Distractible

We're more likely to behave ethically when we see rivals behaving badly : Cognitive Daily

We're more likely to behave ethically when we see rivals behaving badly

Posted on: September 24, 2009 3:55 PM, by Dave Munger

As an undergraduate, at my school it was practically a requirement to steal silverware from the campus cafeteria. There were students who'd commandeered full sets of china. The desk clerk at my dorm used to say that the only thing we were learning from our college education was "how to steal."

Somehow it didn't seem wrong to us to steal from the cafeteria (though I drew the line at a single setting of silverware). Plus, we'd heard that at other schools, students used the cafeteria trays as sleds after the first winter snow. At least we weren't doing that (though arguably this was only because there are no hills in Chicago).

READ MORE AT: via scienceblogs.com

They always said, "Tom, you're not useless. We can always use you as a bad example."

There now may be some scientific basis for that light hearted insult.

How do we use this in our own self-management? Are there some skills we can introduce?

Rethinking "Addiction" : Cognitive Daily

Rethinking "Addiction"

Category: In other news
Posted on: September 23, 2009 12:44 PM, by Dave Munger

My column on SEEDMAGAZINE.COM today addresses the definition of "addiction." Does it make sense to lump all dependence on substances and even all habits under the umbrella of "dependence?" Here's a selection:

via scienceblogs.com

NeuroLogica Blog » Learning in the Comatose

Neurologists are often confronted with patients who have a disorder of consciousness and are asked to predict their probability of recovery. The more severe the neurological damage the easier prediction is, but there are many patients in the gray zone – they have enough damage that they may never have a significant recovery, but there is also enough preserved function that they may improve – even to the point of crossing an important functional milestone, for example being able to communicate.

via www.theness.com

Vegetative and minimally conscious patients can learn : Neurophilosophy

THE vegetative and minimally conscious states are examples of what are referred to as disorders of consciousness. Patients in these conditions are more or less oblivious to goings-on in their surroundings - they exhibit few, if any, signs of conscious awareness, and are usually unable to communicate in any way. It is, therefore, extremely difficult to establish what these patients are experiencing, and the consciousness disorders are among the least understood, and most commonly diagnosed, conditions in medicine.

Although technologies such as functional neuorimaging have enabled clinicians to gain some insight into these conditions, proper assessment and diagnosis of patients are still major challenges, and there are big ethical questions regarding how they should be treated. However, researchers from the University of Cambridge have made what could be a significant advance.

via scienceblogs.com

What are the implications for learning in a conscious state?

I suspect there are implications for ADHD.

There is a great deal of work to be done on this.

As a practitioner of applied theology (pastor), there are spiritual implications - especially in the area of spiritual formation and discipline - and more especially related to these questions in the arena of spiritual disciplines for the easily distracted.

SfN Desperately Seeking Neurobloggers and NeuroTwitts : DrugMonkey

SfN Desperately Seeking Neurobloggers and NeuroTwitts

Category: Blogging • Society for Neuroscience
Posted on: September 21, 2009 3:55 PM, by DrugMonkey

The Society for Neuroscience is encouraging members to blog and twitt the annual meeting in Chicago (Oct 17-22). As part of this they plan to highlight a subset of members on their website. The notion being that this will enhance the profile of your blog.

via scienceblogs.com

mental_floss Blog » 4 People With Super Memory

David K. Israel

What if you finished reading this article and remembered every detail of it for the rest of your life? That’s the problem people with super-autobiographical memory face—and yes, it’s often referred to as a problem, not a gift. Their minds are like a computer hard drive that retains everything: dates, middle names, license plate numbers, even what they eat for lunch on a daily basis There are only four confirmed super memory cases, a disorder experts say is somewhat related to OCD, though no doubt there are plenty others who haven’t been identified yet.

So who are the four individuals who’ve all recently been the subject of a study at the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at the University of California, Irvine.? Let’s meet them and find out… READ MORE AT: via blogs.static.mentalfloss.com

Big News About SPECT Brain Scans – Amen Clinics

A new study out of Germany represents a major advance in neuroimaging, and in particular highlights the effectiveness of brain SPECT imaging in helping predict treatment response to antidepressant medication.  SPECT is the study we use here at the Amen Clinics.

Several previous studies have concluded that SPECT scans are helpful in diagnosing brain disorders, such as depression. But this trial is one of the first and largest to examine SPECT’s ability to predict whether or not a patient with depression will respond to a particular antidepressant.

The study, which appeared in the prestigious journal Psychiatry Research, involved nearly 100 participants with major depression. Their brains were scanned at the outset of the study and again four weeks later after treatment with an antidepressant. The research team concluded that SPECT is indeed highly effective in predicting treatment response.

When the prefrontal cortex works too hard, the medication Celexa was effective in calming it down and treating the depression.  When the prefrontal cortex was normal or low in activity, Celexa was not helpful.

These findings are very consistent with the literature from the QEEG literature as well.  I have noticed this exact same effect for nearly 18 years since I began using SPECT scans in my practice in 1991. The most important part of brain imaging is being able to predict treatment response. At the Amen Clinics, brain imaging helps us zero in on the best treatments for our patients, whether they have depression, ADD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or any other brain problem.

via www.amenclinics.com

Money and Happiness : The Frontal Cortex

Money and Happiness

Posted on: August 27, 2009 11:52 AM, by Jonah Lehrer

Drake Bennett has an interesting and nuanced article in the Boston Globe Ideas section on money and happiness. To make a long story short, money can buy us some happiness, but only if we spend our money properly. Instead of buying things, we should buy memories:

via scienceblogs.com

Memories and living memories.

If we invest in people and great causes, then we can watch them grow and the reward is constant.

Nascar and ADHD | ADD ADHD Blog.com

By Dr. Kenny Handelman

Nascar driver Jeremy Mayfield has shared that he has ADHD, and takes the medication Adderall for it.

This disclosure has come in a ’roundabout’ way. This relates to the reports that Mr. Mayfield was suspended from driving due to finding amphetamines in his urine during a random urine drug screen. Mr. Mayfield has explained that he takes Adderall medication for ADHD, as well as Claritin D. This issue is before the courts. You can read the news updates here.

While Mr. Mayfield is going through a rough time right now, I am happy to hear that he has openly disclosed his diagnosis of ADHD. This can lead to advocacy and support for the many kids diagnosed with ADD or ADHD each year.

via www.addadhdblog.com

Could physical exercise help in preventing and treating drug abuse? : Cognitive Daily

class="categories">Category: Movement and exercise • Research
Posted on: September 17, 2009 3:00 PM, by Dave Munger

Teens who routinely exercise (especially in organized activities like team sports) are less likely to smoke or abuse drugs or alcohol. This fact alone might make it seem like a no-brainer to include physical activities in substance-abuse prevention and treatment programs, but in fact little research has been done to figure out whether exercising actually causes people to be less interested in drugs and alcohol. It's also possible that potential substance-abusers are just uninterested in exercise, or that drug abuse causes a lack of interest in exercise. But because so little research has been done, it's an open question: Should exercise be a part of drug abuse treatment programs?

via scienceblogs.com

Since people with ADHD sometimes self-medicate, leading to addictions, this is a pertinent question and a potentially helpful possibility.

Like many other new "discoveries" it has been known by many anecdotally and intuitively for a while.