Multimodal Frontostriatal Connectivity Underlies Individual Differences in Self-Esteem

A heightened sense of self-esteem is associated with a reduced risk for several types of affective and psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety and eating disorders. However, little is known about how brain systems integrate self-referential processing and positive evaluation to give rise to these feelings. To address this, we combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test how frontostriatal connectivity reflects long-term trait and short-term state aspects of self-esteem. Using DTI, we found individual variability in white matter structural integrity between the medial prefrontal cortex and the ventral striatum was related to trait measures of self-esteem, reflecting long-term stability of self-esteem maintenance. Using fMRI, we found that functional connectivity of these regions during positive self-evaluation was related to current feelings of self-esteem, reflecting short-term state self-esteem. These results provide convergent anatomical and functional evidence that self-esteem is related to the connectivity of frontostriatal circuits and suggest that feelings of self-worth may emerge from neural systems integrating information about the self with positive affect and reward. This information could potentially inform the etiology of diminished self-esteem underlying multiple psychiatric conditions and inform future studies of evaluative self-referential processing

Wolves in Utah: An analysis of potential impacts and recommendations for management

The historic range of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Utah was essentially statewide. Although their presence cannot be disputed, the historic abundance of wolves in Utah is unknown. The release of gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 established growing populations, and increasing dispersal is bringing these wolves closer to Utah. It seems likely that wolves will commingle with Utah\u27s other native mammals in the near future. The potential presence of wolves in Utah is generating a series of questions and debates. In this report, we review the potential of wolves in Utah and make predictions regarding the social and economic impacts of wolf recolonization on the livestock industry, on hunter success, and on wildlife managers, and then make recommendations on possible ways to mitigate these impacts

Economic aspects of wolf recolonization in Utah

An assessment of likely economic effects of wolf recovery should be included in the discussion of the future of wolves in Utah. In this section, we discuss both the potential benefits and the expected costs of wolf recovery to Utah’s economy. The potential benefits include both use—such as increases in tourism resulting from the presence of wolves—or non-use values that can be measured by willingness to pay surveys. The expected costs of recovery include direct costs born by agencies involved in wolf management, livestock owners that experience losses from wolf depredation, and those that might result from reduced game take by hunters. In addition, there may be indirect costs, which are more difficult to quantify

Biological aspects of wolf recolonization in Utah

Wolves have been one of the most scientifically examined of all wildlife species (Mech, 1995b). Many studies have focused on the effects of wolf reintroductions and recolonization. In this section, we address how wolves may naturally disperse into Utah, highlight areas identified in our habitat model as constituting the most favorable wolf habitat in Utah, estimate potential wolf populations in Utah, and describe what is currently known about the influence of wolves on an ecosystem