Classical Music Lifts Our Mood by ‘Synchronizing’ Parts of the Brain, Says Study of Patients with Depression

Salieri’s handwritten notes on part of the opening movement from Pafio e Mirra – SWNS / Austria National Library

Whether Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart, it’s widely recognized that classical music can affect a person’s mood.

Now, scientists are using brainwave measurements and neural imaging techniques to show exactly how Western classical music elicits its positive effects on the brain.

The discovery could lead to effective ways to use music as treatment to activate the brain in people with treatment-resistant depression.

“Ultimately, we hope to translate our research findings into clinical practice, developing convenient and effective music therapy tools and applications,” said Professor Bomin Sun, of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The study focused on 13 patients with treatment-resistant depression who already had electrodes implanted in their brains for the purpose of deep-brain stimulation.

The implants are placed in a circuit connecting two areas in the forebrain—the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc).

Using the implants, the researchers found that music generates its antidepressant effects by synchronizing the neural oscillations between the auditory cortex, which is responsible for processing of sensory information—and the rewards circuit, responsible for processing emotional information.

“The BNST-NAc circuit, sometimes referred to as part of the ‘extended amygdala’—underscores the close relationship between this circuit and the amygdala, a central structure in emotional information processing,” said Prof. Sun, a corresponding author of the paper published in the journal Cell Reports.

“This study reveals that music induces triple-time locking of neural oscillations in the cortical-BNST-NAc circuit through auditory synchronization.”

The patients in the study were divided into two groups: low music appreciation or high music appreciation. The research team found that those in the high music appreciation group showed more significant neural synchronization and better antidepressant effects, while those in the low music appreciation group showed poorer results.

By grouping the patients, the researchers were able to study the antidepressant mechanisms of music more precisely and propose personalized music therapy plans that would improve treatment results.

For example, when inserting theta frequency noise into music to enhance BNST-NAc oscillatory coupling, those in the low music appreciation group of patients reported higher music enjoyment.

Several pieces of Western classical music that most participants had no familiarity with were used in the study, to avoid any interference that could arise from subjective experience.

“We concluded that the music choices during the formal listening process were individualized and unrelated to the music’s emotional background,” said Sun.

Integrating the fields of neuroscience, psychiatry, and neurosurgery

Now the team plans to study how the interaction between music and the deep structures of the brain play a role in depressive disorders.

They also plan to introduce other forms of sensory stimuli—including visual images—to investigate potential combined therapeutic effects of multi-sensory stimulation on depression.

“By collaborating with clinicians, music therapists, computer scientists, and engineers, we plan to develop a series of digital health products based on music therapy, such as smartphone applications and wearable devices.

“These products will integrate personalized music recommendations, real-time emotional monitoring and feedback, and virtual-reality multi-sensory experiences to provide convenient and effective self-help tools for managing emotions and improving symptoms in daily life.”Classical Music Lifts Our Mood by ‘Synchronizing’ Parts of the Brain, Says Study of Patients with Depression

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How cleaning product chemicals called ‘quats’ may affect the brain

The pandemic ushered in a cleaning frenzy at home, schools and work as many of us sprayed, wiped and disinfected our way through the crisis.

But widespread use of disinfectants and heavy-duty cleaners has also ushered in new research on “quats” – which stands for quaternary ammonium compounds (sometimes called QACs). Quats are a class of chemicals used in some household cleaners that kill viruses, bacteria and other germs by breaking down cell membranes.

In a 2023 review, more than two dozen researchers called quats “a chemical class of emerging concern.” Exposure to quats has been associated with asthma and an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in humans, as well as decreased fertility in mice.

Now, scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland have raised a new concern: They’ve found quaternary ammonium compounds to be potentially toxic to a type of brain cell. These cells, called oligodendrocytes, provide the fatty insulation (called myelin) around nerves, which allows neural signals to travel through the brain faster. The study also found that organophosphate flame retardants used in some household furniture appear to stunt the growth of oligodendrocytes.

“We’re not looking to say that there’s a direct correlation between exposure and human neurodevelopmental issues. We don’t have that data yet,” said Paul Tesar, the director of the Institute for Glial Sciences at Case Western Reserve and the principal investigator of the study. “But we have fundamentally shown, very rigorously, that oligodendrocytes have a specific vulnerability to these chemicals.”

There are hundreds of quaternary ammonium compounds, which can make it hard to identify the chemicals on an ingredient list. Quats often end with “ammonium chloride” or “onium chloride” in the name. One common quaternary ammonium compound in hand soaps, for instance, is benzalkonium chloride. Google can also help you figure out whether a particular ingredient in a cleaning product is a quaternary ammonium compound.

The American Cleaning Institute, a trade association for cleaning product makers, downplayed the findings. Brian Sansoni, senior vice president of communications, wrote in an email that the study “does not establish a causal link to any known or observed human health effect and should not be interpreted by readers to be predictive of possible health effects.”

“Surface disinfecting products, including those with quaternary ammonium compounds, are highly regulated and extensively evaluated for safety according to their approved uses,” Sansoni wrote. “Quats are a critical public health solution across homes, schools, health care settings and communities every single day. ”

The research on quaternary ammonium compounds doesn’t mean we should stop disinfecting our homes, experts say. But it’s good to be aware of the chemicals in your household cleaners, and to make informed decisions about which products you choose.

Erin Cohn, a graduate student in Tesar’s lab and the lead author of the study, said oligodendrocyte dysfunction is linked to various neurological conditions. In cases of multiple sclerosis, for instance, the body’s immune system attacks the insulation created by oligodendrocytes.

To study quats, the researchers used stem cells to grow human brain organoids – petri dishes of tiny, “millimeter-sized brain tissue” – intended to mimic early stages of brain development, Tesar said. And they found the quaternary ammonium compounds specifically killed oligodendrocytes but not the other cell types.

The researchers also fed the chemicals to young mice for 10 days. In autopsies, they found exposure to quats had “caused a selective loss of oligodendrocytes” in the brain, Tesar said.

“The science is clear that these chemicals have harmful effects on oligodendrocytes,” Tesar said. What’s not clear is whether “everyday exposure” to these chemicals affects the human brain.

Francisco Javier Quintana, a professor of neurology at Harvard University, said the brain is influenced “all the time” by the chemicals a person takes in. Although more study is needed, the results of the latest research suggest that exposure to quats could trigger disease in certain populations that are already genetically susceptible, he said.

