The Political Brain - Chapter 5: "Special Interests in Mind"

When Republicans and Democrats listen to a speech, they usually hold diametrically opposing perspectives that depends on the political party of the speaker him/herself. Each party favors their own. Essentially, it boils down to what people want to hear. Drew Westen argues that “the tendency to see what we want to see reflects an accidental byproduct of the evolution of our brains.” Why? Well because what people hear elicits an emotional response and they can base their judgments on these emotional associations. This is why, Westen says, there has been the “[prevention] of rational discourse…for about 80% of populations, including the most politically informed voters” (Westen 90).

Westen also talks about how many people view ideas and titles with “association” and “alternative possibilities.”  For instance, to a typical person, the word party usually either conjures up fond memories of a social gathering, or the political statements s/he has heard from other people regarding the Democrats and Republicans. Therefore, when hearing this word, it brings up some form of emotional memory in the form of multiple networks in the brain all working together to try to make sense of the context of the word (its definition). This is important because candidates can take advantage of this phenomena and implement it in their campaigns. Is this necessarily a bad thing and how can we avoid being taken advantage of in this sense?

Two sets or constraints “shape our judgments,” according to Westen (Westen 99). These are cognitive constraints (which are imposed by the information that we have available) and emotional constraints (which are imposed by the feelings associated with one conclusion or another). However, these constraints are usually competing with each other; it’s the classical war between logic and emotion. Westen makes a few examples (such as the Clinton vs. Dole debate) to illustrate how emotion takes place in decision-making.

I believe, in the end, what matters is likely those last 20% of voters. It is probably very difficult to change the minds of 80% of voters, but emotional association will almost always be stronger than cognitive association. However, I believe, like Westen, that these 20% of voters “have changeable minds” and can be influenced by logic. Usually, presidential candidates win by only “2 to 3 percentage points.” So we know that we can change their minds or allow them to gravitate towards one viewpoint or another. But how is this possible?

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The Political Brain - Chapter 4: "The Emotions Behind the Curtain"

This chapter opens with one of the most memorable moments during the presidential debate of 1988. Bernard Shaw (moderator) asks Governor Dukakis a simple question: “If Kitty [his wife’ were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?”

Dukakis: “No, I don’t Bernard…I don’t see any evidence that it’s a deterrent, and I think there are better and more effective ways to deal with violent crime.”

Thus far, we have been talking about the evolution of the dispassionate mind. On the surface, this answer seems very logical and rational. However, if we look at what it really meant, we would see the flaw in his answer. His opposition to the death penalty reflects a moral stance, but there’s no sign of that in his answer. Most voters would be inclined to say things like, “He doesn’t have a heart.”

Westen proceeds to write about the various emotions that motivate us and make us feel. Wishes, desires, fears, and moralistic, and aesthetically thinking about how things should be or should not be. Additionally, he goes on to cite the works of known psychologists, notably Skinner and Freud. The latter developed an infamously paradoxical theory: emotional processes can be activated and shaped outside of awareness. In the same way, according to recent research, people are more likely to find unlikable a person they have never seen if his image is preceded by an angry face.

This chapter is essentially a continuation of sorts with the previous one in that they both discuss the role of emotion and passion in politics. Unsurprisingly, politics in the Western world today, according to Westen, is in stark contrast to what has been talked about in this chapter and the last. Judgement and decision making have consistently won the battle over emotion even though the latter has helped organisms survive for millions of years. Thus, either you can use facts and figures like we talked about in Chapter 2. Or you can formulate your message to have “maximum appeal…and target the broader neural electorate” (Westen 88).

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The Political Brain - Chapter 3: "The Evolution of the Passionate Brain"

In this chapter, Author Drew Westen takes us on a journey through time to illustrate notable examples where the passionate brain has had some stronghold. Most notably, he talks about the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and President Johnson’s address before Congress in 1965, “demanding the passage of legislation that would put an end to the disenfranchisement of African Americans.” Notably, Johnson’s address would signify a major turning point in American history, and in his congressional address, he compared it to significant events in the past. However, the most important thing to understand is that Johnson’s address was, in many respects, not rational. Rather it was “beyond reason” and more passionate. He truly believed that everyone, regardless of their skin color, should be given the right to vote.

Westen brings us back into the realm of neuroscience, talking about development of the central nervous system over millions of years of evolution.

As mentioned and described in detail in my previous blog posts, we have “newer” and “primitive” brain structures. Westen describes the Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, whose work in neuroscience has led to some very interesting results. If a snail (Aplysia) is shocked after touching a live wire (but thinks it is harmless), soon the snail’s neurons will be able to predict and recoil based on the touch stimulus. In the same way, voters looking at presidential candidates will act the same way.

Although there are many more interesting examples in this chapter, these examples illustrate the fact that the mind is and can be passionate. Possibly even more passionate than logical.

