Mindfulness training for addictions: has neuroscience revealed a brain hack by which awareness subverts the addictive process?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judson Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Learning System ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Addictive Behaviors ◽  
Internet Gaming ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Will Power ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Insight Into

Addiction is an age-old problem with desire pitted against self-control and will-power. In modern day substances (including food) and experiences (e.g. social media, internet gaming) are being increasingly engineered to get individuals “hooked.” Current cognitive control and reason-based paradigms may be losing a battle with urges, cravings and triggers that are more ubiquitous than ever (e.g. our smartphones). Yet, these methodologies may be overlooking basic reward-based learning paradigms (operant conditioning) that not only perpetuate addictive behaviors, but may also be the key to their undoing. Understanding core brain systems, including the role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in reward value comparison as part of this learning system may give fresh insight into not only the automaticity and perpetuation of addictions but also how they can be overcome (potentially without relying on cognitive control). Importantly, awareness and mindfulness in particular may be paramount to unlocking the power of reward-based learning to change addictive habit patterns.

Comparative studies on glial markers

1981 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-180
Author(s):  
B. I. Roots
Keyword(s):  
Manduca Sexta ◽  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Nervous Tissue ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Functional Interactions ◽  
Lower Vertebrates ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Biochemical Differentiation

Macromolecular markers for glial cells have been sought for a variety of reasons. One of the earliest was the need for a means of assessing the purity of cell and subcellular fractions prepared from nervous tissue. While there is still a requirement for this kind of tool, emphasis has shifted towards seeking information on biochemical differentiation among cells and their functional interactions. A brief general review will be made of glial markers and two of these, 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphohydrolase (CNP) and glutamine synthetase (GS), will be considered in detail. Until recently studies of markers have been concentrated on the higher vertebrates and those on lower vertebrates and invertebrates have hardly begun. However, such comparative studies may lead to fresh insight into old problems. For example, CNP has long been regarded as a marker for myelin and oligodendrocytes but it has not been possible to attribute a functional role to it and its relation to myelination has remained obscure. The finding that it is present in the glia of a moth Manduca sexta which lacks myelin provides a stimulus for a fresh approach to the problem. Another example is provided by studies on GS. This enzyme is found in astrocyte feet and preliminary results indicate that it is localized also in the perineurial glia of Aplysia ganglia. These results lead to a reconsideration of the perennial question of the possible role of astrocyte feet in barrier mechanisms. Extension of comparative studies may not only raise new questions but also provide some answers.

Making memorable choices: Cognitive control and the self-choice effect in memory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra Baldwin ◽  
Katie Garrison ◽  
Brandon Schmeichel
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Active Choice ◽  
Unbiased Estimates

The current research tested the effects of active choice on memory (i.e., the self-choice effect). Across 14 experiments (N = 1100) we found that memory for choice alternatives was improved by choosing versus being assigned information to remember. A subset of 3 experiments found a bigger self-choice effect for more difficult choices. And a subset of 6 experiments found that prior acts of self-control reduce the self-choice effect. These findings represent unbiased estimates of the self-choice effect (d = 0. 62), the magnitude of the self-choice effect for easy (d = 0.35) versus more difficult (d = 0.87) choices, and the effect of ego depletion on choice memory (d = 0.39). Discussion centers on the role of cognitive control.

Stravinsky's Les Noces and Russian Village Wedding Ritual

1990 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Mazo
Keyword(s):  
Folk Music ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Emotional Intensity ◽  
Folk Ritual ◽  
The Village ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
The Way

This study presents Stravinsky's well-known ballet Les Noces as seen by an ethnomusicologist familiar with wedding rituals and, particularly, laments of Russian villages. The music of Les Noces, statements made by the composer himself, and the data gleaned from published sources of folk music (those Stravinsky is known to have come in contact with or those accessible to him) are juxtaposed with observations obtained in field interviews with Russian villagers who themselves were participants in wedding rituals and performers of wedding laments. The conceptual and structural ideas of Les Noces are compared to those of the village ritual. The examination of the role of laments and songs in the unfolding of the ritual, the use of ostinato, the analysis of the manner of singing and voice quality in laments, and an inquiry into the polyphonic forms based on polymorphic texture enable a fresh insight into Les Noces and the way Stravinsky handled materials derived from folk practice. The general conceptualization of the composition with its coalescence of high emotional intensity and, at the same time, personal detachment is traced to folk ritual where the episodes, being part of the ritual, embody primarily impersonal responses to the requirements of a ritualized situation, even though they are presented as highly tense and emotionally charged.

scholarly journals The self-control consequences of political ideology

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (27) ◽  
pp. 8250-8253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua J. Clarkson ◽  
John R. Chambers ◽  
Edward R. Hirt ◽  
Ashley S. Otto ◽  
Frank R. Kardes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Political Ideology ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Task Persistence ◽  
Critical Difference ◽  
Attention Regulation ◽  
Political Conservatism ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
And Task

Evidence from three studies reveals a critical difference in self-control as a function of political ideology. Specifically, greater endorsement of political conservatism (versus liberalism) was associated with greater attention regulation and task persistence. Moreover, this relationship is shown to stem from varying beliefs in freewill; specifically, the association between political ideology and self-control is mediated by differences in the extent to which belief in freewill is endorsed, is independent of task performance or motivation, and is reversed when freewill is perceived to impede (rather than enhance) self-control. Collectively, these findings offer insight into the self-control consequences of political ideology by detailing conditions under which conservatives and liberals are better suited to engage in self-control and outlining the role of freewill beliefs in determining these conditions.

