The fight or flight brain circuit.

Corina Marinescu

NEUROSCIENCE





2d

Scientists uncover brain circuits behind putting up a fight or freezing in place
In a study of mice, National Institutes of Health-funded researchers describe a new circuit involved in fine-tuning the brain’s decision either to hide or confront threats. The study, published in Nature, was partially funded by the NIH’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative.

“Being able to manipulate specific circuits can uncover surprising relationships between brain areas and provide great insight into how the sensory, emotional, and behavioral centers work together to drive reactions,” said Jim Gnadt, Ph.D., program director at the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and a team lead for the BRAIN Initiative. “The tools and technologies developed through the BRAIN Initiative have made studies such as this one possible.”

A team of researchers led by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology and of ophthalmology at Stanford University in California, investigated the role of the ventral midline thalamus (vMT) in determining how animals respond to visual threats. The thalamus is a brain region that acts as a relay station, taking in sensory information, such as what is seen and heard, and sorting out where in the brain to send that information.

Dr. Huberman and his colleagues showed that the vMT was activated when mice were confronted with a threat, specifically a black circle that grew larger on top of their cage, mimicking the experience of something looming over them. When faced with the looming threat, the mice spent most of the time freezing or hiding and very little time rattling their tails, which is typically an aggressive response.

To further investigate the role of vMT, Dr. Huberman’s team used state-of-the-art tools, including designer drugs that allowed specific circuits to be turned on and off. Although inactivating the vMT had no effect on freezing and hiding, it eliminated the tail rattling response. Turning on the vMT increased the number of tail shaking responses and caused the mice to move around more and spend less time hiding or freezing.

Dr. Huberman’s group also discovered that the vMT sends information primarily to two brain areas: the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). These circuits turned out to be critical in determining how the mice reacted to a visual threat. Turning on the circuit that projected to the BLA caused more freezing responses, while activating the mPFC circuit increased tail shaking responses.

“Dr. Huberman’s work is opening a new area of vision research with the looming threat model, helping us understand how circuitry in the brain works from sensation to behavior,” said Thomas Greenwell, Ph.D., program director at the NIH’s National Eye Institute, which co-funded the study.

Dr. Huberman and his team showed that activation of the vMT increased arousal, a state of heightened alertness. Mice preferred spending more time in a room where they received vMT activation, suggesting that turning on that brain circuit made them feel good. Although there may have been a difference in response to the visual threat, either tail shaking or freezing, the underlying positive feeling was the same for both types of reactions.

“This study may help explain why acts of courage, such as standing up for yourself or for a cause, or a physical challenge can feel empowering. Experiencing that good feeling can also make it more likely to respond to future threats in a similar way,” said Dr. Huberman. “Although our study was done in mice, learning more about the vMT may provide some insight into conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder and we are now pursuing study of the human vMT for that reason.”

Future research is needed to increase understanding of ways in which the vMT circuit affects behavior and how to develop treatments that can target specific parts of this system.

Journal article:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0078-2

Source:
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/News-Events/News-and-Press-Releases/Press-Releases/Scientists-uncover-brain-circuits-behind-putting

Image: A new circuit for responses to threats: Researchers turned the ventral midline thalamus on and off in mice to study the animals’ responses to visual threats. Activated brain cells are shown in green.
Credit: Dr. Andrew Huberman and Lindsey Salay, Stanford University

#brain circuitry #thalamus #vMT #prefrontalcortex #amygdala #perception #visualthreat #neuroscience

Shared publicly•View activity

When surprised, the brain makes you stop, look and listen.

Corina Marinescu

NEUROSCIENCE





3d

A Vital Pause: Neurons in the Brain’s Striatum May Help Regulate Response to Unexpected Stimuli
Changing our behavior based on unexpected cues from our environment is an essential part of survival. The ability to drop what you’re doing when circumstances demand it could mean the difference between avoiding a speeding vehicle or getting hit by it. A new study at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) has delved into a brain mechanism that may regulate such adaptation.