“The quats could be acting as one little push, or the final push across the finish line,” Quintana said. “In most people, quat exposure probably does nothing. But if you carry the wrong genetic background, that might trigger disease development.”

Quaternary ammonium compounds have been detected in the breast milk of mothers, and they were higher in women who used disinfecting cleaning products. And a study of 43 people found that 80 percent had quats in their blood.

Libin Xu, an associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Washington, said exposure to quats is “ubiquitous.” Almost every sample measured so far “has certain amounts of this compound, from very low to, occasionally, pretty high amounts,” he said.

In New York, researchers looked at quat exposure in shelter dogs, who live in caged areas that are frequently cleaned and disinfected. The study found that the feces of shelter dogs contained from two- to 18-fold higher concentrations of certain quats, compared with those of dogs who lived with their owners.

Terry Hrubec, a professor of anatomy and embryology at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Va., said that, although we know quats can get into the body, “we know almost nothing” about their effects. “We’re just scratching the tip of the iceberg for what we know about quats,” Hrubec said.

Not all household disinfectants use quaternary ammonium compounds, and there are alternatives “that are equally effective,” with ingredients such as citric acid, ethanol and hydrogen peroxide, said Sarah Evans, an assistant professor of environmental medicine and climate science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

If you’re concerned about the active ingredients in a disinfectant you’re using, open a window, and don’t spray or wipe with the product around children or pregnant people, Evans said. “Regular soap and water will kill most bacteria,” Evans said. “You don’t need a soap that has an added antibacterial chemical.”

Martin Wolf, director of sustainability for Seventh Generation, a maker of detergents and other cleaning products, said in an email that the company doesn’t use quats in its disinfecting products. The chemicals “have long been associated with respiratory irritation,” Wolf said.Wolf said that, because the study was conducted on cultured cells in a lab, it’s not clear how it applies to the real-world use of cleaning products that contain quats. “It would be improper to dismiss the study out-of-hand,” Wolf said. “Rather, this should be seen as a caution to avoid use of the substances studied and to seek alternatives.”How cleaning product chemicals called ‘quats’ may affect the brain

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As we move into Spring: How To Spring Clean Your Mind

EIGHT steps to help spring clean your mind and boost your mental well-being are today explained by a leading expert.

Author and counsellor Lynn Crilly says the move from Winter into Spring – which officially happens today (March 20) – is a “great chance to reset”.

Explaining why, Lynn, the author of a number of books including Hope With Depression – A self-help guide for those affected and their families, friends and carers, said: “Whilst Summer, Autumn and Winter all have their fans, Spring must be my favourite season. It is the season for fresh starts, new beginnings and is symbolised by new life and growth.

“It is the month where we are encouraged to spring clean our homes and workspaces. So there is no better way to use this time of seasonal transition as a chance to make positive changes for our mental well being and spring clean your mind.”

She added: “By being able to identify what is cluttering up your mind and giving it a deep clean will help reduce stress, improve your focus and in turn boost your mood.”

Here are some ideas from Lynn to get you started.

• Brush away negative thoughts and phrases with positive ones – Say things like ‘I can do this’ instead of ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I will do my best and that is good enough’ or ‘I will give it a go’ instead of ‘I won’t try as I know I can’t do it’
• Engaging in physical health has been proven to play a vital role in sustaining good mental health. The longer lighter days means going outside in the fresh air for a walk can really help to blow away the winter cobwebs.
• Writing a Journal or Diary – By writing down your worries, thoughts, feelings and fears, it helps to release them from your mind.
• Let go of any past drama – drama and all the negative thoughts and feelings that come with it has a way of sticking with us. And whilst it may be tempting to hang onto it, it does not have any long-term benefits. By letting go, your mind will have a more positive space and will be able to handle the future with a lot less stress and anxiety.
• Drop a bad habit – Most if not all of us have an area in their life that can have a negative impact on their mental health. For many it may be diet, exercise or even spending too long on our phones. Make an effort to change the habit. Instead of lazy Sundays on your phone, make an effort to put it away, cook something nice, go for a walk or visit a friend and then come back and have a lazy afternoon instead
• Practice gratitude – A really good way to promote a happy and healthy mind is to look at what you do have and not what you do not! This can be achieved in many ways, either by writing down daily the things you are thankful for or taking a few moments to mentally check all the things you are grateful for.
• Be creative – I am a huge advocate of using creativity to help clear the mind, whether it is doing a jigsaw, knitting, painting or colouring it will definitely help you to lose yourself.
• Accept you are not perfect. Accepting that life is not perfect and probably never will be as is the world around us, it helps to ease that added pressure we put on ourselves everyday which in turn will help us to relax a bit more As we move into Spring: How To Spring Clean Your Mind

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Multivitamins may help slow memory loss in older adults, study shows

Multivitamins. Photo: generic

A daily multivitamin – an inexpensive, over-the-counter nutritional supplement – may help slow memory loss in people ages 60 and older, a large nationwide clinical trial suggests.

The research, a collaboration between scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Columbia University, appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on Wednesday.

It was the second such multivitamin clinical study within the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) – a larger body of research examining the health effects of certain dietary supplements – to reach the same conclusion.

The most recent study found that those taking multivitamins showed an estimated 3.1 fewer years of memory loss compared with a control group who took a placebo. Put another way, the multivitamin group was an estimated 3.1 years “younger” in terms of their memory function than the placebo group.

“Older adults are very concerned about preserving cognition and memory, so this is a very important finding,” said JoAnn Manson, chief of Brigham’s division of preventive medicine and co-leader of the study with Howard Sesso, associate director of the division. “They are looking for safe and effective prevention strategies. The fact that two separate studies came to similar conclusions is remarkable.”

Manson, also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, described the effect of the supplements as “substantial.”

She stressed, however, that a dietary supplement “will never be a substitute for a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle.”

The study used a commonly available multivitamin – Centrum Silver – but “we think any high-quality multivitamin is likely to convey similar results,” Manson said. Centrum Silver contains vitamins D, A and B12, thiamine, riboflavin and manganese, among other substances.

Manson and Sesso reported grants to their institution from Mars Edge, which is a unit of the food company, Mars, and which focuses on nutrition research and produces the dietary supplement CocoaVia. Several of the 10 authors of the research also reported financial support from the National Institutes of Health.