scholarly journals Comparison of lncRNA and mRNA expression in mouse brains infected by a wild-type and a lab-attenuated Rabies lyssavirus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baokun Sui ◽  
Dong Chen ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Bin Tian ◽  
Lei Lv ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mrna Expression ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Neuron Injury ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Generation Sequencing

Rabies is a lethal disease caused by Rabies lyssavirus, commonly known as rabies virus (RABV), and results in nearly 100 % death once clinical symptoms occur in human and animals. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be associated with viral infection. But the role of lncRNAs involved in RABV infection is still elusive. In this study, we performed global transcriptome analysis of both of lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles in wild-type (WT) and lab-attenuated RABV-infected mouse brains by using next-generation sequencing. The differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were analysed by using the edgeR package. We identified 1422 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 4475 differentially expressed mRNAs by comparing WT and lab-attenuated RABV-infected brains. Then we predicted the enriched biological pathways by the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database based on the differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs. Our analysis revealed the relationships between lncRNAs and RABV-infection-associated immune response and ion transport-related pathways, which provide a fresh insight into the potential role of lncRNA in immune evasion and neuron injury induced by WT RABV.

‘Have we any motherJuliana’samong us?’: The multiple identities of Julian of Norwich in Restoration England

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Temple
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Fourteenth Century ◽  
Julian Of Norwich ◽  
Multiple Identities ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Restoration England ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Insight Into

The true identity of the fourteenth-century anchoress Julian of Norwich has been lost to history. Yet in the seventeenth century Catholic and Protestant polemicists created different ‘Julians’ to construct and contrast their own confessional positions. This article traces the different identities prescribed to Julian and argues that they allow us fresh insight into some of the most prevalent religious and political issues of Restoration England. It begins by tracing the positive reception of Julian’s theology among the Benedictine nuns of Paris and Cambrai, including the role of Augustine Baker in editing Julian’s text. It then explores how the Benedictine Serenus Cressy and the Anglican Edward Stillingfleet created different identities for Julian in their ongoing polemical battles in the Restoration period. For Cressy, Julian was proof of the strength of Catholic devotional and spiritual traditions, while Stillingfleet believed she was evidence of the religious melancholy encouraged by monasticism. By exploring these identities, this article offers new perspective on issues of Catholic loyalty, enthusiasm, sectarianism and doctrinal authority.

Global Justice and Climate Governance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alix Dietzel
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Climate Justice ◽  
Global Response ◽  
Climate Governance ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Insight Into

This book evaluates the global response to climate change from a cosmopolitan justice perspective. Going above and beyond existing studies, Alix Dietzel neatly illustrates that climate justice theory can be used to normatively assess and compare both state (multilateral) and non-state (transnational) climate change governance – in other words, that theory and practice can be bridged. Investigating the role of states, cities, corporations, and non-governmental organisations in the post-Paris Agreement era, Dietzel provides fresh insight into the ‘big picture’ of climate change (mis)management and the injustices that come along with it. These insights allow her to make recommendations for change that should be of keen interest to climate justice scholars and climate governance practitioners alike.

Line-item budgeting and film-production

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 321-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivar Friis ◽  
Allan Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Creative Process ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Film Production ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Control Research ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the role of line-item budgeting in film production in an effort to illustrate the positive effects that budgetary constraints can have on creativity. Design/methodology/approach – Using Elster’s (2000) constraint theory as a basis for the research, this paper conducted a case study on the making of a Danish adventure film and analysed the role budgeting plays from the film director’s point of view. Findings – This paper suggests that the constraints of the line-item budget imposed on the director had positive effects in terms of the pre-commitments entailed, which aided in protecting the director against the negative aspects of passion (e.g. distorted thought processes, myopia and weakness of will) in the creative process and in terms of the ability of the constraints to channel creativity in certain directions, thus preventing the availability of too many options from hampering the creative process. Originality/value – The paper contributes to management control research in two ways. By addressing calls to provide more insight into the positive effects management control constraints might have on creativity, this study explores somewhat ignored aspects of line-item budgeting, adding greater insight into the interrelations between creativity and control. By exploring the ways in which line-item budgeting might take on the role of pre-commitment advice and devices in the creative process, this paper further exposes the links between accounting constraints and self-control.

scholarly journals Restructuring the geography of domestic tourism in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (29) ◽  
pp. 119-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian M. Rogerson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Domestic Tourism ◽  
Tourism Economy ◽  
Tourism Flows ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Domestic tourism is relatively under-represented in tourism scholarship. This article attempts to analyse the role of domestic tourism in one of the ‘emerging world regions’ of tourism. In the case of South Africa domestic tourism represents a significant element of the country’s tourism economy. The objectives are to provide (i) an analysis of the growth, contemporary spatial patterns and restructuring of domestic tourism in South Africa; and (ii) an assessment of emerging policy debates issues taking place about domestic tourism. Using a detailed local level data base on tourism flows this paper provides fresh insight into the character and changing geography of domestic tourism in South Africa. The nature and dynamics of domestic tourism are shown to have shifted since democratic transition. The restructured geography of domestic tourism exhibits a number of continuities and changes with earlier times. Government is seeking to use domestic tourism as a basis for addressing spatial unevenness in patterns of tourism development. In terms of recent spatial change it is revealed the most significant developments are the strengthening of Ethekwini as the country’s leading domestic tourism destination and the relative demise of Cape Town as a hub for domestic tourists.

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