Neuroscience Perspective Research Articles

Beauty, a Path to Christ: A Psychological and Neuroscientific Perspective

Beauty, a Path to Christ:A Psychological and Neuroscientific Perspective Samantha Mattheiss (bio) and Joseph R. Laracy (bio) Catholic philosophers and theologians, ancient and modern, have described the attractiveness of beauty for centuries, explaining that beauty attracts because it flows from truth; and vice versa—beauty attracts to truth.1 In the patristic era, perhaps no one put it as powerfully as St. Augustine when he wrote, Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you. And see, you were within and I was in the external world and sought you there, and in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely created things which you made. You were with me, and I was not with you. The lovely things kept me far from you, though if they did not have their existence in you, they had not existence at all. You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness. You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness. You were fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pant after you. I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours.2 [End Page 149] In the twenty-first century, Pope Benedict XVI, in his homily at the Mass for the Inauguration of his Pontificate stated, "There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him. The task of the shepherd, the task of the fisher of men, can often seem wearisome. But it is beautiful and wonderful, because it is truly a service to joy, to God's joy which longs to break into the world."3 Christian writers have further discussed the effects of beauty on the beholder, positing that beauty elicits overall well-being, points to the infinite,4 invites one to engage in the objective experience of beauty,5 and evokes selfless acts of love.6 Given the attractiveness of beauty and its influence in inviting further acts of love, it seems fitting to explore the role of beauty in evangelization. In fact, the Pontifical Council for Culture has proposed that beauty is integral to evangelization: Beginning with the simple experience of the marvel-arousing meeting with beauty, the via pulchritudinis can open the pathway for the search for God, and disposes the heart and spirit to meet Christ, who is the Beauty of Holiness Incarnate, offered by God to men for their salvation. It invites contemporary Augustines, unquenchable seekers of love, truth and beauty, to see through perceptible beauty to eternal Beauty, and with fervor discover Holy God, the author of all beauty.7 As suggested by the Pontifical Council for Culture, beauty can be instrumental in inviting others upon a search for God. Moreover, in consideration of the intersection of faith and science—where truth lies evident not only in ancient Church traditions but also in modern sciences—we might look further at the psychological and physiological reactions elicited by beauty. From a psychological perspective, does beauty truly elicit marvel, pro-social and selfless acts of love, as well as [End Page 150] interest and motivation? Notably so, the field of psychology offers extant evidence of the countless positive effects of beauty. Psychologists have characterized aesthetics across multiple domains, including beautiful landscapes and mathematical theories. They have also noted its effects on physiological human processes. In the following sections of this paper, we discuss physiological evidence for the role of beauty in evangelization. Beauty Defined by Psychologists and Theologians Both theologians and psychologists have wrestled with the essential question: What is beauty? Scholars from both fields have sought to describe the objective features of aesthetic stimuli. Theologians have identified both the objective and subjective properties of beauty: "Two elements would enter into an account of the beautiful—the form of some object, and the splendor with which it strikes the beholder."8 Hans Urs von Balthasar names these two elements, like St. Thomas Aquinas, species (or forma) and lumen (or splendor).9 Theologians, in sum, often refer to the experience of the beauty of Christ...

Neural Correlates of Self and its Dissolution: A Neuroanthropological Study

Neuroanthropology looks for the comprehension that what culture means for our brain and furthermore the way in which brain shapes our way of life. This is an understanding of human culture via neural pathways.From theperspective of Indian contemplative practices, the elucidation of Self (I-ness) is firmly established. Recent developments in neuroscience have improved our knowledge of how the Self develops and how it interacts with the outside world. The development of human selvescan be explained in neural terms. The self-dissolution that is the main goal of the contemplative traditions can be comprehended from a neuro-scientific perspective.

Neuroscience Perspectives on Adaptive Manual Control with Pursuit Displays

Cyberneticists develop mathematical human control models which are used to tune manual control systems and understand human performance limits. Neuroscientists explore the physiology and circuitry of the central nervous system to understand how the brain works. Both research human visuomotor control tasks, such as the pursuit tracking task. In this paper we discuss some commonalities and differences in both approaches to better understand the adapting human controller. Special attention is given to Adaptive Model Theory, which studied adaptive human control using several linear and nonlinear control engineering techniques. The insights gained yield schemes and concepts which pave the way for key future work on this topic.

