View allAll Photos Tagged Brain_Imaging
TED ends with a roast of the speakers and surreal sights of the prior week. Here are some funny quotes from Mary Lou Jepson's talk, presented by Baratunde Thurston. When seen in context, it was quite inspiring. She showed us how red light penetrates brain and skull, and brain imaging can be done with her "optical MRI" using a holographic filter to reconstruct the internal image and 5MHz ultrasound to doppler shift the red color to orange at a point, allowing a raster scan of the brain at 0.5 - 6 micron resolutions... and it is all something that could fit in a simple headband. One compelling early application would be to distinguish a bleed versus a clot stroke (because the therapies are very different, and lethal if applied to the wrong type of stroke)
Composite Image [brainContrBehavOther675px] using data from Figure 6 [1] and brain imaging from Linder [2].
Image shows the response along the medial bank of cingulate cortex after the revelation of a partner’s decision (‘‘other’’ response pattern) for behavior matched controls (n = 15).
See [3] for a summary of the article [2] in the journal Neuron.
[1] Pearl H. Chiu, M. Amin Kayali, Kenneth T. Kishida, Damon Tomlin, Laura G. Klinger, Mark R. Klinger, and P. Read Montague; Self Responses along Cingulate Cortex Reveal Quantitative Neural Phenotype for High-Functioning Autism; Neuron; Volume 57, Issue 3, Pages 463–473; February 7, 2008.
[2] Christian R. Linder; MRI Saggital transection through the human brain; Wikimedia Commons; 20001013. Accessed 20080208.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Brain_chrischan.jpg
[3] rebornphoenix; News: Study Finds Neural Phenotype for High-Functioning Autism; Glass Jail; 20080209. Accessed 20080209.
glassjail.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/study-finds-neural-phe...
Yoga, Meditation, and the Brain
Cullen College of Engineering Professor Jose Contreras-Vidal presents a NeuroHumanities workshop on the power of yoga and meditation to change the brain. In collaboration with Yoga Better instructors Andrew Royal Dugas, Andria Dugas and Lizzy Bosell, University of Houston participants wore mobile brain imaging headsets to monitor brain activity while practicing yoga during four sessions hosted at The Water Works at Sabine Street in Houston, Texas.
Composite Image [brainContrBehavSelf675px] using data from Figure 6 [1] and brain imaging from Linder [2].
Image shows the subsequent response along the medial bank of cingulate cortex following the submission of one’s own decision (‘‘self’’ response pattern) for behavior matched controls (n = 15).
See [3] for a summary of the article [2] in the journal Neuron.
[1] Pearl H. Chiu, M. Amin Kayali, Kenneth T. Kishida, Damon Tomlin, Laura G. Klinger, Mark R. Klinger, and P. Read Montague; Self Responses along Cingulate Cortex Reveal Quantitative Neural Phenotype for High-Functioning Autism; Neuron; Volume 57, Issue 3, Pages 463–473; February 7, 2008.
[2] Christian R. Linder; MRI Saggital transection through the human brain; Wikimedia Commons; 20001013. Accessed 20080208.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Brain_chrischan.jpg
[3] rebornphoenix; News: Study Finds Neural Phenotype for High-Functioning Autism; Glass Jail; 20080209. Accessed 20080209.
glassjail.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/study-finds-neural-phe...
Yoga, Meditation, and the Brain
Cullen College of Engineering Professor Jose Contreras-Vidal presents a NeuroHumanities workshop on the power of yoga and meditation to change the brain. In collaboration with Yoga Better instructors Andrew Royal Dugas, Andria Dugas and Lizzy Bosell, University of Houston participants wore mobile brain imaging headsets to monitor brain activity while practicing yoga during four sessions hosted at The Water Works at Sabine Street in Houston, Texas.
Composite Image [brainContrAgeOther675px] using data from Figure 6 [1] and brain imaging from Linder [2].
Image shows the response along the medial bank of cingulate cortex after the revelation of a partner’s decision (‘‘other’’ response pattern) for age and IQ matched controls (n = 18).
See [3] for a summary of the article [2] in the journal Neuron.
[1] Pearl H. Chiu, M. Amin Kayali, Kenneth T. Kishida, Damon Tomlin, Laura G. Klinger, Mark R. Klinger, and P. Read Montague; Self Responses along Cingulate Cortex Reveal Quantitative Neural Phenotype for High-Functioning Autism; Neuron; Volume 57, Issue 3, Pages 463–473; February 7, 2008.
[2] Christian R. Linder; MRI Saggital transection through the human brain; Wikimedia Commons; 20001013. Accessed 20080208.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Brain_chrischan.jpg
[3] rebornphoenix; News: Study Finds Neural Phenotype for High-Functioning Autism; Glass Jail; 20080209. Accessed 20080209.
glassjail.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/study-finds-neural-phe...
Composite Image [brainContrAgeSelf675px] using data from Figure 6 [1] and brain imaging from Linder [2].
Image shows the subsequent response along the medial bank of cingulate cortex following the submission of one’s own decision (‘‘self’’ response pattern) for age and IQ matched controls (n = 18).
See [3] for a summary of the article [2] in the journal Neuron.
[1] Pearl H. Chiu, M. Amin Kayali, Kenneth T. Kishida, Damon Tomlin, Laura G. Klinger, Mark R. Klinger, and P. Read Montague; Self Responses along Cingulate Cortex Reveal Quantitative Neural Phenotype for High-Functioning Autism; Neuron; Volume 57, Issue 3, Pages 463–473; February 7, 2008.
