Institute of Brain Mapping & Intellect Management

Brain has a calorie counter of its own: Study
TORONTO: As you glance over a menu or peruse the shelves in a supermarket, your brain is making decisions based on a food's caloric content, according to a new study .

An internal calorie counter of sorts in the brain evaluates each food based on its caloric density , researchers said. Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre studied brain scans of healthy participants who were asked to examine pictures of various foods.

Participants rated which foods they would like to consume and were asked to estimate the calorie content of each food.

They were poor at accurately judging the number of calories in the various foods, but their choices and their willingness to pay still centered on those foods with higher caloric content.

"Earlier studies found that children and adults tend to choose high-calorie food," said Dr Alain Dagher, neurologist at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital and lead author of the study .

"Our study sought to determine how people's awareness of caloric content influenced the brain areas known to be implicated in evaluating food options. We found that brain activity tracked the true caloric content of foods," Dagher said.

Understanding the reasons for food choices could help control the factors that lead to obesity , researchers said.

Don’t Take Anything for Granted! (Part 2)
Though you may feel your job is akin to playing the same tune on the same old instrument, there's always a new way to appreciate the music. When you find yourself feeling restless or unfulfilled, try to focus on the positive aspects of your job. Take a new look at the job and search for creative ways to contribute or to support others you work with. In an economy that’s still tepid, having a job and the financial and emotional stability it provides—including other perks such as health insurance or other benefits—is a safety net that allows you to cope with and handle many other challenges of life.
Employers often get a pass on this topic, but they shouldn’t. Especially as the economy improves and other businesses grow, openings will invariably be filled by stealing the best. That’s reality.
Some employers react with a negative strategy. They load up staff with work and stress, while providing few motivations, even recognition and appreciation. These owners and managers assume their employees have no place else to go.
This has brought about so much resentment and distain that one statistic indicated that as much as 64 percent of the current workforce are ready to leave their employers as soon as a viable alternative job opportunity presents itself. Wow! Almost two out of every three employees are fed up with their current employer! That’s increasingly wrong.
To avoid losing your best and brightest, I suggest a strategy that is aligned with a culture of recognizing employees as far more than interchangeable functionaries. By seeing and treating employees with respect and appreciation for their engagement, retaining them will be far more likely.
Related to this is an emphasis on two-way communications with staff members. That’s not easy for anyone, and for busy managers, time can be among their most valuable commodities. But even a few minutes each day to foster better communications with their staff can pay big dividends.

Don’t Take Anything for Granted! (Part 1)
Employers and employees should resist taking each other for granted.
Both employers and employees should keep in mind that taking things for granted is usually a mistake.

Although the psychology is fascinating, from a workplace perspective a key point is that you shouldn’t dismiss something unless you’re absolutely sure you have a replacement. That goes for a job, and it goes for good employees. Neither should be taken for granted.

For anyone who works for someone else (including customers), there's always a tendency to take your situation for granted. Don’t. It’s almost always a mistake.

I would note four common signs that you (or your boss or your co-workers) are taking the job for granted and what those actions inadvertently say to others:

1. Tardiness... "It really doesn't matter to me who has to wait."

2. Not Responding to Emails... "I'm just not that into working here."

3. Outdated Voice Mail Greeting... "I don't care anymore."

4. Constant complaining... "I don't need this job."

(Keep a look at this link for more on professional compatibility)

The Grand Human Contradiction: (Part 3)
From a survival standpoint, the gap in development between the Toddler brain and the regulatory Adult brain makes sense. The only way that toddlers can take care of themselves is to sound an alarm that will get adults to take care of them. There is little survival advantage in regulating the alarm as long as the underdeveloped prefrontal cortex is incapable of figuring out how to make things better. Because they can do very little for themselves, toddlers must manipulate their caretakers into doing things for them. Later in toddlerhood they are able to cajole with sweetness and affection. (What is more adorable than a three year old?) But early on they coerce caretakers through their greatest tool – the alarm, ranging from persistent whining to full blown temper tantrums. (We tolerate the harshness of the alarm in toddlers because they’re so damned cute and lovable.) When comforted, instead of punished, for the experience of intense negative emotions, toddlers learn that they do not have to hide part of themselves to gain connection. When connection persists during positive and negative experience, i.e., when parents do not react to the alarm by either rejection or withdraw of affection, children learn gradually that they prefer the positive experience of the connection to their reflexive reaction of “No!-Mine!” They begin the lifelong task of balancing the Grand Human Contradiction - a solid, independent self, able and willing to connect to others, to support and rely on them, to love and be loved by them.

