Process of Believing as Fundamental Brain Function: the Concept of Credition

Trotz eines langen Diskurses in Theologie, (Religions-)Philosophie und auch (Neuro-)-Psychologie fehlen allgemein anerkannte und konsensfähige Definitionen, die das gesamte Spektrum des Glaubensbegriffes abdecken. Da Ereignisse und Objekte in der komplexen Welt unter Beteiligung des Präfrontalkortex als probabilistische Repräsentationen mit persönlicher Bedeutung und Bewertung abgebildet werden, schlagen wir vor, dass diese probabilistischen Repräsentationen persönliche Glaubensinhalte darstellen. Unser Modell der Glaubensprozesse  ̶  sogenannter Creditionen  ̶  ist geeignet, die Komponenten und mentalen Vorgänge der säkularen und nicht-säkularen Glaubensbildung zu beschreiben.Despite the long scientific discourse in Western theology and philosophy on religion, spirituality andfaith, definitions of what a belief is are still virtually lacking. As events and objects in the complex outsideworld are transformed into probabilistic estimates with personal attributes of meaning and valueby involvement of the prefrontal cortex, we argue that these probabilistic estimates represent personalbeliefs. We present a model for the processes of believing - termed creditions - that is suited todescribe the putative components and mental operations underlying secular and non-secular beliefformation

Violations of Expectations As Matter for the Believing Process

For the purpose of this communication it is postulated that violation of expectation means a disturbing event or conflict interfering with a previously established mental state that affords a firm belief or confident feeling. According to this hypothesis a violation of an expectation contradicts predictions and intentions that have been attained on stored experiences, valuations, and actual mood. We will argue that the notion of belief as static or stable which is usually described by expressions such as “my belief” or “our general belief” has to be extended to accommodate the process of belief formation. The credition model emphasizes the procedural aspect of belief by which the “process of believing” becomes similar to other psychological processes. We will describe that the “violation of expectation” can be decoded from the credition perspective and has brain functional correlates

Neural networks engaged in tactile object manipulation: patterns of expression among healthy individuals

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Somatosensory object discrimination has been shown to involve widespread cortical and subcortical structures in both cerebral hemispheres. In this study we aimed to identify the networks involved in tactile object manipulation by principal component analysis (PCA) of individual subjects. We expected to find more than one network.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Seven healthy right-handed male volunteers (aged 22 to 44 yrs) manipulated with their right hand aluminium spheres during 5 s with a repetition frequency of 0.5-0.7 Hz. The correlation coefficients between the principal component temporal expression coefficients and the hemodynamic response modelled by SPM (ecc) determined the task-related components. To establish reproducibility within subjects and similarity of functional connectivity patterns among subjects, regional correlation coefficients (rcc) were computed between task-related component image volumes. By hierarchically categorizing, selecting and averaging the task-related component image volumes across subjects according to the rccs, mean component images (MCIs) were derived describing neural networks associated with tactile object manipulation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two independent mean component images emerged. Each included the primary sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the manipulating hand. The region extended to the premotor cortex in MCI 1, whereas it was restricted to the hand area of the primary sensorimotor cortex in MCI 2. MCI 1 showed bilateral involvement of the paralimbic anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), whereas MCI 2 implicated the midline thalamic nuclei and two areas of the rostral dorsal pons.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Two distinct networks participate in tactile object manipulation as revealed by the intra- and interindividual comparison of individual scans. Both were employed by most subjects, suggesting that both are involved in normal somatosensory object discrimination.</p

Editorial: Principles Underlying Post-Stroke Recovery of Upper Extremity Sensorimotor Function - A Neuroimaging Perspective.

Neuroimaging post-stroke has the potential to uncover underlying principles of disturbed hand function and recovery characterizing defined patient groups, including their long term course as well as individual variations. The methods comprise functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measuring task related activation as well as resting state. Functional MRI may be complemented by arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI to investigate slowly varying blood flow and associated changes in brain function. For structural MRI robust and accurate computational anatomical methods like voxel-based morphometry and surface based techniques are available. The investigation of the connectivity among brain regions and disruption after stroke is facilitated by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Intra- and interhemispheric coherence may be studied by electromagnetic techniques such as electroencephalography and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Consecutive phases of stroke recovery (acute, subacute, early chronic and late chronic stages) are each distinguished by intrinsic processes. The site and size of lesions entail partially different functional implications. New strategies to establish functional specificity of a lesion site include calculating contrast images between patients exhibiting a specific disorder and control subjects without the disorder. Large-size lesions often imply poor cerebral blood flow which impedes recovery significantly and possibly interferes with BOLD response of functional MRI. Thus, depending on the site and size of the infarct lesion the patterns of recovery will vary. These include recovery sensu stricto in the perilesional area, intrinsic compensatory mechanisms using alternative cortical and subcortical pathways, or behavioral compensatory strategies e.g. by using the non-affected limb. In this context, behavioral and neuroimaging measures should be developed and employed to delineate aspects of learning during recovery. Of special interest in recovery of hand paresis is the interplay between sensory and motor areas in the posterior parietal cortex involved during reaching and fine motor skills as well as the interaction with the contralesional hemisphere. The dominant disability should be characterized, from the level of elementary to hierarchically higher processes such as neglect, apraxia and motor planning. In summary, this Research Topic covers new trends in state of the art neuroimaging of stroke during recovery from upper limb paresis. Integration of behavioral and neuroimaging findings in probabilistic brain atlases will further advance knowledge about stroke recovery