[2] Christian R. Linder; MRI Saggital transection through the human brain; Wikimedia Commons; 20001013. Accessed 20080208.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Brain_chrischan.jpg
[3] rebornphoenix; News: Study Finds Neural Phenotype for High-Functioning Autism; Glass Jail; 20080209. Accessed 20080209.
glassjail.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/study-finds-neural-phe...
Au Groupe d'imagerie Cérébrale, des techniques de neuroimagerie fonctionnelle et structurale servent à élucider la pathophysiologie de plusieurs maladies psychiatriques, y compris la schizophrénie, la dépression, etc.
At the Brain Imaging Group, functional and structural neuroimaging techniques are used to better understand the pathophysiology of several psychiatric diseases including schizophrenia, depression, etc…
Yoga, Meditation, and the Brain
Cullen College of Engineering Professor Jose Contreras-Vidal presents a NeuroHumanities workshop on the power of yoga and meditation to change the brain. In collaboration with Yoga Better instructors Andrew Royal Dugas, Andria Dugas and Lizzy Bosell, University of Houston participants wore mobile brain imaging headsets to monitor brain activity while practicing yoga during four sessions hosted at The Water Works at Sabine Street in Houston, Texas.
This book on trauma picks up where Peter Levine left off with his work. Fueled by his own interest in trauma from his family having lived in Holland during WWII and his father having been sent to a camp for political activism this is a book that is both a personal search for the author and a history of his involvement as a doctor in research on trauma.
He first worked at a veterans clinic in the late '70s so had opportunity to conduct a study to find out what pushed soldiers over the brink to aspects of madness. PTSD was not at the time a diagnosis the Veterans Administration thought was relevant. The author devotes a good portion of the book to relating the history of PTSD treatment to shed light on the lack of progress. During WWI soldiers who reported having psychological issues were said to be suffering from shell shock and treated for it with compassion. By the time WWII rolled around the war went on for so long that the armed forces could not afford to lose any able bodied soldiers to shell shock and orders were issued on both sides of the battle lines to forbid using such a psychological diagnosis. Those in power did not want to acknowledge that sending an entire generation of young men to fight for their country would adversely impact them for life. This explained a lot about the political resistance to giving a socio-political context to psychiatric diagnosis. It made all human suffering a personal problem rather than a sociological problem. This has long been one of my complaints about how therapy is practiced. The author descriptions of various medical protocol showed how doctors in their intakes of patients only addressed treatment of symptoms rather than taking into consideration the impact of trauma.
He also includes the research on how pharmacology was discovered to help (except in the case of veterans) and how pharmacology took over when other methods i.e. neuro-feedback were being discovered to be extremely effective with lasting results long after the treatment was administered unlike drugs which had to be taken for life. Abused and neglected children are four times more likely to be given antipsychotic drugs to control behavior.
New technology in brain imaging allowed researchers to see what was going on in the brain when people relived their trauma by listening to a script describing what happened to them. It was discovered that the speech making part of the brain was deactivated so did not allow the brain to describe what had happened. Studies of how people told the story of their traumatic event also revealed that memory of trauma is different from normal memory. It is not organized in a linear logical fashion and comes with visceral emotional cues. This led to the back lash of "false memory syndrome" once again attempting to take away the accounts of victims of abuse. Traumatic events also alter victims' perceptions of normal things and the brains capacity to think beyond the past. They were stuck in time. Veterans who took a Rorschach test saw mutilated body parts in every card.
The struggle of effectively treating trauma still suffers to this day an unwillingness by those in power to acknowledge trauma as a diagnosis. PTSD did make it into the DSM after Vietnam and could be applied to other terrifying events experienced by adults. But there was the trauma of childhood abuse, neglect and sexual molestation that an affected person did not express as an event and was often reluctant to mention. The author and others came up with a diagnosis they called Developmental Trauma Disorder and presented for inclusion in the DSM-V. It was not accepted because it was not believed to be widespread so not considered necessary for a separate diagnosis even though investigations by their group (The National Child Trauma Network) had shown that a million children were affected. So such children continue to be diagnosed according to how they express their anxiety when triggered thus Oppositional Defiant Disorder and ADHD as if it were a genetic aberration of the brain or a character flaw rather than the result of an extremely dysfunctional family impacted by damaging circumstances.
The impact of trauma is that people continue to live in the reality of the trauma and are unable to process through it because the trauma has changed the way the brain is wired and functions. Their brain is stuck on 'on' or they get hijacked by an environmental trigger and are again reliving the visceral and emotional terror of the trauma. This can lead to inappropriate even illegal and violent behavior leaving a wake of shame and guilt for the patient.
Finally in the last part of the book he looks at treatment that is effective. I was encouraged that these treatments did not involve pharmaceuticals. Yoga for instance helped victims of sexual assault reclaim their body (a modified yoga devoid of pelvic moves). Neurofeedback had remarkable results in rewiring the brain back to normal. EMDR is a technique that keeps the body occupied in the present while allowing the brain to release the emotions of the trauma. One technique involves rapid eye movement as the patient is asked to track the doctors finger back and forth while articulating what he sees or feels through sensory memory. Theatre worked particularly well for teens to embody their stories for an audience. Greek tragedies he notes were written in the wake of war based on the experience of soldiers which helped their healing on a community level. A psychological narrative technique called IFS organizes the different responses of the self into a dialogue with the self that has resilient characteristics. Breathing exercises, mindfulness practice, a family support network and community are also key. And my favorite—writing to yourself, breaking the silence of your shame through storytelling and finding others who can listen to your story.
