Based on fresh research from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience1, flickering light generates “standing waves” of brain activity that lead to hallucinations in our brain. Picture yourself sitting on the bus or train and closing your eyes. Sunlight flickering through the trees suddenly fills your mind with kaleidoscopic hallucinatory patterns. Brion Gysin, co-inventor of the…
Subiculum-hypothalamic Threat Detection Brain Circuit Mapped
Researchers have mapped a brain circuit responsible for instantly detecting threats and forming memories of fear. “We were interested in locating a brain region associated with fear signaling and finding out how it could identify environments previously related to physical or predatory threats, such as a place where the individual underwent an aversive physical stimulus,”…
Neurons Responsible for Item Memory Discovered
University of California, Irvine researchers have identified the neurons involved in “item memory,” expanding on our knowledge of how the brain stores and recalls the specifics of “what” happened and providing a novel therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s patients. Memories include three types of details: spatial, temporal and item, the “where, when and what” of an…
Microglial Phagosomes Contain Presynaptic, Not Postsynaptic Proteins
Microglia are the immune system’s primary enforcers in the brain. They are cells that patrol the brain and eliminate anything hazardous they come across, from invading bacteria to cellular waste. They also eliminate plaques and prune damaged connections between neurons. Microglia remove their target by consuming them: they encase the material in bubble-like organelles known…
Obedience to Authority May Depend on Physical Proximity
Scientists at SWPS University – formerly known as the Warsaw School of Social Psychology- recently investigated the causes of obedience in the famous Milgram study. They found that the experimenter’s physical proximity increases subjects’ compliance, whereas the learner’s physical proximity diminishes it. In the early 1960s, American social psychologist Stanley Milgram developed an experiment that…
The Freeze Response – Beyond Fight or Flight
The freeze response, also known as freezing behavior, or tonic immobility, is a survival mechanism triggered by the brain in response to perceived threat, involving a sophisticated interplay between psychological and physiological factors. It stands alongside the well-documented fight or flight responses as a fundamental mode of stress reaction, although the phenomenon, while well-researched in…
Psychological Models of Impulsivity
Impulsivity is a multifaceted construct often characterized by actions taken without forethought. It is typically regarded as a personality trait but can also be observed in various psychiatric conditions. Psychological models often emphasize the lack of behavioral inhibition as a core component of impulsivity. These models attempt to explain impulsive behavior as a failure to…
Rothbart’s Three Dimensions of Temperament
Temperament refers to the inherent traits that determine how individuals react to the environment. These traits are biologically based and observable from early childhood. Unlike personality, which can evolve over time influenced by various life experiences, temperament remains relatively stable and consistent. Temperament qualities (such as neuroticism, sociability, impulsivity, etc.) are different patterns in behavior…
Generativity vs Stagnation in Erikson’s Psychosocial Development
Erik Erikson introduced eight stages of psychosocial development, with generativity vs. stagnation being the seventh stage. This stage typically occurs during middle adulthood, around ages 40 to 65. Erikson believed that successful navigation through each stage leads to a healthy personality and positive psychosocial outcomes. The stages are marked by conflicts that must be resolved…