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The Political Brain - Chapter 2: "Rational Minds, Irrational Campaigns"

The second chapter about this book talks about an idea that is at first very counter-intuitive but seems to make more sense as the chapter progresses: the notion of logic and a dispassionate state of mind. Or in this case, the lack thereof. Try thinking about the chapter title, “Rational Minds, Irrational Campaigns.”

Public opinion is very important to consider. Walter Lippmann first used the term in 1922 to describe conflicting beliefs- “About what is happening in the economy, the world, and laws/policy-making- held by a population that generally lacks the firsthand experience and expertise to know what is truly happening.” Because of public opinion, voters are more subjective to issues towards which they may feel impartial. They may feel like they have a moral obligation to vote for a particular candidate instead of making their own personal choice themselves. Therefore, as explained in my first post on this book, it is more advantageous to run with passion and empathy along with logic.

Author Drew Westen describes the case of a voting coal miner. He logically compares Bush’s stance on certain issues compared to John Kerry’s stance. He ranks their stance on issues like terrorism, social security, jobs, the economy, etc. on a scale from 1 to 5 (if +3 for one candidate, -3 for the other candidate). After doing some multiplication and simple addition, he arrives at a score of 41 for Kerry and -39 for Bush. With the 80 point difference, the choice should be clear. However, Westen states that only those with a serious brain damage vote like this. And he’s right. For the neuroscientists, damage to your frontal lobes affects your emotional decision-making.

In a debate with Gore and Bush, Gore makes a logical argument involving Medicare and facts and figures. Logically and technically, Bush would have been defeated. However, with some hand-waving and criticizing Gore for using numbers like a “human calculator,” Bush won that point of the debate emotionally.

This is why emotion wins over logic with respect to public opinion. It’s about how people make their voters feel rather than imparting pure logic with a lack of emotion. Leaders who act confidently and have excellent public speaking skills are probably more ideal for holding office. Hopefully this book will go into more detail on what other factors make a person more likable and favorable with respect to public opinion.

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"The Political Brain" - Chapter 1: Winning States of Mind

I have decided to tackle a new book that delves into the world of politics- specifically US Politics - and the role of emotion. Why is it that statistically most Americans agree with Democrats and vote for Republicans? 

Author Drew Westen attempts to answer this question. The main idea behind this book is that "the states that determine elections are really the voters' states of mind." The central thesis behind this book is that "the vision of mind that has captured the imagination of philosophers, cognitive scientists, economists, and political scientists...bears no relation to how the mind and brain actually work.”

This first chapter illustrates an example between two political videos of Bill Clinton and John Kerry. In short, many people (a.k.a. potential U.S. voters) saw the Kerry video as very effective but just “not relatable enough.” Bill Clinton later won the election. Why? Well Kerry’s video was about how great of a leader he was, but he seemed to distance himself from his potential voters. How could they vote for someone who was so unlike them and who possibly wouldn’t be able to represent them well? Of course, “them” is an extremely broad term. Kerry additionally had little to no facial expression in his campaign video and instead looked “serious and dour.” Clinton, on the other hand, one of the most intellectual people to ever take office in the West Wing, did not mention his alma mater and instead appealed to his voters by being more emotional in his video. This is what eventually won him the presidential election.

In the rest of this book, I hope to read more examples about this notion of “emotion” playing a large role in politics (both state and national). In all, this book would appeal to people who love politics, watch “House of Cards”, love neuroscience, or are psychologists. 

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CYBCYL Chapter 11 – Looking Into Memory and Temper: The Temporal Lobes

The temporal lobes have “largely gone unnoticed in human psychology,” according to Amen. In fact, there has been little to no discussion on them in psychiatric journals However, using Amen’s brain imaging, he has found that the temporal lobes play an important part in our learning, socializations, emotional stability, and memory. Additionally, there is one lobe on each side of the brain, the dominant side (left), and the nondominant side (the right). The dominant side is responsible for: 

• Understanding and processing language
• Short-term and long-term memory
• Auditory learning
• Retrieval of words
• Complex memories
• Visual and auditory processing
• Emotional stability

The nondominant side is primarily responsible for: 

• Recognizing facial expressions
• Decoding vocal intonation
• Rhythm
• Music
• Visual learning

 Language is a very important function of the temporal lobes. There is a specific part, called Wernicke’s area, in the dominant side responsible for written and spoken language. In relating to the connection of neurons in the brain, each language has a particular “node” of neurons which connect to one another well per language. For individuals who know more than one language, there are multiple “nodes” in this region.

Since these lobes have a variety of functions, there are likewise many problems associated with them. Some common to both are:

• Memory problems
• Amnesia
• Anxiety for no reason
• Feeling of déjà vu, jamais vu, or presque vu
• Periods of spaciness or confusion
• Seizures

Amen lists many more problems on the temporal lobes, which take up an entire page. I had no idea that these “armchairs” of the brain are responsible for so many functions.

Since I know many people who can relate to the problems that this chapter describes, I am eager to see what “remedies” Amen has in store. It seems, from this chapter, that many of the problems with the temporal lobes are involved with memory and aggressiveness. Again, please follow the checklist provided in this chapter to see if you may have a problem with your temporal lobes.

Amen’s overall progression in this book has been quite significant, and even someone with little to no prior knowledge of the brain can understand if and where their problems lie and how they can be fixed. That is what makes this book so appealing. Moreover, someone can have only a minor problem in a certain area (or no problem at all), and yet Amen’s prescriptions would work excellently. Even though some might seem trivial, they are extremely effective (In fact, I have tried a few myself). So even average, brain-healthy people can start their journey to improving themselves and changing their lives.

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CYBCYL Chapter 10 – Getting Unstuck: Cingulate System Prescriptions

How can one heal deep cingulate system problems?

First, I advise readers to determine if they may have a problem using Amen’s provided checklist in Chapter 9. Then start to follow the prescriptions below. You do not have to have a problem to use these prescriptions.

Cingulate System Prescription 1: Notice When You’re Stuck, Distract Yourself, and Come Back to the Problem Later. The first step is to be aware that you have a problem, especially with circular or looping thoughts. This is what can enable you to distract yourself from these (usually harmful) thoughts and then come back to them later. Just get up and literally do something else.

Cingulate System Prescription 2: Think Through Answers Before Automatically Saying No. -As previously mentioned, people with a cingulate system problem are very likely to be inflexible and unable to cooperate with other people. Therefore, it is vital that these people work to fix this problem. Amen suggests to take a deep breath, and during that deep breath, consider what saying no will mean. This is especially important when considering relationships with significant others.

Cingulate System Prescription 3: Write Out Options And Solutions When You Feel Stuck. This one, like the others, is very self-explanatory. First you have to write out the thought. Then make a list of things you can do about the worrying thought. Then finally make a list of things you cannot do about the worrying thought. This is a very simple technique that can help ease the tension.

These are only some of the main prescriptions that can help your cingulate system. The book delves into many others which involve making paradoxical requests and Amen’s own prayer that he calls the “serenity prayer.” Please try to buy this book and see for yourself.

I felt that this chapter was especially important since the cingulate system is responsible for common problems, many of which we have every day. Again, as I mentioned before, you don’t have to have a problem with the cingulate system to take advantage of Amen’s “prescriptions.” Many of these problems are extremely commonplace, and by following his techniques, you can still change your life. I also immediately thought about how many people I know fit the symptoms of having a problem in their cingulate system. From chapters 9 and this chapter, however, it is easy for people to recognize that first, they have a problem and second, they can fix it. In this way, I hope that many other chapter will continue this trend of identifying, attacking, and ultimately, improving problems in your brain and in your life.

All in all, this book is very unique in that it talk about how one can influence change in their behavior through. After a particular system in the brain is discussed, the subsequent chapter talks about how people can positively influence that system which essentially changes them for the better (hence the title “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life”).

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CYBCYL Chapter 9 – Looking into Worry and Obsessiveness: The Cingulate System

This chapter delves into the role of the cingulate system in the brain. It is what enables to people to be flexible when considering other peoples’ ideas and viewpoints. Therefore, problems with this system would likely make someone inflexible and unable to cooperate with others. The cingulate system has many other functions including:

• Ability to shift attention
• Cognitive flexibility 
• adaptability
• movement from idea to idea
• ability to see options
• ability to cooperate
• ability to “go with the flow”

The chapter showed that in SPECT scans, brains that were more overactive in the cingulate area were correlated with subjects’ worrying as well as anger and obsessiveness. If you read my post in Chapter 2, you may remember that I talked about the boy who had been obsessed with taking out his teeth for the “tooth fairy.” Through a SPECT scan, it was later determined that this way because of a problem in his cingulate system. What this means is that when this system is overexcited, our perspective of the outside world changes (in this case, we become more inflexible and over-attached to certain things). In this chapter, Amen also focuses on the connection between obsessive-compulsive disorder and the cingulate system (which is very intuitive to consider). Please read this chapter for further information.

This chapter is very significant towards my understanding of human behavior. I did not know how or why certain people were more inflexible than others and why some people were known as “constant worriers.” I also did not know where OCD affected the brain and how it developed in a child and adult. However, this chapter answers all those questions.

The cingulate system is one of the most important parts of our brains, especially in determining human behavior. It was very interesting to read about how all the functions listed above were linked in some way, and I have seen that the key to understanding comes from knowing the key functions of the cingulate system. In my honest opinion, society may favor those who are very flexible and those who can tolerate plans changing suddenly at the last minute. I look forward to reading about some of Amen’s prescriptions for the cingulate system. 