A música no processo de alfabetização pela perspectiva da neurociência

This text presents an experience of undergraduate students in Pedagogy at the University of the State of Minas Gerais - UEMG, Divinópolis-MG, scholarship holders of the Institutional Scholarship Program for Teaching Initiation - PIBID between 2020 and 2021. Faced with the difficulties and challenges presented in the unusual pandemic scenario, the strategy chosen by the undergraduates was to insert music into literacy-oriented activities because of its ability to stimulate multiple regions of the brain. The objective of this text is to present how literacy can be effective and attractive to children, through the training of teachers in neuroscience studies, on the action of music on the brain. The work of the fellows was carried out remotely due to the requirement of social isolation, the activities for the children were printed and delivered at the Antonieta Fonseca Municipal School to their responsible fortnightly, in addition to keeping in touch with students via social network on the internet. The set of activities developed showed a lot of interaction among children, teachers and family members and culminated in the First Exhibition of PIBID-Pedagogy of UEMG - Divinópolis. The work instigates further investigations on the insertion of music in the literacy process from the neuroscience perspective.

Neurobiological mechanisms underlying memory bias : from an integrative perspective of cognitive psychology, neuroendocrinology, and neuroscience

Neurobiological mechanisms underlying memory bias : from an integrative perspective of cognitive psychology, neuroendocrinology, and neuroscience

Hesse's reader who no longer reads in the context of modern media

The article analyses several of Hesse's essays, with an emphasis on the 1920 essay On Reading Books, from the perspective of modern literary studies, psychology, and neuroscience. In the essay, Hesse made his classification of literary readers and anticipated the emergence of the "reader who no longer reads" as a kind of the enlightened reader, a human being who, thanks to his/her deep and dedicated understanding of emotions in literature, has the meaning of his/her life at his/her fingertips, who understands what he/she thinks and especially what he/she feels. Thus, it is the reader who really understands his/her emotions. However, nowadays, in the age of digital media, a new version of the "reader who does not read" is emerging. Such a reader is an arrogant and superficial modern reader who believes he/she knows everything only because he/she can easily reach information he/she does not even really try to understand, and who hardly thinks about emotions in literature. Therefore, the second part of the article relies on two more of Hesse's essays on reading literature, one of which anticipates the influence of multimedia on reading, and tries to explain the emergence of the modern "reader who does not read". More specifically, the article here considers the ways how literature can foster emotions and experience in the age of digital multimedia. Namely, if we want to feel and experience while reading literature, we need to develop both the cognitive and the emotional apparatus willing and able to understand what is read, but the modern media seem to stand in the way. It is good to point out the problem, but it is even better to offer the possibility of problem-solving; thus, the third part of the article addresses new/old knowledge about the effects of reading aloud on the development of our emotional and cognitive abilities. Of course, the methods of reading aloud in the multimedia context already exist, and they are successful, so the article also presents a study on stimulating emotions and empathy by the method of reading aloud.

Trends in big data analyses by multicenter collaborative translational research in psychiatry.

The underlying pathologies of psychiatric disorders, which cause substantial personal and social losses, remain unknown, and their elucidation is an urgent issue. To clarify the core pathological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders, in addition to laboratory‐based research that incorporates the latest findings, it is necessary to conduct large‐sample‐size research and verify reproducibility. For this purpose, it is critical to conduct multicenter collaborative research across various fields, such as psychiatry, neuroscience, molecular biology, genomics, neuroimaging, cognitive science, neurophysiology, psychology, and pharmacology. Moreover, collaborative research plays an important role in the development of young researchers. In this respect, the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta‐Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium and Cognitive Genetics Collaborative Research Organization (COCORO) have played important roles. In this review, we first overview the importance of multicenter collaborative research and our target psychiatric disorders. Then, we introduce research findings on the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders from neurocognitive, neurophysiological, neuroimaging, genetic, and basic neuroscience perspectives, focusing mainly on the findings obtained by COCORO. It is our hope that multicenter collaborative research will contribute to the elucidation of the pathological basis of psychiatric disorders.

