Mind Hacks

An embryonic science

What were you doing for the 38 weeks before you were born? A hell of a lot actually, according to Professor Peter Hepper at Queen‚Äôs University, Belfast, who‚Äôs written about the nascent field of fetal psychology in the latest issue of The Psychologist magazine.

The article is packed full of fascinating observations including the fact that the fetus demonstrates handedness by 10 weeks of gestation ‚Äì before any signs of hemispheric asymmetry, thus suggesting a predilection for movements on one side might lead to brain lateralisation, rather than the other way around.

Hepper also mentions the controversy surrounding whether or not the fetus feels pain. Of course it can‚Äôt be asked, but by 23 weeks gestation, the fetus does show a biochemical stress response to a needle puncture (during a blood transfusion), which suggests it hurt.

Doctors have no way of directly assessing the brain function of a fetus, but advances in fetal psychology mean aberrant patterns of behaviour can increasingly be used to identify neural problems the fetus may have.

The article is locked to subscribers but will be freely available after six months.

Link to The Visible Embryo
Link to videos of the fetus

BBC Material World on Chloroform

BBC Radio 4 science programme Material World investigates the science and history of chloroform, one of the the original anesthetics, first synthesised in 1831.

Linda Stratmann, author of Chloroform: The Quest for Oblivion, and clinical toxicologist Professor John Henry, discuss its accidental discovery, early recreational popularity, original medical uses, how it is thought to work, and, of course, its reputation as a knock-out agent for the criminal underworld.

The section on chloroform starts 13 minutes into the programme, which is archived as a realaudio stream.

Link to programme webpage.
Realudio archive of programme.

Francis Crick has left the building

The final paper of the late DNA pioneer and consciousness researcher Francis Crick has been published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.

Written with his collaborator Christof Koch, it concerns a little known part of the brain called the claustrum. The claustrum is a thin sheet of grey matter that is parallel to and below part of the cortex, as illustrated by images from Crick’s paper here.

Crick and Koch argue that the claustrum is probably connected to all of the cortex, and has a significant role in emotion, suggesting it may be involved in the ‘binding’ of emotion and the senses into a single conscious experience.

They give the example of holding a rose, smelling its fragrance, seeing its red petals and feeling the texture of its stem, now made more poignant by Crick’s passing.

How the brain achieves this (known as the binding problem) is one of the great problems of consciousness research.

Several researchers have argued, most notably biologist Gerald Edelman, that consciousness arises from ‘maps’ of neural activity distributed across the brain.

The co-ordination of this distributed neural activity is something that Crick and Koch aim to explain in their paper, proposing that the claustrum may be the mesh that connects disparate brain areas.

PDF of paper ‘What is the function of the claustrum?’ by Crick and Koch.
Link to summary from The Economist.
Link to press-release from the Royal Society.

How culture shapes illness

Media analysis magazine Stay Free! has an interview with medical historian Edward Shorter on how psychiatric symptoms have changed over the years, showing, he claims, how we subconsciously express culturally acceptable distress.

The interview was conducted in June 2003, which I missed it at the time, but Shorter’s work is usually too good to pass up when you get the chance.

Author of the acclaimed A History of Psychiatry, he is not easily pigeon-holed into the simple labels usually given to those who pitch into the psychiatry debate.

Although a strong believer in the reality of mental illness, he presents evidence for the influence of culture on how symptoms express themselves, and how doctors’ expectations affect what they diagnose and treat.

In contrast to the usual tempered and cautious claims made by academics, he is not afraid to state his point of view in clear terms, making provocative points, even if you don’t agree with him.

STAY FREE!: You wrote about how some of the most fashionable people have the most cutting edge symptoms, the ones that are most medically up to date. Can you give me an example?

SHORTER: If we’re talking about today, new illnesses appear first among educated people simply because they are more plugged into medical media. These middle- and upper-class people are the first to begin monitoring themselves or their children for evidence of peanut-butter allergies or excessive tiredness. It is from these relatively small social groups that the symptoms radiate out.

Shorter reflects a growing trend in understanding the social dimensions of psychopathology.