Mars Edge and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (now Haleon), maker of Centrum Silver, donated the multivitamins and placebo tablets and packaging. COSMOS is also supported by NIH grants.

Sesso also reported grants from supplements company, Pure Encapsulations, and biopharmaceuticals company, Pfizer; and honoraria or travel support for lectures from the trade group for the dietary supplement industry, Council for Responsible Nutrition; chemical company, BASF; NIH; and a group that focuses on nutrition research, American Society for Nutrition.

Multivitamins already are popular with older Americans; 39 percent of adults ages 60 and older take multivitamins, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. sales of multivitamins and multivitamins with minerals totaled about $8 billion in 2020, according to NIH.

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Memory benefit of multivitamins lasted three years

The latest trial included more than 3,500 participants ages 60 and older who completed web-based assessments of memory and cognition annually over three years. The tasks were recalling words and recognizing novel objects, and a measure of executive control.

Compared with the placebo group, participants randomized to multivitamin supplementation did significantly better on immediate recall of words after one year and sustained that benefit for an additional two years of follow-up, according to the study.

Multivitamin use, however, “did not significantly affect memory retention, executive function, or novel object recognition” when compared with placebo use, the study showed.

The finding is especially important because the brain, as all other organs in the body, requires nutrients for optimal functioning and can suffer cognitively without them, brain-health experts said.

“This study is groundbreaking,” said Andrew Budson, professor of neurology at Boston University and chief of cognitive behavioral neurology at VA Boston Healthcare System, who was not involved in the research.

Low levels of vitamins B1 – also known as thiamine – B12 and D are associated with cognitive decline, he said. “That a simple multivitamin can slow cognitive decline while they are aging normally is quite exciting, as it is something that almost everyone can do,” Budson said.

Paul E. Schulz, professor of neurology and director of the Neurocognitive Disorders Center at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, said the brain requires a lot of vitamins and minerals to function properly. “Think of a complicated engine that requires lots of specialty parts and needs them all,” said Schulz, who also was not part of the study. “We regularly see people who are deficient in them who come in with cognitive impairment.”

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Slowing of cognitive aging

The previous study, conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, appeared in the fall in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. It found a 60 percent slowing of cognitive aging among those who took multivitamins compared with the placebo group.

The two studies were independent of each other and had different designs. But, significantly, both were randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials, the “gold standard” of research in determining the efficacy of a drug or medical treatment – directly linking cause and effect.

“This is probably the best evidence there is for taking a multivitamin,” said Donald Hensrud, a specialist in nutrition at the Mayo Clinic, who was not involved in the research. “A randomized, controlled trial – good study.”

Curiously, both studies suggest that participants who derived the greatest benefits may have been those with a history of cardiovascular disease, the researchers said.

“It’s most intriguing because this same finding was replicated in two studies, with different designs, and with no overlapping participants,” Manson said, speculating that those with heart disease may have had a lower nutrient status at the start of the study. “They may have started from a lower threshold, so the improvements may have been more easily detectable,” she said.

In the overall COSMOS trial, which includes different studies, there were lower rates of stomach pain, diarrhea, skin rash and bruising as side effects with multivitamin use compared with the placebo, but an increased rate of gastrointestinal bleeding.

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Future research on multivitamins

The study population included people of different races, ethnicities, educational levels, socioeconomic status and household income. “However, as is the case for volunteers in any randomized clinical trials, the participants tended to be slightly more educated, had slightly higher socioeconomic status, and had less diversity than a cross-section of U.S. adults in these age groups,” Manson said.

The researchers said that future studies should explore whether the findings would be applicable to even more diverse participants, including those with lower education levels and social economic status, because the “benefits may turn out to be even greater in populations with lower incomes and poorer quality diets,” Manson said.

Additional studies also should try to identify the nutrients that provide the most benefits, as well as the specific mechanisms involved, the researchers said. Multivitamins may help slow memory loss in older adults, study shows

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How exercise increases brain volume — and may slow memory decline

Exercising for 25 minutes a week, or less than four minutes a day, could help to bulk up our brains and improve our ability to think as we grow older.

A new study, which involved scanning the brains of more than 10,000 healthy men and women from ages 18 to 97, found that those who walked, swam, cycled or otherwise worked out moderately for 25 minutes a week had bigger brains than those who didn’t, whatever their ages.

Bigger brains typically mean healthier brains.

The differences were most pronounced in parts of the brain involved with thinking and memory, which often shrink as we age, contributing to risks for cognitive decline and dementia.

“This is an exciting finding and gives us more fuel for the idea that being physically active can help maintain brain volume across the life span,” said David Raichlen, a professor of biological sciences and anthropology at the University of Southern California. He studies brain health but was not involved with the new study.

The results have practical implications, too, about which types of exercise seem best for our brain health and how little of that exercise we may really need.

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Little exercise, big brain

“We wondered, if we chose a very low threshold of exercise what would we see?” said Cyrus A. Raji, an associate professor of radiology and neurology at Washington University in St. Louis, who led the new study.

He and his colleagues were well aware that exercise is good for brains, especially as we age. Physically active older people are far less likely than the sedentary to develop Alzheimer’s disease or other types of memory loss and cognitive decline.

But he also knew that few people in the real world exercise much. “You hear that you need 10,000 steps a day,” he said, “or 150 minutes a week. But it’s very hard to reach” those goals.

Would less – even far less – exercise still help to build healthier brains, he and his colleagues wondered?

What about, for instance, 25 minutes of exercise a week, a sixth of the 150 minutes recommended in most formal exercise guidelines?

“It seemed an achievable amount for most people,” Raji said. But would it show effects on brains?

– – –

10,125 brain scans

He and his colleagues turned to existing brain scans for 10,125 mostly healthy adults of all ages who’d come to the university medical center for diagnostic tests. Beforehand, these patients had provided information about their medical histories and how often and strenuously they’d exercised during the past two weeks.

The researchers divided them into those who’d exercised for at least 25 minutes a week and those who hadn’t.

Then, with the aid of artificial intelligence, they began comparing scans and exercise habits, looking for differences in brain volume, or how much space a brain and its constituent parts fill. More volume is generally desirable.

A clear pattern quickly emerged. Men and women, of any age, who exercised for at least 25 minutes a week showed mostly greater brain volume than those who didn’t. The differences weren’t huge but were significant, Raji said, especially when the researchers looked deeper inside the organ.

