Neuroscience of optimism and pessimism and has found its rooted deeply in our desire either to pursue pleasure (the nucleus accumbens) or avoid pain (the amygdala) and their “dialog” with the prefrontal cortex. Dr. Fox uses the analogy of an accelerator. In a more pessimistic person, the amygdala is more active, and thus accelerated to avoid pain. In a more optimistic person, the nucleus accumbens is more active, and accelerated to seek pleasure.

Optimism is also largely dependent on persistence and adaptability. Which are both leadership qualities that I’ve found can be learned. Please read this paragraph again.
Optimists tend to be more successful professionally, less likely to experience depression and other illnesses, and even live longer! Yes, you’ll still experience disappointments in life. But they’ll be easier to navigate, and you’ll bounce back quickly.

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Vaping Alters Inflammatory State of Brain, Heart, Lungs, and Colon

Daily vaping of pod-based e-cigarettes alters inflammatory states across multiple organs, including the brain. The effects vary depending upon the vape flavors and influence how the body responds to infections. Mint vapes, for example, leave people more sensitive to the effects of bacterial pneumonia than mango flavoring.

The most striking effects are in the brain, where several inflammatory markers were elevated. Additional changes in neuroinflammatory gene expression were noted in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region critical for motivation and reward-processing.

The findings raise major concerns, they said, as neuroinflammation in this region has been linked to anxiety, depression and addictive behaviors, which could further exacerbate substance use and addiction.

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Inflammatory gene expression also increased in the colon, particularly after one month of e-cigarette exposure, which could increase risk of gastrointestinal disease. In contrast, the heart showed decreased levels of inflammatory markers. Authors said this state of immunosuppression could make cardiac tissue more vulnerable to infection.

This shows that the flavor chemicals themselves are also causing pathological changes. If someone who frequently uses menthol-flavored JUUL e-cigarettes was infected with COVID-19, it’s possible their body would respond differently to the infection.

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Centipedes possess a decentralized nervous system, with a brain composed of two or three pairs of ganglia and a ventral nerve cord with segmental ganglia. This system allows for independent control of individual legs and body segments, even when the brain is removed, as demonstrated by experiments where centipedes can still walk and respond to stimuli after being de-cephalized. Research suggests that central pattern generators (CPGs) play a crucial role in generating locomotion patterns, with sensory feedback and descending control from the brain also influencing movement.

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Decoding Decision-Making: Insect Brains Are More Complex Than We Thought

The mushroom body—a key area in the brains of arthropods like insects—plays a crucial role in abstract behavioral decision-making.

Contrary to the long-standing belief that insects react purely on stimulus-response, the study shows they can actually make nuanced decisions based on experiences. The researchers recorded feeding behavior alongside neural signals.

The mushroom body in arthropod brains encodes for both memory formation and complex decision-making, contesting prior views that insects operate merely on a stimulus-response basis.

The research involved the American cockroach, chosen for its relatively large brain, making it easier to measure and interpret neural signals and behavior in real-time.

The output neurons of the mushroom body also take into account the current state of the animal, like whether it is hungry, enabling more precise prediction of behavior.

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Babies mimic songs

Children as young as 15 months can repeat simple melodies they hear hours after exposure to the tune.As part of the study, scientists captured audio of a 15-month-old boy making sounds similar to the beginning of the song “Happy Birthday,” hours after he heard the song played on a toy. An analysis of the sounds showed the boy hitting the first six notes of “Happy Birthday” almost spot-on, in G major.

“The social aspect of music is important — if a baby sees their mother singing, they know she’s engaging with that song, that she’s enjoying it, and they know it must be important,” Benetti said.
“I think that social context is important. It’s engaging and it’s socially relevant, and for them, that’s enough."

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Your brain releases oxytocin when someone really listens to you. That’s why one good conversation can feel better than 10 hours of sleep.

Have you had a conversation like that?

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