Like Humans, Chimps Are Born With Immature Forebrains

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Young chimp. In both chimpanzees and humans, portions of the brain that are critical for complex cognitive functions, including decision-making, self-awareness and creativity, are immature at birth. But there are important differences, too. Baby chimpanzees don't show the same dramatic increase in the volume of prefrontal white matter in the brain that human infants do. (Credit: © Duncan Noakes / Fotolia)

Aug. 14, 2011 — In both chimpanzees and humans, portions of the brain that are critical for complex cognitive functions, including decision-making, self-awareness and creativity, are immature at birth. But there are important differences, too. Baby chimpanzees don't show the same dramatic increase in the volume of prefrontal white matter in the brain that human infants do.

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Those are the conclusions of a study reported in the August 11th Current Biology that is the first to track the development of the chimpanzee brain over time and to make the comparison to humans.
"One of the most marked evolutionary changes underlying human-specific cognitive traits is a greatly enlarged prefrontal cortex," said Tetsuro Matsuzawa of Kyoto University in Japan. "It is also one of the latest-developing brain regions of the cerebrum."
That built-in developmental delay, now shown to be shared with chimps, may provide an extended period of plasticity, allowing both humans and our closest evolutionary cousins to develop complex social interactions, knowledge and skills that are shaped by life experiences, the researchers say.
"Both humans and chimpanzees need to render their neural network and brain function more susceptible to the influence of postnatal experience," Matsuzawa said.
For instance, he added, both chimps and humans enjoy close relationships between infants and adults, as indicated by smiles and mutual gazes. On the other hand, the greater prefrontal expansion in the human brain may contribute to the development of language, complex social interaction and other abilities that are unique to us.
Matsuzawa's team made their discoveries by studying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of three growing chimpanzees from the age of six months to six years, when chimps reach pre-puberty.
The findings suggest that a less mature and more protracted elaboration of neuronal connections in the prefrontal portion of the developing brain existed in the last common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans. That commonality is in contrast to what has been observed in studies of our more distant ancestors, the macaques.
Matsuzawa says his group is interested in exploring when over the course of evolutionary time this feature of brain development evolved. His team also hopes to explore the comparison between human and chimpanzee brains into young adulthood, noting that the chimpanzees they studied have entered late puberty at 11-years-old.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Cell Press, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Tomoko Sakai, Akichika Mikami, Masaki Tomonaga, Mie Matsui, Juri Suzuki, Yuzuru Hamada, Masayuki Tanaka, Takako Miyabe-Nishiwaki, Haruyuki Makishima, Masato Nakatsukasa et al. Differential Prefrontal White Matter Development in Chimpanzees and Humans. Current Biology, 11 August 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.07.019

Brain's Flexible Hub Network Helps Humans Adapt

Background diagram shows 264 brain regions in the human brain color coded by network affiliation. Center sphere shows networks labeled with their potential functions; lines indicate how much inter-network communication changes across dozens of tasks, with especially dramatic changes in bold. (Credit: Michael Cole/WUSTL)

Aug. 12, 2013 — One thing that sets humans apart from other animals is our ability to intelligently and rapidly adapt to a wide variety of new challenges -- using skills learned in much different contexts to inform and guide the handling of any new task at hand.

