Can prosocial values improve brain health?

Prosocial values play a critical role in promoting care and concern for the well-being of others and prioritizing the common good of society. Evidence from population-based reports, cognitive neuroscience, and clinical studies suggests that these values depend on social cognition processes, such as empathy, deontological moral cognition, moral emotions, and social cooperation. Additionally, indirect evidence suggests that various forms of prosocial behaviors are associated with positive health outcomes at the behavioral, cardiovascular, immune, stress-related, and inflammatory pathways. However, it is unclear whether prosociality can positively influence brain health outcomes. In this perspective, we propose that prosocial values are not only influenced by brain conditions but could also potentially play a role in protecting brain health. We review studies from various fields that support this claim, including recent reports of prosociality-based interventions impacting brain health. We then explore potential multilevel mechanisms, based on the reduction of allostatic overload at behavioral, cardiovascular, immune, stress-related, and inflammatory levels. Finally, we propose potential prosociality-based interventions for improving brain health in at-risk populations, such as psychiatric and neurological patients, and individuals exposed to poverty or violence. Our perspective suggests that prosocial values may play a role in promoting and maintaining healthy brains

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 in dementia across Latin America: A call for an urgent regional plan and coordinated response

The SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic will disproportionately impact countries with weak economies and vulnerable populations including people with dementia. Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACs) are burdened with unstable economic development, fragile health systems, massive economic disparities, and a high prevalence of dementia. Here, we underscore the selective impact of SARS-CoV-2 on dementia among LACs, the specific strain on health systems devoted to dementia, and the subsequent effect of increasing inequalities among those with dementia in the region. Implementation of best practices for mitigation and containment faces particularly steep challenges in LACs. Based upon our consideration of these issues, we urgently call for a coordinated action plan, including the development of inexpensive mass testing and multilevel regional coordination for dementia care and related actions. Brain health diplomacy should lead to a shared and escalated response across the region, coordinating leadership, and triangulation between governments and international multilateral networks

Dementia in Latin America : paving the way toward a regional action plan

Across Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACs), the fight against dementia faces pressing challenges, such as heterogeneity, diversity, political instability, and socioeconomic disparities. These can be addressed more effectively in a collaborative setting that fosters open exchange of knowledge. In this work, the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium on Dementia (LAC-CD) proposes an agenda for integration to deliver a Knowledge to Action Framework (KtAF). First, we summarize evidencebased strategies (epidemiology, genetics, biomarkers, clinical trials, nonpharmacological interventions, networking, and translational research) and align them to current global strategies to translate regional knowledge into transformative actions. Then we characterize key sources of complexity (genetic isolates, admixture in populations, environmental factors, and barriers to effective interventions), map them to the above challenges, and provide the basic mosaics of knowledge toward a KtAF. Finally, we describe strategies supporting the knowledge creation stage that underpins the translational impact of KtAF

Disarming ex-combatants' minds: Toward situated reintegration process in post-conflict Colombia

Collective violence in the context of armed conflict impacts the economy, health systems, and social stability of affected countries. This is considered a complex phenomenon with interwoven biological, psychological, social, cultural, and political factors. However, most of the research on this topic still lacks suitable established integrative approaches to assess multilevel perspectives. Social, cognitive and affective mental processes (SCAMP) are critical factors that should be considered in multilevel approaches. In this article, we critically discuss some of the classically isolated approaches used in violence research, the absence of successful interventions for ex-combatants reintegration, and the specific neglect of SCAMP in these interventions. We present the case of post-conflict Colombia as a unique opportunity to study the different roots of collective violence, and we call for a more robust and situated approach to understanding of and intervention in this multifaceted phenomenon. In addition, we suggest a two-stage approach for addressing ex-combatants' reintegration programs, which considers the situated nature of post-conflict scenarios and the urgent need for evidence-based interventions. This approach focuses on the comprehensive scientific assessment of specific factors involved in violence exposure and the subsequent design of successful interventions. The implementation of this approach will contribute to the effective reintegration of individuals who have been exposed to extreme violence for more than 50 years.Fil: Báez Buitrago, Sandra Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva. Fundación Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad de los Andes; ColombiaFil: Santamaria Garcia, Hernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva. Fundación Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva; Argentina. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; ColombiaFil: Ibanez Barassi, Agustin Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva. Fundación Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; Chile. Universidad Autónoma del Caribe; Colombia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencias Cognitivas y Traslacional; Argentin

Effect of environmental variance-based resilience selection on the gut metabolome of rabbits

Background Gut metabolites are key actors in host-microbiota crosstalk with efect on health. The study of the gut metabolome is an emerging topic in livestock, which can help understand its efect on key traits such as animal resilience and welfare. Animal resilience has now become a major trait of interest because of the high demand for more sustainable production. Composition of the gut microbiome can reveal mechanisms that underlie animal resil ience because of its infuence on host immunity. Environmental variance (VE), specifcally the residual variance, is one measure of resilience. The aim of this study was to identify gut metabolites that underlie diferences in the resilience potential of animals originating from a divergent selection for VE of litter size (LS). We performed an untargeted gut metabolome analysis in two divergent rabbit populations for low (n=13) and high (n=13) VE of LS. Partial least square-discriminant analysis was undertaken, and Bayesian statistics were computed to determine dissimilarities in the gut metabolites between these two rabbit populations. Results We identifed 15 metabolites that discriminate rabbits from the divergent populations with a prediction performance of 99.2% and 90.4% for the resilient and non-resilient populations, respectively. These metabolites were suggested to be biomarkers of animal resilience as they were the most reliable. Among these, fve that derived from the microbiota metabolism (3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)lactate, 5-aminovalerate, and equol, N6-acetyllysine, and serine), were suggested to be indicators of dissimilarities in the microbiome composition between the rabbit populations. The abundances of acylcarnitines and metabolites derived from the phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan metabo lism were low in the resilient population and these pathways can, therefore impact the infammatory response and health status of animals. Conclusions This is the frst study to identify gut metabolites that could act as potential resilience biomarkers. The results support diferences in resilience between the two studied rabbit populations that were generated by selec tion for VE of LS. Furthermore, selection for VE of LS modifed the gut metabolome, which could be another factor that modulates animal resilience. Further studies are needed to determine the causal role of these metabolites in health and diseas