Anthropologist Roland Littlewood’s Pathologies of the West, and sociologist Robert Bartholomew’s Exotic Deviance both examine the issue from different angles with refreshing insight.

Link to interview with Edward Shorter from Stay Free! magazine.
Link to article ‘Protean nature of mass sociogenic illness: From possessed nuns to chemical and biological terrorism fears’ from the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Mixing Memory

A recent discovery of mine is the Mixing Memory blog that is choc-full of well written, carefully referenced posts about psychology and neuroscience.

A couple of my recent favourites include a post about the neuroscience of morality and one discussing racial attitudes and how they’re reflected in the brain.

Chris, the blog’s maintainer, has even set up an email list to run a cognitive science reading group. Enjoy!

Link to Mixing Memory.

Confusing symbols and reality

The latest Scientific American discusses the development of symbolic thinking in children, in an article by child psychologist Judy DeLoache.

Professor DeLoache was intrigued as to why young children sometimes try and pick up or use items in pictures, or fail to make sense of miniature objects – an error she calls ‘symbol confusion’:

Pictures are not the only source of symbol confusion for very young children. For many years, my colleagues and students and I watched toddlers come into the lab and try to sit down on the tiny chair from the scale model – much to the astonishment of all present. At home, Uttal and Rosengren had also observed their own daughters trying to lie down in a doll’s bed or get into a miniature toy car. Intrigued by these remarkable behaviors that were not mentioned in any of the scientific literature we examined, we decided to study them.

DeLoache thinks that ‘scale errors’ involve a failure of dual representation: children cannot maintain the distinction between a symbol and what it refers to.

To help children solve this problem, the researchers told the children they had a ‘shrinking machine’, that replaced toys with miniature versions.

When children were told that the toy had been shrunk, they no longer needed to represent it as a symbol of another object, they simply assumed it was the same object, and no longer made ‘symbol confusion’ errors.

This work has had important legal implications, as young children giving evidence in cases of abuse are often given dolls – symbolic representations of themselves – and asked to describe or point out what happened.

Knowing at what age children are likely to make best use of this technique might be essential in obtaining reliable evidence.

Link to Scientific American article ‘Mindful of Symbols’.

New series of BBC All in the Mind

Last Tuesday saw a new series of the BBC version of All in the Mind hit the airwaves.

It’s broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and hosted by psychiatrist Raj Persaud, and is quite separate from the ABC Radio National version – also called All in the Mind – just to add to the confusion.

The BBC version has a different format to the Radio National All in the Mind, as it typically covers several topics in one week, sacrificing depth for breadth and variety.

All of the editions of the BBC programme are archived on the website as realaudio streams, and the first programme covers the psychology of negotation, happiness and a relatively new method of brain scanning called magnetoencephalography or MEG.

Link to BBC Radio 4 ‘All in the Mind’ website with realaudio archive.

Psychiatry’s dark debate, 1942

The latest issue of the History of Psychiatry journal contains an article by psychologist Jay Joseph, discussing a disturbing debate in a 1942 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, over whether the ‘feebleminded’ should be killed.

The debate was held between neurologist Robert Foster Kennedy, one-time president of the American Neurological Association, and psychiatrist Leo Kanner, famous for his work on autism.

In an article entitled ‘The problem of social control of the congenital defective: education, sterilization and euthanasia’, Kennedy made the argument that ‘defective’ or ‘feebleminded’ children, reaching the age of five, should be examined by a medical review board and if found to have ‘no future or hope of one’, should be killed, suposedly for the good of society.

Kanner argued strongly against this position in a reply entitled ‘Exoneration of the feebleminded’, although Joseph notes that he did believe sterilisation was appropriate for those ‘intellectually or emotionally unfit to rear children’.

Perhaps most shocking was an unsigned editorial in the same issue, siding with Kennedy’s ideas in the debate.

Joseph is a stark critic of genetic research into mental illness, and so perhaps it is not surprising that he finishes the article warning that such research could support similar views today.

