Brain and Cognitive Development

Engineering love

by Brian Earp

Savulescu, J. and Sandberg, A. (2012). Love machine: Engineering lifelong romance. New Scientist, 2864, 28-29.

Essay partially adapted from Earp, B. D., Sandberg, A., and Savulescu, J. (2012). Natural selection, childrearing, and the ethics of marriage (and divorce): Building a case for the neuroenhancement of human relationships. Philosophy & Technology, forthcoming [see "profile" box in article].

Available at the New Scientist website: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428646.200-love-machine-engineering-lifelong-romance.html

New Scientist BIG IDEA section, May 2012.

With break-up and divorce a major part of modern life, it looks... more New Scientist BIG IDEA section, May 2012.

With break-up and divorce a major part of modern life, it looks like we may be outliving our inborn capacity to love. But there could be a way to outwit evolution and make love last.

Also available at New Scientist: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428646.200-love-machine-engineering-lifelong-romance.html.

Craniosynostosis in the middle pleistocene human cranium 14 from the sima de los huesos, atapuerca, spain

by Ana Gracia-Téllez

We report here a previously undescribed human Middle Pleistocene immature specimen, Cranium 14, recovered at the Sima... more We report here a previously undescribed human Middle Pleistocene immature specimen, Cranium 14, recovered at the Sima de los Huesos (SH) site (Atapuerca, Spain), that constitutes the oldest evidence in human evolution of a very rare pathology in our own species, lambdoid single suture craniosynostosis (SSC). Both the ecto- and endo-cranial deformities observed in this specimen are severe. All of the evidence points out that this severity implies that the SSC occurred before birth, and that facial asymmetries, as well as motor/cognitive disorders, were likely to be associated with this condition. The analysis of the present etiological data of this specimen lead us to consider that Cranium 14 is a case of isolated SSC, probably of traumatic origin. The existence of this pathological individual among the SH sample represents also a fact to take into account when referring to sociobiological behavior in Middle Pleistocene humans.

Adolescent impulsivity phenotypes characterized by distinct brain networks

by Robert Whelan

Nature Neuroscience. doi:10.1038/nn.3092

Robert Whelan, Patricia J Conrod, Jean-Baptiste Poline, Anbarasu Lourdusamy, Tobias Banaschewski, Gareth J Barker, Mark A Bellgrove, Christian Büchel, Mark Byrne, Tarrant D R Cummins, Mira Fauth-Bühler, Herta Flor, Jürgen Gallinat, Andreas Heinz, Bernd Ittermann, Karl Mann, Jean-Luc Martinot, Edmund C Lalor, Mark Lathrop, Eva Loth, Frauke Nees, Tomas Paus, Marcella Rietschel, Michael N Smolka, Rainer Spanagel, David N Stephens, Maren Struve, Benjamin Thyreau, Sabine Vollstaedt-Klein, Trevor W Robbins, Gunter Schumann, Hugh Garavan & the IMAGEN Consortium

The impulsive behavior that is often characteristic of adolescence may reflect underlying neurodevelopmental... more The impulsive behavior that is often characteristic of adolescence may reflect underlying neurodevelopmental processes. Moreover, impulsivity is a multi-dimensional construct, and it is plausible that distinct brain networks contribute to its different cognitive, clinical and behavioral aspects. As these networks have not yet been described, we identified distinct cortical and subcortical networks underlying successful inhibitions and inhibition failures in a large sample (n = 1,896) of 14-year-old adolescents. Different networks were associated with drug use (n = 1,593) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms (n = 342). Hypofunctioning of a specific orbitofrontal cortical network was associated with likelihood of initiating drug use in early adolescence. Right inferior frontal activity was related to the speed of the inhibition process (n = 826) and use of illegal substances and associated with genetic variation in a norepinephrine transporter gene (n = 819). Our results indicate that both neural endophenotypes and genetic variation give rise to the various manifestations of impulsive behavior.

Establishing and Measuring Consciousness:

by stanley wilkin

A review of neurological investigations into consciousness and why the apprach is flawed. Weighing up several... more A review of neurological investigations into consciousness and why the apprach is flawed. Weighing up several propositions through current epistemology.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: Experimental therapeutics and strategies for intervention

by Nirelia Idrus

Alcohol Research and Health: 34(1):76-85

Muscularity of mind: Towards an explanation of the transition from unconscious to conscious knowledge

by Nagarjuna G

I can't get no (epistemic) satisfaction: Why the hard problem of consciousness entails a hard problem of explanation

by Brian Earp

Earp, B. D. (2012). I can’t get no (epistemic) satisfaction: Why the hard problem of consciousness entails a hard problem of explanation. Dialogues in Philosophy, Mental and Neuro Sciences, in press.

