Neuroscience
Relevance and Importance of Neuroscience for Law
February 7, 2017
Michael S. Pardo and Dennis Patterson (University of Alabama School of Law and European University Institute) has posted The Promise of Neuroscience for Law: 'Overclaiming' in Jurisprudence, Morality, and Economics (Patterson, Dennis, and Michael S. Pardo (eds.). Philosophical Foundations of Law and Neuroscience. Oxford University Press, 2016, 231-248) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Claims for the relevance and importance of neuroscience for law are stronger than ever. Notwithstanding persuasive...
February 7, 2017
Michael S. Pardo and Dennis Patterson (University of Alabama School of Law and European University Institute) has posted The Promise of Neuroscience for Law: 'Overclaiming' in Jurisprudence, Morality, and Economics (Patterson, Dennis, and Michael S. Pardo (eds.). Philosophical Foundations of Law and Neuroscience. Oxford University Press, 2016, 231-248) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Claims for the relevance and importance of neuroscience for law are stronger than ever. Notwithstanding persuasive...
Teenagers’ Brains Process Risk Differently When Mum is Around
February 4, 2017
The traffic lights turn amber: should you brake or accelerate on through? If there’s a teenager at the wheel, the chances are he or she will put their foot down and keep going. Teenagers love taking risks, more so than any other age group. This is partly down to the immaturity of the teen brain: they do not yet show the same connectivity between frontal decision making areas and deeper reward-related brain areas, as compared with adults. But there’s also a social element. When an adult is around,...
February 4, 2017
The traffic lights turn amber: should you brake or accelerate on through? If there’s a teenager at the wheel, the chances are he or she will put their foot down and keep going. Teenagers love taking risks, more so than any other age group. This is partly down to the immaturity of the teen brain: they do not yet show the same connectivity between frontal decision making areas and deeper reward-related brain areas, as compared with adults. But there’s also a social element. When an adult is around,...
Revenge Really is Sweet
January 19, 2017
When we feel ostracised, we’re more likely to behave aggressively. Previous research suggests that vengeance on those who we think have wronged us can be driven by a sense of justice, and may activate neural reward centres. But being ostracised can also lead to generalised aggression, even lashing out at unrelated people, so there seems to be more going on. In new research in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, David Chester and C. Nathan DeWall tested the idea that social rejection,...
January 19, 2017
When we feel ostracised, we’re more likely to behave aggressively. Previous research suggests that vengeance on those who we think have wronged us can be driven by a sense of justice, and may activate neural reward centres. But being ostracised can also lead to generalised aggression, even lashing out at unrelated people, so there seems to be more going on. In new research in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, David Chester and C. Nathan DeWall tested the idea that social rejection,...
How Chronic Stress Erodes Memory
January 16, 2017
A recent study shows that sustained stress erodes memory with the immune system playing a key role in cognitive impairment. Specifically, the study researched the relationship between chronic stress and short-term memory in mice. The mice that were repeatedly introduced to the aggressive intruder had a difficult time remembering where the escape hole was, whereas the mice who were less stressed, remembered it. Additionally, the chronically stressed mice had evidence of inflammation in their brains,...
January 16, 2017
A recent study shows that sustained stress erodes memory with the immune system playing a key role in cognitive impairment. Specifically, the study researched the relationship between chronic stress and short-term memory in mice. The mice that were repeatedly introduced to the aggressive intruder had a difficult time remembering where the escape hole was, whereas the mice who were less stressed, remembered it. Additionally, the chronically stressed mice had evidence of inflammation in their brains,...
“Power Poses” Don’t Stand Up
December 6, 2016
Perhaps you’ve seen the famous TED talk about so-called power poses. It encouraged viewers to change the course of their lives by assuming what are thought of as dominant postures. "So you make yourself big, you stretch out, you take up space. You're basically opening up. It's about opening up." That's Harvard researcher Amy Cuddy. Her talk is the second most-watched on the TED site: 37 million views. The 2010 study by Cuddy and colleagues that inspired the talk stated that striking power poses...
December 6, 2016
Perhaps you’ve seen the famous TED talk about so-called power poses. It encouraged viewers to change the course of their lives by assuming what are thought of as dominant postures. "So you make yourself big, you stretch out, you take up space. You're basically opening up. It's about opening up." That's Harvard researcher Amy Cuddy. Her talk is the second most-watched on the TED site: 37 million views. The 2010 study by Cuddy and colleagues that inspired the talk stated that striking power poses...
Duke Neurosurgeons Test Microsoft Hololens as an AR Assist
October 11, 2016
One of the several things that makes brain surgery so difficult is that the brain isn’t transparent. So if you want to get at something deep inside, you either have to peel off a few layers or make an educated guess based on other imagery. But augmented reality may offer a third way. A pair of neurosurgeons at Duke are experimenting with a way to reduce the risk of “blind” surgeries where it just isn’t possible to see what you’re doing. An example would be (skip this if you’re squeamish)...
October 11, 2016
One of the several things that makes brain surgery so difficult is that the brain isn’t transparent. So if you want to get at something deep inside, you either have to peel off a few layers or make an educated guess based on other imagery. But augmented reality may offer a third way. A pair of neurosurgeons at Duke are experimenting with a way to reduce the risk of “blind” surgeries where it just isn’t possible to see what you’re doing. An example would be (skip this if you’re squeamish)...
Human Brain Map Gets a Bold New Update
October 9, 2016
The new Allen Brain Atlas combines neuroimaging and tissue staining to offer an unprecedented level of resolution Most of us think little of hopping on Google Maps to look at everything from a bird’s-eye view of an entire continent to an on-the-ground view of a specific street, all carefully labeled. Thanks to a digital atlas published this week, the same is now possible with the human brain. Ed Lein and colleagues at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle have created a comprehensive,...
October 9, 2016
The new Allen Brain Atlas combines neuroimaging and tissue staining to offer an unprecedented level of resolution Most of us think little of hopping on Google Maps to look at everything from a bird’s-eye view of an entire continent to an on-the-ground view of a specific street, all carefully labeled. Thanks to a digital atlas published this week, the same is now possible with the human brain. Ed Lein and colleagues at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle have created a comprehensive,...
Neuroscientist Explains How Team USA’s Star Twists, Turns and Flips
August 10, 2016
But to understand how these functions are executed, everything gets more complex. For each muscle, there is about 300 to 400 motor neurons that innovate it to move. Each of those motor neurons receive about 25 inputs from the brain. In a recent study, Dr Jessell found that there are as many as 200 classes of nerve cells that influence movement. And understanding every single one of these cells and neurons counts is crucial to understanding why one body is different to another. 'You can imagine...
August 10, 2016
But to understand how these functions are executed, everything gets more complex. For each muscle, there is about 300 to 400 motor neurons that innovate it to move. Each of those motor neurons receive about 25 inputs from the brain. In a recent study, Dr Jessell found that there are as many as 200 classes of nerve cells that influence movement. And understanding every single one of these cells and neurons counts is crucial to understanding why one body is different to another. 'You can imagine...
The Ultimate Brain Map
August 9, 2016
A new map of the human brain could be the most accurate yet, as it combines all sorts of different kinds of data. This might finally solve a century of disagreements over the shapes and positions of different brain areas. Read more from Nature news here: http://www.nature.com/news/human-brai... Read the paper here: http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.103...
August 9, 2016
A new map of the human brain could be the most accurate yet, as it combines all sorts of different kinds of data. This might finally solve a century of disagreements over the shapes and positions of different brain areas. Read more from Nature news here: http://www.nature.com/news/human-brai... Read the paper here: http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.103...
Which Professions Have The Most Psychopaths?
July 17, 2016
According to a survey conducted by psychologist Kevin Dutton—called the Great British Psychopath Survey—here are the top 10 professions with the most psychopaths: CEO Lawyer Media (TV/Radio) Salesperson Surgeon Journalist Police Officer Clergyperson Chef Civil Servant Here are some of the traits of psychopaths: Self-confident Cold-hearted Manipulative Fearless Charming Cool under pressure Egocentric Carefree
July 17, 2016
According to a survey conducted by psychologist Kevin Dutton—called the Great British Psychopath Survey—here are the top 10 professions with the most psychopaths: CEO Lawyer Media (TV/Radio) Salesperson Surgeon Journalist Police Officer Clergyperson Chef Civil Servant Here are some of the traits of psychopaths: Self-confident Cold-hearted Manipulative Fearless Charming Cool under pressure Egocentric Carefree
