Tis' the Season for Family Feuding

During the hustle and bustle of this busy time of year most of us are spending a significant amount of time with our family over the holidays. Now, the season is not complete without a customary family fight, but has anyone ever stopped to ask themselves why arguments can get so easily heated with our family members?

Researchers, Steven Platek and Shelly Kemp have recently raised this very question. The study is the first to compare brain activity associated with seeing relatives with that linked to seeing friends and strangers. It suggests our feelings about biological relatives are at least somewhat primal. Their research analyzed MRI brain scans while subjects viewed images of relatives, family, friends, themselves and morphed images. Results showed that our brain tends to rank people socially and our family takes first place. These findings may help to explain the phenomena that our relatives get under our skin more easily than others. Also, brain scans demonstrated that images of our relatives are processed in parts of the brain related to self-reference, which suggests that we may take things more personally due to a resemblance to family members. While we may tolerate a friend's loud laughter or snoring, for example, we may have less patience with a relative because we judge them similarly to how we judge ourselves.

Consequently, this is something to bear in mind the next time you might feel your blood pressure rising in response to your family. Although this research is informative, I’m still interested to identify the point at which a stranger becomes a friend or a friend becomes a relative in terms of brain activity?

Visiting family warps your brain, study says

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Fast Food Junkies At Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

The Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet (KI) published a doctoral thesis that links Alzheimer’s disease with high levels of fast food intake. In the study, Susanne Akterin observed mice that were fed diets rich in fat, sugar and cholesterol. After only nine months, the rats had developed what looked like the preliminary stages Alzheimer’s disease. More specifically, the irregularities found in the brain had greatly resembled those of early Alzheimer’s.

Although the exact causes of Alzheimer’s disease remains unknown, there are many identified risk factors, such as “a variant of a certain gene that governs the production of apolipoprotein E, one of the functions of which is to transport cholesterol”. This study sought to demonstrate the link between this risk factor and diet in mice.

Basically, the brains of these rats were modified to mimic the effects of the apoE4 gene variant by ingesting a diet similar to fast food for nine months. The results showed a chemical change in the brain comparable to that found in Alzheimer’s patients.

The change in question was an increase in phosphate groups attached to tau, a substance that forms the neurofibrillary tangles observed in Alzheimer’s patients. These tangles prevent the cells from functioning normally, which eventually leads to their death. Ms Akterin and her team also noted indications that cholesterol in food reduced levels of another brain substance, Arc, a protein involved in memory storage.

In short, the results of this study suggest that a diet high in fat/cholesterol combined with genetics can potentially contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Although, there has been no direct causal link identified, the study has provided yet another reason to lay off the burgers and fries.

Fast Food A Potential Risk Factor For Alzheimer’s

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GUEST POST: Pre-Marital Counseling – The Myths and Facts

As newly-engaged couples begin to plan their weddings, more are realizing they also need to be planning their marriages. These are not the same thing, nor are they mutually exclusive.

In all the hoopla and pageantry of a wedding, the idea that you really will be in a life-long commitment when you're done can get lost in the shuffle. Increasingly, couples are enlisting the aid of professional counselors to talk about their problems and concerns before they walk down the aisle.

Myth 1: People who need counseling before they even get married shouldn't be getting married.

Fact: Otherwise, happy couples who seek ways to better communicate and understand one another will have a far greater chance at long-term happiness, with far more coping strategies to deal with crises than those who assume there isn't value to premarital counseling.

Myth 2: I already know everything about my fiancée. We know how we fight, what makes us happy and what makes us angry. We don't need a therapist telling us how to live.

Fact: Few of us know our betrothed well enough to say we really and truly know everything about them, but if that's the situation you're in, that's great. Most of us keep some things bottled up to avoid hurting our loved ones.
In therapy the "gloves come off" and we're more likely to be honest and achieve real communication and bring about change in how we talk to one another.

Myth 3: We should solve our own problems without bringing in an outsider.

Fact: This dated view of counseling keeps many people from looking for answers. Therapists aren't outsiders and can be trusted to remain objective and keep confidences.