In the study, which was published in eLife, researchers led by Dr. Stefano Zucca at the OIST Neurobiology Research Unit investigated nerve cells in the striatum, a brain region involved in movement and motivation. Here, nerve cells called cholinergic interneurons (CINs) are in a near-constant state of activity, releasing a chemical called acetylcholine every time they fire. But if the brain gets an unexpected stimulus from outside the body – for example, a startling sound – the CINs will briefly stop firing.

“The purpose of these pauses is a mystery,” said senior author Prof. Jeff Wickens. “We wanted to know, what do these pauses do?”

To find out, his team manipulated CIN activity with a method known as optogenetics. They used a virus to replace sections of these neurons’ DNA with genes encoding for light-sensitive ion channels. Optical filaments were then implanted into the striatum of mice. By shining a laser beam into the cell along the filaments, the researchers could switch the CINs into active or inactive mode as the mice moved around their cage, allowing them to generate pauses in CIN firing at will.

The next step was the most challenging: Using electrodes inserted into single nerve cells to record the electrical impulses generated during the pauses. Previous studies recorded from outside of neurons, which can only generate limited information about the impulses they generate. To get a clear recording of electrical potential, the team needed direct measurements from inside the cell. That’s easier said than done: “You have to make a hole inside an individual cell and attach a probe without damaging it”, said Wickens. “It’s extremely fine work that Dr. Zucca perfected.”

When they generated the pauses in CIN activity, the researchers observed a knock-on effect on the neurons that CINs connect to—neurons called spiny projection neurons (SPNs), which in turn send signals from the striatum to the rest of the brain. During the pauses, because SPN neurons received lower stimulation from CINs, they were less likely to fire themselves, the study showed. These pauses, then, give interrupting events significance by effectively muting the striatum’s output signals.

The stops and starts in CIN activity may be a mechanism for controlling how animals respond to stimuli from their environment, says Wickens. For example, he said, “this mechanism might regulate how an animal stops eating when it hears an unfamiliar sound”.

“The CINs only make up 1% of cells in the striatum, but they have a huge influence,” said Prof. Wickens. “They’re important in making changes in behavior, and play a part in movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease when they malfunction.”

The researchers now plan to explore the phenomenon in more detail. “Next we’d like to see if this pause is happening everywhere in the striatum at the same time, or if it’s limited to specific locations”, says Prof. Wickens. That will help reveal how it affects behaviors from moment to moment, he adds.

Journal article:
https://elifesciences.org/articles/32510

Source:
https://www.oist.jp/news-center/news/2018/5/10/vital-pause-neurons-brain%E2%80%99s-striatum-may-help-regulate-response

Image: Florescent imaging of a section of the striatum showing Cholinergic Interneurons (CINs) in green, and Spiny Projection Neurons (SPNs) in red

#optogenetics #cholinergicinterneurons #striatum #spinyprojectionneurons #neuroscience

Shared publicly•View activity

The phages revolution!

www.ted.com/talks/alexander_belcredi_how_a_long_forgotten_virus_could_help_us_solve_the_antibiotics_crisis

A friendly virus.
 Phage viruses can destroy certain Bacteria that create dangerous infections in humans. Scientists are now working on a modified Phage virus that can find and kill drug resistant super bugs. The potential uses for the Phage virus seems unlimited and the future of medicine looks brighter than ever!
Visit Ted.com for a short lecture on Phages.