INNOVATING STUDENT ADMISSION USING NEUROSCIENCE PERSPECTIVE: LEARNING FROM MUHAMMADIYAH VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS

The pandemic COVID-19 has opened new horizons in all parts of the world, including in education. Educational institutions must make breakthroughs related to the number of student admissions, which has decreased significantly, especially at Vocational School of Muhammadiyah 3 Yogyakarta. The purpose of this study was to find a promotion model for student admissions from a neuroscience perspective at Vocational School of Muhammadiyah 3 Yogyakarta. This study uses a qualitative method. The subjects of this study were the principal, the vice principal for student affairs, the vice principal for public relations, the head of the admission committee, and the prospective students. Researchers used observation, interviews, and documentation as data collection techniques. The data were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model, namely data reduction, display data, and conclusion drawing/verification data. This study indicates that neuroscience as a brain approach (cortex prefrontal) can attract the sympathy of prospective new students to study at Vocational School of Muhammadiyah 3 Yogyakarta. It is a solution to meet the target group for majors at school. This research has implications for school management and Islamic education management in student admission department.

Character Education as Brain Education: Spiritual Neuroscience Studies in Islamic Education

Islamic education has been dogmatic because it emphasizes a behavioral approach, where the environment shapes the students' character. This contradicts neuroscience, where students have the potential to change their environment. Therefore, this literature study aimed to analyze character education as brain education from a neuroscience perspective using a qualitative approach. Data were then obtained manually and digitally from books and journals on neuroscience and Islamic education on the Sinta database and analyzed using content analysis. The results showed that character education using a behavioral approach does not produce students with good habits in the community. In contrast, the neuroscience approach allows them to develop a permanent good character identity with a transformative impact on the environment. These findings challenge a new direction of studies on Islamic education using a neuroscience approach with implications for shifting learning theory and practice.

Alcohol, Aggression, and Violence: From Public Health to Neuroscience.

Alcohol has been associated with violent crimes and domestic violence across many nations. Various etiological factors were linked to chronic alcohol use and violence including psychiatric comorbidities of perpetrators such as personality disorders, mood disorders, and intermittent explosive disorders. Aggression is the precursor of violence and individuals prone to aggressive behaviors are more likely to commit impulsive violent crimes, especially under the influence of alcohol. Findings from brain studies indicate long-term alcohol consumption induced morphological changes in brain regions involved in self-control, decision-making, and emotional processing. In line with this, the inherent dopaminergic and serotonergic anomalies seen in aggressive individuals increase their susceptibility to commit violent crimes when alcohol present in their system. In relation to this, this article intends to investigate the influence of alcohol on aggression with sociopsychological and neuroscientific perspectives by looking into comorbidity of personality or mood disorders, state of the mind during alcohol consumption, types of beverages, environmental trigger, neurochemical changes, and gender differences that influence individual responses to alcohol intake and susceptibility to intoxicated aggression.

A massive 7T fMRI dataset to bridge cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence.

Extensive sampling of neural activity during rich cognitive phenomena is critical for robust understanding of brain function. Here we present the Natural Scenes Dataset (NSD), in which high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging responses to tens of thousands of richly annotated natural scenes were measured while participants performed a continuous recognition task. To optimize data quality, we developed and applied novel estimation and denoising techniques. Simple visual inspections of the NSD data reveal clear representational transformations along the ventral visual pathway. Further exemplifying the inferential power of the dataset, we used NSD to build and train deep neural network models that predict brain activity more accurately than state-of-the-art models from computer vision. NSD also includes substantial resting-state and diffusion data, enabling network neuroscience perspectives to constrain and enhance models of perception and memory. Given its unprecedented scale, quality and breadth, NSD opens new avenues of inquiry in cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence.

Asymmetry in the Central Nervous System: A Clinical Neuroscience Perspective.

Recent large-scale neuroimaging studies suggest that most parts of the human brain show structural differences between the left and the right hemisphere. Such structural hemispheric asymmetries have been reported for both cortical and subcortical structures. Interestingly, many neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders have been associated with altered functional hemispheric asymmetries. However, findings concerning the relation between structural hemispheric asymmetries and disorders have largely been inconsistent, both within specific disorders as well as between disorders. In the present review, we compare structural asymmetries from a clinical neuroscience perspective across different disorders. We focus especially on recent large-scale neuroimaging studies, to concentrate on replicable effects. With the notable exception of major depressive disorder, all reviewed disorders were associated with distinct patterns of alterations in structural hemispheric asymmetries. While autism spectrum disorder was associated with altered structural hemispheric asymmetries in a broader range of brain areas, most other disorders were linked to more specific alterations in brain areas related to cognitive functions that have been associated with the symptomology of these disorders. The implications of these findings are highlighted in the context of transdiagnostic approaches to psychopathology.

