I am a neuro-endocrinologist. I’ve worked on research involving the effects of stress, aging, and gender/sex on learning and memory. I have also worked on the research involving the effects of gender/sex on drug addiction to drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine.
I have been teaching at the college level for several years. My courses include basic pharmacology, sensation and perception, psychology of human sexuality, and biology.
My hopes are to write a blog which provides information on a variety of topics which focus on the psychological and physiological aspects of women’s and children’s health. My belief is that women, and more directly mothers, are the epicenter of their families. We are strong, capable, and intelligent. We are constantly juggling a multitude of roles based on the constant pressures and demands placed upon us. We are the CEO’s, the teachers, the doctors, care takers, social secretaries, and prime ministers of our families. I have dedicated my career to investigating and teaching how our health is affected by our beliefs, environments, and behaviors. My aim is to provide quality information and create dialogue on these topics.
In contrast, rock star moms walk the walk and talk the talk. Think Angelina Jolie, Christina Aguilera, Faith Hill, or Gwen Stephanie. There is something so hot about these women who make mothering sexy. What separates us from them? It's not the money. I think it's the allure of a self actualized woman. These are women who followed their passions and made their dreams come true and it shows. The self confidence that comes from being authentic and creative is reflected in their appearance and charisma.
We should all take note. By following our inner drummer, we set an example for our families. Moms set the tone for rest of the unit. So wake up, throw on a pair of jeans that make you feel hot, blow dry your hair, put some red lipstick on and follow your passion. By doing so, you are blazing a trail for your entire family. When you feel great about yourself, your husband and children will feel great about themselves and about you! Trust me it works-It worked for Jackie, Angie, Salma, and the list goes on....
I gave a lecture the other day on attention and scene perception for my class on sensory information. It’s a fun-enough class but this week’s lecture grabbed me. I realized the importance of what I was saying right in the middle of my class.
My lecture was on the effects of attention in visual processing. I talked about a host of experiments that had been run to test the effects of attention on detecting visual stimuli or visual searches. It is so eloquently put in the moon walking bear video – definitely one of my favorites. my class really enjoyed.
I also talked about some fMRIs studies that showed particular brain activation when looking at particular stimuli. For example, the fusiform face area in the cortex responds to best to faces. The parahippocampal area is an area in the brain that responds strongest in response to images of places. In one study by O’Craven and Kanwisher (2000), subjects were shown an image of a face superimposed over an image of a house. My students guessed that both areas of the brain would fire strongly simultaneously. Interestingly, that’s not what happened. The face area became more active when the subject was attending the face and the spatial area became more active when attending the place (Wolfe et al., 2009). And so in a nut shell, what we give our attention to determine what information we acutely process and ultimately what we experience. What a beautiful lesson.
In his Book of Secrets, Deepak Chopra writes about how the secrets of life are wrapped up in our cells. They feed; they share; they grow; and they let go. I didn’t get the full meaning of this until recently.
Neurons (nerve cells in the brain) respond in the 3 ways to attention.
1. Attention can enhance the responding of a particular neuron- which means that the neuron will actually have a bigger and better response. We see this in our actions. When we pay attention to what we are doing, we perform better and create bigger than we ever thought. Apparently, this is no mere fluke. The same process is occurring internally at the cellular level.
2. Attention can cause a sharper tuning in a neural response- paying closer attention to stimuli causes our neurons to fire in a much more accurate and precise way. We also see this in our behavioral output. By paying attention to what we are doing, we are able to perform more delicate tasks; we are able to detect smaller and more subtle changes in our environment and respond accurately.
It happens with the positive and the negative. My best-friend tells calls me on this all of the time. He says that when I expect someone to behave poorly, I look for the slightest indication that they are meeting my expectations. The best example is with my mother in law. I will notice every small gesture, intonation, and wrinkle of her forehead to determine what opinions she’s forming about my cooking, housekeeping, or general existence. I'm like deer in the wild- keeping eyes open for even the slightest sign of a danger.
3. Attention can alter the preference of a neuron. This is my favorite. “A cell that was initially tuned to vertical lines might come to respond better to a different orientation under the influence of attention” (Wolfe et al., 2009). If enough attention is paid to a particular stimulus then the surrounding cellular receptive fields might be called in as reinforcements- even if they wouldn’t normally respond to that type of cue previously. It’s as if the body pulls together as much of its resources as it can to get the job done. Attention can change the preference and job of a neuron.