This is not always the case if you choose to talk to a family member or close friend about what's bothering you. And, you may not be fighting fair or really listening to what the other person has to say. If you don't change that behavior, it'll be destructive. Without the aid of an "outsider," you'll never know.

There are no hard and fast rules to follow that will guarantee a marriage is going to work. But, with a divorce rate that continues to hover around 50%, there's no reason premarital counseling shouldn't at least be considered for most couples—even (perhaps especially) the happy ones.

By-line:

This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of distance learning degrees. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com

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A Common Sense Approach to Cocaine Addiction Treatment

“For the first time, researchers from the Institut de physiologie et biologie cellulaire (CNRS/Université de Poitiers) have shown that positive and stimulating environmental conditions make it easier to treat cocaine addiction”.

In particular, Marcello Solinas and Mohamed Jaber exposed cocaine addicted mice to an enriched environment during cocaine withdrawal. The environment consisted of small houses, a running wheel, tunnels and many other stimulating items in a large cage.

The researchers observed three measures of typical addictive behaviour:

1. Behavioural Sensitization: the progressive augmentation of behavioural responses to cocaine that develops during repeated administration.

2. Location Preference: the ability of the context to induce drug-seeking behaviour and strengthen the contextual association with drug use.

3. Probability of Relapse: “cocaine's ability to lead to a relapse after a period of withdrawal.”

Results showed that all three of these typical behaviours disappeared after the mice had endured 30 days of the enriched environment. In the brain, this disappearance was seen by a decrease in activity in the specific areas associated with dopamine transmission and relapse.

Does this seem like news to anyone? Of course rehab won’t work for individuals who are thrust right back into the same environmental circumstances. The rehabilitation process should definitely include changes to living conditions. Availability of cocaine will clearly hinder the probability of relapse. The same basic routine will allow an addict to easily slide back into old habits.

Besides pointing out the obvious, this “new” research does provide a bit of insight. Addiction treatment centres may want to consider adding housing support workers to the therapeutic process. The social, physical and mental stimulation seem to be key factors in maintaining sobriety; therefore it might be beneficial to include exercise regimens and educational programs as well. The ideal solution does not seem to be spending 30 days discussing the reason you became an addict only to settle right back into the same old routine after successful completion of a program. Evidently, the emotional aspect is a necessary step in the process, but if anything, this research proves that there is more to treating cocaine addiction. It’s a complete lifestyle overhaul.

Drug Addiction: Environmental Conditions Play Major Role In Effective Treatment And Preventing Relapses, Animal Study Shows

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Would You Prefer A Spotless Mind?

"For more than two decades, researchers have been studying the chemical--a protein called alpha-CaM kinase II--for its role in learning and memory consolidation. To better understand the protein, a few years ago, Joe Tsien, a neurobiologist at the Medical College of Georgia, in Athens, created a mouse in which he could activate or inhibit sensitivity to alpha-CaM kinase II."

Tsien’s research showed that specific memories were erased when mice recalled long-term memories during a period when the brain over-expressed alpha-CaM kinase II.

How exactly was this established? Mice were placed in a chamber. In this chamber, a tone sounded, which followed a mild shock. The mice then learned to associate the chamber and tone with the shock. In other words, the tone signalled that a shock would ensue. The mice were placed in another chamber a month later, which provided sufficient time for the memory to become long-term. The researchers then over-expressed the alpha-CaM kinase II protein and again, sounded the tone. Amazingly, the mice showed no fearful reaction to the tone as they had done so previously. However, when placed in the initial chamber, the mice demonstrated the same fearful response they had a month prior. “Tsien had, in effect, erased one part of the memory (the one associated with the tone recall) while leaving the other intact.”

Imagine the possibilities! Imagine a drug that could manipulate the brain’s sensitivity to this protein enough to erase parts of our long-term memories and completely alter our current state of mind.

The idea could mean a huge relief for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It could also prove to be very useful in treating a variety of phobias. In addition, it could be used to reform criminals, strengthen relationships, and alleviate pain and suffering. Practically any irrational behaviour that is being caused by a 'bad' memory could be repaired and replaced by rational behaviour with hardly any effort. The time and money saved from long-term therapy could be very substantial.

But, unethically, we are toying with the very intricate details that define our own unique make-up. Despite this immorality, could the discovery really be more useful or harmful?