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Now, research from Washington University in St. Louis offers new and compelling evidence that a well-connected core brain network based in the lateral prefrontal cortex and the posterior parietal cortex -- parts of the brain most changed evolutionarily since our common ancestor with chimpanzees -- contains "flexible hubs" that coordinate the brain's responses to novel cognitive challenges.
Acting as a central switching station for cognitive processing, this fronto-parietal brain network funnels incoming task instructions to those brain regions most adept at handling the cognitive task at hand, coordinating the transfer of information among processing brain regions to facilitate the rapid learning of new skills, the study finds.
"Flexible hubs are brain regions that coordinate activity throughout the brain to implement tasks -- like a large Internet traffic router," suggests Michael Cole, PhD., a postdoctoral research associate in psychology at Washington University and lead author of the study published July 29 in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
"Like an Internet router, flexible hubs shift which networks they communicate with based on instructions for the task at hand and can do so even for tasks never performed before," he adds.
Decades of brain research has built a consensus understanding of the brain as an interconnected network of as many as 300 distinct regional brain structures, each with its own specialized cognitive functions.
Binding these processing areas together is a web of about a dozen major networks, each serving as the brain's means for implementing distinct task functions -- i.e. auditory, visual, tactile, memory, attention and motor processes.
It was already known that fronto-parietal brain regions form a network that is most active during novel or non-routine tasks, but it was unknown how this network's activity might help implement tasks.
This study proposes and provides strong evidence for a "flexible hub" theory of brain function in which the fronto-parietal network is composed of flexible hubs that help to organize and coordinate processing among the other specialized networks.
This study provide strong support for the flexible hub theory in two key areas.
First, the study yielded new evidence that when novel tasks are processed flexible hubs within the fronto-parietal network make multiple, rapidly shifting connections with specialized processing areas scattered throughout the brain.
Second, by closely analyzing activity patterns as the flexible hubs connect with various brain regions during the processing of specific tasks, researchers determined that these connection patterns include telltale characteristics that can be decoded and used to identify which specific task is being implemented by the brain.
These unique patterns of connection -- like the distinct strand patterns of a spider web -- appear to be the brain's mechanism for the coding and transfer of specific processing skills, the study suggests.
By tracking where and when these unique connection patterns occur in the brain, researchers were able to document flexible hubs' role in shifting previously learned and practiced problem-solving skills and protocols to novel task performance. Known as compositional coding, the process allows skills learned in one context to be re-packaged and re-used in other applications, thus shortening the learning curve for novel tasks.
What's more, by tracking the testing performance of individual study participants, the team demonstrated that the transfer of these processing skills helped participants speed their mastery of novel tasks, essentially using previously practiced processing tricks to get up to speed much more quickly for similar challenges in a novel setting.
"The flexible hub theory suggests this is possible because flexible hubs build up a repertoire of task component connectivity patterns that are highly practiced and can be reused in novel combinations in situations requiring high adaptivity," Cole explains.
"It's as if a conductor practiced short sound sequences with each section of an orchestra separately, then on the day of the performance began gesturing to some sections to play back what they learned, creating a new song that has never been played or heard before."
By improving our understanding of cognitive processes behind the brain's handling of novel situations, the flexible hub theory may one day help us improve the way we respond to the challenges of everyday life, such as when learning to use new technology, Cole suggests.
"Additionally, there is evidence building that flexible hubs in the fronto-parietal network are compromised for individuals suffering from a variety of mental disorders, reducing the ability to effectively self-regulate and therefore exacerbating symptoms," he says.
Future research may provide the means to enhance flexible hubs in ways that would allow people to increase self-regulation and reduce symptoms in a variety of mental disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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Journal Reference:

1. Michael W Cole, Jeremy R Reynolds, Jonathan D Power, Grega Repovs, Alan Anticevic, Todd S Braver. Multi-task connectivity reveals flexible hubs for adaptive task control. Nature Neuroscience, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nn.3470

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Ten Signs Your Job DOESN'T DESERVE YOU

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Human beings are creatures of habit. We'll tolerate a bad situation waaaaay longer than we should, and then, once we've woken from our stupor and noticed that the water in the pot around us has gotten close to the boiling point, we'll ask "Why the heck did I put up with that for so long?"
We fall into ruts very easily.
I stayed in a horrible job one time. I stayed so long that when I woke up in the morning, my jaw ached from grinding my teeth all night.
I told my husband, "First I hated the job. Now I hate myself for staying there."
He said "Why don't you quit this week?"
I did. A million-lb. weight came off my shoulders, even though I had no idea what I would do next. The next thing can't appear, after all, while we're clinging to the old, moldy one!
Here are ten signs that your current job in no imaginable way deserves your gifts. If you recognize a few of these red flags in your own situation, don't panic!
You don't have to quit your job this week. You can launch a nice, slow, leisurely Stealth Job Search (about which I'll say more in a column shortly. One thing at a time) and start taking steps to get into a job where the people get you and thus deserve what you bring.
Do any of these warning bells sound familiar?