All of these treatments speak to the ability of the human spirit to survive trauma and use the skills they learned to further their lives as useful members of their community. Looking through the lens of trauma is so much about story that I am fascinated by the journey of those who find their way back to health. The research has also allowed much insight into the workings of the brain. It is not so much about brain chemistry in the abstract sense that phrase implies, but about learned responses and coping skills that don't quite fit in normal life. The brain becomes an emotionally intelligent physiological being rather than a random, genetically determined entity.
I went here Friday to have a physical, bloodwork, EKG, ect: I am trying to qualify for a Brain Imaging study, the effects of Nicotine on the brain. They will pay me, but the main reason I am doing it is because they will give you a picture of your brain, AND put it on a T-shirt. Isn't that cool as shit?!
Entry in category 4. Video loop; © CC-BY-NC-ND: Mathieu Niquille
Capturing this video in living mouse brain tissue, we stole few intimate minutes of the neuronal migration choreography. The high resolution allows us to appreciate the beauty of their inner dance. How often thousands of hidden and infinitely small phenomena are the anonymous ground of what we agree to call “perfection” is, to me, a drive to stay humble regarding our contribution to science.
Here we looked at the endogenously fluorescent sensing units of interneurons during their journey through the developing brain. Images were acquired every two minutes along 1h20 using the resonant mode of a Nikon A1 confocal microscope through a 60x oil-immersion objective and with a 3x digital zoom. The field of view is 70x60µm and the raw gray scale pictures were turned into REDhot color coding.
When planning the precise and delicate procedure to remove a brain tumor, a neurosurgeon needs to know the exact location and dimensions of the invasive growth and the surrounding tissue. Because of the brain’s intricate network of neural pathways, altering one spot can adversely affect a patient’s speech, vision, mobility and cognition.
Nagarajan's lab specializes in detailed, high-fidelity brain imaging using magnetoencephalography (MEG), a quick, noninvasive procedure that measures the brain’s electromagnetic signals to visualize how things work inside.
Read the story at ctsi.ucsf.edu/news/about-ctsi/mapping-brain-predict-surge...
Learn more about Nagarajan's research at UCSF Profiles profiles.ucsf.edu/ProfileDetails.aspx?From=SE&Person=...
Radiologists Dr. John Matheson and Dr. Shane Greek speak with Minister Terry Lake in the Victoria General medical imaging department, where they demonstrated Island Health's 320 slice CT perfusion scanner, which provides very detailed images of the brain to diagnose stroke and other neurological diseases.
Entry in category 1. ©Nicolas Toni; See also bit.ly/snsf_comp_copy
Photomontage of superposed confocal microscopy images of the adult mouse brain (hippocampus), showing microglia (white), astrocytes (blue), some immature neurons (red), endothelial cells (yellow) and stem cells (green). Besides its artistic nature, this picture shows the diversity and entanglement of brains cells. These cells also constitute the neurogenic niche, which helps stem cells produce new neurons in the adult brain. Image size: 400 x 400 micrometers.
The brain is generally considered as network of neurons. This image shows the diversity of cells that also constitute it: Astrocytes (blue), microglia (white), stem cells (green), blood vessels (yellow) and some immature neurons (red). The complexity of this picture nicely represents the complexity of the cellular interactions occurring in real time in the brain. ¦ Image#1_269
Neuroscience is undoubtedly the hottest topic in advertising research at the moment. It generates high hopes for understanding consumer behaviour from a completely new perspective. From reading the brain’s activity, can you find out what really drives choices and consumer preferences beyond what people are able and willing to tell you on a questionnaire and in focus groups? Can brain imaging even reveal hidden desires and covert mechanisms that consumer themselves are not aware of? In sum, can neuroscience give us access to what people really think and feel?
As I said, the hopes for neuromarketing are high and thus no wonder recent years have seen a huge boom not only in academic studies but also in commercial companies popping up all around the world offering neuro-studies to the advertising and marketing world. To get a better understanding of this rapidly evolving area DDB hosted last week the first of its Brainsurgery workshops for clients and staff titled “Neuromarketing – Neuroscience or Neurononsense?” Two renowned neuroscientists from Goldsmiths, University of London, DDB’s academic partner, attacked this question from two complementary perspectives.
Dr Lauren Stewart kicked off the evening with a ‘bluffer’s guide to neuroscience’, briefly explaining the general principles by which the brain works, i.e. how information is transmitted and processed in the brain and what the relevant brain structures are that you often find in colourful images on the science pages of the popular press. Dr Stewart’s own expertise is in structural (MRI) and functional brain imaging (fMRI) and she gave a brief but nevertheless very thorough account of how these state-of-the-art neuro-imaging techniques work and what they can tell us about consumers’ minds. This distinction between brain and mind was quite an interesting point she made which subsequently triggered a few questions from the audience. “The mind is what the brain does”, is the quote that I wrote down by which she was hinting at the fact that, yes, with modern neuroscience we can observe biological activity but we still need to know what this activity means in psychological terms. A red blob on an fMRI image in a particular brain area can indicate that the pleasure centre of the brain is active while seeing a TV ad. But it is no less plausible that the emotional reaction related to this red blob is actually disgust or maybe it just means the brain is ‘on’? Observing brain activity is only part of the message, the other half is finding out what this activity stands for. This is precisely why academic neuroscientists are always very careful to control their results with behavioural data, rigorous statistical analyses, and appropriate experimental control conditions – scientific practice that commercial studies need to adopt as well if they want to be credible.
The second talk of the evening by Prof Joydeep Bhattacharya, head of the EEG lab at Goldsmiths, then went straight into the current battlefield of neuromarketing. Prof Bhattacharya used the metaphor of ‘forced marriage’ to investigate how well modern neuroscience and marketing go together in reality. Both disciplines are interested in understanding and explaining human behaviour and both are very keen to learn about its implicit and underlying mechanisms. Quite a few recent academic studies have aimed at ‘mind reading’, that is analysing brain signals with advanced statistical and machine learning techniques to predict the future behaviour of a consumer. Admittedly, most of these studies were lab studies in a controlled environment but their results are nonetheless impressive; well, you can judge for yourself:
a)From an EEG signal it is possible to predict which of two very similar human faces a participant would like better; and this is before the participant actually makes the explicit decision. (Lindsen et al., 2010, NeuroImage)
b)Testing Coca-Cola vs. a no-name cola brand, the fMRI signal of participants in a brain scanner tells us that the brain’s reward system is involved when products are judged by their attractive packaging and that packaging seems to be more important than price and familiarity with the brand (Reiman et al., 2010, Journal of Consumer Psychology)
c)The medial orbitofrontal cortex is a structure that is associated with the willingness to pay (is the brain’s mythical button that marketers are so desperate to find?). It is the same structure that is active when we experience social reward, when we are looking at beautiful faces or when we anticipate a pleasant taste (Plassmann et al., 2007, Journal of Neuroscience).
No doubt, this all seems to be very relevant to marketing and advertising but Prof Bhattacharya also pointed to a few issues that made him speak of a forced marriage between neuroscience and marketing. The problems seem to start when neuroscientific results - that usually take a long time and require a lot of money - need to be produced under the financial and time pressures of the commercial world. Typically, there is very little time to test sufficient numbers of people and perform the rigorous statistical analyses that are a firm requirement for publishing in top academic journals. And then studies run in the commercial realm are hardly ever published (which, from an academic perspective, is at complete odds with the huge claims that some neuro-companies make). That means no-one can replicate those results, no peer-community can help to detect ambiguities and flaws in the experimental design or analysis, and worst of all, no-one can learn from the many commercial neuromarketing studies that are run around the globe. The danger of this practice is that neuromarketing as a discipline, unlike biomedical applications of neuroimaging techniques, doesn’t advance as much as it could, despite the huge interest and the huge sums of money that are currently invested in it. Of course, you can understand why big brands don’t want to give away the results of expensive neuromarekting studies that are intended to provide them with a market advantage over their competitors. But unless the bulk of commercial neuromarketing studies are published and made fully transparent, at least at some point in time, it is difficult to say what the potential of neuromarketing as a discipline really is; and that is not only an unfortunate situation from an academic perspective but it directly relates to how much you can trust the results of the next neuromarketing study that your own company is about to pay for.
Using software developed for human brain imaging, NICHD researchers aligned brain scans from transgenic zebrafish lines (left, purple) to a common reference brain (right). The resulting library is a resource for researchers. Credit: Burgess Laboratory, NICHD
Here is an image of the VIA EPIA-P900 Pico-ITX baord shown with a human brain image and the VIA Eden X2 logo.
On Tuesday, June 16th, guests gathered for “The Developing Mind: Understanding Our Children at Risk." This Ambassadors Speakers Series took place at Annandale Golf Club and was hosted by Marikay and David Cuthill. Bradley Peterson, MD, Director of the Institute for the Developing Mind (IDM), led an intriguing presentation on Neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders . He shared how the use of new approaches, such as brain imaging studies, can improve diagnosis and treatment plans. He also illustrated the vision for IDM, which is to foster the collaboration of scientists, clinical researchers, and clinicians to speed scientific discovery. For more information, please visit CHLA.org/IDM
(from Wikipedia)
Asperger syndrome (pronounced /ˈæspɚgɚ ˌsɪndroʊm/, also called Asperger's syndrome, Asperger's disorder, Asperger's or AS) is one of several autism spectrum disorders (ASD) characterized by difficulties in social interaction and by restricted, stereotyped interests and activities. AS is distinguished from the other ASDs in having no general delay in language or cognitive development. Although not mentioned in standard diagnostic criteria, motor clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported.[1][2]
Asperger syndrome is named after Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, failed to demonstrate empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy. Fifty years later, AS was recognized in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10), and in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as Asperger's Disorder. Questions about many aspects of AS remain: for example, there is lingering doubt about the distinction between AS and high-functioning autism (HFA);[3] partly due to this, the prevalence of AS is not firmly established. The exact cause of AS is unknown, although research supports the likelihood of a genetic basis, and brain imaging techniques have identified structural and functional differences in specific regions of the brain.
There is no single treatment for Asperger syndrome, and the effectiveness of particular interventions is supported by only limited data. Intervention is aimed at improving symptoms and function. The mainstay of treatment is behavioral therapy, focusing on specific deficits to address poor communication skills, obsessive or repetitive routines, and clumsiness. Most individuals with AS can learn to cope with their differences, but may continue to need moral support and encouragement to maintain an independent life.[4] Researchers and people with AS have contributed to a shift in attitudes away from the notion that AS is a deviation from the norm that must be treated or cured, and towards the view that AS is a difference rather than a disability.[5]
The mystery of how the brain works has long been on the human mind. Imaging technologies have opened the brain to medical and scientific study as never before. But according to Professor Solomon Diamond ’97 Th’98, there's so much more that can be done with the data that these technologies produce.
This image appeared in "Brainstorm" in the Winter 2008 issue of Dartmouth Engineer magazine.
Photo by John Sherman.
the wearing of prosthetics have been found to reduce the symptoms of phantom limbs; as with the mirror treatment they provide a visual feedback to the brain. images were taken at the london prosthetic centre. i have only cropped and altered the exposure slightly on these images.