Sleep Diplomacy: an Approach to Boosting global brain health

Sleep diplomacy highlights the urgent need to address the widespread issue of sleep deprivation and its detrimental effects on overall health, particularly brain health and healthy ageing. By providing practical advice on sleep hygiene, healthy schedules, and light exposure, sleep diplomacy aims to promote a comprehensive approach to well-being. Despite the well-established importance of sleep for optimal cognitive function, emotional regulation, and physical abilities, it is often neglected in public and medical recommendations. Our proposed concept of sleep diplomacy also offers practical recommendations to address sleep issues in various settings and populations

Selection for environmental variance shifted the gut microbiome composition driving animal resilience

Background. Understanding how the host’s microbiome shapes phenotypes and participates in the host response to selection is fundamental for evolutionists and animal and plant breeders. Currently, selection for resilience is considered a critical step in improving the sustainability of livestock systems. Environmental variance (VE), the withinindividual variance of a trait, has been successfully used as a proxy for animal resilience. Selection for reduced VE could effectively shift gut microbiome composition; reshape the inflammatory response, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels; and drive animal resilience. This study aimed to determine the gut microbiome composition underlying the VE of litter size (LS), for which we performed a metagenomic analysis in two rabbit populations divergently selected for low (n = 36) and high (n = 34) VE of LS. Partial least square-discriminant analysis and alpha- and beta-diversity were computed to determine the differences in gut microbiome composition among the rabbit populations. Results. We identified 116 KEGG IDs, 164 COG IDs, and 32 species with differences in abundance between the two rabbit populations studied. These variables achieved a classification performance of the VE rabbit populations of over than 80%. Compared to the high VE population, the low VE (resilient) population was characterized by an underrepresentation of Megasphaera sp., Acetatifactor muris, Bacteroidetes rodentium, Ruminococcus bromii, Bacteroidetes togonis, and Eggerthella sp. and greater abundances of Alistipes shahii, Alistipes putredinis, Odoribacter splanchnicus, Limosilactobacillus fermentum, and Sutterella, among others. Differences in abundance were also found in pathways related to biofilm formation, quorum sensing, glutamate, and amino acid aromatic metabolism. All these results suggest differences in gut immunity modulation, closely related to resilience. Conclusions. This is the first study to show that selection for VE of LS can shift the gut microbiome composition. The results revealed differences in microbiome composition related to gut immunity modulation, which could contribute to the differences in resilience among rabbit populations. The selection-driven shifts in gut microbiome composition should make a substantial contribution to the remarkable genetic response observed in the VE rabbit population

Situated affective and social neuroscience

This Research Topic features several papers tapping the situated nature of emotion and social cognition processes. The volume covers a broad scope of methodologies [behavioral assessment, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), structural neuroimaging, event-related potentials (ERPs), brain connectivity, and peripheral measures], populations (non-human animals, neurotypical participants, developmental studies, and neuropsychiatric and pathological conditions), and article types (original research, review papers, and opinion articles). Through this wide-ranging proposal, we introduce a fresh approach to the study of contextual effects in emotion and social cognition domains. We report four levels of evidence. First, we present studies examining how cognitive and neural functions are influenced by basic affective processes (interoception, motivation and reward, emotional impulsiveness, and appraisal of violent stimuli). A second set of behavioral and neuroscientific studies addresses how performance is modulated by different emotional variables (categorical and dimensional approaches to emotion, language-as-context for emotion, emotional suppression of the attentional blink, and reappraisal effects on the up-regulation of emotions). The studies in our third selection deal with different influences in social cognition (SC) domains (human and non-human comparative studies, long-term effects of social and physical stress, developmental theory of mind, neural bases of passionate love for others, social decision making in normal and psychopathic participants, and frontal lobe contributions to psychosocial adaptation models). Finally, the fourth set of papers investigates the blending of social and emotion-related processes (valence and social salience in amygdala networks, emotional contributions to identification of genuine and faked social expressions, emotional predispositions and social decision making bias, valence of fairness and social decisions, structural neuroimaging of emotional and social impairments in neurodegenerative diseases, and subjective reactivity to emotional stimuli and their association with moral cognition). A brief summary of all these studies is offered in the following sections.Agustin Ibanez is supported by CONICET, CONICYT/FONDECYT Regular (1130920 and 1140114), FONCyT-PICT 2012-0412/2012-1309, and INECO Foundation. Maria Ruz is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, “Ramón y Cajal” fellowship (RYC-2008-03008) and grant PSI2013-45567-P. Jorge Moll is supported by intramural grants, D'Or Institute for Research and Education, and FAPERJ (Rio de Janeiro State Foundation for Research). Sonja A. Kotz is supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR: 62867) and German Science Foundation (KO-2268/6-1)