TEN SIGNS YOUR JOB DOESN'T DESERVE YOU

1. They don't tell you what's going on.
You can't bring your best to your job (or give a hoot about it, for that matter) when you don't know Jack about the larger picture. If the leaders you work for don't think it's worth their time to keep you in the loop with the organization's direction, its progress and obstacles, your own career path in the place and other vital information, you are casting your pearls before swine.
2. You keep doing the same thing over and over.
Both your marketability and your mojo grow when you have a chance to try new things. Perhaps you've heard the old adage (in the form of a question): "So, have you got twenty years of work experience, or one year's experience repeated twenty times?" If you keep doing the same things over and over, your brain goes to sleep and your professional muscles atrophy. If that's what you're up against on the job, your virtual career advisor hereby nudges you to take your talents elsewhere.
3. That's okay, you don't have to thank me.
Human beings run on food, water and sleep, but we also need to hear occasionally that we've done something right (especially when we know we've worked miracles on the job). If the leaders at your workplace throw compliments around like manhole covers, the energy is broken and you're wasting your time.
None of us expects to be overwhelmed with praise, but people who are stingy with positive feedback (or even personal thanks, when you've saved your CEO's ass for example) are not people who want to see you blossom. Move on.
4. How dare you have an idea?
There are fearful managers in the working world who will bristle, tense up and otherwise communicate "Back off!" when you dare to suggest a process improvement or offer a new idea. You can't stay in a place like that. Your fertile brain is working all the time, and the worst thing you can do is to tell it "Hush!" You need your idea-machine on full steam, whether your current bosses want to hear your suggestions or not.
If your ideas at work are met with stony silence or (worse!) the bored yawn that screams "Why don't you just go back to your desk and let ME have the ideas?" you've been handed a signal from God to get to a place where people can see and value what you bring them.
5. Something does not compute.
Ever since the recession hit five years ago, certain opportunistic organizations have taken the position that even if the firm is making money, salary increases will be small or nonexistent. That's ridiculous, because if the company is making money, the employees should see it in their paychecks eventually.
If you know your employer has had a great year and your own salary level lags, bring up the topic of a pay adjustment. If you already know what the answer will be such that your gut says "Don't bother," you can easily update your resume this weekend.
6. You're in the Personal Growth Desert.
Not all of us are up for constant challenge and experimentation, but even fewer people are comfortable on the other end of the personal-growth bell curve, desiring nothing in the way of personal development. If your job is turning your brain to jelly and has you feeling stuck or sliding backward, then they can't pay you enough to compensate for the damage they're inflicting.
This new-millennium workplace is all about your portable marketability. No one will sympathize with you on your next job hunt if you say "It's not my fault I've stagnated - my last boss didn't give me any room to grow."
Your development is your responsibility now. If your current job doesn't give you the learning experiences you need, there are plenty of other employers to choose from.
7. This rock is getting kinda heavy.
Some of us (and you know who you are) love to wade into a swamp of alligators and fix everything around them. Sometimes it takes years to realize that you've been pushing a huge rock uphill, meaning that the people around you don't want to change anything, including their thinking. When things get really bad, they'll try to make you think you're crazy for wanting to innovate and experiment.
Our Buddhist friends say life is long, but it's still too short to spend it pushing other people's rocks up steep slopes day after day. Let the rock fall, get out of Dodge, and realize your potential.
8. I like a good shipwreck as much as the next person, but...
God Bless your company founder or your boss's boss's boss or whomever is trying to make a go of a business that probably wouldn't even be in business without the fanatical devotion of you and your colleagues. Sometimes the universe wants you to leave a sinking ship to its fate. You are not being paid to give body, mind and soul to somebody else's vision. The last thing you want to say to a future prospective employer is "I stayed around to turn the lights off." If the ship is obviously sinking, we give you permission to blow up a raft and get out of there.
9. You work for slimebags.
I tried to find a nicer word than "slimebag," but why sugar-coat? If the people you work for aren't ethical, you're doing yourself and the world a disservice taking their slimebag money and pretending it'll all work out okay.
Hit the bricks and find an organization where the leaders aren't on the phone with their lawyers half the working day. The last thing you want to be forced to do is explain why your executive team got indicted and your ex-employer's name is all over the news for bad reasons.
10. Your body says "Go."
Your body is the final judge. If you're waking up with an aching jaw the way I was or you start to get pains and can't sleep, there's your answer: it's time for you to bail. Don't let the fear of trying something new keep you stuck in an unhealthy situation. Life is all about learning, and the sooner you put your Stealth Job Search toe in the water, the happier you'll be.
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This graphic (below) is called How to Spot a Mojofied Job Seeker™.
This is the kind of stuff we teach at Human Workplace - how to get out of the Black Hole, how to brand yourself in a Human-Voiced Resume™, how to write compelling Pain Letters™ directly to your hiring managers and how to use your network in your job search.
Take a look at our E-Books and 12-week virtual coaching groups or just join Human Workplace as a Friend (for free).
Get a sample Human-Voiced Resume™ here. Learn how to get your own Human-Voiced Resume™ here!
If you want to send me a LinkedIn invitation at liz@humanworkplace.com, please include a joke or palindrome in the invitation! JOIN the Human Workplace group on LinkedIn here!

At Home This Weekend? Try This!

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Any readers who are staying at home this weekend, and are up for a bit of challenge and trying something new, read on.
I’ve been posting a lot of heavy stuff on CEOs and leadership recently, so thought it would be fun to bring to life what are the top CEOs’ favorite things to do outside work and on a weekend.
So here are 10 weekend challenges and ideas. For each one I have either included how top CEOs do it or what the CEO favorites’ are, drawn on research from a group of 200 CEOs whom I interviewed for my ‘Secrets of CEOs’ book. Just to warn you, there are some great suggestions and some not so great but funny ones!