New Neuroscience Reveals 9 Rituals That Will Make You An Amazing Parent    Inbox    Eric Barker <ebarker@ucla.edu> Sun, Nov 18, 2018 at 6:43 AM To: human4usbillions@gmail.com  Print     New window

Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original Welcome to the Barking Up The Wrong Tree weekly update for November 18th, 2018. New Neuroscience Reveals 9 Rituals That Will Make You An Amazing Parent *** Before we commence with the festivities, I wanted to thank everyone for helping my first book become a Wall Street Journal bestseller! To check it out, click here. *** Click here to read the post on the blog or keep scrolling to read in-email. When kids behave, things are easy. The problem is when you need to discipline them. Most parents know which methods they don't want to use to correct their children, but aren't as sure which methods theyshould use. So what is discipline? The word comes from the Latin "disciplina" -- which means "to teach." And, in the end, that's what we need more of. Every time a kid misbehaves it's an opportunity to teach them valuable skills like empathy, self-control, problem-solving, and dealing with emotions. Merely punishing kids might stop bad behavior in the short-term but without a lesson, all it teaches them is that whomever has more power gets to enforce their arbitrary rules. (Hint: this does not bode well for their future relationships.) Yes, you want them to stop painting the toilet purple but you also want them to learn to consider the feelings of others, and build other long-term skills that will help them lead successful, happy lives. And you want them to feel closer to you after a dispute, not further away. From No-Drama Discipline: The research is really clear on this point. Kids who achieve the best outcomes in life—emotionally, relationally, and even educationally—have parents who raise them with a high degree of connection and nurturing, while also communicating and maintaining clear limits and high expectations. Their parents remain consistent while still interacting with them in a way that communicates love, respect, and compassion. As a result, the kids are happier, do better in school, get into less trouble, and enjoy more meaningful relationships. So how the heck do you do all this? (No, a taser is not involved.) You want to "connect and redirect." This is the system recommended by Daniel Siegel, clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, and Tara Payne Bryson, a pediatric and adolescent psychotherapist. They are the New York Times bestselling authors of No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind. Okay, let's get to it... 1) Connect If your kid is in mid-yell or mid-cry, they cannot hear what you are saying. Reread that. Get it tattooed on your body. How logical are you when you're overwhelmed by emotion? And you expect a kid to be any different? So immediately doling out punishments will rarely be processed and just escalate an already bad situation. You need to connect. Connection means showing that you’re on their side – while still maintaining boundaries. You need to tune into their feelings and show them that you understand. This helps move them from reactivity to receptivity. It allows the emotion to dissipate so they can start using their thinky brain instead of their emotional brain. Connection has 4 parts: Communicate Comfort They cry, you yell and things get worse, not better. Sound familiar? Because it's now a fight for power instead of a conversation. As NYPD hostage negotiators know, "behavior is contagious." If you want to be in a fight, by all means, give an angry look, raise your voice and wag your index finger. If you want this to be a somewhat sane interaction, act like it is one. Communicate comfort. Make them feel safe. Validate How do you react when someone dismisses your feelings and tells you "stop making a big deal out of this and just calm down"? Exactly. So don't expect a child to be any better at it. Validate their feelings -- though not all their actions. They need to feel understood in order to calm down. Until the big emotions are out of their way, logic is powerless. Listen Your child is really angry about something. You know what always works? A really long lecture. Going on a rant to someone screaming at the top of their lungs is incredibly effective in showing them the error of their ways and getting them to calm down. No child would ever respond by tuning you out. And make sure to repeat the same points over and over. People love this, especially surly teenagers... Um, no. They won't process a thing until they get to talk about how they feel and you show them you understand. So listen. Reflect When they tell you how they feel, repeat it back to them. You want to show, not tell. If you say, "I know how you feel" they'll reply, "No, you don't!" If you say, "It really upset you that I wouldn't let you build a nuclear reactor in the basement" they'll say, "Exactly." After you communicate comfort, validate feelings, listen and reflect, ask yourself one question: “Are they ready to hear, learn, and understand?” If not, repeat the steps. Whoops, actually there's a second question to ask yourself: "Am Iready?" Because if you're overly emotional this will not go well. They need to be calm -- but so do you. (To learn more about how you and your children can lead a successful life, check out my bestselling book here.) Okay, so you've connected. Now it's time to "redirect." That's an acronym because 8 more steps is a lot to remember, especially after junior decides to give the living room wall an unapproved mural. So let's start with "R"... 2) Reduce Words Again, listening beats lecturing. If you regularly bemoan your child's short attention span than you should know better than to launch into an hour-long keynote on proper behavior. If it is a big issue, ask questions and guide a conversation, but don't lecture. From No-Drama Discipline: We strongly suggest that when you redirect, you resist the urge to overtalk. Of course it’s important to address the issue and teach the lesson. But in doing so, keep it succinct. Regardless of the age of your children, long lectures aren’t likely to make them want to listen to you more. Instead, you’ll just be flooding them with more information and sensory input. As a result, they’ll often simply tune you out. (To learn how to raise emotionally intelligent kids, click here.) Alright, you're being brief and getting to the point. What's next? 3) Embrace Emotions All feelings are permitted; all behavior is not. Do not insist that their emotions be rational or make sense. (If the world was always rational and made sense, you wouldn't be having this fight and I'd be married to Olivia Wilde.) From No-Drama Discipline: ...it’s what we do as a result of our emotions that determines whether our behavior is OK or not OK. So our message to our children should be, “You can feel whatever you feel, but you can’t always do whatever you want to do.” (To learn how to make sure your kids have grit, click here.) You're being brief and accepting their feelings. Cool. Now how do you actually correct a child? 4) Describe, Don’t Preach Parents always wonder why their kids tune them out. The answer is simple: because they know what you're going to say and then you say it anyway. Chances are, they know what they did was wrong. So instead of lecturing, just call attention to whatever they did: "The couch is on fire."This is less likely to put them on the defensive or lead them to tune you out. From No-Drama Discipline: The natural tendency for many parents is to criticize and preach when our kids do something we don’t like. In most disciplinary situations, though, those responses simply aren’t necessary. Instead, we can simply describe what we’re seeing, and our kids will get what we’re saying just as clearly as they do when we yell and disparage and nitpick. And they’ll receive that message with much less defensiveness and drama. (To learn the science of being a better parent, click here.) You gave a description instead of a TED talk. Awesome. But the only way you're really going to get them to learn anything is if they're engaged... 5) Involve Your Child In The Discipline This needs to be a dialogue, not summary judgment. Ask questions. Get them to suggest how the situation should be handled and you'll organically shift into talking about right and wrong, and how other people are impacted by your child's behavior. This is how they learn empathy and problem-solving. From No-Drama Discipline: Once you’ve connected and your child is ready and receptive, you can simply initiate a dialogue that leads first toward insight (“I know you know the rule, so I’m wondering what was going on for you that led you to this”) and then toward empathy and integrative repair (“What do you think that was like for her, and how could you make things right?”). (To learn how to deal with out of control kids -- from hostage negotiators -- click here.) Now it's a conversation and they're learning something other than why you're a meanie. So how do you tell children "no" without a screaming match -- and teach them self-control at the same time? 6) Reframe A "No" Into A Conditional "Yes" "Yes, you can watch more TV -- after dinner." It's not a magic spell but it'll often meet with less resistance than a flat "No more TV." Obviously, some things are non-negotiable: "No, you cannot perform an appendectomy on the family dog." But often you can phrase things with this formula and help them learn about boundaries and self-control with a lot less drama. From No-Drama Discipline: An out-and-out no can be much harder to accept than a yes with conditions. No, especially if said in a harsh and dismissive tone, can automatically activate a reactive state in a child (or anyone). In the brain, reactivity can involve the impulse to fight, flee, freeze, or, in extreme cases, faint. In contrast, a supportive yes statement, even when not permitting a behavior, turns on the social engagement circuitry, making the brain receptive to what’s happening, making learning more likely, and promoting connections with others. (To learn 4 vital parenting tips, click here.) Now you know how to say no. So how else can we discipline children -- without making them hate us in the process? 7) Emphasize The Positive Say what you want, not what you don't want. “I need you to brush your teeth and find your backpack,” beats, “Stop messing around and get ready, you’re going to be late for school!” And make sure to praise them when they do things you like. If every time you open your mouth only criticism comes out, what feelings do you think they're instinctively going to associate with you? Yup. (To learn the 10 steps to making your kids smarter, click here.) So what's a good way to sidestep drama altogether -- and have a laugh in the process? 