There, they found that exercisers possessed greater volume in every type of brain tissue, including grey matter, made up of neurons, and white matter, the brain’s wiring infrastructure, which supports and connects the thinking cells.

More granularly, the exercisers tended to have a larger hippocampus, a portion of the brain essential for memory and thinking. It usually shrinks and shrivels as we age, affecting our ability to reason and recall.

They also showed larger frontal, parietal and occipital lobes, which, together, signal a healthy, robust brain.

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Moderate exercise was best for brains

“It was surprising and encouraging” to see such widespread effects in the brains of people who were exercising so little, Raji said.

Of course, this study was associational, meaning it showed links between exercise and brain health, but not that exercise necessarily caused the improvements. So it’s possible other lifestyle factors or genetics were at play, or that people with big brains just happened to like exercise.

But given the number of scans and the wide age range, Raji believes the effects of exercise on people’s brains were real and direct and would help to maintain our ability to think well as we grow older.

Exactly how exercise might be altering brains is impossible to say from this study. But Raji and his colleagues believe exercise reduces inflammation in the brain and also encourages the release of various neurochemicals that promote the creation of new brain cells and blood vessels.

In effect, exercise seems to help build and bank a “structural brain reserve,” he said, a buffer of extra cells and matter that could protect us somewhat from the otherwise inevitable decline in brain size and function that occurs as we age. Our brains may still shrink and sputter over the years. But, if we exercise, this slow fall starts from a higher baseline.

Perhaps best of all, the most effective exercise in the study was also relatively gentle. People who said they exercised moderately, meaning they could still chat as they worked out, wound up with somewhat greater brain volume than those who exercised more vigorously, such as by swift running.

But the numbers of vigorous exercisers were quite small, making comparisons suspect, Raji said, and their brain volume was still larger than among those who rarely, if ever, exercised at all.

Overall, any exercise of any type and in even small amounts is likely to be “a very good idea” for brain health, he said.Raichlen agrees. “Studies like this continue to provide strong evidence that moving your body even a small amount may have an impact on brain health, and that it is never too early, or too late, to start.” How exercise increases brain volume — and may slow memory decline

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A novel look at how stories may change the brain

“We already knew that good stories can put you in someone else’s shoes in a figurative sense. Now we’re seeing that something may also be happening biologically," says neuroscientist Gregory Berns.

By Carol Clark

Many people can recall reading at least one cherished story that they say changed their life. Now researchers at Emory University have detected what may be biological traces related to this feeling: Actual changes in the brain that linger, at least for a few days, after reading a novel.

Their findings, that reading a novel may cause changes in resting-state connectivity of the brain that persist, were published by the journal Brain Connectivity.

“Stories shape our lives and in some cases help define a person,” says neuroscientist Gregory Berns, lead author of the study and the director of Emory’s Center for Neuropolicy. “We want to understand how stories get into your brain, and what they do to it.”

His co-authors included Kristina Blaine and Brandon Pye from the Center for Neuropolicy, and Michael Prietula, professor of information systems and operations management at Emory’s Goizueta Business School.

Neurobiological research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has begun to identify brain networks associated with reading stories. Most previous studies have focused on the cognitive processes involved in short stories, while subjects are actually reading them as they are in the fMRI scanner.

The Emory study focused on the lingering neural effects of reading a narrative. Twenty-one Emory undergraduates participated in the experiment, which was conducted over 19 consecutive days.

The researchers chose the novel "Pompeii" for the experiment, due to its strong narrative and page-turning plot.

All of the study subjects read the same novel, “Pompeii,” a 2003 thriller by Robert Harris that is based on the real-life eruption of Mount Vesuvius in ancient Italy. “The story follows a protagonist, who is outside the city of Pompeii and notices steam and strange things happening around the volcano,” Berns says. “He tries to get back to Pompeii in time to save the woman he loves. Meanwhile, the volcano continues to bubble and nobody in the city recognizes the signs.”

The researchers chose the book due to its page-turning plot. “It depicts true events in a fictional and dramatic way,” Berns says. “It was important to us that the book had a strong narrative line.”

For the first five days, the participants came in each morning for a base-line fMRI scan of their brains in a resting state. Then they were given nine sections of the novel, about 30 pages each, over a nine-day period. They were asked to read the assigned section in the evening, and come in the following morning. After taking a quiz to ensure they had finished the assigned reading, the participants underwent an fMRI scan of their brain in a non-reading, resting state. After completing all nine sections of the novel, the participants returned for five more mornings to undergo additional scans in a resting state.

The results showed heightened connectivity in the left temporal cortex, an area of the brain associated with receptivity for language, on the mornings following the reading assignments. “Even though the participants were not actually reading the novel while they were in the scanner, they retained this heightened connectivity,” Berns says. “We call that a ‘shadow activity,’ almost like a muscle memory.”

Read any mind-altering books lately? Writer Joyce Carol Oates once cited "Alice in Wonderland" as a big influence on her imaginative life.

Heightened connectivity was also seen in the central sulcus of the brain, the primary sensory motor region of the brain. Neurons of this region have been associated with making representations of sensation for the body, a phenomenon known as grounded cognition. Just thinking about running, for instance, can activate the neurons associated with the physical act of running.

“The neural changes that we found associated with physical sensation and movement systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body of the protagonist,” Berns says. “We already knew that good stories can put you in someone else’s shoes in a figurative sense. Now we’re seeing that something may also be happening biologically.”

The neural changes were not just immediate reactions, Berns says, since they persisted the morning after the readings, and for the five days after the participants completed the novel.

“It remains an open question how long these neural changes might last,” Berns says. “But the fact that we’re detecting them over a few days for a randomly assigned novel suggests that your favorite novels could certainly have a bigger and longer-lasting effect on the biology of your brain.”

Credits: Top image by iStockphoto.com. Middle and bottom photos by Carol Clark. eScienceCommons: A novel look at how stories may change the brain

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What do people think about when they go to sleep?

Melinda Jackson, Monash University and Hailey Meaklim, The University of Melbourne

You’re lying in bed, trying to fall asleep but the racing thoughts won’t stop. Instead, your brain is busy making detailed plans for the next day, replaying embarrassing moments (“why did I say that?”), or producing seemingly random thoughts (“where is my birth certificate?”).