But for many people, the emotional intensity of those early struggles to balance autonomy with connection forged strong neural pathways in the developing brain. Under stress, these fortified neural patterns – reinforced countless times over the years - lay powerful traps that all of us fall into at one time or another. The Toddler brain hijacks higher cognitive processes to validate its alarms and justify its impulsivity and overreactions, instead of modifying them with assessments of reality.

For adults in the Toddler brain, life and love are dominated by perceived emotional needs, manipulation, and occasional lashing-out aggression. Life and love in the Adult brain are dominated by commitment to deeper values, desires, assertiveness, and cooperation. In the Toddler brain, people are good or bad, depending on how we feel at the moment. In the Adult brain, we can see the complexity and humanity of other people apart from how we feel about them at the moment.

Switching out of the Toddler brain under stress is a skill that anyone can learn and everyone must master for a meaningful and happy life.

The Grand Human Contradiction: (Part 2)
The increasing conflict with parents wrought by the drive for autonomy endangers the other powerful human drive - to connect, to value and be valued, to be comforted and to comfort. Hostility toward their parents, however short in duration, stirs uncomfortable feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety, which fuel intense emotional distress – the classic temper tantrum. Internal emotional conflict is overwhelming for toddlers, because they have so little development in the regulatory part of the brain. As mentioned in a previous post, the primary survival function of the limbic system, which dominates the Toddler brain, is to generate an alarm. But it has little reality-testing capability, i.e., it can’t distinguish what is really happening in the environment from what is being thought, imagined, or dreamt. Reality-testing falls to the prefrontal cortex - the Adult brain.

The prefrontal cortex is unique to humans, at least in the vastly articulated form observed by scientists, and not fully developed until around age 28. Its primary function is to interpret and organize perceptions, sensations, emotions, thoughts, and impulses into a coherent model of reality. It regulates Toddler brain alarms by assessing their accuracy and appropriateness within the model of reality it has organized. It then formulates a blend of thoughts, emotions, and behavior to negotiate its model of the environment, using sophisticated tools like analysis, foresight, creativity, self-regulation, and the ability to improve, appreciate, connect, and protect.It can set goals and meet them, based not only on the drives and preferences, but on its unique ability to create concepts and objects of value. The Adult brain provides a level of self-awareness and awareness of others unparalleled in the animal world, by virtue of what psychologist’s call, “theory of mind.” That’s the ability to ascribe mental states, such as beliefs, feelings, motives, and desires, to self and others. Perhaps most important, in terms of social interaction, the Adult brain understands that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from its own. It is, therefore, able to mediate our most humane qualities, such as appreciation and higher order compassion (sympathy for vulnerabilities we do not share). It is thus able to create connections of value with other people. As a byproduct of its combined processes, the Adult brain creates the meaning of our lives.

The Grand Human Contradiction: (Part 1)
Human beings are unique among animals in the need to balance two opposing drives. The drive to be autonomous – able to decide our own thoughts, feelings, and behavior - must compete with an equally strong drive to connect to others. We want to be free and independent, without feeling controlled. At the same time, we want to rely on significant others - and have them rely on us - for support and cooperation. Other social animals – those who live in groups and packs and form rudimentary emotional bonds – have no discernible sense of individuality to assert and defend. Solitary animals are free and independent but do not form bonds with others that last beyond mother-infancy. Only humans struggle with drives that pull us in opposite directions, where too much emotional investment in one impairs emotional investment in the other.

Competition between the drives for autonomy and connection is so important to human development that it emerges in full force in toddlerhood, which is why “the twos” can be so “terrible.” Toddlerhood is the first stage of development where children seem to realize how separate they are from their caretakers, as they become aware of emotional states that differ from those of their parents. They had previously felt a kind of merging with caregivers, which provided a sense of security and comfort. The new realization of differences stirs excitement and curiosity but also endangers the comfort and security of the merged state. Now they must struggle with an inchoate sense of self prone to negative identity, i.e., they don’t know who they are, but when aroused, uncomfortable, or disappointed, they know who they’re not – they’re not whatever you want. Thus we have the favorite two words of the toddler: “Mine!” and “No!”