8) Creatively Approach The Situation Be playful. If there's toy on the floor where it shouldn't be, try a dramatic pratfall instead of a stern glare. Instead of arguing about getting into the car, become a scary monster and chase them into it. With some creativity you can get your point across in a way that reduces defensiveness. From No-Drama Discipline: When we exercise response flexibility, we use our prefrontal cortex, which is central to our upstairs brain and the skills of executive functions. Engaging this part of our brain during a disciplinary moment makes it far more likely that we’ll also be able to conjure up empathy, attuned communication, and even the ability to calm our own reactivity. (To learn the 10 steps to raising happy kids, click here.) So we know a lot of ways to defuse conflict -- but how do we teach them some valuable life skills and reduce the intensity of the next meltdown? 9) Teach Mindsight Tools Siegel and Bryson basically mean teaching your kids mindfulness. You want to focus on making sure they learn to not just merely experiencetheir emotions, but also observe their emotions. Teaching your child to ask, "What is my brain doing right now?" allows them to step back from the chaos going on in their head and study it, versus being consumed by it. You don't want a child that is overwhelmed by feelings or denies their feelings. You want your kid tonotice their feelings -- and do something about them. This teaches them they don't have to be stuck in a negative mood. They don't have to be a victim to external events or their whirlwind emotions. With practice they can cope with feelings and take charge of their behavior. From No-Drama Discipline: Brain studies reveal that we actually have two different circuits—an experiencing circuit and an observing circuit. They are different, but each is important, and integrating them means building both and then linking them. We want our kids to not only feel their feelings and sense their sensations, but also to be able to notice how their body feels, to be able to witness their own emotions. (To learn the 20 simple secrets of happy families, click here.) Okay, we've learned a lot. Let's round it all up and discover what to do when you screw the above up... Sum Up Here's how neuroscience can help you be an amazing parent: Connect: Communicate comfort, validate feelings, listen and reflect. Reduce Words: Seriously, when have lectures ever worked? Embrace Emotions: All feelings are permitted; all behaviors are not. Describe, Don't Preach: "All daddy's shoes are in the refrigerator." Involve Your Child In The Discipline: "What's a way to express your anger that doesn't involve anyone getting 27 stitches?" Reframe A "No" Into A Conditional "Yes": "Yes, you can watch 'Toy Story' for the 400th time -- after mommy finishes this wonderful blog post she's reading." Emphasize The Positive: Instead of “No whining,” try, “I like it when you talk in your normal voice. Can you say that again?” Creatively Approach The Situation: "I'll bet I can eat my vegetables faster than you can." Teach Mindsight Tools: Teach them to notice their emotions. You can't improve how you deal with something if you're not aware of it. You're not always going to be perfect. (I really hope this did not come as a surprise.) But even your mistakes as a parent can be valuable if you handle them right. From No-Drama Discipline: Then they get to see you model how to apologize and make things right. They experience that when there is conflict and argument, there can be repair, and things become good again. This helps them feel safe and not so afraid in future relationships; they learn to trust, and even expect, that calm and connection will follow conflict. Plus, they learn that their actions affect other people’s emotions and behavior. Finally, they see that you’re not perfect, so they won’t expect themselves to be, either. In my email newsletter next week I'll be including a PDF cheat sheet of many techniques that Siegel and Bryson recommend. To make sure you don't miss it, join here. So it all comes down to "connect and redirect." And when you screw up, don't worry. Apologize, make a joke, try again. You want your kids to know that everyone makes mistakes and that anger doesn't last forever. Children need to know that arguments happen -- but that doesn't mean people stop loving you. Please share this on Facebook or Pocket. Thank you! Email Extras Findings from around the internet... + Want to know how to be a more patient person? Click here. + Want to know the five ways smart people sabotage their success? Click here. + Want to know what great listeners actually do? Click here. + Miss last week's post? Here you go: How To Stop Wasting Time On The Internet. + Want to know the problems that come from *too much* self-control? Click here. + You made it to the end of the email. I feel we have connected -- no need for a redirect. And I thank you. Alrighty, Crackerjack Time... People sometimes think I'm crazy for writing all this stuff on the internet. In fact, one guy makes a very compelling argument that nearly *everything* you read on the internet is written by crazy people. Check it out here. Thanks for reading! Eric PS: If a friend forwarded this to you, you can sign up to get the weekly email yourself here.

