrated in everyday life when students attempt to sneak in a text message in the middle of a class or couples sit at dinner with their phones beside them. Within this addiction, within excessive internet usage, there are mind-altering applications. The effects these devices have our brain however are not always detrimental. 

The article discusses the growth of media psychology which is presently being applied as a tool to benefit Internet addicts. Media psychology uses positive messages to enhance the knowledge and public awareness that lead us to positive behavioral changes. Interesting beneficial media effects mentioned int the article are that IQs are rising, we see more girls pursing careers in science, and communication across cultures has skyrocketed. On the other hand, the article cites detrimental effects including a direct link between media stimulation and ADD, there is an immense desensitization to violence, and the average number of sleep hours decreases in an inverse proportion manner to the number of hours per day on Internet use all due to Internet Addiction Disorder becoming more commonly diagnosed. 

Furthermore, this is an interesting field of research that presently and in the coming years will be even more prevalent to our society. However, testing hypotheses related to this field of research could be very difficult. For instance, researchers would have to develop creative experiments in order to examine internet use affects on different parts of the brain. 

Sources; https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-media-psychology-effect/201203/brain-behavior-and-media

Memory and the Power of Repetition

It's no secret that improving our memory is a hot topic nowadays, with cutting edge science being applied to attempt to come up with all sorts of drugs that may help you remember that little detail that is on the tip of your tongue.  These products may be inaccessible to the average person, but there are a few tricks which can be used to improve one's memory.  One in particular is a simple technique which you may already be familiar with, if not by name.

Spacing is the technique of improving a specific memory through the use of repetition.  It's a simple and intuitive idea which entails that repeatedly focusing on a specific memory will strengthen that memory.  There have been multiple studies lauding this particular idea.  One such study pitted a memory strengthened through spacing against a separate memory.  The repetition resulted in a greater memory compared to the unimproved memory.  (Belluck 1)

Spacing might be best suited for students.  The vast amount of information which students have to learn and recall can be rather overwhelming at times.  Utilizing spacing would require the student to go over their information and study very much in advance of the exam, compared to the common tactic of cramming.  Cramming can work, but repetition can lead to better grades.

Belluck, Pam. "Memories Weaken Without Reinforcement, Study Finds." The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Mar. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.