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Can Stress be Beneficial? Perspectives from Wild Animals
Stress is constant in our lives. From the breakup of a relationship, the death of a loved one, or the frustrations associated with your morning commute, many of us unfortunately experience daily stressors associated with these types of situations. These adverse experiences can be associated with the release of stress hormones such as cortisol. If the situation that is causing us stress is short term, we usually cope and recover. However, if we experience stress for a long period of time (“chronic stress”), this may have very negative effects on our physical and mental health and overall well-being.
From an evolutionary perspective, this is somewhat puzzling. Why would such a system evolve where our physiological responses to challenging situations have negative consequences to our health and well-being? If stress is “bad”, then why do all animals (not just humans) experience it? Could there be situations in which stress is actually good, at least from an evolutionary perspective?
This presentation focuses on understanding the benefits of stress in wild animals from an evolutionary perspective. It presents examples of our research examining how stress experienced during pregnancy may have beneficial effects on offspring, at least in squirrels, and how elevations in stress may cause highly social animals like meerkats to be more cooperative.
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Nerd Nite #54: The Primate That Wears its Heart on its Sleeve
Have you ever been curious about animal behavior? Have you wondered how animals communicate with one another? Do you love primates? Learn about gelada monkeys – Ethiopia’s unique and wonderful highland monkey.
Gelada monkeys are nicknamed “bleeding-heart monkeys” because of a patch of exposed red skin on their chests. Adult male gelada chest patches get brighter red when they’re excited, but this doesn’t happen for adult females, young males, or non-breeding males.
Could the chest patch be an ornament to attract females, like a peacock’s plumage? Or does it signal to other males to back off? How does the environment influence signaling? Patsy discusses all of this and more about her field research in the Simien Mountains.
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Nerd Nite #54: Brain Fog from Brain Sickness
People get sick all the time, and sometimes it happens with the WORST timing. Maybe you’re supposed to take a big exam, attend an important meeting, leave for a business trip, or even take a vacation, but now all you can think about is how sick you are.
What happens to our memory capability when this happens? Is this going to prevent us from being able to learn the new information being presented at the meeting? Is it going to prevent us from recalling the definition of that big term you learned about last week?
Importantly, does this affect males and females differently? Caitlin’s research tries to figure out some possible answers to these questions using a viral mimic in male and female mice during different types of learning and memory tasks. If we can figure out how getting sick disrupts our capacity to learn and remember, maybe we can gain some insight as to how neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease or psychological disorders like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder cause debilitating memory impairments, and ideally, how we might be able to fix them.
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Nerd Nite #54: Thinking Like a Primate
Humans are a really weird species. In particular, we cooperate a lot, and this helps us build up complex societies. What kinds of mental abilities help us to cooperate, and do other species also use similar mental abilities to help them cooperate? To start answering this question, Bettle talks about cooperation in our closest living relatives: chimpanzees.
About Rosie Bettle:
Rosie Bettle is a PhD student at the University of Michigan who studies how primates think about the world. When she isn’t thinking about the mental lives of monkeys, she is usually exploring Kerrytown, trying to find new nature-y spots, or sampling a different craft beer.
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Uninhibited Imaginations: Creativity and Hyperfocus in ADHD
ADHD is a common neuropsychological disorder marked by inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. ADHD may contribute to functional impairment in academic, vocational, and social situations. At the same time, the attentional dysregulation associated with ADHD may have some positive consequences.
In this talk, Dr. Shah presents data suggesting that one of these benefits may be exceptional creativity. Specifically, individuals with ADHD exhibit enhanced "divergent" thinking, and this thinking style is associated with greater creative achievement in some domains. She also discusses data suggesting that individuals with ADHD, when motivated, may actually show periods of intense focus (often dubbed hyperfocus); this intense focus can have benefits (e.g., for the creative process) and costs (e.g., procrastination), and she briefly describes ongoing research on attention interventions for ADHD children. Finally, Dr. Shah speculates on clinical and academic implications of this research.
Dr. Priti Shah is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan in cognition and cognitive neuroscience and educational psychology. She completed her Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University and her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She studies how students learn and limitations in student learning. Current projects include studies of improving scientific reasoning in middle school children, correcting false beliefs about science, the impact of math anxiety on math learning, and improving attention and motivation in children with ADHD. Dr. Shah has edited three books and published over 60 articles and book chapters. She has received funding from numerous federal agencies and foundations such as the Institute for Educational Sciences, the National Institute of Aging, the National Science Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. She is an avid reader and the mother of two children, one in college and one in the Ann Arbor Public Schools.
