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Archive for January, 2011

Mosing MA, Gordon SD, Medland SE, Statham DJ, Nelson EC, Heath AC, Martin NG, Wray NR.


Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; School of Psychology, University of Queensland, QLD, Australia; Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, Washington, St. Louis, Missouri


Background: Major depression (MD) and anxiety disorders such as panic disorder (PD), agoraphobia (AG), and social phobia (SP) are heritable and highly co-morbid. However, the relative importance of genetic and environmental etiology of the covariation between these disorders, particularly the relationship between PD and AG, is less clear.


Methods: This study measured MD, PD, and AG in a population sample of 5,440 twin pairs and 1,245 single twins, about 45% of whom were also scored for SP. Prevalences, within individual co-morbidity and twin odds ratios for co-morbidity, are reported. A behavioral genetic analysis of the four disorders using the classical twin design was conducted.


Results: Odds ratios for MD, PD, AG, and SP in twins of individuals diagnosed with one of the four disorders were increased. Heritability estimates under a threshold-liability model for MD, PD, AG, and SP respectively were .33 (CI: 0.30-0.42), .38 (CI: 0.24-0.55), .48 (CI: 0.37-0.65), and .39 (CI: 0.16-0.65), with no evidence for any variance explained by the common environment shared by twins. We find that a common genetic factor explains a moderate proportion of variance in these four disorders. The genetic correlation between PD and AG was .83.


Conclusion: MD, PD, AG, and SP strongly co-aggregate within families and common genetic factors explain a moderate proportion of variance in these four disorders. The high genetic correlation between PD and AG and the increased odds ratio for PD and AG in siblings of those with AG without PD suggests a common genetic etiology for PD and AG.


Source…


This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.  |  Copyright © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company



Interactions Between Herbal Medicines and Prescribed Drugs: An Updated Systematic Review

Izzo AA, Ernst E.


Department of Experimental Pharmacology, University of Naples Federico II, via D Montesano 49, Naples 80131, Italy.


The concomitant use of herbal medicines and pharmacotherapy is wide spread. We have reviewed the literature to determine the possible interactions between seven popular herbal medicines (ginkgo, St John’s wort, ginseng, garlic, echinacea, saw palmetto and kava) and conventional drugs. Literature searches were performed using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and EMBASE and we identified 128 case reports or case series, and 80 clinical trials.


Clinical trials indicate that St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), via cytochrome P450 (CYP) and/or P-glycoprotein induction, reduces the plasma concentrations (and/or increases the clearance) of alprazolam, amitriptyline, atorvastatin, chlorzoxazone, ciclosporin, debrisoquine, digoxin, erythromycin, fexofenadine, gliclazide, imatinib, indinavir, irinotecan, ivabradine, mephenytoin, methadone, midazolam, nifedipine, omeprazole, oral contraceptives, quazepam, simvastatin, tacrolimus, talinolol, verapamil, voriconazole and warfarin.


Case reports or case series suggest interactions of St John’s wort with adrenergic vasopressors, anaesthetics, bupropion, buspirone, ciclosporin, eletriptan, loperamide, nefazodone, nevirapine, oral contraceptives, paroxetine, phenprocoumon, prednisone, sertraline, tacrolimus, theophylline, tibolone, tryptophan, venlafaxine and warfarin.


Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) decreases the plasma concentrations of omeprazole, ritonavir and tolbutamide. Clinical cases indicate interactions of ginkgo with antiepileptics, aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), diuretics, ibuprofen, risperidone, rofecoxib, trazodone and warfarin.


Ginseng (Panax ginseng) may interact with phenelzine and warfarin.


Kava (Piper methysticum) increases the clearance of chlorzoxazone (a CYP2E1 substrate) and may interact with alprazolam, levodopa and paroxetine.


Garlic (Allium sativum) interacts with chlorpropamide, fluindione, ritonavir and warfarin; it also reduces plasma concentrations of chlorzoxazone (a CYP2E1 probe).


Echinacea might affect the clearance of caffeine (a CYP1A2 probe) and midazolam (a CYP3A4 probe). No interactions have been reported for saw palmetto (Serenoa repens).


Numerous interactions between herbal medicines and conventional drugs have been documented. While the significance of many interactions is uncertain, several interactions, particularly those with St John’s wort, may have serious clinical consequences.


Source…

Copyright © 2009 All rights reserved.


Natural Herbal Supplements Aren’t Always Safe


Thursday, August 13, 2009


ROCHESTER, Minn. — Natural doesn’t always mean safe when it comes to herbal supplements, according to the August issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.


When used properly, many herbal supplements may be safe and possibly beneficial to health. However, a few supplements can cause life-threatening problems or dangerous interactions with medications.


Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers some of the known interactions between herbal supplements and medications:


St. John’s wort: This supplement can greatly increase or decrease the potency of many medications and cause serious side effects. Patients who take antidepressants, anti-blood-clotting drugs, certain asthma drugs, immune-suppressing medications or steroids should probably avoid St. John’s wort.


S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e): This can cause serious side effects when taken with antidepressant medications that affect serotonin.


Garlic, ginseng, ginger and feverfew: Patients who take anti-clotting medications such as aspirin, warfarin (Coumadin) and clopidogrel (Plavix) should avoid these supplements. They may increase the risk of bleeding. Supplements chondroitin and glucosamine also may interfere with warfarin.


Ginkgo: Ginkgo may increase the risk of bleeding in patients taking anti-clotting medications. Ginkgo can counteract the blood pressure-lowering benefits of thiazide diuretic drugs. It also can interfere with anti-seizure medications.


Kava: Kava is a sedative herb and is associated with serious liver problems, even when taken for a short time. Many medications, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, pose a risk of liver damage. Taking kava may increase the risk of liver problems even more.


It’s always best to keep health care providers informed about supplement use, especially when starting a new medication or preparing for a medical procedure. Some supplements need to be discontinued two to three weeks before certain surgical procedures, because they affect blood clotting, response to sedation and blood pressure control.


Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page monthly newsletter of reliable, accurate and practical information on today’s health and medical news. To subscribe, please call 800-333-9037 (toll-free), extension 9771, or visit www.healthletter.mayoclinic.com.


http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2009-mchi/5375.html?rss-feedid=4



Common qualities linked to resiliency in victims


Charles Anzalone – University at Buffalo


People who live through an extreme traumatic experience such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks or an airplane crash often have the capacity to bounce back or even grow to a higher level of functioning and personal strength, according to a University at Buffalo researcher and expert in the effects of horrifying trauma.


And at the heart of these extensive findings is a surprisingly optimistic conclusion: Most people recover well following devastating events, and even among those who struggle with the experience, many of them can find some benefit from the experience, despite the negative effects of the event in their lives.


Even when people go through a horrible life-threatening event, or endure huge losses and very difficult circumstances, many of them actually find some positive aspects to the experience and are able to grow from it.” says Lisa D. Butler, associate professor in UB’s School of Social Work, whose multiple studies on the trauma following 9/11 and other severely disruptive life events have been published in numerous professional journals, including the April issue of the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.


That does not negate the pain of what they have been through or the lingering effects in their lives, by any means,” Butler says. “But there is room for some positive changes as well.


Butler has been instrumental in research that concluded there were a number of qualities associated with people who were resilient in the face of devastating events beyond their control. She also found that others reported positive changes in their lives from living through such ordeals.


Her research has found that the qualities that are common to people who are the most resilient include:


  • *Less emotional control. Those able to recover well shared a willingness to express sadness or pain in a reasonable way. Those who tamped their emotions down inside were less able to get beyond the toxic effects of their tragedy.
  • *Less catastrophic views of the world. Those who avoided interpreting the tragedy as confirmation of a bleak and unforgiving world were less distressed in the both immediate and longer term by the experience.
  • *Social support, both personal and within a community. Those enduring these devastating losses with a network of people supportive to their needs were more apt to survive their grief and find hidden reserves. The survivors who were able to turn to these interpersonal resources were also those more able to discuss their psychological pain in an open manner.
  • *Less media exposure. Those who watched repeated images of the same monstrous calamity over time, such as the World Trade Center attacks, tended to have higher feelings of distress than those who watched fewer.

When we put these factors in an equation to examine how well they predict levels of distress, we find that together they are very good predictors of whether a person recovers,” says Butler. “But we also find that the strongest factor seems to be whether the person developed a negative world view — if they did, then it appeared to undermine the person’s ability to overcome the traumatic event.” For example, in one of Butler’s studies, participants were asked whether a series of negative and pessimistic beliefs about the world (“My life has no meaning” or “I don’t look forward to the future anymore”) applied to them. And those who reported a significantly more pessimistic world outlook also experienced higher levels of what the researchers called “distress.”


As well, even among people who were the most highly distressed right after the event, those who found positive aspects to the experience were often able to grow from it over time, according to Butler.


This kind of an event often opens up possibilities for people to improve their relationships with others, for example,” says Butler. “They may also come to realize they are stronger than they realized or they feel an enhanced appreciation for life. And in some cases they may became more spiritual.


In my view, looking at resilience and growth following something as shattering as 9/11 is, in a way, positive psychology meeting trauma psychology. It’s a way of finding something good in what happened.


Butler is currently studying the effects of people enduring the threat of living in fear.