Whatever you think of Joseph’s take on the issue, however, it is surprising to learn that respected clinicians in America were supporting eugenics during the the time of World War Two.

Link to summary of the paper ‘The 1942 ‚Äòeuthanasia‚Äô debate in the American Journal of Psychiatry’.

2005-07-29 Spike activity

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

New York Times on going through all the stages of a relationship through the medium of text messaging.

An elegant study shows that the brain ‘shuts down’ certain areas when we blink.

A writer’s perception of the psychology of the London Underground in the wake of the bombings.

A guy with synaesthesia produces images of music and maps out colours of letters on a keyboard. Thanks Simon!

Old skool neuroscience tech up for sale on ebay (via BoingBoing).

Tyneside to lead stroke research in UK.

Review of Mind Hacks from the MaineE Linux Users Group. Thanks Brian!

Article on developments in understanding chronic fatigue syndrome.

A slew of great articles from PsyBlog this week:
* No performance enhancement from caffeine?
* Psychological differences between men and women. Take note BBC!
* Link to a Guardian piece on the psychology of stage magic.

Researchers think that hand gestures are linked to better recall of language skills during speaking.

Propranolol, a drug usually used to treat high blood pressure, may block out traumatic memories.

UPDATE: Programme on NPR radio discusses the neuroscience of meditation as discussed previously on Mind Hacks. Thanks David!

Drug use in 2025

The U.K.’s Office of Science and Technology Foresight programme has published a free report “Drugs Futures 2025?” that seeks answers to how we can best manage the use of psychoactive substances in the future for the betterment of society. The report points to three areas that will be affected by our rapidly growing understanding of how substances act in the brain: treatment for mental health, drug addiction and the use of cognitive enhancers like modafinil and ritalin. The report draws on 15 state-of-the-science reviews, from experimental psychology, to genomics, to social policy that are also free to download.

iPods increase likelihood of musical hallucinations?

Psychiatrist Victor Aziz has suggested that some iPod users are experiencing musical hallucinations owing to the constant repetition of favourite songs.

Dr Aziz was recently featured in a New York Times article discussing musical hallucinations. This story was touted as ‘brain becomes an iPod’ because musical hallucinations can take the form of complete songs or melodies.

In an interesting twist, however, Aziz suggests the use of personal music players may lead to musical hallucinations in some people.

This is not as far fetched as it sounds. A recent brain scanning study used a technique where songs were silenced for short intervals when played, and showed that the auditory cortex remained active when people continued ‘hearing’ the silenced tune.

The constant repetition of the same music may produce a similar effect, perhaps leading to the hallucinations.

In July’s issue of the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Aziz and colleague Nick Warner reviewed 30 cases of musical hallucinations in older people and found the hallucinations could be very specific and distinct:

The hymn ‘Abide with me’ was clearly the most frequent music heard. In 2/3 of cases religious music predominated, with Christmas music also common. In most cases the music took the form of solo voice (male or female) with instrumental backing. Two people could identify the singer (George Formby and Luciano Pavarotti).

Link to story ‘IPod hallucinations face acid test’.
Link to story ‘iPods could make you hallucinate’ from the London Evening Standard.
Link to New York times article ‘Neuron Network Goes Awry, and Brain Becomes an IPod’.

NewSci special on deception

For the third week in a row, New Scientist is full of mind and brain articles. This week, a special on the science of lying and deception.

The issue covers the psychology of lying, but also deception in the wider sense.

Mediums and fortune tellers are put under the spotlight. Even if some mediums are genuine, there must be many who aren’t, and yet still seem successful to their clients. One article analyses ‘cold reading’ and considers the techniques that could be used to give the impression of supernatural insight.

Another article looks at the psychology of stage magic, and the interview puts Derren Brown, television mind-manipulator (and Bristol University psychology graduate), in the hot seat.

Also for the third week in a row, none of the article are online, so it’s hard cash or the library for this one.

Link to New Scientist contents.

Scientist posts own brain-tumour surgery pics

Scientist David La Puma recently had brain surgery to remove a meningioma. He describes the experience on his blog, and has uploaded pictures of the operation as a Flickr photo set.