Cerebellar Degeneration as Presenting Symptom of Recurrent Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma with Sex-Cord Elements

We report a 66-year-old woman with slowly progressive ataxia due to cerebellar atrophy. Imaging studies revealed multiple lesions in both the lungs and dorsal subpleural space. A biopsy identified the lesions as metastases of a low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma containing sex-cord elements. The histological appearance was identical to a uterine tumor the patient was treated for with hysterectomy 16 years before. The metastases were removed surgically, and after 3 months ataxia had regressed. We conclude that the presenting cerebellar degeneration in this patient resulted from the metastatic recurrence of the endometrial tumor

Human interaction with the divine, the sacred, and the deceased: topics that warrant increased attention by psychologists

Humans have likely been attempting to communicate with entities believed to exist, such as the divine, sacred beings, and deceased people, since the dawn of time. Across cultures and countries, many believe that interaction with the immaterial world is not only possible but a frequent experience. Most religious traditions across the globe focus many rituals and activities around prayer to an entity deemed divine or sacred. Additionally, many people–religious, agnostic, and atheists alike–report communication with their departed loved ones. During highly stressful times associated with natural disasters, war, pandemics, and other threats to human life, the frequency and intensity of these activities and associated experiences substantially increase. Although this very human phenomenon seems to be universal, the empirical literature on the topic within psychology is thin. This paper discussed the topic and reviews what we know from the professional literature about how people perceive communication with these unseen entities. It highlights the perceptual and social cognition evidence and discussed the role of attribution theory, which might help us understand the beliefs, motivations, and practices of those engaged with communication with the unseen. Empirical laboratory research with mediums is discussed as well, examining the evidence for communication with the deceased. Final reflections and suggestions for future research are also offered

Analysis of the interaction of influenza virus polymerase complex with human cell factors

12 pages, 4 figures.-- PMID: 18491320 [PubMed].-- Supplementary information (Suppl. figure S1, 2 pages) available at: http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2120/2008/pro200700508_s.pdfThe influenza virus polymerase is formed by the PB1, PB2 and PA subunits and is required for virus transcription and replication in the nucleus of infected cells. Here we present the characterisation of the complexes formed intracellularly by the influenza polymerase in human cells. The virus polymerase was expressed by cotransfection of the polymerase subunits cDNAs, one of which fused to the tandem-affinity purification (TAP) tag. The intracellular complexes were purified by the TAP approach, which involves IgG-Sepharose and calmodulin-agarose chromatography, under very mild conditions. The purified complexes contained the heterotrimeric polymerase and a series of associated proteins that were not apparent in purifications of untagged polymerase used as a control. Several influenza polymerase-associated proteins were identified by MALDI-MS and their presence in purified polymerase-containing complexes were verified by Western blot. Their relevance for influenza infection was established by colocalisation with virus ribonucleoproteins in human infected cells. Most of the associated human factors were nuclear proteins involved in cellular RNA synthesis, modification and nucleo-cytoplasmic export, but some were cytosolic proteins involved in translation and transport. The interactions recognised in this proteomic approach suggest that the influenza polymerase might be involved in steps of the infection cycle other than RNA replication and transcription.N. J. was a fellow from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia. E. T. was a fellow from Instituto de Salud Carlos III. P. G. was a fellow from Gobierno Vasco. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia) (grant BFU2004-491), the VIRHOST Program financed by Comunidad de Madrid, European Vigilance Network for the Management of Antiviral Drug Resistance (VIRGIL) and the FLUPOL strep project (SP5B-CT-2007-044263).Peer reviewe

Absence of Ret Signaling in Mice Causes Progressive and Late Degeneration of the Nigrostriatal System

Support of ageing neurons by endogenous neurotrophic factors such as glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may determine whether the neurons resist or succumb to neurodegeneration. GDNF has been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of Parkinson disease (PD), a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons. BDNF modulates nigrostriatal functions and rescues DA neurons in PD animal models. The physiological roles of GDNF and BDNF signaling in the adult nigrostriatal DA system are unknown. We generated mice with regionally selective ablations of the genes encoding the receptors for GDNF (Ret) and BDNF (TrkB). We find that Ret, but not TrkB, ablation causes progressive and adult-onset loss of DA neurons specifically in the substantia nigra pars compacta, degeneration of DA nerve terminals in striatum, and pronounced glial activation. These findings establish Ret as a critical regulator of long-term maintenance of the nigrostriatal DA system and suggest conditional Ret mutants as useful tools for gaining insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of PD.</p

On the neural networks of empathy: A principal component analysis of an fMRI study

© 2008 Nomi et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens