Detection of Future Criminals?

Posted on March 10, 2014 by | 5 comments

Scientists have discovered that they can detect criminal tendencies by looking at the MRI brain scans. According to Dr. Adrian Raine, a British criminologist, the origins of crime and antisocial behavior can be found in children as young as only three-years old. Psychopaths have physically different brains from “normal” people; in other words, they may be “born to kill.”

Normal vs. Criminal
Brain Scans
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Studies have shown that in the MRI brain scans of criminals, they had approximately 11% less grey matter in the anterior rostral prefrontal cortex and amygdala than in the brains of non-psychopaths. Grey matter of the brain is important for understanding people’s emotions and is associated with behavior, guilt, remorse, and empathy. People who lack grey matter might have no sense of regret or loss of emotions.

Brain Anatomy
Image from Wikimedia Commons

In one study, three-year olds were measured for their response to fear. These children were given a stimulus and then a small electrical shock. Involuntary physical impulses were then measured when children were presented with the same stimulus, minus the shock. Children who would later grow up to become criminals showed a distinct lack of fear when presented with the stimulus in comparison to other children.

Correlations have been shown between callousness and crime. Nathalie Fontaine, a criminologist studying the brains of the children between the ages of seven and twelve, found that children who tend to be insensitive and unemotional are at greater risk of becoming criminals than children with typical emotions.

While the criminal brain tends to be physiologically different than that of the law-abiding citizen, hope is not lost. By identifying possible criminal behavior earlier on in life, we can minimize further escalation of such behaviors. For these children, positive reinforcement is important. On the other hand, taking food and medicine rich in omega-3 fatty acids can counteract behavioral problems. A study showed that by taking omega-3 and multi-vitamin/mineral, behaviors of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity significantly reduces.

Criminal behavior is certainly not a fixed behavior. As the studies of three-year-olds and other research have shown, many of these brain abnormalities can be measured early on in life. By identifying these types of antisocial behavior of a child, proper approaches can be made before an individual might develop into actual psychopathic tendencies or commit a crime.

The following video, “A Killer’s Brain: Scans Look for Clues to Violence,” shows Dr. Raine’s study of how study of brain scans can detect future criminals:

 

– Rubina Lo

References:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2141160/Born-bad-Rapists-psychopathic-murderers-physically-different-brains-normal-people.html

http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/05/11/scans-show-psychopaths-have-brain-abnormalities/38540.html

http://www.youblawg.com/criminal-defence-lawyers/the-criminal-mind-brain-scans-reveal-differences

 

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Posted in Issues in science, Science in the news

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Dogs and humans: A match made in … brain structure?

Posted on March 4, 2014 by | 5 comments

Photo courtesy of: Garden State Hiker on Flickr Creative Commons

Dog owners can attest that communication is vital to a healthy relationship with their canine companions, but how? It seems that humans and dogs can communicate in a way that transgresses the language barrier between the two species (give it a try – watch this video and see if you can interpret the meanings behind the barks towards the end of the clip). Throughout history, dogs have developed alongside human society and presently, have become one of our most popular animal companions, but what is the scientific basis that drives the bond between humans and dogs?

Earlier research has demonstrated through eye-tracking technology that dogs’ communicative abilities with people are socially comparable to human infants. The experiment illustrated the dog’s capabilities in understanding our intentions to communicate with them through verbal cues and eye contact. Although this is interesting to prove through the technological advancement of eye-tracking, the conclusions are not groundbreaking to what we already know; dog owners can easily understand this through their daily interactions with their canine companions.

More recently, however, a study from the Cell Press Journal reveal the similarities in the physical regions of the brain responsible for processing social communication in humans and dogs through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. In this experiment, human participants and dogs were given the same auditory samples of human and dog vocalizations related to different emotions, and nonvocal sounds. The results from fMRI showed similarities in the triggered “voice areas” of the dog and human brains, although expectedly these areas were triggered more by the voices from their own species (i.e., humans responded more strongly to human voices, and dogs responded more strongly to dog vocalizations). Additionally, dogs and humans show similar brain responses to the emotional aspects behind the human and dog vocalizations, such as those associated with cries and whining.

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The video above summarises findings of the study that was performed, and even includes an interview with Atilla Andics, one of the leading scientists in this study.