Challenge #1: Turn off work phone, PC and other gadgets on Friday night for the entire weekend

What CEOs do:
Increasingly CEOs are disconnecting from their company and give an emergency number to their assistant so they can be contacted in the event of an emergency.

Challenge #2: Find a way of getting present early on the Friday evening that doesn’t include alcohol

What CEOs do:
Increasingly meditation, yoga, deep-tissue massages and going for a run are all good ways CEOs use to unwind.

Challenge #3: Watch an inspiring or classic movie

Most popular CEO movies:
The Godfather (most popular by far!), Dead Poets Society, The Shawshank Redemption, Gladiator, Legends of the Fall, Pulp Fiction, Blues Brothers, Gone with the Wind, Zulu, Love Actually, The English Patient, Gandhi, A Beautiful Mind, Green Mile, The Deer Hunter, Lawrence of Arabia, Magnificent Seven, Ryan’s Daughter, Trading Places (ideal for CEOs!) & The Hangover.

Challenge #4: Read a great book from a genre you wouldn’t normally read

CEOs' favorite books:
‘Bible, The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho, ‘Band of Brothers’ by Stephen Ambrose, ‘Long Walk To Freedom’ by Nelson Mandela, ‘Lord of the Rings’ by JRR Tolkien, ‘Bird Song’ by Sebastian Faulks, ‘The Da Vinci Code’ by Dan Brown, ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ by Louis de Bernières, ‘The Catcher In The Rye’ by J. D. Salinger, ‘50 Shades Of Grey’ by E.L. James (well it is about a CEO!)’

Challenge #5: Do something romantic for your partner and ask your family where they would like to go out and walk to

What CEOs do:
The spouses of CEOs’ biggest complaint is that the CEOs put all their energy into work at the expense of their relationship. CEOs favorite way to relax with family and get away from work is to go for a long walk.

Challenge #6: Book a vacation or a trip away

CEOs' favorite vacation destinations:
New York, Cape Town, Sydney, Maine, St Tropez, Napa Valley, Zanzibar, Aspen, Botswana, Mauritius, Cornwall, Rome , Venice and Courchevel.

Challenge #7: Get in touch with an old mate

What CEOs do:
Many CEOs had long-term friends before they became successful, but now wish that they could spend more time with them

Challenge #8: Try out some new music

CEOs’ favorite music *:
Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Beach boys, Coldplay, Beatles, Dire Straits, Green Day, Elvis, Sinatra, Kaiser Chiefs, Mozart, U2, George Michael, Elton John, Genesis, SuperTramp, Doors, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Anything Brazilian(!)
*Well remember most of them are in their 50s! Younger members of my team suggest: Drop Out Orchestra, Daft Punk, Disclosure, Bastille, Ellie Goulding & Phoenix

Challenge #9: Try a new hobby

CEOs’ favorite pastimes:
Golf, boating, climbing, fishing, watching sports, Formula 1, shooting, tennis, reading, scuba diving, Morris dancing & mowing the lawn

Challenge #10: Do a maximum of 15 minutes of prep notes on a Sunday night, so you are ready on Monday morning

Hope you found this a fun and interesting read, and are up for taking on a weekend challenge or trying out a few ideas.
Please let me know your thoughts and feel free to suggest in the comments section below any ways that you recommend to unwind from the working week and enjoy a balanced, happy life.
Enjoy your weekend!

PHYCHOLOGY QUOTES OF THE WEEK

1. The psychology of a complex mind must differ almost as much from that of a simple, mechanized mind as its psychology would from ours; because something that must underlie and perhaps be even greater than sex is involved.

2.I believe very firmly that indigenous populations had a really good, intuitive understanding of why we're here. And we're trying to gain that same understanding through psychology and intellect in modern civilization.

 

 

3.Psychology is as important as substance. If you treat people with respect, they will go out of their way to accommodate you. If you treat them in a patronizing way, they will go out of their way to make your life difficult.

 

4.A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.

Read more at

 

How to Make the Most out of Ramadhan

It doesn't matter if you're a city slicker with a high stress job and a long commute or a stay at home mum with a menagerie of kids to manage, you can get into Ramadhan mode and reap the benefits of this month too!