Daniel Dennett (1996) has disputed David Chalmers’ (1995) assertion that there is a “hard problem of consciousness”... more Daniel Dennett (1996) has disputed David Chalmers’ (1995) assertion that there is a “hard problem of consciousness” worth solving in the philosophy of mind. In this paper I defend Chalmers against Dennett on this point: I argue that there is a hard problem of consciousness, that it is distinct in kind from the so-called easy problems, and that it is vital for the sake of honest and productive research in the cognitive sciences to be clear about the difference. But I have my own rebuke for Chalmers on the point of explanation. Chalmers (1995, 1996) proposes to “solve” the hard problem of consciousness by positing qualia as fundamental features of the universe, alongside such ontological basics as mass and space-time. But this is an inadequate solution: to posit, I will urge, is not to explain. To bolster this view, I borrow from an account of explanation by which it must provide “epistemic satisfaction” to be considered successful (Rowlands, 2001; Campbell, 2009), and show that Chalmers’ proposal fails on this account. I conclude that research in the science of consciousness cannot move forward without greater conceptual clarity in the field.

Global Citizenship in 2040: Six Scenarios

by Vahid V. Motlagh

1- Placeless Brains Triumph, 2-Planetary Second Life, 3-Multicultural City Islands, 4-Cherished Mental Model, 5-Lagging Global Education, 6-Tribal Towers Tremble

After listening to a presentation that reviewed the scientific discoveries and technological developments,... more After listening to a presentation that reviewed the scientific discoveries and technological developments, participants in the workshop titled Global Placeless Brains at the conference Reconciling Babel – Education for cosmopolitanism were directed in a brief method based scenario planning exercise that was designed and run by the author.They were encouraged to do some “disciplined imagination” about the alternative futures of the global citizenship in 2040. One week after the workshop was concluded their written inputs were analyzed and subsequently six scenarios were developed and named. For more detail about how the tacit knowledge of the participants was tapped and thus documented as explicit knowledge see the Method section below

Metacognition: Are your learners really thinking about the content?

by Timothy Clapper

Clapper, T. C. (2012). Metacognition: Are your learners really thinking about the content? Evolllution. http://www.evolllution.com/curriculum_planning/metacognition-are-your-learners-really-thinking-about-the-content/

Processing information can be matched with metacognition strategies in outcomes-based curriculum design and... more Processing information can be matched with metacognition strategies in outcomes-based curriculum design and facilitation. Teachers and student alike must be shown how to use certain strategies to enhance the metacognition process.

A Novel Method for Assessing Sense of Body Ownership Using Electroencephalography

by Maria Chiara Carrozza

IEEE Transactions of Biomedical Engineering, 2011

A successful substitution of an upper limb is possible when the prosthesis is recognized by amputees as a part of... more A successful substitution of an upper limb is possible when the prosthesis is recognized by amputees as a part of their body scheme. A new system alternative to functional magnetic resonance imaging for evaluating the sense of ownership during the rubber hand experiment, using noninvasive electroencephalography recordings, is described, and encouraging results are presented.

The Neurobiology of Experience: Memory-Prediction and Its Role in the Management Decision-Making Process

by Matthew Jelavic

Jelavic, M., & Vincenti, M. (2012). The Neurobiology of Experience: Memory-Prediction and Its Role in the Management Decision-Making Process. Canadian Manager, 36(4), 26 – 27.

Dissecting the imitation faculty: The multiple imitation mechanisms (MIM) hypothesis

by Francys Subiaul

Garusi Hominid 1, variability and specialization of early hominids in their masticatory apparatus. Part IV

by Pierre-François Puech

WHEN MAN BEGAN: OR THE DOOR-STEP OF HOMINITY MILLION YEARS AGO AT GARUSI (TANZANIA); In « The first humans and their cultural manifestations - Lower Middle Palaeolithic - TheUpper Palaeolithic » Facchini, F.,  Palma di Cesnola, A., Pipemo, M., Peretto. C., ed.Forli :Abaco, 1998 :29-34

New discoveries of Australopithecus anamensis draw attention to the cranio dental morphology of Garusi Hominid I. New discoveries of Australopithecus anamensis draw attention to the cranio dental morphology of Garusi Hominid I.

Garusi Hominid 1, variability and specialization of early hominids in their masticatory apparatus. Part III

by Pierre-François Puech

The primordial aim of palazoanthropological research in Africa and Asia was to answer this question: "Who is Man"

The extreme variation in the dento-facial morphology in Australopithecus opens the question of determining the first... more The extreme variation in the dento-facial morphology in Australopithecus opens the question of determining the first evidence of the Homo lineage.>

A natural history of the human mind: tracing evolutionary changes in brain and cognition

by Francys Subiaul

Multiple Imitation Mechanisms in Children

by Francys Subiaul

On the Functional Roles of Mirror Neurons_Camil_Cardas

by Camil Cardas

Inter-individual performance differences in younger and older adults differentially relate to amplitude modulations and phase stability of oscillations controlling working memory contents.

by Markus Werkle-Bergner

Physics of Consciousness

by Maximiliano Isi

Project-based learning: Teaching them to create and produce

by Timothy Clapper

Clapper, T. C. (2011). Project-based learning: Teaching them to create and produce. PAILAL, 4(1), 1-3. Available on EBCOHOST database.