Worst Mistakes Parents Make When Talking to Kids (Part 4)

Topic: Not Listening by Parents:
We would all like to teach our kids to respect other people. The best way to do this is by modeling respectful and caring behavior in our own interactions. This helps the kid learn the value of respect and empathy and teaches them the skills of effective communication. Often, attentive listening is the most difficult thing for parents to do, because kids keep interrupting us, or our minds are preoccupied with all the errands that have to be done. In this case, it is okay to say to the kid “It’s difficult for me to listen to you now because I’m busying cooking, but I’ll be there in 10 minutes.” It’s better to set aside a clear time for communication than to listen half-heartedly or resentfully. Remember, though, that it’s difficult for kids to wait for long periods to be listened to

Ineffective Example
Parental response to a kid saying they scored a goal at soccer
(without making eye contact) “Oh, that’s nice, dear. Now go and play with your sister (muttering to herself) What temperature do I cook the chicken at?”
Effective listening involves all of the non-verbals, such as maintaining eye contact, conveying understanding with our faces and voices, and using words to reflect our understanding. This parent is teaching her kid not to bother her, and that the things that are important to him are not important to her. This can make a kid feel alone and not good enough.

Effective Example
Parental response to a kid saying they scored a goal at soccer.
“You scored a goal. Fantastic! I can see you feel really proud of how you played. I want to hear all about how it went down today.”
This parent is displaying interest and enthusiasm; inviting the kid to elaborate and describe what happened. She is effectively tuning into the kid’s nonverbal expression and reflecting his feelings, thereby helping the kid to gain awareness of his own reactions. This type of response leads to the kid feeling that he is important and worthy of attention and care. This type of empathic resonance helps the kid to develop more interconnected brain pathways to process and make sense of emotion.

Parenting is a difficult job, and one in which we all make mistakes at times. Communicating effectively with our children takes time and energy. We need to become aware of our own feelings and automatic reactions, and slow down enough to be able to choose a more mindful way. Following through with consequences teaches kids limits, while listening and granting autonomy teach kids respect. Be sure to take care of yourself enough so that you have this type of mindful energy for your kids. This may mean re-examining your priorities and letting some things go. It is well worth it. Kids who have respectful, engaged, consistent parents learn to regulate their own emotions more effectively, feel better about themselves, and are able to have more loving relationships as adults.

This was last of the 4 topics on parenting.

Worst Mistakes Parents Make When Talking to Kids (Part 3)

Using Guilt and Shame to Get Compliance:
One of the biggest lessons one learns as a parent is that young kids don’t naturally have empathy and consideration for your needs. They develop empathy slowly as they mature, by experiencing your empathy for them. That’s why the expectation that young kids walk in your shoes and see things from your point of view may not be reasonable. The failure to do so does not mean they are a bad or uncaring kid. They are just being a kid — focused on having fun in the moment, and testing their limits to learn about what is acceptable. Most parents are stressed multi-taskers who often forget to take care of themselves. This can lead to resentment when kids don’t seem to be cooperating. It is important to take some time to connect with your own feelings and calm down using deep breathing or self-talk before letting these emotions leak and derail your communication with your kid.

Ineffective Example
“I have asked you repeatedly to tidy up your toys and here they are, strewn all over the living room floor. Don’t you care at all? Can’t you see that I’ve been on my feet all day taking care of everybody’s needs. Now I have to trip over your toys or waste my time cleaning them up. What’s wrong with you that you’re so selfish?”
This parent is creating a lot of negative energy. While we can all empathize with her frustration, her communication is blaming and disrespectful. Calling a kid “selfish,” or implying there is something wrong with her is also harmful. Kids internalize these negative labels and begin to see themselves as "not good enough." Humiliating or shaming a kid can shape brain pathways in negative ways. Label the behavior as unacceptable, but the kid as still lovable.

Effective Example
“I see the toys haven’t been packed away yet and that makes me upset. It’s important for me to have an orderly house that we can all function in. All the toys that are out will need to go sleep in the garage tonight. You can earn them back by tidying away all of your toys tomorrow.”
This parent is clearly communicating her own feelings and needs without anger or blame. She is applying a clear, but not overly punitive consequence for the behavior and providing an opportunity for the child to try again tomorrow and succeed. She does not attribute any negative motivation to the kid or label his personality in negative ways.