Yes, they can be trusted?

This is a great web site for climate news!

http://news.trust.org/climate/

http://news.trust.org/climate/

Hi gentle people:

 Most of you today have small pocket computers you carry around for use as telephones. That concept is shifting however as we spend more time using the computer applications located on our so-called smart phones.

 I am seriously beginning to dislike the "passed your data limit" beep warning!
In the halcyon days when I was Thirty, we had no data limits. Our computers were the size of small suit cases and we used pirated copies of Windows 95. Everything worked like magic! Some of us with limited funds created our own computers from parts brought in from China. We used old Television sets as our computer screens and Pacman was the rage until Mario stepped into the box and then Doom and Quake scared the shit out of us!

  We had fun and we had control of the telephone lines as well as control of our computers. We could play CD music and later, DVD movies. Personally, I enjoyed using the world wide web and I found myself accessing computers from almost every location on Earth that allowed access. That, unfortunately, has changed in (2018) and our little pocket computers are intrusive and not under our individual control. The corporate world we once banned from dumping advertising into our emails, (in those days we called it spam) now charge us ridiculous usage fees for renting little pocket computers they create and they are using as data spies! Their goal is to find as much information about you as possible. They call it data mining and I call it an intrusion on our human rights and f reedom!
 Gone is the Bell Twenty Dollar a month average cost for a house telephone. Now, if you want to walk around with a communication device slash computer, it averages into the hundreds of Dollars and you are not getting anything better than what we had Thirty years ago
Have a great day and go read a book!
N.J. Raglione..

The ideas are still valid today!

MONDAY, 26 DECEMBER 2016

IN MY OPINION!

Religious and government hypocrisy is intolerable!

They open their doors during Christian or Jewish or Muslim Holidays for paid ceremonies but then lock out the poor during the cold winter months. If they are afraid of vandals, why not hire a security guard or two while offering suffering people a place to find shelter at night?

 If you claim to believe in God and you do not allow the poor shelter during the winter nights, you and your religion and your church building are worth zero to society! I agree you are not hotels but if you claim to be non-profit and charitable, prove it!

Most church basements are large enough to provide emergency shelters for the homeless during the cold winter nights, however, far too many religious building doors remain locked after the holidays and hundreds of homeless people are forced to freeze on the streets! What kind of religion is that? What kind of society do we live in?

Religious buildings are not the only examples of social avarice. A great many federal and provincial and city buildings also stand heated and empty at night. Old empty government buildings could easily be transformed into shelters for the homeless and even brand new office buildings could provide space for homeless people during the cold days and nights of winter.  A few small rooms with showers and portable beds are not difficult to create within large office buildings and each building would have a set quota so that no one building would be inundated. Providing such spaces would be tax deductible and itinerants would be asked to clean up after themselves to help keep the rooms clean for the next person.

 With skyscrapers in many cities standing half lit and empty at night, what would be the harm in creating a government sponsored social policy where quotas could be created and each building allowed a few itinerants a place to warm up and sleep at night? If companies allready pay for electricity simply to keep the building warm, why not keep a few desperate humans warm also? No matter what your religion or philosophy or political concept, if you allow the poor to freeze on the streets while your buildings remain heated and empty and locked on cold winter nights; you and your religion and your company social policies are void of any value whatsoever to any decent society!

Happy Holidays!
Joseph Raglione
Ex/Dir.