Reading Dostoevsky and Polyphony from the Neuroscience Perspective

Dostoevsky suffered from epilepsy all his life. It is known that the characters with epilepsy and the epileptic seizure held an important key in his story. While interpreting his illness and works from a neuroscience perspective, this short essay goes further and examines the structure of polyphony advocated by Bakhtin about Dostoevsky's works. Neuroscientific significance could be found in the polyphonic structure of his work consisting of the multi-layered structure of dialogue and narrative.

Neuroimaging and neuropathological findings in older adults with COVID‐19: A cognitive‐neuroscience systematic review to inform the long‐term impact of the virus on neurocognitive trajectories

BackgroundInfection due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has been found to have detrimental effects on multiple body systems, especially in older adults. Acute neurological symptoms may be present and often associated with neural injuries. However, the long‐term consequences of COVID‐19 on neurocognitive functioning are still unknown. Therefore, this systematic review aims to summarise neuroimaging and neuropathological findings in patients with COVID‐19 aged ≥ 60 within a cognitive neuroscientific perspective, to clarify which brain areas may be more affected and the possible cognitive consequences.MethodTwo databases (PubMed and Web of Science) were searched to identify all relevant manuscripts published between 1st March 2020 and 14th September 2020. The papers were screened and selected for inclusion by two independent assessors. Additional relevant studies not detected by the literature search were added manually.ResultA total of 74 studies were included. A wide variety of neural findings in older patients with COVID‐19 emerged from most studies, with a prominent role played by cerebrovascular damage. Structural and functional abnormalities were reported in all brain areas. The most consistent findings were observed in white matter, brainstem and fronto‐temporal areas. Moreover, viral DNA was also detected mainly in olfactory, orbitofrontal and brainstem areas.ConclusionThe vast literature on the link between COVID‐19 and neural damage is currently limited to the description of hospitalised patients who either had a fatal outcome or severe symptoms. The damage observed in this population seems acute and largely irreversible, mainly in neural regions involved in major functional cognitive networks. It is currently unknown whether the long‐term impact of COVID‐19 will be limited to the chronic evolution of acute events or whether novel mechanisms will emerge. Future theoretical frameworks describing the long‐term impact of COVID‐19 infection on mental abilities will have to factor in major trends of aetiological and topographic heterogeneity.

A vicious cycle of neuropathological, cognitive and behavioural sequelae of repeated opioid overdose.

In the midst of an escalating U.S. opioid crisis, the immediate focus of public health interventions is on fatal overdose prevention. Few studies, however, have sought to examine the long-term health consequences of exposure to repeated nonfatal opioid overdose. We reviewed recent literature to examine three corresponding downstream health outcomes of repeated overdose: a) neurodegenerative processes; b) cognition and memory; and c) overdose risk behaviours. We found a remarkable congruency among available biochemical and cognitive data on how nonfatal overdose precipitates various pathological feedforward and feedback loops that affect people who use opioids for years to come. We found however that downstream behavioural implications of neurodegenerative and cognitive sequelae are less studied despite being most proximal to an overdose. Findings point to a vicious cycle of nonfatal overdose leading to neurodegeneration - closely resembling Alzheimer Disease - that results in cognitive decline that in turn leads to potentially reduced adherence to safe drug use behaviours. The collected evidence not only brings into the focus the long-term health consequences of nonfatal overdose from the perspectives of biology, neuroscience, and public health, but also creates new cross-disciplinary context and awareness in the research and public health community that should benefit people at risk.

Driving Behavior Based on Big Data Analysis and EEG Data Analysis

In recent years, as the number of automobiles in my country has increased year by year, the number of automobile accidents and casualties and the direct economic losses caused by them are very high. How to improve the level of road safety has become an important research content in the field of transportation. Driving a car is a complex activity involving perception, judgment, decision-making and manipulation, and requires the brain to coordinate and guide the driver’s driving functions. EEG signals can reflect the driver’s psychophysiological state, and then represent the driver’s perception activities. The application of EEG data analysis in driving behavior research explains the mechanism of driving behavior from a new perspective of cognitive neuroscience and brings new solutions to traffic safety problems. Driving behavior research is the main research content in the field of road safety. Recognizing and predicting the state of driving behavior is very important for the development of intelligent driving assistance systems and the improvement of road safety. This paper analyzes the EEG data while driving based on big data analysis. Firstly, the literature research method is used to summarize the EEG data analysis process and the research significance, and then the driver’s EEG data is analyzed and researched through simulated driving experiments. The relationship between its parameters and driving behavior. Experimental results show that the front area and buffer area have a strong correlation with all variables of driving behavior, especially the correlation with acceleration and forward time is about 35%. In addition, compared with other driving behavior variables, time zone has the strongest correlation with speed, about 56%. Approximately 46% of the samples are beta waves that are significantly related to driving behavior. In addition, alpha waves account for about 20% of the total number of samples, while the correlation between delta waves and driving behavior is the weakest, accounting for only about 10% of the total number of samples.