Steps

Pre Ramadhan

1. 1
   Shape up your soul: Prepare yourself spiritually by fasting on Mondays, Thursdays and the 13th, 14th, 15th of the lunar calendar in Shaa'baan. Wake up earlier than usual (even half an hour before Fajr will do) and pray. Read the Qur'an after Fajr even if it's only for 10-15 minutes. Stock up on interesting Islamic lectures that you can listen to during the day or on your way to work. If you're cooking or waiting in a line or have some free time, do Dhikr.
2. 2
   Detox your body: Stifle the urge to munch snacks at odd moments or when you're bored. Drink lots of water, and avoid endless cups of coffee and tea. Start with a complex carbohydrate breakfast that releases energy slowly and allows you to stay energised through the day. Have a light meal at the end of day with lots of fruit, vegetables, live culture yogurt and salad.
3. 3
   Free your mind: Get rid of all those erototoxins that are generated by watching music videos or listening to music and the anxiety hormones produced by watching the news on TV. Wean yourself off TV, read an interesting Islamic book instead.
4. 4
   Tie your camel: Do what it takes to keep you organised in Ramadhan. Shop for groceries in advance, prepare large batches of food and freeze them, chop vegetables and store them in airtight containers.

During Ramadhan

1. 1
   Wake up during Fajr to eat the pre-dawn meal (Sahur) and stay up to read a portion of the Qur'an before and after Fajr.
2. 2
   Try and get a little shut-eye in the day. Even a half hour nap will leave you feeling refreshed.
3. 3
   Be nice. A major aspect of Ramadhan is being charitable to others and controlling oneself... bite your tongue, count to 10 if you're having a hard day. If someone's out to give you a bad time, just be patient.
4. 4
   Give generously. It doesn't matter if it's a smile to a co-worker or a hundred pounds to a homeless derelict, it's the season to give Sadaqah (not to mention the Prophet's Sunnah).
5. 5
   Don't overeat at iftar. Start with dates and something liquid (water, juice, milk, shorba, a smoothie) and eat sparingly of the spread. Save your main meal for later in the night. If you're cooking iftar, bake and broil instead of frying.
6. 6
   Drink up! To combat dehydration, drink lots of water between iftar and Sahur -- try having at least two glasses of water at a go. Keep off fizzy drinks and opt for herbal teas or unsweetened juices.
7. 7
   Attend and organise community iftars and taraweeh. Don't forget to invite people who tend to get overlooked. Focus on 'connecting' with others in the community and discovering common ground, instead of 'networking'.
8. 8
   Save some quality time with Allah. It's easy to get overwhelmed by life and forget that this month is essentially about renewing one's personal connection with God. The Qur'an says (the translation of which means): "When you are free from your affairs, then turn to your Lord." Wake up in the night and pray as much as is easy for you. Stay in seclusion (i'tikaf) if you can for a part of the month, even if it's only a weekend.
9. 9
   Seek the Night of Power. There is a night in Ramadhan that is considered better than a 1000 months, by virtue of the blessings that descend in it. Seek the Night of Power in the last ten days of the month.
10. 10
    Make arrangements to give Zakaat al-Fitr on time This can be done anytime before the 'Eid prayer.

Post-Ramadhan

1. 1
   Reap the benefits of Ramadhan. Ramadhan presents a great opportunity to regulate our lives. The best benefit that can be derived from Ramadhan is to carry the lessons learned from it -- moderation and discipline -- to the year that follows.
2. 2
   Do an alternative if you are unable to fast. If you're among the group of people who are exempted from fasting -- persons traveling and the ill whose illness can be made worse by fasting; menstruating women and women with post-partum bleeding; pregnant and nursing women; people who are not capable of fasting, either due to old age or incurable diseases -- there's still something to be gained. Feeding the poor on the days one is unable to fast is a highly recommended act.

Tips

• Read translation/tafsir of next day’s para of Qur'an that will be read in tarawih. This helps to better focus and enjoy tarawih.
• Invite people over for iftar on weekends.
• Do not get into opinion differences. Leave them aside. Try to race how close we can reach to Allah.
• Shop for groceries in bulk and prepare food that won't spoil on keeping in large batches and freeze.
• Don't let it be all about the food. A lot of the time,culture dictates that there be a huge spread of 5 -7 courses each day for iftar which leaves little time for worship or reflection.
• To avoid heartburn, line your stomach with a bland, alkaline food before starting on fried, spicy stuff.
• Learn how to forgive and forget. Don`t hold the grudge against people who have wronged in the past. It is for your own sake. If you keep those bad feelings inside they might will doubtlessly hurt you in the future not only psychologically but physically, too.
• Try to be patient and spend wisely for iftar
• Read one chapter of the Quran every day. This way, you'll be able to finish the whole Quran in just a month!