Worst Mistakes Parents Make When Talking to Kids (Part 2)

Nagging and Giving Multiple Warnings:

Most parents are familiar with the early morning rush to get everybody out the door on time, along with their lunches, gym clothes, musical instruments, signed homework, and so on. The child who gets distracted and seems unmotivated to get ready on time is the greatest challenge to a busy parent. Many parents feel out of control and try desperately to control the situation by nagging or criticizing. The problem with nagging is that you are actually training kids to ignore you because they know there will be more reminders down the road. While very young kids, may need more assistance and instruction, effective parents allow the kids to take increasing responsibility as they grow older.

Ineffective Example (to a 10-year-old kid)
“I’m waking you up an hour early because you are never ready on time. You need to get dressed right now. Do you have the homework for me to sign? “
Ten minutes later.
“I told you to get ready and you’re still lollygagging. You’re going to make us all late. Go and brush your teeth and put your clothes on.”
Ten minutes later.
“Where is your homework? I asked you to bring it for me to sign? And you’re not finished dressing. We are going to be late.”
And so on.

This parent is taking way too much responsibility and indirectly communicating to the kid that she doesn’t trust him to manage the situation without extensive instruction and interference. This so-called “helicopter parenting,” can lead to unconfident, overly dependent kids, according to Dr. Carol Dweck, a best-selling author and researcher on parenting and motivation. The tone is also negative and intrusive, which is likely to create resentment and resistance or passive-aggression.

Effective Example
“We will be leaving for school in 45 minutes. If you don’t have everything you need, it’s up to you to explain it to your teachers.”
These instructions are brief and convey a clear expectation, with a consequence for not complying. They are free of judgment, anxiety, and attempts to control. The parent allows the kid to learn from the natural consequences of his/her own behavior.

Worst Mistakes Parents Make When Talking to Kids (Part 1)

Words can change your kid's brain. Learn to use the right ones. This is 4 part series. Here comes the first one:

1. Mistake of Talking Too Much:
When parents go on and on, kids tune them out. Researchers have shown that the human brain can keep only four “chunks” of information or unique ideas in short-term (active) memory at once. This amounts to about 30 seconds or one or two sentences of speaking.

- Ineffective Example
“I’m not sure what we should do about ballet and softball this semester. You know, you really probably can’t do both because softball is on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 4, but then you have to change and put your hair in a bun, so that won’t be enough time, unless you pack all your ballet stuff on Monday night, which means it has to get washed on Sunday…….”

There are so many different ideas in this message that the kid will get confused and tune the parent out. Also, the message has an overall negative, anxious tone that can cause the kid to react with doubt and anxiety. It is not necessary to tell the kid all of the information at once. Rather, break it up into separate steps to be more digestible. Let the kid express his/her overall preference first, before bringing up all the obstacles.

- Effective Example
“If you do both ballet and softball this semester, you’ll have to go right from one to the other some nights. Let’s sit down and figure out if this makes sense for both you and me.”

In this example, the parent is limiting the conversation to two sentences, which makes it easier for the kid to absorb the information. She is also also being clear about the overall goal (make it work for both), and the next steps she is requesting (sit down and discuss the issue). Finally, she is communicating a willingness to collaborate and consider the kids' needs as well as her own.

Controlling neuronal signalling by blue light (Optogenetics):

Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has announced that a group of researchers, led by Professor Won Do Heo, have developed a new technology in the field of optogenetics that can remotely control specific receptors by light. They have named this new technology "OptoTrk" and it has succeeded with neuronal differentiation inducement.

The most significant feature of OptoTrk technology is that it requires only light to activate neuronal functions without the need of other substances. The receptors are activated when exposed to blue light, and then induce both neuronal growth and differentiation by upregulating downstream cell signalling.

Hippocampal activity during music listening exposes the memory-boosting power of music:
For the first time the hippocampus -- a brain structure crucial for creating long-lasting memories -- has been observed to be active in response to recurring musical phrases while listening to music. Thus, the hippocampal involvement in long-term memory may be less specific than previously thought, indicating that short and long-term memory processes may depend on each other after all.