Bridging the Gap: A Geroscience Primer for Neuroscientists With Potential Collaborative Applications.

While neurodegenerative diseases can strike at any age, the majority of afflicted individuals are diagnosed at older ages. Due to the important impact of age in disease diagnosis, the field of neuroscience could greatly benefit from the many of the theories and ideas from the biology of aging-now commonly referred as geroscience. As discussed in our complementary perspective on the topic, there is often a "silo-ing" between geroscientists who work on understanding the mechanisms underlying aging and neuroscientists who are studying neurodegenerative diseases. While there have been some strong collaborations between the biology of aging and neuroscientists, there is still great potential for enhanced collaborative effort between the 2 fields. To this end, here, we review the state of the geroscience field, discuss how neuroscience could benefit from thinking from a geroscience perspective, and close with a brief discussion on some of the "missing links" between geroscience and neuroscience and how to remedy them. Notably, we have a corresponding, concurrent review from the neuroscience perspective. Our overall goal is to "bridge the gap" between geroscience and neuroscience such that more efficient, reproducible research with translational potential can be conducted.

HEBB'S THEORY OF LEARNING IN COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE

Donald Hebb who is the founder of theory of learning behavior from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience based on the cell assembly. Where he explained the occurrence of learning through the Hebb's synapse, which explained the mechanism of interaction and connection between synaptic cells, and the activity that occurs between them to produce learning and related thinking and memory. Also, how the induce that occurs between the cell assembly in the Hebb's synapse has a significant role to understand learning and associated skills, abilities and behavior. Therefore, this theory in the field of education and psychology was employed in the mechanism of long-term Potentiation (LTP) to interpret the occurrence of learning in terms of cognitive neuroscience. Keywords: Cognitive Neuroscience, Theory, Hebb, Learning, Teaching, Brain, Neuron

The Implicit Aesthetic Preference for Mobile Marketing Interface Layout-An ERP Study.

Businesses and scholars have been trying to improve marketing effect by optimizing mobile marketing interfaces aesthetically as users browse freely and aimlessly through mobile marketing interfaces. Although the layout is an important design factor that affects interface aesthetics, whether it can trigger customer's aesthetic preferences in mobile marketing remains unexplored. To address this issue, we employ an empirical methodology of event-related potentials (EPR) in this study from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience and psychology. Subjects are presented with a series of mobile marketing interface images of different layouts with identical marketing content. Their EEG waves were recorded as they were required to distinguish a target stimulus from the others. After the experiment, each of the subjects chose five stimuli interfaces they like and five they dislike. By analyzing the ERP data derived from the EEG data and the behavioral data, we find significant differences between the disliked interfaces and the other interfaces in the ERP component of P2 from the frontal-central area in the 200–400 ms post-stimulus onset time window and LPP from both the frontal-central and parietal-occipital area in the 400–600 ms time window. The results support the hypothesis that humans do make rapid implicit aesthetic preferences for interface layouts and suggest that even under a free browsing context like the mobile marketing context, interface layouts that raise high emotional arousal can still attract more user attention and induce users' implicit aesthetic preference.

How Moment-to-Moment EEG Measures Enhance Ad Effectiveness Evaluation

Existing literature compares neuromarketing and traditional methods, making the questionable assumption that these are monolithic measurement alternatives all serving the same, predictive purpose. This study examines and empirically challenges this notion by relying on a neuroscientific perspective and a robust empirical study to examine the correspondence of expanded sets of diverse electroencephalogram (EEG) and survey advertising indicators. The key findings are that EEG and survey indicators measure different kinds of emotions (and attention) and that the newly developed, momentary EEG indicators are superior to the conventional, aggregated ones. The findings suggest that moment-to-moment EEG advertising indicators, such as peak emotions during branding moments, distinctively enhance advertising effectiveness evaluation and enhancement.