As you might expect from a dedicated and inquisitive scientist, the photo set is fully commented, and in the more ‘anatomical’ of the pictures (this one is great), all the parts of the brain are labelled.

Wishing you a speedy recovery David. Many thanks for a fascinating project.

Photo set 1 and photo set 2 of brain tumour removal surgery.
Link to David La Puma’s blog.

Psychology’s top 10 misguided ideas

Here’s one we can all join in on. Psychology Today magazine has a column from earlier this year on The Loose Screw Awards which gives out (notional) prizes for ‘psychology’s top 10 misguided ideas’. This includes “The P.T. Barnum Medal for Mass-Market Potential” (which goes to the Mozart effect), “The Idea That Launched a Thousand Suits” (recovered memories) and “Most Bureaucratic” which goes to the idea that terminally ill people go through five distinct stages of dying (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) and that any deviation from this strict pattern is detrimental to the patient. It has been claimed that the theory was based on interviews with patients who hadn’t been told that they were terminally ill. Which would explain their anger and denial – they were being lied to by the very people who were supposed to be looking after them!

Fun as the list in the article is, I can’t help feeling that there are a few ideas that missed out on prizes, or at least on honourable mentions. What about a “Scientific Gold-Rush Prize” (Neuroimaging?). Or a “Delusions of Grandeur Trophy” (Evolutionary Psychology? Psychoanalysis? Could be a close race…). Maybe the “Restating the Obvious in Esoteric Jargon Medal” (we’d probably need a gold, silver and bronze for this one).

A few years ago a poll of 200 psychiatrists produced a similar list of bad ideas in mental health. The Independent ran an article on it (‘Ten Things That Drive Psychiatrists To Distraction’) and there’s quite a few items (psychosurgery, electroshock therapy) that I’d put in my top ten. All in all, a sharp reminder of the sad history of ideas in psychology. Anyone got any other nominations?

Dalai Lama to lecture on neuroscience amidst protests

Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, is to give a lecture to an international neuroscience conference, despite protests from some of the delegates.

His lecture on the neuroscience of meditation, and participation in a discussion on the ‘Science and Clinical Applications of Meditation’, is planned for the prestigious annual conference of the Society for Neuroscience, to be held in Washington DC in November.

The Dali Lama has a longstanding interest in neuroscience, having founded the Mind and Life Institute, to promote dialogue between science and buddhism.

The Institute has regular meetings between the Buddhist leader and leading neuroscientists, which has resulted in research collaborations and a number of books that have included transcripts and analyses of the gatherings.

His talk also comes at a time when therapies based on Buddhist ‘mindfulness’ techniques are being found to be increasingly effective for treating physical and mental distress in well-controlled scientific studies.

Some potential delegates are protesting his appearance, however, suggesting science and religion should not be mixed and declaring his views to be in ‘poor scientific taste’. Neuroscientist Jianguo G. Gu has reportedly started a petition against the Dalai Lama’s lecture.

The Society for Neuroscience have defended their decision and noted that the Dalai Lama will not be talking about ‘religion or politics’.

Link to Guardian article ‘Plan for Dalai Lama lecture angers neuroscientists’
PDF (5.5Mb) of programme for Society for Neuroscience Annual conference. Details of Dalai Lama’s participation on p8 and p27.
Link to Mind and Life Institute.
Link to scientific paper ‘Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice’.
Link to information on mindfulness therapy from Cambridge University’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit.

Epilepsy surgery on TV

BBC One is showing a television programme on Wednesday 27th July at 9pm on the work of neurosurgen Chris Chandler, as he completes an operation to prevent life threatening seizure in a 19 year-old woman.

19-year-old Sarah has epilepsy and suffers over 20 fits a day. Harry is seven, and his fits are so severe they can stop him breathing. Surgery is their only hope of a normal life, but the risks are high.

Brain surgeon Chris Chandler, who works at King’s College Hospital in London, is one of only a handful of surgeons able to perform this complex surgery. Their lives are in his hands.

UPDATE: BBC News has a story about the programme online.

Link to BBC TV listing.