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Nerd Nite #49 - Living in a Cyberpunk World
Cyberpunk was everywhere in the 1980s. It started in science fiction, but it influenced fashion, movies, comics, games, advertising, and architecture. After a decade of high-tech, neon-colored, future-looking pop culture, cyberpunk just…went away. Or did it? Could cyberpunk stories still be with us, hiding in plain sight?
About Alex: Alex Kourvo loves books. She writes them, reviews them, edits them, and teaches other people how to write them. She is the author of numerous short stories and the forthcoming “Detroit Next” series of near-future thrillers. She edits books for Fifth Avenue Press and helped start the Emerging Writers Workshop at the Ann Arbor District Library, where she teaches monthly classes for new writers. You can find Alex online at AlexKourvo.com or follow her @AlexKourvo.
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Ceres: Exploring the Dwarf Planet with Jennifer German
Jennifer German, Ann Arbor’s own NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador, talks about the dwarf planet Ceres, addressing questions such as: Why was Ceres was ignored for so long? Is there water on Ceres? What exactly is a dwarf planet? And why was Ceres elevated from asteroid to dwarf planet while Pluto was demoted?
German also explains what NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has been up to since it launched in September of 2007.
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Breaking the Stress Cycle from Childhood to Adulthood
The U.S. is experiencing a widespread and growing stress epidemic. Stress related disorders and diseases have been on the rise for decades according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. National surveys that assess how stressed and anxious we feel show a very similar pattern. And it shows up in our bodies, even before we get sick: the “physiological stress load” that tracks key biological markers shows similar increases, and is getting worse as each new age group enters adulthood. More children and youth may also be experiencing greater stress dysregulation and difficulties in coping, owing to the lifelong impact of early life adversity that is tied biologically and psychologically to this epidemic.
Dr. Daniel P. Keating discusses research that shows how we can break this cycle, both for individuals and families at every stage of development, and for society more generally.
Dr. Keating is currently Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Pediatrics, and Research Professor in the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. His current research focuses on the impact of early life adversity on child and youth development, and on the neuro developmental pathways in adolescent risk behavior. His most recent book is Born Anxious: The Lifelong Impact of Early Life Adversity – and How to Break the Cycle.
This program was part of the "Exploring the Mind" series, in partnership with The University of Michigan Department of Psychology.
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Nerd Nite #47 - Solar Eclipse 2017
HEY, DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE ECLIPSE? Oh, you did? But what do you REALLY know about the eclipse that passed through the US in 2017, causing waves of eclipse fever (not an actual disease, more a case of lunacy). Luckily, Nerd Nite brought in Jennifer German, our friendly NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador, to tell us all about how the eclipse works and how everyone can make sure their eyes work after viewing one. Get enlightened on the darkness with this entertaining talk!
About Jennifer German: She is currently a mother of 2, a lead software engineer at a SAAS startup, and a hopeless space geek. She first became interested in 2nd grade while her class learned about the Challenger mission (before the explosion). She remembers being out in a corn field in the wee hours of the night looking for Hailey's comet. She's followed Hubble since it launched when she was 11, despite not having the internet, and followed the construction of the International Space Station since she did her Physics term paper on enclosed eco-systems in High School. She interned at Biosphere 2 for the best Summer of her life during college. She builds every space exploration inspired Lego set she gets. She tells everyone who'll listen about the newest planetary news. She points out constellations and passes on tips for identifying stars, and not stars, to any who ask. She has set up a library telescope on her street a number of times and asked neighbors if they want to see the planets with her. Now she's working on sharing her space hobby with larger, pre-organized, groups.
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Bright Nights Community Forum: Borderline Personality Disorder, Debunking Myths, and Improving Hope
Victor Hong, MD, Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan gives a brief presentation on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and its management, followed by a panel discussion.
BPD is a serious mental illness, but one that is sometimes not well understood by patients and families, clinicians, and society as a whole. It is perhaps the most stigmatized disorder in all of medicine, which creates confusion, poor outcomes, and a sense of hopelessness for everyone involved.
BPD affects an estimated 18 million Americans during their lifetimes and causes numerous stressful symptoms, including unstable mood, suicidal and self-harm thoughts and behaviors, and chaotic relationships. While the disorder causes great distress, treatment varies widely and research is lacking.
Recent research indicates that the prognosis for those with BPD is much better than previously thought, and existing and emerging treatments have demonstrated significant efficacy. The role of medications in those treatments has been further elucidated, the role of families has been made clear, and a better understanding of how to manage safety concerns has developed
This event is a partnership with the University of Michigan Depression Center. For more information about the Depression Center, visit depressioncenter.org or contact Stephanie Salazar, 232-0330, or sawaters@umich.edu.