Many social media users have shared videos on how to fall asleep faster by conjuring up “fake scenarios”, such as a romance storyline where you’re the main character.

But what does the research say? Does what we think about before bed influence how we sleep?

How you think in bed affects how you sleep

It turns out people who sleep well and those who sleep poorly have different kinds of thoughts before bed.

Good sleepers report experiencing mostly visual sensory images as they drift to sleep – seeing people and objects, and having dream-like experiences.

They may have less ordered thoughts and more hallucinatory experiences, such as imagining you’re participating in events in the real world.

For people with insomnia, pre-sleep thoughts tend to be less visual and more focused on planning and problem-solving. These thoughts are also generally more unpleasant and less random than those of good sleepers.

People with insomnia are also more likely to stress about sleep as they’re trying to sleep, leading to a vicious cycle; putting effort into sleep actually wakes you up more.

People with insomnia often report worrying, planning, or thinking about important things at bedtime, or focusing on problems or noises in the environment and having a general preoccupation with not sleeping.

Unfortunately, all this pre-sleep mental activity can prevent you drifting off.

One study found even people who are normally good sleepers can have sleep problems if they’re stressed about something at bedtime (such as the prospect of having to give a speech when they wake up). Even moderate levels of stress at bedtime could affect sleep that night.

Another study of 400 young adults looked at how binge viewing might affect sleep. The researchers found higher levels of binge viewing were associated with poorer sleep quality, more fatigue, and increased insomnia symptoms. “Cognitive arousal”, or mental activation, caused by an interesting narrative and identifying with characters, could play a role.

The good news is there are techniques you can use to change the style and content of your pre-sleep thoughts. They could help reduce nighttime cognitive arousal or to replace unwanted thoughts with more pleasant ones. These techniques are called “cognitive refocusing”.

What is cognitive refocusing?

Cognitive refocusing, developed by US psychology researcher Les Gellis, involves distracting yourself with pleasant thoughts before bed. It’s like the “fake scenarios” social media users post about – but the trick is to think of a scenario that’s not too interesting.

Decide before you go to bed what you’ll focus on as you lie there waiting for sleep to come.

Pick an engaging cognitive task with enough scope and breadth to maintain your interest and attention – without causing emotional or physical arousal. So, nothing too scary, thrilling or stressful.

For example, if you like interior decorating, you might imagine redesigning a room in your house.

If you’re a football fan, you might mentally replay a passage of play or imagine a game plan.

A music fan might mentally recite lyrics from their favourite album. A knitter might imagine knitting a blanket.

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s suited to you and your interests. The task needs to feel pleasant, without being overstimulating.

Cognitive refocusing is not a silver bullet, but it can help.

One study of people with insomnia found those who tried cognitive refocusing had significant improvements in insomnia symptoms compared to a control group.

How ancient wisdom can help us sleep

Another age-old technique is mindfulness meditation.

Meditation practice can increase our self-awareness and make us more aware of our thoughts. This can be useful for helping with rumination; often when we try to block or stop thoughts, it can make matters worse.

Mindfulness training can help us recognise when we’re getting into a rumination spiral and allow us to sit back, almost like a passive observer.

Try just watching the thoughts, without judgement. You might even like to say “hello” to your thoughts and just let them come and go. Allow them to be there and see them for what they are: just thoughts, nothing more.

Research from our group has shown mindfulness-based therapies can help people with insomnia. It may also help people with psychiatric conditions such as bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia get more sleep.

What can help ease your pre-sleep thoughts?

Good sleep starts the moment you wake up. To give yourself your best shot at a good night’s sleep, start by getting up at the same time each day and getting some morning light exposure (regardless of how much sleep you had the night before).

Have a consistent bedtime, reduce technology use in the evening, and do regular exercise during the day.

If your mind is busy at bedtime, try cognitive refocusing. Pick a “fake scenario” that will hold your attention but not be too scary or exciting. Rehearse this scenario in your mind at bedtime and enjoy the experience.

You might also like to try:

• keeping a consistent bedtime routine, so your brain can wind down

• writing down worries earlier in the day (so you don’t think about them at bedtime)

• adopting a more self-compassionate mindset (don’t beat yourself up at bedtime over your imagined shortcomings!).

Melinda Jackson, Associate Professor at Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University and Hailey Meaklim, Sleep Psychologist and Researcher, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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From stock markets to brain scans, new research harmonises hundreds of scientific methods to understand complex systems

University of SydneyComplexity is all around us, from the daily fluctuations of financial markets to the intricate web of neurons in our brains.

Understanding how the different components of these systems interact with each other is a fundamental challenge for scientists trying to predict their behaviour. Piecing together these interactions is like deciphering a code from an intricate set of clues.

Scientists have developed hundreds of different methods for doing this, from engineers studying noisy radio channels to neuroscientists studying firing patterns in networks of interacting neurons. Each method captures a unique aspect of the interactions within a complex system – but how do we know which method is right for any given system sitting right in front of us?

In new research published in Nature Computational Science, we have developed a unified way to look at hundreds of different methods for measuring interaction patterns in complex systems – and working out which ones are most useful for understanding a given system.

A scientific orchestra

The science of complex systems can be, well, complex. And the science of comparing and combining different ways of studying these systems even more so.

But one way to think about what we’ve done is to imagine each scientific method is a different musical instrument playing in a scientific orchestra. Different instruments are playing different melodies with different tones and in different styles.

We wanted to understand which of our scientific instruments are best suited to solving which types of problems. We also wanted to know whether we could conduct all of the instruments to form a harmonious whole.

By presenting these methods as a full orchestra for the first time, we hoped we would find new ways of deciphering patterns in the world around us.

Hundreds of methods, more than 1,000 datasets

To develop our orchestra, we undertook the mammoth task of analysing more than 200 methods for computing interactions from as many datasets as we could get our hands on. These covered a huge range of subjects, from stock markets and climate to brain activity and earthquakes to river flow and heart beats.

In total, we applied our 237 methods to more than 1,000 datasets. By analysing how these methods behave when applied to such diverse scientific systems, we found a way for them to “play in harmony” for the first time.

In the same way that instruments in an orchestra are usually organised as strings, brass, woodwind and percussion, scientific methods from areas like engineering, statistics and biophysics also have their traditional groupings.

Applying different methods to more than 1,000 datasets from a wide range of fields revealed surprising similarities and differences. Cliff et al. / Nature Computational Science, CC BY-SA

But when we organised our scientific orchestra, we found that the scientific instruments grouped together in a strikingly different way to this traditional organisation. Some very different methods behaved in surprisingly similar ways to one another.

This was a bit like discovering that the tuba player’s melody was surprisingly similar to that of the flute, but no one had noticed it before.

Our weird and wonderful new orchestral layout (which sometimes places cello and trumpet players next to the piccolo player), represents a more “natural” way of grouping methods from all across science. This opens exciting new avenues for cross-disciplinary research.

The orchestra in the real world

We also put our full scientific orchestra to work on some real-world problems to see how it would work. One of these problems was using motion data from a smartwatch to classify activities like “badminton playing” and “running”; another was distinguishing different activities from brain-scan data.

Properly orchestrated, the full ensemble of scientific methods demonstrated improved performance over any single method on its own.

To put it another way, virtuosic solos are not always the best approach! You can get better results when different scientific methods work cooperatively as an ensemble.

The scientific ensemble introduced in this work provides a deeper understanding of the interacting systems that shape our complex world. And its implications are widespread – from understanding how brain communication patterns break down in disease, to developing improved detection algorithms for smartwatch sensor data.

Time will tell what new music scientists will make as they step up to conduct our new scientific orchestra that simultaneously incorporates diverse ways of thinking about the world.

Ben Fulcher, Senior Lecturer, School of Physics, University of Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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What happens in our brain and body when we’re in love?

University of Wollongong and Susan J Thomas, University of Wollongong

Love dominates our popular culture and is the subject of countless songs, movies, and works of literature and art. But what’s happening in our body when we feel love?

Love is difficult to define, but can be described as an intense feeling of deep affection. At the most basic level, science sees love as a cocktail of chemicals released by the brain.

From an evolutionary perspective, romantic love evolved from the primitive animal drive to find and keep preferred mates. Love keeps people bonded and committed to one another, to raise children through infancy. This ensures our species will continue to reproduce, survive and thrive.

However, romantic love is not just about reproduction. Some argue we should consider love a motivation, like hunger, thirst, sleep or sex.

There are many benefits of loving others and being loved. These include better mental health, wellbeing and immune function, and reduced chronic stress and disease.

What happens when someone initially falls in love?

Falling in love typically begins when someone starts to see another person as special and unique.

The initial phase of falling in love is an extreme neurobiological state, characterised by heightened responses and high passion. Lust and attraction are driven by the sex hormones, estrogen and testosterone, as motivations for sex.

Specific areas of the brain are activated when you fall in love, in particular the limbic system and the reward centres. The limbic system has key roles in emotion and memory. This causes a positive mood and explains why the memories associated with new love are so strong.

There is also an increase in dopamine and noradrenaline. Dopamine stimulates the reward pathways and increases motivation and obsessive thoughts and behaviours to pursue the love interest. Noradrenaline causes the feelings of euphoria, and the physiological responses of a faster heart rate, butterflies in the stomach and increased energy.

At the same time, other brain areas are deactivated. Reduced activity in the frontal cortex reduces negative emotions and judgements. This explains why initially people may be blind to faults in the person they are in love with.

But while you might be feeling less judgement, there is also increased cortisol, stress and feelings of insecurity in the early phase of falling in love.

How does romantic love change over time?

The initial phase of falling in love and intense infatuation lasts for several months.

During the next phase, there is increased intimacy, commitment and attachment. This is driven by the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin. Oxytocin helps us feel safe and secure after the initial high cortisol and stress of the uncertainty and risk of falling in love. Vasopressin promotes behaviours of vigilance and being territorial and self-protective.

Between oxytocin and vasopressin there is a balance of connecting with others while also protecting the person you are in love with and yourself.

Oxytocin is often called the “hormone of love” because it facilitates the formation of social bonds and connections. However, new research in animal models suggests oxytocin is not essential for life-long pair-bonding as previously thought.

Sexual activity is distinct from love, but it does reinforce attachment. When we touch, kiss or have sex, oxytocin and vasopressin are released, which promotes love and commitment between a couple.

Years into a romantic relationship, there is often a period of transition from passionate love to companion love. High intimacy and commitment help to sustain this love. Some relationships end at this time because of the reduced passion, while other couples remain in the passionate love phase for decades.

What about non-romantic love?

Beyond its role in romantic love, oxytocin is important in all forms of love, including with family, friends and even pets. Positive social relationships and oxytocin have many benefits on human health, wellbeing and longevity.

In our research, we have shown oxytocin is associated with better quality of life and healthier social connections, among people with and without depression.

So, for the love of your favourite person, people or pet(s), whoever they are, however long you love them for, and however many times you fall in love, relish loving and being loved.

Love might just be nature’s best chemical cocktail. But all the intricacies of the complex behaviour and emotion of love continue to elude science.

Theresa Larkin, Associate professor of Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong and Susan J Thomas, Associate professor, University of Wollongong

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Transistor mimics the activities of a brain neuron

• An international research team has designed a neurotransistor that mimics the activities of a brain neuron1. The team merged the learning and memory functions of a neuron in this device, making it act as an artificial neuron.
• The device could potentially be used for artificial intelligence systems that can process information using a network.
• Transistors, according to recent studies, could potentially be used to emulate the functions of neurons.
• The scientists, including an Indian researcher from the University of Calcutta in Kolkata, India,, invented the neurotransistor using silicon nanowires on an eight-inch insulated silicon wafer. They then covered the transistor with a metal-ion-doped sol-gel-derived silicate film that has multiple input gates and output channels.
• Experiments and simulation studies show that the transistor functions like a random-access-memory device. It doesn’t need an extra device that stores electrical charge, such as a capacitor.
• The film that covers the transistor mimics the local or global ion movement through the ion channels of neuronal membrane. This allows mobility of metal and non-metal ions in the film.
• Unlike existing devices, which have a fixed memory, the transistor’s memory can be tuned by varying its charging capacity in response to various voltages. The mobile ions in the film aid in this process.
• The researchers say that it is possible to scale up the production of the transistor using a conventional transistor-making process. Such a possibility means that this device could be used to make complex computing devices, they add.
• References: 1. Baek, E. et al. Intrinsic plasticity of silicon nanowire neurotransistors for dynamic memory and learning functions. Nat. Electron.(2020) doi: 10.1038/s41928-020-0412-1 Source: https://www.natureasia.com/

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Thin, flexible polymers record 'conversations' deeper in the brain with less injury-risk

• Science has yet to unravel a complete understanding of the brain and all its intricate workings. It's not for lack of effort.
• Over many decades, multiple research studies have sought to understand the dizzying "talk," or interconnectivity, between thousands of microscopic entities in the brain, in particular, neurons. The goal: to one day arrive at a complete brain "mapping" — a feat that could unlock tremendous therapeutic potential.
• Researchers at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering have developed thin, flexible polymer-based materials for use in microelectrode arrays that record activity more deeply in the brain and with more specific placement than ever before. What's more is that each microelectrode array is made up of eight "tines," each with eight microelectrodes which can record from a total 64 subregions of the brain at once.
• In addition, the polymer-based material, called Parylene C, is less invasive and damaging to surrounding cells and tissue than previous microelectrode arrays comprised of silicon or microwires. However, the long and thin probes can easily buckle upon insertion, making it necessary to add a self-dissolving brace made up of polyethylene glycol (PEG) that shortens the array and prevents it from bending.
• Professor Ellis Meng of the USC Viterbi Department of Biomedical Engineering and Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience said that the performance of the new polymer-based material is on par with microwires in terms of recording fidelity and sensitivity. 
• "The information that we can get out is equivalent, but the damage is much less," Meng says. "Polymers are gentler on the brain, and because of that, these devices get recordings of neuronal communication over long periods of time."
• As with any prosthetic implant, caution must be exercised in terms of the body's natural immune response to a foreign element. In addition to inflammation, previous microelectrode brain implants made of silicon or microwire have caused neuronal death and glial scarring, which is damage to connective tissue in the nervous system. 
• However, Parylene C is biocompatible and can be microfabricated in extremely thin form that molds well to specific sub-regions of the brain, allowing for exploration with minimal tissue displacement and cell damage.
• So far, these arrays have been used to record electrophysiological responses of individual neurons within the hippocampus, a subregion of the brain responsible for memory formation. If injured, the hippocampus may be compromised, resulting in a patient's inability to form new memories. 
• Meng says that the polymer-based material can conform to a specific location in the hippocampus and "listen in on a conversation" between neurons and because there are many such "eavesdroppers" (the microelectrodes), much more information about neural interconnectivity can be gleaned.
• "I can pick where I want my electrodes to be, so I can match up to the anatomy of the brain," Meng says. "Along the length of a tine, I can put a group of electrodes here and a group of electrodes there, so if we plant to a certain depth, it's going to be near the neurons I want to record from."
• Future research will determine the recording lifetime of polymer-based arrays and their long-term "signal-to-noise" (SNR) stability. Also, the team plans to create devices with even higher density, including a double-sided microelectrode array with 64 electrodes per tine instead of eight -- making for a total of around 4,000 electrodes placed in the brain at once. Source: https://www.domain-b.com/

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Pearl Academy on a mission to develop creative minds

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Pearl Academy, with two decades of experience in developing professionals

for the creative industries has close links with the industry and develops new courses as per to industry needs. Fashion Styling and Image Design and Luxury Brand Management are examples of courses that were developed in keeping with industry needs. Some courses that are being worked on in close association with the industry are: Indian Couture and Online Business, which will be launched in May 2015. “Additionally, online courses for working adults in the industry and those looking to join the industry, have just been launched. Courses like Design Management, Entrepreneurship for Creative Professionals, Social Media Marketing and Digital Commerce have been developed to address key needs in today’s industry. These courses will start in October and November 2014,” informs Sharad Mehra, CEO, Pearl Academy. Quality education in creative fields: The Academy recently opened a new campus in Mumbai. Good labs for media, fashion and interiors have ensured a world class learning experience for students. “A strong industry advisory board and experienced faculty right in the center of bustling Mumbai make it a great place to get ready for creative industries. We have courses in fashion, business, luxury, communication design, interiors, styling and interiors. Our faculty in Mumbai has been selected after thorough process. It has a healthy mix between industry and academic experience and trained at the other campuses of Pearl in order to ensure parity and excellence at Mumbai,” asserts Mehra. Pearl Academy is a member of the Laureate International Universities (LIU) network, a leading international network of quality, innovative institutions of higher education. The LIU network of more than 75 accredited campus-based and online universities offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs to nearly 900,000 students around the world. The students are part of an international, academic community that spans 29 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Pearl’s under graduate BA (Hons.) courses (validated by Nottingham Trent University, UK) allows a 8-12 weeks/semester study abroad option in 3rd year (Level-2) from Jan-May each year with full credit exchange of 20/40 credits. Pearl Academy’s mission is to be amongst the leading global institutes in art, design, fashion and related business education through continuous innovation, high quality standards and delightful experience to students, employees and the industries that it works with. Campus placements have been growing since last three years reaching a success rate of 95 per cent in the year 2013. Some of the most sought after companies, like GAP, Li and Fung, Tommy Hilfiger, WWF, Da Milano and Titan, among others visit the campus each year to hire. Developing creative minds: Since its inception in 1993, the academy has evolved into a globally renowned institution of higher learning with a focus on international exposure; entrepreneurship and employability. “We started off with 40 students and now have 3,000 students at campuses in Delhi, Noida, Jaipur and now in Mumbai. Over the years we have been recognized at various forums across industries and our students have been welcomed into the workforce. We are working closely with our industries and developing a better tomorrow for design and creative business in India,” elaborates Mehra. The academy today has emerged as the best privately owned institute in the country in art, design, fashion and related business education through continuous innovation, high quality standards and delightful experience to students, employees and the industries that it serves. In 2014, Pearl Academy has been ranked No. 2 by India Today-Nielsen survey in ‘Top 10′ list of ‘India’s Best Colleges’ under Fashion Category. “We conduct events across India where students and parents can meet with the industry and understand the opportunities for themselves. This initiative is called the Creative Career Conclave and has been welcomed across India. This year we are looking at live telecasting these events on the internet so that a wider audience can benefit from them,” sums up Mehra. Source: Fashion United

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Mathematics: Why the brain sees maths as beauty

Brain scans show a complex string of numbers and letters in mathematical formulae can evoke the same sense of beauty as artistic masterpieces and music from the greatest composers. Mathematicians were shown "ugly" and "beautiful" equations while in a brain scanner at University College London. The same emotional brain centres used to appreciate art were being activated by "beautiful" maths. The researchers suggest there may be a neurobiological basis to beauty. The likes of Euler's identity or the Pythagorean identity are rarely mentioned in the same breath as the best of Mozart, Shakespeare and Van Gogh. The study in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience gave 15 mathematicians 60 formula to rate. Source: SAM Daily Times

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4 Benefits of Soaking Bath

Rain and cold weather make you crave hot chocolate and a hug. But, if they 're not in range, a warm water bath can be a better substitute. Why ? Because five reasons abstracted from huffingtonpost below : calm In addition to cleansing the body, a warm water bath also has calming benefits. Steam coming out of the shower to make your body relax, but it can also make the water hot muscle flexing. In short, perceived fatigue was away all day. Improve Brain Performance: Yes, not only soothing, bath turns positive effect on the brain. The warmth of the water, making the body more quiet overall and triggers the brain to rid itself of the " junk " that accumulates day. Few tips, mix a few drops of aromatherapy oils in the bath water to get maximum relaxation. reduce stress: Fatigue or stress after working all day and immediately disappeared when the whole body submerged in warm water and soft foam. Additional eucalyptus or lavender oil can speed up the body to reduce stress while bathing. Sleeping More Soundly: It is no secret if a warm water bath can help you sleep more soundly. The reason, in the bath, hot water helps to improve the body temperature and when out of the tub, along with decreased body temperature, brain also releases the hormone melatonin which triggers sleepiness. Overcoming Symptoms of Flu: Hot steam when you breathe bath would relieve respiratory tract and relieve headaches. In addition, the warm water also helps relieve sore muscles. Source: Article

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Human brain reaches its limits

British scientists say that the human brain has reached its limits of intelligence as it needs a lot of energy to make us smarter which is physically impossible to produce.Now brain cells consume some 20 percent of all energy produced by our body, researchers say. Читать далее, Source: Voice of Russia.Tags: Sci-Tech, human brain, News, World, Image

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Patients in vegetative state are often misdiagnosed: study

BioEdge: Patients in a vegetative state have intervals of wakefulness, but seem to be unaware of themselves or their surroundings, a Lancet study has found. The researchers did an electroencephalograph (EEG) on patients with both traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury in a vegetative state. The researchers used a test that involved motor imagery, encouraging the patients to imagine moving their right-hand fingers and toes. Such tests are universally considered a reliable indicator of awareness. The researchers found that 3 (19%) of the 16 patients tested who were diagnosed as being in a vegetative state could reliably and repeatedly respond to EEG commands, despite the fact that they were behaviourally unresponsive. The study found that many vegetative patients are misdiagnosed. The researchers wrote that a new EEG method that is “cheap, portable, widely available, and objective” could be used to rediagnose patients who, seem “vegetative” in their behaviour but who might still have some awareness and cognitive function, Source: BioEdge

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Blink, and Your Brain Takes a Nap

London: Blinking not only keeps your eyes lubricated, but also gives time for the brain to take a little nap, according to a new study. The human brain uses that tiny moment of shut-eye to power down, researchers from Japan's Osaka University found. In a new study, they found that the mental break can last anywhere from a split second to a few seconds before attention is fully restored. Scans that track the ebb and flow of blood within the brain revealed that regions associated with paying close attention momentarily go offline. The brain then goes into a 'default mode network', or idle setting. The same setting is engaged when our attention is not required by a cognitive task such as reading or speaking and our thoughts wander freely. During

The science behind why we blink

this mode people tend to contemplate their feelings. They wonder what a friend meant by a recent comment. They consider something they did last week, or imagine what they'll do tomorrow. While listening to another person or reading, that usually comes at the end of a sentence and while watching a film, people are most likely to blink when an actor leaves the scene or when the camera shifts. Most people take between 15 and 20 such moments of downtime per minute. Researchers studied 20 healthy young subjects in a brain scanner as they watched snippets from the British comedy Mr. Bean. When subjects blinked, the researchers detected a momentary stand-down within the brain's visual cortex and somatosensory cortex, both involved with processing visual stimuli, and in areas that govern attention. Separate studies on blinking have shown that while telling a lie, people have been found to blink less. In the seconds after telling a lie, however, the liar will blink far more frequently than a truth-teller. The new research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. Source: iTVnews

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Big Brains Small Films: An IBMer on managing genius

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Chinese scientists create brain cells from urine

More news on the stem cell front (not the embryonic kind). Chinese scientists have created brain cells from urine. Since there is no shortage of this and since collecting it is not invasive, their technique is very promising. It might be possible to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease – which has been the Holy Grail of stem cell research. Writing in the journal Nature Methods, scientists from Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that they were able to reprogram the urine cells to become neural cells without passing through pluripotency. They did this with a clever technique which did not involve shuttling genes from genetically engineered viruses into the target cell. This seems to result in harmful mutations. Source: Bio-Edge

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Ramanujan - A Genius Mathematician

The celebration of the 125th birth anniversary of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan was kicked off at Delhi University in India on Monday. The university is holding a six-day international conference - The Legacy of Srinivasa Ramanujan - which will see a number of renowned mathematicians give lectures on Ramanujan and his work. Ramanujan was a prodigious Indian mathematician who, despite having no formal training in advanced mathematical concepts, mastered trigonometry at the age of 12 and went on to make great contributions to mathematical concepts such as number theory, infinite series and continued fractions. The conference was inaugurated by the Minister of Human Resource Development, MM Pallam Raju. During the conference's first day there were lectures on the life and notebook of Ramanujan. There were also lectures on topics such as Quantum Modular Forms and Holomorphic Projection. The university is also holding a competition on encryption for its undergraduate students. The winning teams will get to visit those places where Ramanujan worked in Chennai and Trinity College, Cambridge. The last day of the conference will also see the conferment of the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize, an annual prize that is given to a mathematician under the age of 32 who has contributed in a field influences by Ramanujan. The Ramanujan Journal, an international publication, was launched to publish work in all areas of mathematics influenced by his work. On the 125th anniversary of his birth, India declared the birthday of Ramanujan, December 22, as “National Mathematics Day.” The declaration was made last year by Dr. Manmohan Singh in Chennai, who stated this year, 2012, as the National Mathematics Year. Source: Vedic Views 

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