Can attention do the same for us? Does what we focus on change us and change our capabilities and what we can do? I think it does. If it changes us on the most basic cellular level- then these changes can add up and change us on a more holistic scale. Attention can change us and make us more capable. By giving things our attention, we can live up to our fullest potential. We can become who we dream of being.
I think this is a beautiful lesson. What are you focusing on in your relationships? What are you seeing in others? Is your attention determining and dictating how you experience that person? Are you tuning your neurons to miss out on other facets of that person? Did your husband really change or did your attention shift to his other attributes?
Are you teaching your children the power of their attention? This knowledge gives us so much power over our perception and our experience.
I just gave a lecture on barbiturates and benzodiazepines. We talked about the usual- chemical composition, effects on the nervous system, behavioral effects, and my favorite- reproductive effects. I ended the lecture with a movie on Ativan addiction. Ativan is a benzodiazepine which is often prescribed for anxiety. The most interesting part of the day was the interest my students had in the portion of the movie which talked about alternative therapies such as electromagnetic acupressure... hmmm?? not sure what that is. But what I am sure of is that we need to the skills to deal with the stressors and pressures in our lives. How different would our lives be if we had been given the tools early on. This semester, the students, in my pharmacology class, are leaning sharply towards the young side BUT they hold a sophisticated amount of information and knowledge about pharmaceuticals!!!! I often get nervous they are gonna trip me up! They often know trade names (company names) as well as chemical names. They and/or someone they have an intimate relationship with SSRIs and/or "benzos" .
I have no problem with meds- they help but why aren't we taught the skills we need to first before we reach for a little "pharm" help?
The truth is that life is stressful!!! The Dog WILL die; money will be low at some point; break ups inevitable; fights with friends; car breaks down; parents get sick. I know I'm breaking all the rules of "The secret" by making this mini-list and will probably suffer some great calamity because of it. I take the risk by stating the obvious. It's tough and we need ways to push through and not be too bruised by life.
Things like meditation help. Meditation helps decrease and control the body's stress responses. Benefits of Meditation:
- improves concentration!! - leads to better grades; better performance at work;
- strengthens the body/mind connection- athletes who meditate or visualize have better coordination and control over their bodies. **most competitive athletes meditate**
- decreases respiration (ever notice when experiencing high levels of anxiety respiration increases???)
- leads to relaxation which leads to lower levels of Cortisol
- Helps you i.d. who you are- some great guru (whose name I can't remember) once said that who you are is the person you are when no one is looking. Tap in!! Figure out who you are when no one is shooting glances your way.
- For moms to be: it helps them refocus and slow down some of the hormone-induced craziness; it also helps to tune into the good emotions. Feelings of love and well being are a crucial part of good health. Scientific studies have shown that love and positive feelings can ward off illness, increase vitality, and best of all increase quality of life.
On my Internet travels, I found the coolest book!! Baby Buddhas. Lisa Desmond focuses on the benefits of teaching YOUNG children to meditate. She provides techniques for both parents and tots to start meditation and relaxation rituals. She claims her techniques work on children as young as 18 months. I think it's great. She actually got a grant to go off and study meditation in TIBET!!! She travels to schools and pediatric hospitals to share her oms and mantras = )
School-aged children suffer their own sets of stessors and anxieties such as peer pressures and test anxieties. I'm sure we all remember the stress of being picked on by a bully, humiliated in gym class, or perhaps having a overly strict teacher. It's important that they learn to mediate these situations.
Children also suffer "second hand" stress as a result of watching stressed parents and family members. I remember feeling stressed as a kid if I experienced my parents argued- my heart would race and I would feel a rush of fear and anxiety come over me. I couldn't quite label or verbalize that I felt stressed. I justChildren don't often have the prefrontal abilities to label what they feel.
I also think as younger children are headed off to day-cares, stress will begin to affect them from a much earlier age. Exposure to prolonged or chronic levels of stress have been shown to affect learning and memory. Chronic stress has also been linked to heart disease, cancer, and obesity. In one study, chronic stress impaired the ability of male rats to learn in an enriched environment. How this translates: if your kids are undergoing long term stress (Divorce/illness) they are not able to benefit from the best schools or enrichment programs. Stress Hurts!!