title: Decoding the emotional valence of future thoughts

authors: Devitt, Aleea L.

abstract: Affective future thinking allows us to prepare for future outcomes, but we know little about neural representation of emotional future simulations. We used a multi-voxel pattern analysis to determine whether patterns of neural activity can reliably distinguish between positive and negative future simulations. Neural patterning in the anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortices distinguished positive from negative future simulations, indicating that these regions code for the emotional valence of future events. These results support prior findings that anterior medial regions contain representations of emotions across various stimuli, and contribute to identifying potential rewarding outcomes of future events. More broadly, these results demonstrate that the phenomenological features of future thinking can be decoded using neural activity.

text: Decoding the emotional valence of future thoughts Affective future thinking allows us to prepare for future outcomes, but we know little about neural representation of emotional future simulations. We used a multi-voxel pattern analysis to determine whether patterns of neural activity can reliably distinguish between positive and negative future simulations. Neural patterning in the anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortices distinguished positive from negative future simulations, indicating that these regions code for the emotional valence of future events. These results support prior findings that anterior medial regions contain representations of emotions across various stimuli, and contribute to identifying potential rewarding outcomes of future events. More broadly, these results demonstrate that the phenomenological features of future thinking can be decoded using neural activity.

year: 2021

title: Electrical Conductivity of Brain Cortex Slices in Seizing and Non-seizing States

authors: Elbohouty, Maher

subjects: Electrical Conductivity

abstract: The electrical conductivity of thin living slices of mouse cerebral cortex is measured. Two only out of fifteen different attempting ways were effective. I have successfully measured the electrical conductivity of mouse brain cortex in seizing and non-seizing conditions. The first successful approach is called 	the van der Pauw method, where four silver-silver chloride cylindrical wire electrodes were immersed in full length at the corners of the sample. The second is a one-dimensional technique where two flat electrodes were placed on either face of the 400 micrometer thick samples.

In both methods the electrodes were connected to an Agilent E4980A impedance monitor. The conductivity at 10 kHz of each sample was calculated based on measurements of injected current and potential difference between electrodes. Both approaches were validated by measuring electrical conductivities of known solutions. There were two main challenges: the small size of the sample and keeping it alive. I overcame these challenges by suitable electrodes and fast measuring equipment (Agilent E4980A LCR meter). For the one-dimensional technique I also measured the conductivity across the frequency range 20 Hz to 2 MHz.

The results consistently show the mean conductivity of seizing brain tissue is significantly lower than that of non-seizing tissue at 10 kHz. Also, the conductivity of seizing slices is lower than the conductivity of non-seizing slices over the frequency range 20 Hz to 2 MHz. 

These results suggest a link between electrical conductivity and seizure activity. I have not investigated the causes of these differences but explanations consistent with the literature are a change in chemical environment during seizure or a reduction in gap junction connectivity.

text: Electrical Conductivity of Brain Cortex Slices in Seizing and Non-seizing States The electrical conductivity of thin living slices of mouse cerebral cortex is measured. Two only out of fifteen different attempting ways were effective. I have successfully measured the electrical conductivity of mouse brain cortex in seizing and non-seizing conditions. The first successful approach is called 	the van der Pauw method, where four silver-silver chloride cylindrical wire electrodes were immersed in full length at the corners of the sample. The second is a one-dimensional technique where two flat electrodes were placed on either face of the 400 micrometer thick samples.

In both methods the electrodes were connected to an Agilent E4980A impedance monitor. The conductivity at 10 kHz of each sample was calculated based on measurements of injected current and potential difference between electrodes. Both approaches were validated by measuring electrical conductivities of known solutions. There were two main challenges: the small size of the sample and keeping it alive. I overcame these challenges by suitable electrodes and fast measuring equipment (Agilent E4980A LCR meter). For the one-dimensional technique I also measured the conductivity across the frequency range 20 Hz to 2 MHz.

The results consistently show the mean conductivity of seizing brain tissue is significantly lower than that of non-seizing tissue at 10 kHz. Also, the conductivity of seizing slices is lower than the conductivity of non-seizing slices over the frequency range 20 Hz to 2 MHz. 

These results suggest a link between electrical conductivity and seizure activity. I have not investigated the causes of these differences but explanations consistent with the literature are a change in chemical environment during seizure or a reduction in gap junction connectivity.

year: 2013

title: The “standard story” of anti-Māori talk in Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill submissions

authors: Black, Rose

abstract: AIM: To review some common patterns of race talk in a sample of submissions made to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill. This bill proposed a structural reform of the health system in Aotearoa New Zealand to address long-standing health inequities experienced by Māori, the Indigenous peoples, and other priority populations. METHOD: In a sample of 3,000 individual submissions made in late 2021, we found 2,536 explicit references to race. Utilising the “stan-dard story” frame of Pākehā/non-Maori race talk, five longer submissions that inferred that the Pae Ora bill was “racist” were analysed in detail. RESULTS: Many “standard story” race discourses were identified in the Pae Ora submissions. Three derived discourses included in this paper are: Pākehā as norm (monoculturalism or not seeing Pākehā as a culture), equality and the “Treaty” (equality for all to access healthcare), and one people (we are all New Zealanders). Sources such as the Waitangi Tribunal Wai 2575 Hauora report were drawn on to provide alternative discourses. CONCLUSION: Identifying Pākehā standard story discourses enables learning about language patterns systems draw on, and the development of tools and procedures to improve equity for Māori and eliminate institutional racism.

text: The “standard story” of anti-Māori talk in Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill submissions AIM: To review some common patterns of race talk in a sample of submissions made to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill. This bill proposed a structural reform of the health system in Aotearoa New Zealand to address long-standing health inequities experienced by Māori, the Indigenous peoples, and other priority populations. METHOD: In a sample of 3,000 individual submissions made in late 2021, we found 2,536 explicit references to race. Utilising the “stan-dard story” frame of Pākehā/non-Maori race talk, five longer submissions that inferred that the Pae Ora bill was “racist” were analysed in detail. RESULTS: Many “standard story” race discourses were identified in the Pae Ora submissions. Three derived discourses included in this paper are: Pākehā as norm (monoculturalism or not seeing Pākehā as a culture), equality and the “Treaty” (equality for all to access healthcare), and one people (we are all New Zealanders). Sources such as the Waitangi Tribunal Wai 2575 Hauora report were drawn on to provide alternative discourses. CONCLUSION: Identifying Pākehā standard story discourses enables learning about language patterns systems draw on, and the development of tools and procedures to improve equity for Māori and eliminate institutional racism.

year: 2023-07-21