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CYBCYL Chapter 5 – Looking Into Anxiety and Fear: The Basal Ganglia

This chapter delves into the role of the basal ganglia in our daily lives. They are a set of large structures toward the center of the brain that surround the basal ganglia system. The basal ganglia are mainly associated with integrating feeling, thoughts, and movement and helping to shift and smooth motor behavior. People with basal ganglia problems are prone to anxiety attacks and very low motivation. As for the functions of the basal ganglia, there are many more, including:

• Integrating feeling and movement
• Shifting and smoothing fine motor behavior
• Suppressing unwanted motor behaviors
• Setting the body’s idle speed or anxiety level
• Enhancing motivation
• Mediating pleasure/ecstasy

The basal ganglia is responsible for the decision/initiation to move. Often when a situation is too shocking to witness, an individual may literally be unable to move (frozen in space). Additionally, the basal ganglia are involved in suppressing unwanted motor activity. When people have abnormalities in this area, they are often prone to voice or vocal tics. The basal ganglia are also involved in anxiety signaling, which is one of the main things that Amen stresses in this chapter. Overactive basal ganglionic activity can be indicative of over-anxiety, as a certain patient case describes. It may be responsible for Tourette’s syndrome as well. Heightened basal ganglia activity may even lead to excessive motivational behavior (“workaholics”). Often these people work intense hours during the week and are very uncomfortable with the unstructured and restless period over the weekend.

The basal ganglia are very interesting to study. I did not know that they are what enables you to “choose”, per se, what action to conduct (when there are many actions in your mind). I am very interested to read Amen’s prescrtiptions for the problems with this system. It is also very curious to see that some of the problems with the basal ganglia resemble drug addictions under a brain scan. For instance, intense romantic love resembles a cocaine-like effect on the brain, and much dopamine is released in the basal ganglia.

This descriptive chapter is meant to introduce the reader to this part of the system, tell what it is responsible for, and list the problems associated with that part. Again, since this is such an interesting part of the brain, I look forward to reading about how to fix the problems associated with it. I recommend other readers to follow the helpful checklist that Amen provides in this chapter to find out if you have certain problems in the basal ganglia of your brain.

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CYBCYL Chapter 2 – Carving Knifes and Tooth Fairies: A Prelude to the Brain and Behavior

Here is where the author, Dr. Daniel Amen, begins to outline the basis for this book. Essentially, the brain is connected to our lives; everything we perceive and everything we think about originates and ends in the brain. Additionally, as mentioned in Chapter 1, SPECT scanning (like fMRI and other scans) is a way to glimpse the brain in all its glory. In fact, Amen states that he felt “naked” the first time he saw his own scan due to how it could act as a potential “mind-reader”.

More into the chapter, some personal cases are mentioned, each of which involve a particular disorder in a specific part of the brain. Amen makes these cases to show the reader an instance of the disorder, where it would likely be located, and how the problem was treated. For instance, in the title of this chapter, “tooth fairies” refers to a young child who unfortunately had a disorder which involved him constantly attempting to pull out his teeth just to get money from the “tooth fairy”. The “carving knives” portion involves a patient whose life went downhill after a car accident left him with a minor concussion. He became so paranoid that he waited behind the door to attempt to kill his roommate with a butcher’s knife. Thankfully, due to Amen’s treatment, both problems (each involving certain parts of the brain) were fully resolved within weeks.

As a reader, I am definitely curious about the techniques that Amen discusses in this chapter. Of course, he is not referring to taking medication for every problem listed, but rather these everyday “prescriptions” (which at first glance may seem trivial but are actually more important than one may think). He will be discussing 5 systems of the brain and how they can help us “understand ourselves and others.” After each descriptive chapter, the chapter following it will describe Amen’s techniques/prescriptions to help deal with these problems practically and effectively.

Yes, SPECT scans will likely be important in upcoming chapters. Honestly, I am still curious (perhaps skeptical?) about their efficacy, but nonetheless, learning about them may eventually answer my question on whether or not I want to see inside my own brain. Amen’s approach is one that is, in my opinion, very much overlooked by society. How often do we consider someone’s behavior a complete product of his or her own environmental conditioning? Many people I know well seem to fit (at least partially) Amen’s patient descriptions, so could it potentially mean that they have a problem with their brains? Of course, it is silly to completely base everything off of this “brain-centric” idea, but it is still a thought. Nevertheless, I begin my journey of the human brain in Chapter 3.