Selectively Deleting Memories

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Economic Crisis Turns Deadly

While reading As economy sinks, officials fear violent solutions, which discusses the recent economic crisis taking place in the United States, it became overwhelming to discover the number of related deaths due to an inability to manage and cope with financial difficulties.

An out-of-work money manager in California loses a fortune and wipes out his family in a murder-suicide.

A 90-year-old Ohio widow shoots herself in the chest as authorities arrive to evict her from the modest house she called home for 38 years.

In Massachusetts, a housewife who had hidden her family's mounting financial crisis from her husband sends a note to the mortgage company warning: "By the time you foreclose on my house, I'll be dead." Then Carlene Balderrama shot herself to death, leaving an insurance policy and a suicide note on a table.

In Los Angeles, California, last week, a former money manager fatally shot his wife, three sons and his mother-in-law before killing himself.

In Tennessee, a woman fatally shot herself last week as sheriff's deputies went to evict her from her foreclosed home.

In Ocala, Florida, Roland Gore shot his wife and dog in March and then set fire to the couple's home, which had been in foreclosure, before killing himself.

In Akron, Ohio, the 90-year-old widow who shot herself on Oct. 1 is recovering. A congressman told Addie Polk's story on the House floor before lawmakers voted to approve a $700 billion financial rescue package. Mortgage finance company Fannie Mae dropped the foreclosure, forgave her mortgage and said she could remain in the home.

Granted these are difficult situations which often call for desperate measures, but death should not be an option. Surely the government will introduce some funding for programs aimed at reducing these numbers and not simply increase funding for programs that seek to turn the economy around. If the financial crisis cannot be avoided, at the very least, social programs should be put into place to help individuals deal with such tough times more appropriately.

There is an obvious need for financial counselling and money management training. It also couldn’t hurt to develop more combined approaches that focus on housing, stress management and marriage counselling as many of these issues become interrelated. In addition, there should be a more significant focus on awareness. Many resources already exist, but many people may not know where to turn. There is an abundance of local, national and even international crisis hotlines in existence. Some of these resources include, but are not limited to:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a network of crisis centers serving the entire country. Calls originating from anywhere in the country will be routed, 24 hours a day, to the nearest available crisis centers. This call routing is based on crisis center call capacity and availability.

Befrienders Worldwide
"We work worldwide to provide emotional support, and reduce suicide. We listen to people who are in distress. We don't judge them or tell them what to do - we listen."

National Hopeline Network
1-800-SUICIDE

If there is an immediate need for help, make sure to call 911 for emergency services or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.

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The Psychology of Voter Behaviour

Research suggests that voters are likely to make their way to the polls when they have a dislike for one of the candidates. One would assume the opposite to be true, however, research over a 24 year period led by professor Jon A. Krosnick of Ohio State University shows that “people are more motivated by the threat of something bad than the opportunity for something good”. Even more intriguing is that voters actually seek to like these disliked candidates.

Conversely, if voters have a strong dislike for all candidates, they will not be very apt to vote. Similarly, if we have no real preference for any particular candidate, voters are equally likely to opt not to vote. Basically, voters are most likely to cast their vote when a strong like or dislike exists for a candidate.

Oddly enough, the research suggests that negative advertising actually works. Who would imagine that all the tactful mud slinging that goes on during an electoral campaign could actually entice us to vote one way or the other?

In addition, voters tend to approach candidates in which they know little about in the same way people tend to approach strangers. That is, by hoping that the experience will be a pleasant one. First impression appears to be the key to a successful campaign. This is important for politicians to know because the study implies that people rarely change their opinions after that first impression. This knowledge would really help their campaign strategy. Starting out with a bang seems to have a bigger impact than going out with one.

All in all, the most efficient way of swaying voters is to make a villain of the opponent. It seems that, for voters, it is easiest to cross a candidate off the ballot than to place an 'X' beside the most qualified.

The Psychology of Voting

The results are in and the voter behaviours of Mental Health Blog readers are as follows:

CPC: 25%
Liberal: 50%
NDP: 25%
BQ: 0%
Green: 0%
Independent: 0%

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