Au Groupe d'imagerie Cérébrale, des techniques de neuroimagerie fonctionnelle et structurale servent à élucider la pathophysiologie de plusieurs maladies psychiatriques, y compris la schizophrénie, la dépression, etc.
At the Brain Imaging Group, functional and structural neuroimaging techniques are used to better understand the pathophysiology of several psychiatric diseases including schizophrenia, depression, etc…
Entry in category 3. Locations and instruments; © CC-BY-NC-ND: Edith Marianne Schneider Gasser
"The cerebellum interneurons orchestra" In this image of the developing mouse cerebellum, interneurons are labelled in red and green. It is possible to appreciate the perfect organization of the different cell types. They all build a specific conformation in which is easy to imagine that each cell plays a tone, and together they make the orchestra.
GAD enzymes are responsable for the production of GABA, a neurotransmitter exclusively expressed in interneurons in the brain. With the use of genetic engineering, a red fluorescent protein (tdTomato) was inserted to a enzyme isoform 65 (GAD 65) and a green fluorescent protein (GFP) was introduced to the other isoform 67 (GAD 67). In blue is possible to appreciate DAPI a marker of all cell nuclei in the brain. Image of a lobe in the cerebellum was taken in a confocal microscope at a 25X magnification.
Yoga, Meditation, and the Brain
Cullen College of Engineering Professor Jose Contreras-Vidal presents a NeuroHumanities workshop on the power of yoga and meditation to change the brain. In collaboration with Yoga Better instructors Andrew Royal Dugas, Andria Dugas and Lizzy Bosell, University of Houston participants wore mobile brain imaging headsets to monitor brain activity while practicing yoga during four sessions hosted at The Water Works at Sabine Street in Houston, Texas.
Yoga, Meditation, and the Brain
Cullen College of Engineering Professor Jose Contreras-Vidal presents a NeuroHumanities workshop on the power of yoga and meditation to change the brain. In collaboration with Yoga Better instructors Andrew Royal Dugas, Andria Dugas and Lizzy Bosell, University of Houston participants wore mobile brain imaging headsets to monitor brain activity while practicing yoga during four sessions hosted at The Water Works at Sabine Street in Houston, Texas.
With the use of brain imaging techniques researchers have been able to see changes in the brain after a person has undergone psychotherapy. Numerous studies have identified brain changes in people with mental illness (including depression, panic disorder, PTSD and other conditions) as a result of undergoing psychotherapy.
This sign is at the entrance to Dartmouth's Brain Imaging Center, located in Moore Hall, where you'll find the MRI machine. Dartmouth was the first college to own and operate an MRI machine strictly for research purposes. "The Magnet," as it's affectionately known, was installed in 1999 and has since supported cutting-edge research by faculty, undergraduate and graduate students. (photo by Martin Grant)
Think you know the Dartmouth campus? Join the "Where at Dartmouth?" challenge each Wednesday on Dartmouth's Facebook page.
Yoga, Meditation, and the Brain
Cullen College of Engineering Professor Jose Contreras-Vidal presents a NeuroHumanities workshop on the power of yoga and meditation to change the brain. In collaboration with Yoga Better instructors Andrew Royal Dugas, Andria Dugas and Lizzy Bosell, University of Houston participants wore mobile brain imaging headsets to monitor brain activity while practicing yoga during four sessions hosted at The Water Works at Sabine Street in Houston, Texas.
© Kevin Vyse Photography
All rights reserved 2013
BURNT OUT IDEAS
The mind is a crazy thing. Being able to create images internally using all kinds of things we've seen through out our lives, creating emotions, thinking through problems. As a Photographer, Creating is the best part of the brain. Sometimes though, the creative process breaks down and my mind goes blank. The last couple of weeks this has been occurring... instead of getting down and out about it, I decided to embrace it and use it as an image.
People like to think of an idea as a light bulb lighting up. A lack of ideas, in this case, would be a bunch of unlit light bulbs... and so the image was born.
Shutter Click.
Yoga, Meditation, and the Brain
Cullen College of Engineering Professor Jose Contreras-Vidal presents a NeuroHumanities workshop on the power of yoga and meditation to change the brain. In collaboration with Yoga Better instructors Andrew Royal Dugas, Andria Dugas and Lizzy Bosell, University of Houston participants wore mobile brain imaging headsets to monitor brain activity while practicing yoga during four sessions hosted at The Water Works at Sabine Street in Houston, Texas.
Au Groupe d'imagerie Cérébrale, des techniques de neuroimagerie fonctionnelle et structurale servent à élucider la pathophysiologie de plusieurs maladies psychiatriques, y compris la schizophrénie, la dépression, etc.
At the Brain Imaging Group, functional and structural neuroimaging techniques are used to better understand the pathophysiology of several psychiatric diseases including schizophrenia, depression, etc…
The first comprehensive in vivo MRI atlas of the macaque brain at the highest technical quality.
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
ISBN 978-3-525-40424-9
www.v-r.de/de/titel/1001003576/
The image is reduced in size and resolution.
Entry in category 1. ©Nicolas Toni; See also bit.ly/snsf_comp_copy
Confocal microscope picture of immature neurons (red) growing towards astrocytes (green), in the adult mouse hippocampus. Astrocytes produce a cocktail of molecules that help new neurons survive and mature in the adult brain. Image size: 400x400 micrometers.
Immature neurons of the adult brain (red) grow in the direction of astrocytes (green), which produce molecules that help the newcomers survive and integrate in the adult brain. Most neurons formed in the adult brain will die quickly and in this image, they look like they are reaching out for astrocytes as if they knew their life depended on it. ¦ Image#1_272
News Bulletin: Worldwide Associated Press, December 13, 2009
Researchers at the renown International Institute for Neuroscience Research recently concluded from extensive brain imaging studies that all knowledge can be attained through the ancient practice of mindfulness meditation. “We already know that certain areas of the brain light up when subjects think about particular scientific and philosophical concepts,” said Dr. Greymatir, Director of the Institute, “This new research now shows that meditation can activate those same areas.” The results of the cutting-edge project, soon to be published in the journal Contemporary Neuroscience, have reverberated throughout the scientific world. When asked about follow-up studies, Dr. Graymatir said, “We're closing the Institute. Everyone here is packing up and heading for the nearest Ashram.”
The first comprehensive in vivo MRI atlas of the macaque brain at the highest technical quality.
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
ISBN 978-3-525-40424-9
www.v-r.de/de/titel/1001003576/
The image is reduced in size and resolution.
臺北榮總暨國立陽明大學聯合記者會新聞稿
原發性痛經之基因學及腦造影研究於醫學與腦科學上的最新發現：
原發性痛經是腦疾病嗎?
主講人：謝仁俊 主治醫師/教授
北榮醫研部臨床研究科/陽大腦科學研究所
原發性痛經(Primary Dysmenorrhea；以下簡稱PDM)是指沒有器官性骨盆腔問題的經痛，為女性最常見的婦科問題，約影響全球3/4比例的女性，卻也是最常被忽視的一項疼痛醫學的問題，在疼痛醫學與疼痛科學的領域中被歸類為慢性疼痛。PDM的真正機轉仍然未詳，但普遍被接受的理論是子宮內的發炎因子、子宮肌攣縮與血管收縮的共同作用所致。
在全球不同國家或地區所做的研究調查發現，少女四到九成有過PDM的經驗，其中有10%到20%的女性因為嚴重經痛而無法工作或上學，研究指出長期原發性痛經與焦慮、憂鬱等情緒失調有顯著關係。此外，臨床上中年以後才進入高峰期的諸多功能性疼痛疾病(functional pain disorder；指無明確的器官結構性異常致病原因)：如纖維肌痛症、腸燥症、偏頭痛、原因不明之下背痛、顳顎障礙症等，女性的罹病比例皆遠高於男性，若追蹤其病史，則女性患者有非常高的比例曾有過長期的原發性痛經。 因此PDM極可能是女性中年以後發生慢性功能性疼痛疾病的重要前因之一。目前越來越多的腦科學的證據顯示慢性疼痛疾病伴隨有腦部的疼痛處理網路之顯著異常，因此了解PDM之中樞神經系統變化及經痛對身心的影響，對婦女健康實則意義重大 。
榮陽疼痛研究團隊由陽明大學腦科學研究所特聘教授暨台北榮總醫學研究部主治醫師謝仁俊領導，主要由陽明大學腦科學研究所、台北榮總醫學研究部整合性腦功能研究小組(Integrated Brain Research Unit，簡稱IBRU)及台北榮總婦產部組成，並結合陽明大學公衛研究所及陽明大學腦科學研究中心一起進行研究。經由科技部、台北榮總及陽明大學腦科學研究中心的計畫與經費的支持，多年來針對此項常被忽略的年輕PDM女性進行為期數年的整合型多形式腦造影(multimodal brain imaging)研究，內容涵蓋基因學、行為、心理、荷爾蒙、疼痛知覺反應、臨床表徵、腦部正子斷層造影(Positron Emission Tomography，簡稱PET; 用來探討人腦的新陳代謝及神經元活性)、功能性與結構性腦磁振造影(functional- and structural-MRI; 用來研究人腦的神經網路及灰白質的結構)及腦磁圖(Magnetoencephalography，簡稱MEG ; 用來研究腦波)之研究。
以下為謝教授團隊針對年輕PDM女性國際首發研究結果系列報告：
1.PDM 女性的腦部有正常變異(normal variants)的比例數倍於同年齡無PDM的女性，目前原因與影響不明，有待腦神經科學及公共衛生醫學更深入的研究。
2.PDM女性腦部疼痛網路呈現灰白質結構性變化，並且隨著月經而有每個月的週期性改變。每月經痛所引起的短期性大腦灰質體積的變化，在長年累積下，就造成不隨週期性月經而改變的長期性大腦灰質體積的變化，灰質的變化意涵該腦區的功能有所改變。
3.PDM女性腦部疼痛調控系統(pain modulatory systems)呈現神經功能性連結(functional connectivity)的異常降低，尤其是以大腦導水管旁灰質(periaqueductal grey matter；簡稱PAG)為主的疼痛調控之神經連結。大腦導水管旁灰質PAG跟預設網路(Default Mode Network，簡稱DMN)相關腦區的功能連結降低，表示他們的對疼痛刺激的調控功能不足；而大腦導水管旁灰質與運動輔助區(supplementary motor area)內之內臟運動區(visceromotor area)的功能連結增加，是許多骨盆腔慢性疼痛疾病的異常表現。 預設網路DMN主要由腹內側前額區(ventromedial prefrontal cortex)及後扣帶迴(posterior cingulate cortex)所組成，是人類心智功能的大腦神經樞紐，重度憂鬱症、思覺失調症(舊名為精神分裂症)、慢性疼痛疾病均伴隨著預設網路的異常。我們發現在年輕PDM女性中其預設網路已呈現不良的神經可塑性(maladaptive neuroplasticity)，正是諸多慢性疼痛疾病的共同腦部表徵。而慢性疼痛疾病經常伴隨著諸多腦部的異常以及多項心智功能的障礙，如專注力、記憶、憂鬱等，造成整體生活品質的下降。
4.腦源性神經滋養因子(Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, BDNF)基因管控BDNF蛋白質的製造及分泌，此蛋白質與壓力及疼痛相關的情緒反應處理有關。腦源性神經滋養因子單核苷酸多態性(BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism)的基因亞型若帶有Met allele等位基因(尤其Met/Met 基因型) ，則會導致BDNF的分泌不足而功能低下。本研究發現台灣PDM女性族群帶有更多的Met 等位基因且有較高的焦慮情緒，換言之帶有Met等位基因(尤其Met/Met 基因型) 者發生痛經的風險較高。
5.基因腦造影學(imaging genetics或genetic neuroimaging)的研究顯示帶有BDNF Val66Met 單核苷酸多態性之Met/Met 基因型的PDM女性，其腦部疼痛調控神經網路具有較顯著的易感性(vulnerability)，未來出現對疼痛產生不良神經可塑性的機率較高，這對日後引發慢性疼痛將有機轉性的重要影響。
以上都是榮陽疼痛研究團隊領先國際的首要發現，我們認為PDM所引起的腦部變化是女性中年以後發生慢性功能性疼痛疾病的重要前因，而這些腦部變異則是諸多慢性功能性疼痛疾病其中樞神經功能失調之共同的前導性機轉。我們的研究更呈現一項重要的新觀念：慢性疼痛是一個腦中樞的疾病，我們必須積極的發展無痛(Pain Free)的臨床醫學與對疼痛的積極有效的治療。
本項研究之早期成果，於數年前曾由國際疼痛學會(International Association for the Study of Pain，IASP)之期刊PAIN®舉行正式國際記者會，向國際報導我們的研究發現而轟動國際，成果見諸國際性主要報紙與電視媒體醫療健康版之頭條。最新的研究成果則發表於2016年1月的PAIN®，並有專文評論(Editorial Commentary)報導我們的研究成果在疼痛醫學的重要貢獻與意義。我們的系列研究有部分成果已多篇發表在Pain®、Neuroimage、European Journal of Pain及PLOS ONE等重要國際醫學及腦科學學術期刊，而針對嚴重型疼痛之新的非侵襲性疼痛治療技術亦在發展進行中。我們希望透過本次記者會向國內社會大眾報告榮陽疼痛研究團隊在PDM最近的研究成果及相關醫療意義，更呼籲大家重視女性的痛經問題與對嚴重經痛的及時有效治療之必要性。
I need to present to the class regarding the brain sectional imaging and fetal brain in ultrasound tomorrow.
fuh, selepas mengkaji buku ke-6 pada hari ketiga barulah bertemu nuur (cahaya) laluan jalan. Hehe. Buku ke6 tu yang atas sekali.
Dalam bahasa mudahnya, esok kena bentang imaging pasal bahagian-bahagian otak. Gambar dia dalam bentuk hirisan-hirisan, multi slice images.
Dan jugak otak/kepala bayi dalam ultrasound scan. Faham? Kalau tak faham, abaikan :P
tak reti da nak explain bahasa layman camne lagi. Heh.
p/s: Kenal tak figure yang kat belakang tu, encik comot. Heheh.
Spent the day at Glasgow University's psychology department viewing all their fancy brain-imaging equipment. Exciting!
This picture is from one of favourite books of late: Information is Beautiful by David McCandless. Brilliant book full of great visualisations such as this page illustrating theories of "what is consciousness". Other favourite pages include the "Dangers of Death" spiral - did you know that the likelihood of being killed by a falling coconut are 1 in 250,000,000?
DECIPHERING THE BRAIN: Professor Solomon Diamond, left, wants to uncover how the brain deteriorates in Alzheimer’s disease or strokes. Ph.D. candidate Broc Burke is helping him build a system to conduct several imaging studies simultaneously.
Photograph by John Sherman.
This photo appeared in "Engineering in Medicine" in the Summer 2009 issue of Dartmouth Engineer magazine.
臺北榮總暨國立陽明大學聯合記者會新聞稿
原發性痛經之基因學及腦造影研究於醫學與腦科學上的最新發現：
原發性痛經是腦疾病嗎?
主講人：謝仁俊 主治醫師/教授
北榮醫研部臨床研究科/陽大腦科學研究所
原發性痛經(Primary Dysmenorrhea；以下簡稱PDM)是指沒有器官性骨盆腔問題的經痛，為女性最常見的婦科問題，約影響全球3/4比例的女性，卻也是最常被忽視的一項疼痛醫學的問題，在疼痛醫學與疼痛科學的領域中被歸類為慢性疼痛。PDM的真正機轉仍然未詳，但普遍被接受的理論是子宮內的發炎因子、子宮肌攣縮與血管收縮的共同作用所致。
在全球不同國家或地區所做的研究調查發現，少女四到九成有過PDM的經驗，其中有10%到20%的女性因為嚴重經痛而無法工作或上學，研究指出長期原發性痛經與焦慮、憂鬱等情緒失調有顯著關係。此外，臨床上中年以後才進入高峰期的諸多功能性疼痛疾病(functional pain disorder；指無明確的器官結構性異常致病原因)：如纖維肌痛症、腸燥症、偏頭痛、原因不明之下背痛、顳顎障礙症等，女性的罹病比例皆遠高於男性，若追蹤其病史，則女性患者有非常高的比例曾有過長期的原發性痛經。 因此PDM極可能是女性中年以後發生慢性功能性疼痛疾病的重要前因之一。目前越來越多的腦科學的證據顯示慢性疼痛疾病伴隨有腦部的疼痛處理網路之顯著異常，因此了解PDM之中樞神經系統變化及經痛對身心的影響，對婦女健康實則意義重大 。
榮陽疼痛研究團隊由陽明大學腦科學研究所特聘教授暨台北榮總醫學研究部主治醫師謝仁俊領導，主要由陽明大學腦科學研究所、台北榮總醫學研究部整合性腦功能研究小組(Integrated Brain Research Unit，簡稱IBRU)及台北榮總婦產部組成，並結合陽明大學公衛研究所及陽明大學腦科學研究中心一起進行研究。經由科技部、台北榮總及陽明大學腦科學研究中心的計畫與經費的支持，多年來針對此項常被忽略的年輕PDM女性進行為期數年的整合型多形式腦造影(multimodal brain imaging)研究，內容涵蓋基因學、行為、心理、荷爾蒙、疼痛知覺反應、臨床表徵、腦部正子斷層造影(Positron Emission Tomography，簡稱PET; 用來探討人腦的新陳代謝及神經元活性)、功能性與結構性腦磁振造影(functional- and structural-MRI; 用來研究人腦的神經網路及灰白質的結構)及腦磁圖(Magnetoencephalography，簡稱MEG ; 用來研究腦波)之研究。
以下為謝教授團隊針對年輕PDM女性國際首發研究結果系列報告：
1.PDM 女性的腦部有正常變異(normal variants)的比例數倍於同年齡無PDM的女性，目前原因與影響不明，有待腦神經科學及公共衛生醫學更深入的研究。
2.PDM女性腦部疼痛網路呈現灰白質結構性變化，並且隨著月經而有每個月的週期性改變。每月經痛所引起的短期性大腦灰質體積的變化，在長年累積下，就造成不隨週期性月經而改變的長期性大腦灰質體積的變化，灰質的變化意涵該腦區的功能有所改變。
3.PDM女性腦部疼痛調控系統(pain modulatory systems)呈現神經功能性連結(functional connectivity)的異常降低，尤其是以大腦導水管旁灰質(periaqueductal grey matter；簡稱PAG)為主的疼痛調控之神經連結。大腦導水管旁灰質PAG跟預設網路(Default Mode Network，簡稱DMN)相關腦區的功能連結降低，表示他們的對疼痛刺激的調控功能不足；而大腦導水管旁灰質與運動輔助區(supplementary motor area)內之內臟運動區(visceromotor area)的功能連結增加，是許多骨盆腔慢性疼痛疾病的異常表現。 預設網路DMN主要由腹內側前額區(ventromedial prefrontal cortex)及後扣帶迴(posterior cingulate cortex)所組成，是人類心智功能的大腦神經樞紐，重度憂鬱症、思覺失調症(舊名為精神分裂症)、慢性疼痛疾病均伴隨著預設網路的異常。我們發現在年輕PDM女性中其預設網路已呈現不良的神經可塑性(maladaptive neuroplasticity)，正是諸多慢性疼痛疾病的共同腦部表徵。而慢性疼痛疾病經常伴隨著諸多腦部的異常以及多項心智功能的障礙，如專注力、記憶、憂鬱等，造成整體生活品質的下降。
4.腦源性神經滋養因子(Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, BDNF)基因管控BDNF蛋白質的製造及分泌，此蛋白質與壓力及疼痛相關的情緒反應處理有關。腦源性神經滋養因子單核苷酸多態性(BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism)的基因亞型若帶有Met allele等位基因(尤其Met/Met 基因型) ，則會導致BDNF的分泌不足而功能低下。本研究發現台灣PDM女性族群帶有更多的Met 等位基因且有較高的焦慮情緒，換言之帶有Met等位基因(尤其Met/Met 基因型) 者發生痛經的風險較高。
5.基因腦造影學(imaging genetics或genetic neuroimaging)的研究顯示帶有BDNF Val66Met 單核苷酸多態性之Met/Met 基因型的PDM女性，其腦部疼痛調控神經網路具有較顯著的易感性(vulnerability)，未來出現對疼痛產生不良神經可塑性的機率較高，這對日後引發慢性疼痛將有機轉性的重要影響。
以上都是榮陽疼痛研究團隊領先國際的首要發現，我們認為PDM所引起的腦部變化是女性中年以後發生慢性功能性疼痛疾病的重要前因，而這些腦部變異則是諸多慢性功能性疼痛疾病其中樞神經功能失調之共同的前導性機轉。我們的研究更呈現一項重要的新觀念：慢性疼痛是一個腦中樞的疾病，我們必須積極的發展無痛(Pain Free)的臨床醫學與對疼痛的積極有效的治療。
本項研究之早期成果，於數年前曾由國際疼痛學會(International Association for the Study of Pain，IASP)之期刊PAIN®舉行正式國際記者會，向國際報導我們的研究發現而轟動國際，成果見諸國際性主要報紙與電視媒體醫療健康版之頭條。最新的研究成果則發表於2016年1月的PAIN®，並有專文評論(Editorial Commentary)報導我們的研究成果在疼痛醫學的重要貢獻與意義。我們的系列研究有部分成果已多篇發表在Pain®、Neuroimage、European Journal of Pain及PLOS ONE等重要國際醫學及腦科學學術期刊，而針對嚴重型疼痛之新的非侵襲性疼痛治療技術亦在發展進行中。我們希望透過本次記者會向國內社會大眾報告榮陽疼痛研究團隊在PDM最近的研究成果及相關醫療意義，更呼籲大家重視女性的痛經問題與對嚴重經痛的及時有效治療之必要性。