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CYBCYL Chapter 8- Becoming Focused: Prefrontal Cortex Prescriptions

In this chapter, Amen emphasizes a technique he calls “total focus” to heal prefrontal cortex problems. His prescriptions help emphasize this overarching theme. Prescription 1: The One-Page Miracle. This rule requires one to be very concrete with his or her goals and think deeply about what those goals are. Then that person would have to take a sheet of paper and write down goals under the following headings and subheadings: “Relationships” – Spouse/Lover, Children, Extended Family, and friends ; “Work” – Current work goals, future work goals, getting along with employer; “Money” – current financial goals, future financial goals; “Myself” – body, mind, spirit, and interest goals. This enables you to have something that essentially says, “These are the goals I want to have for my life.”

Amen’s second important pfc description (skipping a few) is to get organized; get help when you need it. Having organizational skills is one of the most important assets someone can have. However, it can also be very difficult to attain if you don’t immediately have it. Unless you work at it. Some tips that Amen provides for helping with organization are:

• Setting clear goals for your life (prescription 1)
• Devote some time every day for organization
• Prioritize your projects and tasks
• Create deadlines and enforce them strongly
• Keep “TO DO” lists (and possibly prioritize them as well)
• Break down overwhelming tasks into smaller ones
• Do your most unpleasant and/or hardest tasks first
• Use file folders if necessary to help with organization

Other prescriptions suggested in this chapter include but are not limited to: Playing music while you work (such as Mozart), maintain proper nutrition for optimal pfc activity, and audiovisual stimulation.

I encourage book owners to study these other techniques in addition to prescriptions 1 and 2 mentioned above. For all potential CYBCYL book owners, consider buying this book just to study the prescriptions, because I believe that those areas are where the book holds its true value. What I like about this book is that even if you do not have a problem with a particular system in your brain, it is still very helpful to study the prescriptions that Amen outlines. For instance, the title of this chapter is ‘becoming focused.” Many people without a problem in their pfc may still need more improvement in concentration and other areas. And with the prescriptions outlined in these specific chapters, they can potentially change their brains and change their lives.

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CYBCYL Chapter 7- Looking into Inattention and Impulsivity: The Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex is arguably what makes us human. It is considered that most evolved part of the brain and is responsible for a variety of functions including: judgment, attention span, critical thinking, problem solving, organizations, empathy, learning (from experience), simulation, and many others. This part of your brain is important in helping you learn from your mistakes.

Your prefrontal cortex is divided into 3 sections: the dorsolateral section (outer surface), the inferior orbital section (front underside), and the cingulate gyrus (through middle of frontal lobes). These parts of the brain are not important for now. Problems with the PFC as a whole include: short attention span, distractibility, chronic lateness, poor time management, disorganization, procrastination, poor judgment, inability to express emotions, short-term memory problems, social and test anxiety; and many others.

Amen stresses ADD/ADHD (attention deficit disorder) in this chapter, stating how “it occurs as a result of neurological dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex.” He has been very interested with it, ever since he found out that 2 of his 3 children unfortunately have this disorder. The rest of this chapter delves into ADD and how it relates to problems with the prefrontal cortex. Standard symptoms include: short attention span, distractibility, impulsivity, conflict seeking, disorganization, starting many projects but finishing few, and moodiness/negative thinking. Of course, just having these symptoms does not mean you automatically have ADD. However, you can talk to your doctor if you feel like any of these concern you.

Since I know many people who can relate to the problems that this chapter describes, I am eager to see what “remedies” Amen has in store. It seems, from this chapter, that many of the problems with the prefrontal cortex are involved with higher-level thinking and judgment. This is because as mentioned before, the prefrontal cortex is a relatively “newer” part of the brain. There is also an interesting study I read about that involves the delaying of gratification using marshmallows. That test mainly involves the prefrontal cortex, and test subjects (children) were supposed to resist the temptation of a second marshmallow after eating one. Those who delayed were likelier to be more motivated and successful in the future.

These introductory chapters are meant to introduce the reader to a part of the brain, what it is responsible for, and the problems associated with that part. This chapter pertains to me as well as many others I know, and I look forward to reading about how to go about fixing these problems. I recommend other readers to follow the helpful checklist that Amen provides in this chapter to find out if you have certain problems in this part of the brain. 

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CYBCYL Chapter 6 – Mastering Fear: Basal Ganglia Prescriptions

Based on the checklist in chapter five, it is possible to determine if you may have a problem with your basal ganglia. Again, they are responsible for your anxiety levels, smoothing motor movements, and integrating movement and feelings alike. Prescription 1: Kill the Fortune-Telling ANTs. Remember ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) from chapter 4? Well people who often have ANTs are usually more anxious, and many of these people may consider themselves pessimistic as well. There are many ways someone can overcome these thoughts. One way Amen suggests is to write down the thought that is causing you anxiety as well as the ANTs. Then try to “talk back” to the ANT and rid it from your mind. Often if you think something will go wrong, it will usually be the other way around.

Prescription 2: Use Guided Imagery. Here Amen says that you should find a quiet place to relax and be alone for about a half hour. Visualize yourself in your dream place, and try to picture it with all your senses. In essence, it’s like taking a mini vacation. Oh and be sure to breathe deeply and calmly. Prescription 3: Think about the “18/40/60” Rule. This rule states that, “When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you’re 40, you don’t give a damn about what anybody thinks about you; when you’re 60, you realize nobody’s been thinking about you at all.” Here Amen emphasizes that one should not worry about what others think about him or her. Often, anxiety may be caused by those who always fret over their perception in other peoples’ eyes. He says that “behavior should be based on yourself, not someone else.” Many more prescriptions are discussed in this chapter.

I would agree with most of what Amen discusses in this chapter; these are very reasonable prescriptions that people with basal ganglionic problems should take. I would certainly emphasize the power of meditation above all else. This is another one of Amen’s prescriptions that I did not have enough space to cover in this chapter, but it’s a very noteworthy one. I currently meditate, and I can definitely certify that it has helped drastically reduce my stress levels and improve my concentration as an added bonus. I encourage many people (regardless if they have problems with their basal ganglia or not) to try this practice. Additionally, although Amen’s third prescription certainly does make sense, take it with a grain of salt. He does not imply that you should do whatever you want with no regard for consequences. Don’t be self-centered. Instead, don’t make “pleasing others” your main focus in life. 

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CYBCYL Chapter 4 – Enhancing Positive Thought Patterns and Strengthening Connections: Deep Limbic System Prescriptions

How can one heal deep limbic system problems?

Deep Limbic System Prescription 1: Kill the ANTs – Depressed people view the world through a dim and gloomy scope. They harbor regret and look towards the future with anxiety and fearfulness. In this case, they suffer from ANTs or automatic negative thoughts. These can cause many to become depressed or think pessimistically. Some typical ANTs would be: “You don’t care about me” or “It’s your fault”. In order to heal this system, people must drive out the ANTs from their brain. Why? Because their thoughts are very real.

Deep Limbic System Prescription 2: Feed Your Anteater- You need to first notice ANTs and then crush them, making sure that they don’t influence your work and relationships. Whenever you see an ANT, make sure that you train yourself to recognize it and write it down. Most importantly, talk back to your ANTs. In doing so, you are essentially feeding your anteater.

Deep Limbic System Prescription 3: Surround Yourself With People Who Provide Positive Bonding. This one is very self-explanatory. In doing so, you can make it easier to have less ANTs and instead think positively. List the 10 people you spend the most time with. Make a note of how they support you and how you want to be supported more.

These are some of the main prescriptions that can help your deep limbic system. The book delves into many others which involve thinking about fond memories and surrounding yourself with good smells.

This book is very unique in that it talk about how one can influence change in their behavior through. After a particular system in the brain is discussed, the subsequent chapter talks about how people can positively influence that system which essentially changes them for the better (hence the title “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life”). I assume this will be the case for future parts of the brain discussed.

I felt that this chapter was especially important since the deep limbic system is responsible for some of the most basic functions of human expression. I immediately thought about how many people I know fit the symptoms of having a problem in their deem limbic system. With this chapter, however, it is easy for people to recognize that first, they have a problem and second, they can fix it. In this way, I hope that many other chapter will continue this trend of identifying, attacking, and ultimately, improving problems in your brain and in your life.

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CYBCYL Chapter 3- Love and Depression: The Deep Limbic System

This chapter delves into the role of the “deep limbic system” in our daily lives. However, it should be clarified that this term should not be confused with “limbic system”, which has other additional parts. Rather the “deep limbic system” in this chapter refers to the thalamic structures and hypothalamus, along with other surrounding systems.

The limbic system can be considered the “older” and more “primal” part of the brain. It has enabled animals to experience and show emotions, and the deep limbic system has many other functions including:

•  setting the emotional tone of the mind
• filtering external events through internal states (emotional coloring) 
• “tagging” events as internally important
• Storing highly charged emotional memories
• Modulating motivation
• Controlling appetite and sleep cycles
• Directly processing the sense of smell
• Promoting bonding
• Modulating libido

The chapter showed that in SPECT scans, brains that were more overactive in the deep limbic system area were correlated with subjects’ depression and negativity. This may be counterintuitive as once thought. What this means is that when the deep limbic system is overexcited, our perspective of the outside world changes (in this case, we become more pessimistic). More is discussed in this chapter relating to the menstrual cycle in females and the associated change in behavior. The deep limbic system is also responsible for directly processing the sense of smell as well as modulating libido. What this means is that certain smells may increase sexual arousal and activity (which has been proven in tests).

This chapter is very significant towards my understanding of human behavior. I did not know how or why certain people were pessimists and others were optimists. I did not know why emotional memories could change a person’s perspective. I did not know why sexual activity was associated with smells or why it decreased stress. However, this chapter answers all those questions.

The deep limbic system is one of the most important parts of our brains, especially in determining human behavior. It was very interesting to read about how all these functions were linked in some way, and I have seen that the key to understanding comes from knowing the key functions of the deep limbic system. For instance, the deep limbic system is responsible for both modulating libido and promoting bonding. This is important to understand because it means that many teenagers who embark in casual sexual relationships may become more attached to one another. I hope to use the information I learned in this chapter to form links where other parts of the brain are discussed (in future chapters). 

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Chapter 1 - "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness"

      The first chapter of the book is called “For Those Who Have Eyes, Let Them See: Images into the Mind.” The beginning of the chapter goes into detail on Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), which is used to make a comprehensive image of the brain. Essentially, a radioactive isotope is bound to a substance that is attracted to brain cells. This substance is injected into the person’s vein where it runs through the bloodstream and to the brain. Afterwards, a SPECT “gamma” camera rotates slowly around the patient’s head, and a supercomputer reconstructs brain activity levels from the images.

From this technique, it is possible to create an accurate and sophisticated brain map showing blood flow and metabolism. From tens of thousands of brain scans conducted over many years with different patients, doctors have been able to correlate certain brain maps with particular disorders or imbalances. Therefore, we now have the ability to identify patterns associated with brain function and different behaviors. The rest of the chapter details what is unique about this book. There are actual example images taken from SPECT scans of patients, some of whom have healthy brains and others who have different neurological disorders. For instance, with someone (in this case, a person named Ellen) who has suffered a stroke, that region of their brain shows up as a hole in the SPECT image (possibly due to the lack of blood flow in that region).

I found it very interesting that we can now use these SPECT scans to practically determine what conditions or deficiencies a person may or may not have. Surprisingly, these have been used as evidence in court cases, and I can now see the significance that they have in many peoples’ lives. However, the diagnosis must be accurate for it to be beneficial. Assuming this is true, I know that we have the potential to make better diagnoses involving certain disorders, especially those that have similar symptoms.

This book states that, “you’ll see scientific evidence that your anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness, or impulsiveness could be related to how specific structure in your brain work.” From this chapter, I can certify that this statement holds true. My prediction is that this may lead to the author discussing in general what certain behaviors correspond to in the brain. And eventually, how we can treat some of these behaviours and "change our lives."

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An Introduction - "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness"

            I will be covering this book throughout the next month and beyond. I am privileged to be reading such a unique piece of work that sheds a new light on what we already know (and don’t know) about the brain and the way it functions in our everyday behavior. The book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life is a New York Times bestseller, and the author, Dr. Daniel G. Amen, owns many clinics which operate using the techniques outlined in this book.

This beginning of this book provides a general outlook on the parts of our brain that govern our emotions and the parts of the brain that play important roles in our lives and in our behavior. The introduction of the book also opens with a bold statement which states that many of our problems are fixable and derive from the improper functioning of our brain. Such problems may be observed through a novel cerebral imaging technique known as SPECT imaging (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography). But what effect does this have for us? This question (I assume) will be answered later in the book.

The introduction also opens with a peculiar case involving Amen’s nine-year-old godson and nephew, Andrew. Unlike other boys his age, Andrew had been experiencing extreme bouts of depression, coupled with intense feelings of suicide and homicide. These feelings drove him mad, and at one point he assaulted a young girl without the intention of doing so. After using SPECT analysis, the author determined that he had been missing his left thalamus! In its place was a large cyst which needed to be surgically removed. After searching for many neurosurgeons, one finally agreed to operate, and within a few days, Andrew was finally back to behaving like a normal child.

I found this book quite engaging, to say the least. The opening paragraph provides an excellent segue into talking about the brain’s role in defining our individuality (after all, every person has a different brain). Additionally, I find it interesting that we can associate certain parts of the brain with certain behaviours. This association has led mental health experts to search for new ways to tackle the issues that many of us face. The book states that there are “brain prescriptions” available that can help change your brain and improve yourself as a person. I look forward to reading about these in coming chapters.  

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A Study on the Brain’s Addiction to Drugs

What happens in your brain when you ingest a drug? Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, have a similar structure to chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, which are naturally produced by the brain. Because of this similarity, these drugs are able to “fool” the brain's receptors and activate nerve cells to send abnormal messages.

A study conducted by Dr. Jodi Gilman at Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Center for Addiction Medicine involved scanning the brains of 20 pot smokers, ages 18 to 25. What she and fellow researchers at Harvard and Northwestern University found within those scans surprised them. Even in the seven participants who smoked only once or twice a week, there was evidence of structural differences in two significant regions of the brain. The more the subjects smoked, the greater the differences.