These findings not only demonstrate that dogs can recognize human voices as communicative cues, but it also suggests that they are able to understand the emotions tied to the voices. From this study, we can also understand why humans are able to interpret a dog’s emotions and needs through its barks and vocalizations. This similarity in the locations and brain mechanisms related to processing of social information allows dogs and humans for mutual understanding. Given the fact that dogs and humans are both social creatures, it seems reasonable that these brains developed in such similar ways. Factor in the domestication of dogs going back over tens of thousands of years, and this special interspecies bond does not seem so difficult to understand anymore. Perhaps this serves as scientific evidence to those who argue whether or not a dog truly is Man’s best friend.

– Leslie Chiang

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Posted in Biological sciences, Science communication

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H5N1 Avian Influenza: Pending Pandemic?

Posted on March 3, 2014 by | 1 comment

On January 8, 2014, an Albertan resident died after contracting H5N1 avian influenza. This was the first H5N1 related death in North America. Federal and provincial health officials were quick to reassure the public that person-to-person transmission of H5N1 influenza is “extremely rare”. In fact, of the 386 H5N1-related deaths reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2003, almost all involved close contact with birds. Sure enough, later reports suggested that the Albertan resident may have contracted the virus whilst passing through an illegal bird market in Beijing.

But could H5N1 be transmitted between humans? Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center sought to answer this question and on June 22, 2012 they published a highly controversial paper detailing how they re-engineered the H5N1 virus so that it could be transmitted between humans.

Before we discuss this exciting study, we need to take a brief look at the structure and life cycle of the Influenza virus. There are 3 subtypes of the Influenza virus: Influenza A, B and C. H5N1 is an Influenza A virus and these viruses have 2 types of proteins on their surface: Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase. There are 18 known forms of Hemagglutinin and 11 known forms of Neuraminidase.  A  H5N1 virus has a type 5 Hemaggluttinin and a type 1 Neuraminidase on its surface.

Hemagglutinin is the protein responsible for viral cell entry. On the surface of the cells of our respiratory system are molecules called Sialic acid. Hemagglutinin on the surface of the virus binds to Sialic acid on the cell, triggering the cell to engulf the virus. Upon entry into the cell, the virus takes over and using an enzyme called a polymerase it makes many copies of itself. Eventually the cell bursts and the virus copies are released.

Influenza A virus: Courtesy of www.flickr.com

In the experiment, the researchers made H5N1 virus particles that were transmissible between ferrets (often used as an animal model for human Influenza infection). The researchers began by introducing 3 substitution mutations that had been identified in other highly transmissible Influenza viruses. A substitution mutation is a type of mutation that exchanges one base for another in the nucleotide sequence of a gene. Mutations change the structure of the associated protein. In this case, the mutated virus’s had altered Hemagglutinin on their surface.

The mutated virus’s were then manually placed in the nose of ferrets. Following infection, the researchers swabbed the noses of the infected ferrets and proceeded to infect another group of ferrets. This process was repeated multiple times. By the 10th cycle the mutant H5N1 was airborne and was being transmitted between ferrets in different cages.

The genome (genetic material) of the mutant H5N1 was analyzed and it was found that a total of 5 mutations, 4 mutations in Hemagluttinin and 1 mutation in the polymerase, was necessary for the virus to become transmissible between humans.  Researchers at Cambridge University looked for the same mutations in naturally occurring H5N1 virus’s. They found that the mutations existed individually or in pairs, but never all together in one virus.

So, is a H5N1  pandemic eminent? This is still unknown, but researchers have taken important steps in better understanding the mechanism of transmission of H5N1 Influenza virus.

For a more detailed look at the lifecycle of  Influenza viruses, check out this video.

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Fardowsa Yusuf

References

http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/06/controversial-h5n1-bird-flu-papers-published-fuels-fears-of-airborne-mutations/

 

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The Power of Music

Posted on March 3, 2014 by | 1 comment

THE POWER OF MUSIC

Photo of Kanye West performing during the Yeezus Tour via http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Kanye_Live_Yeezus_Tour.jpg

Music is a wondrous thing. It is nearly impossible to go a whole day without hearing music in one form or another. We listen to music for many different occasions such as passing the time during your commute, when you are feeling down, in the gym to get pumped up, and many more.  Music has been around for a long time, dating back at least 60,000 years where it is believed neanderthals uses their hands and stones to create a cacophony of sounds. Since then, music has evolved tremendously and has branched into many different genres including rock and roll, jazz, rap, and reggae. You may be listening to music right now while you are reading this post and you may not know the many different ways music contorts your mind.

An array of musical notes via https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6oLHko_dQCEMnTcrhJqaKPxjSGRpX0G8elwWz0oZvJjJ5rZ4-tg

One of the way music influences us is that it can make us express certain emotions. This is due to the fact that music fires off neurons that make us feel a certain way. This explains why we feel down after listening to sad songs and other emotions for other types of music.

When we have to write a long paper for school, some of us tend to turn to loud music to help us get into the zone to hammer it out. This may not be the best way to go about things however. One study has indicated that milder noise levels can help boost your productivity and creativity. This is one way music can be beneficial for everyone. So you may want to give Tchaikovsky or Beethoven a listen next time you have an important assignment or exam.

Another great benefit of music is that it can help people with coronary heart disease relieve stress and reduce blood pressure, which significantly lowers their chances of disease complications, including death.

 

Music has many effects on the brain. Image via http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/IEatBrainz.png

Another great thing about music is that it can help us exercise.  Faster music leads to more effort, and the optimal range is between 120 to 140 beats per minute (bpm). People often synchronize themselves to the beat of the music, so a faster beat leads to quicker movements and increased power output

An interesting video on the effects of music on the brain..

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In the end, music is a great tool in our every day lives and should be utilized to our benefit. There are many positives that can come out of listening to music it is truly amazing. There are some possible downsides however. Constant exposure to loud music can cause loss of hearing down the road and music can also distract us during crucial times such as driving. That being said, if you are cautious about your music listening habits, there is no end to the possible positive outcomes.

 

By: Zohaib Mahmood

 REFERENCES:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/665048

http://blog.bufferapp.com/music-and-the-brain

http://english.eastday.com/e/top10/u1a5573540.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/why-exercise-workout-music-playlist_n_4173931.html

http://www.webmd.com/balance/music-therapy

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Adderall: addicting and harmful

Posted on March 3, 2014 by | 5 comments

Adderall – usually need prescription to obtain

Students in universities are faced with intense competition to get into graduate programs so during exam season, caffeine might just not cut it for them.

The  attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Clinical Research Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago has shown that many students without ADHD are beginning to take Adderall to help them focus when studying for exams. Adderall is a prescribed drug used to treat ones with ADHD but have now become more accessible due to means like the internet and drug trafficers. By taking these drugs without knowing the damage it does to the body, more and more cases of deaths have resulted.

Taking Adderall for better focus when studying has become very common in post-secondary schools

Taking Adderall may seem beneficial to students to boost their GPA  or to learn class materials in a short period of time; however, what they might not know about the study drug is that it is also very harmful to their body after consumption.

This drug contains amphetamines, a substance that is used to fight fatigue. It drives up the level of dopamine and norepinephrine in the frontal cortex of the brain and is used help the brain in focus, functioning, and planning. More importantly, the same content is found in drugs like cocaine and crystal meth except with less concentration. Because of this, Adderall is considered do  have a high potential for abuse along with severe psychological or physical dependence, aka addiction.

Amphetamine is addictive because it affects the nervous system and this leads to a physical tolerance; therefore, users tend to require higher dosage over time in order to get the same focus and energy level.   Along with possible addiction, this prescribed drug also leads to restlessness, dizziness, headache, and anxiety are a few side effects that one can experience from prolonged use of Adderall or consuming one that has an increased level of amphetamine. More harmful effects of the drug are insomnia, hallucination, depression, and increase in blood pressure. The latter two are very detrimental to the body in the long run as it leads to heart failure, dementia, stroke, thoughts of suicide and death.

Now ask yourself this: Are you willing to risk your life with addiction and health problems for that A+ that you could have received if you simply time managed better and studied well in advance of your exam? Well, I hope your answer is no.

The following video explains the harmful aspects of taking Adderall:

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Work Cited:

Findling, R., Short, E., & Manos, M. (2001). Short-term cardiovascular effects of methylphenidate and adderall. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(5), 525-529. doi:10.1097/00004583-200105000-00011

McCabe, S., Knight, J., Teter, C., & Wechser, H. (2005). Non-medical use of prescription stimulants among US college students: Prevalence and correlates from a national survey. Addiction, 100(1), 96-106. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2004.00944.x

 

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