However, some marijuana use by healthy adults seems to pose minimal risk and may even be slightly beneficial in some cases. However, , with the brain developing into the mid-20s, young people who smoke early and often are more likely to have learning and mental health problems. In the Harvard-Northwestern study, differences between the brains of young adult marijuana smokers and those of nonsmokers are shown in the diagram. In these composite scans, colors represent the differences — in the shape of the amygdala, top, and nucleus accumbens. Yellow indicates areas that are most different, red the least.

This study, however, was preliminary and small; the team scanned the brains of only 40 young adults, most from Boston-area colleges. Half were nonusers; half reported smoking for one to six years and showed no signs of dependence. Besides the seven light smokers, nine used three to five days a week and four used, on average, daily. All smokers showed abnormalities in the shape, density and volume of the nucleus accumbens, which “is at the core of motivation, the core of pleasure and pain, and every decision that you make,” explained Dr. Hans Breiter, a co-author of the study and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern’s medical school. Attempts to replicate the study on a larger scale are underway.

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Scientists Convert Human Skin Cells Directly Into Brain Cells

Scientists are making steady progress on Huntington’s, a genetically inherited disorder that gradually weakens patients' muscle control and cognitive capacity until they die- usually some 20 or so years after initial symptoms. This week, a breakthrough has been discovered that involves converting human skin cells into a specific type of brain cell that is affected by Huntington's. 

Usually, stem cells (‘blank’, unspecialized cells) have been used to convert to brain cells, but skin cells are more widely available which allows for faster transplants.

Huntington's disease especially affects medium spiny neurons, which are involved in initiating and controlling movement and can be found in a part of the basal ganglia called the corpus striatum. This part of the brain also contains proteins called transcription factors, which control the rate at which genetic information is copied from DNA to messenger RNA.

To reprogram the adult human skin cells, the researchers created an environment that closely mimics that of brain cells. Exposure to two types of microRNA, miR-9 and miR-124, changes the cells into a mix of different types of neurons. "We think that the microRNAs are really doing the heavy lifting," said co-first author Matheus Victor, although the team admits that the precise machinations remain a mystery.

When transplanted into the brains of mice, the converted cells survived at least six months while showing functional and morphological properties similar to native neurons. They have not yet been tested in mice with a model of Huntington's disease to see if this has any effect on the symptoms. This could potentially change the way Huntington’s is viewed. With the ability to transplant cells, we may now be on the verge of a new form of treatment – and eventually a cure – for such a threatening disease.

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Cure for Spinal Cord Paralysis: World First as Man with Completely Severed Spine Walks Again

British Doctors have managed to stimulate the regeneration of spinal cord neurons to enable sensation in paralyzed Darek Fidyk’s lower body. This new technique may lead millions of paralyzed people around the world on a new road for treatment and improvement. A revolutionary implant of regenerative cells has knitted back together the spinal cord of wheelchair-bound firefighter, Fidyk, who was paralyzed from the chest down in a knife attack, restoring sensation and muscle control to his legs. What is the secret?

Well, the unique technique was developed by researchers at University College London and put into practice by surgeons in the Polish city of Wroclaw. It uses specialist human cells which repair damage to nasal nerves to enable spinal nerve fibres to re-grow and bridge a severed cord. Nasal nerves? Yes, nerve cells from the nose were surgically implanted in Darek’s spinal cord to help with regrowth. These cells are known as olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), which were inserted into an 8mm gap in Fidyk’s spinal cord. He had a less than one percent chance of even the slightest recovery. Dr Pawel Tabakow developed the technique to implant cultured OECs harvested from a patient’s own olfactory bulb - and another type of nasal cell known as a fibroblast - on the stumps of a severed spinal cord. A scaffolding of nerve tissue was taken from the ankle to join the two ends of the cord to encourage bridging by the cells.

However, the OEC implants eventually began to regenerate the “stumps” on the spinal cord, which returned feeling to Fidka’s legs. Professor Geoffrey Raisman, the head of UCL’s Institute of Neurology who conducted the groundbreaking research into OECs, told The Independent: “I believe this is the first time that a patient has been able to regenerate severed long spinal nerve fibres across an injury and resume movement and feeling. I believe we have now opened the door to a treatment of spinal cord injury which will get patients out of wheelchairs. Our goal is to develop this first procedure to a point where it can be rolled out as a worldwide general approach.”

He added: “We believe that this procedure is the breakthrough which, as it is further developed, will result in a historic change in the currently hopeless outlook for people disabled by spinal cord injury.” Within 19 months of the operation, Darek was able to discern the direction of movement in his feet up to 85% accuracy. In a documentary, he stated “When it starts coming back, you feel as if you start living your life again, as if you are born again.”

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