The Obama Plan

Stability & Security For All

If You Have Health Insurance

More Stability and Security


*Ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.  Over
the last three years, 12 million people were denied coverage directly or
indirectly through high premiums due to a pre-existing condition.  Under the
President’s plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny
coverage for health reasons or risks.


*Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age.   The
President’s plan will end insurers’ practice of charging different premiums
or denying coverage based on gender, and will limit premium variation based
on age.


*Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are
sick and need it most.  *The* *President’s plan prohibits insurance
companies from rescinding coverage that has already been purchased except in
cases of fraud.  In most states, insurance companies can cancel a policy if
any medical condition was not listed on the application – even one not
related to a current illness or one the patient didn’t even know about. A
recent Congressional investigation found that over five years, three large
insurance companies cancelled coverage for 20,000 people, saving them from
paying $300 million in medical claims – $300 million that became either an
obligation for the patient’s family or bad debt for doctors and hospitals.


*Caps out-of pocket expenses so people don’t go broke when they get
sick.  *The President’s plan will cap out-of-pocket expenses and will
prohibit insurance companies from imposing annual or lifetime caps on
benefit payments. A middle-class family purchasing health insurance directly
from the individual insurance market today could spend up to 50 percent of
household income on health care costs because there is no limit on
out-of-pocket expenses.


*Eliminates extra charges for preventive care like mammograms, flu
shots and diabetes tests to improve health and save money.  The
President’s plan ensures that all Americans have access to free preventive
services under their health insurance plans. Too many Americans forgo needed
preventive care, in part because of the cost of check-ups and screenings
that can identify health problems early when they can be most effectively
treated. For example, 24 percent of women age 40 and* *over have not
received a mammogram in the past two years, and 38 percent of adults age 50
and over have never had a colon cancer screening.


*Protects Medicare for seniors. The President’s plan will extend new
protections for Medicare beneficiaries that improve quality, coordinate care
and reduce beneficiary and program costs.  These protections will extend the
life of the Medicare Trust Fund to pay for care for future generations.


*Eliminates the “donut-hole” gap in coverage for prescription drugs.  The
President’s plan begins immediately to close the Medicare “donut hole” – a
current gap in its drug benefit – by providing a 50 percent discount on*
*brand-name prescription drugs for seniors who fall into it.  In 2007,
over 8 million seniors hit this coverage gap in the standard Medicare
drug benefit.  By 2019, the President’s plan will completely close the
“donut hole”.  The average out-of-pocket spending for such beneficiaries who
lack another source of insurance is $4,080.


If You Don’t Have Insurance


Quality, Affordable Choices for All Americans


*Creates a new insurance marketplace – the Exchange – that allows
people without insurance and small businesses to compare plans and buy
insurance at competitive prices.*  The President’s plan allows Americans
who have health insurance and like it to keep it.  But for those who lose
their jobs, change jobs or move, new high quality, affordable options will
be available in the exchange.  Beginning in 2013, the Exchange will give
Americans without access to affordable insurance on the job, and small
businesses one-stop shopping for insurance where they can easily compare
options based on price, benefits, and quality.



*Provides new tax credits to help people buy insurance. *The
President’s plan will provide new tax credits on a sliding scale to
individuals and families that will limit how much of their income can be
spent on premiums.  There will also be greater protection for cost-sharing
for out-of-pocket expenses.



*Provides small businesses tax credits and affordable options for
covering employees.* The President’s plan will also provide small
businesses with tax credits to offset costs of providing coverage for their
workers.  Small businesses who for too long have faced higher prices than
larger businesses, will now be eligible to enter the exchange so that they
have lower costs and more choices for covering their workers.



*Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and
those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice.  The
President believes this option will promote competition, hold insurance
companies accountable and assure affordable choices. It is completely
voluntary. The President believes the public option must operate like any
private insurance company – it must be self-sufficient and rely on the
premiums it collects.



*Immediately offers new, low-cost coverage through a national “high
risk” pool to protect people with preexisting conditions from financial ruin
until the new Exchange is created.  For those Americans who cannot get
insurance coverage today because of a pre-existing condition, the
President’s plan will immediately make available coverage without a mark-up
due to their health condition. This policy will offer protection against
financial ruin until a wider array of choices become available in the new
exchange in 2013.


For All Americans


Reins In the Cost of Health Care for Our Families, Our Businesses, and Our
Government


*Won’t add a dime to the deficit and is paid for upfront.  The
President’s plan will not add one dime to the deficit today or in the future
and is paid for in a fiscally responsible way.  It begins the process of
reforming the health care system so that we can further curb health care
cost growth over the long term, and invests in quality improvements,
consumer protections, prevention, and premium assistance.  The plan fully
pays for this investment through health system savings and new revenue
including a fee on insurance companies that sell very expensive plans.


*Requires additional cuts if savings are not realized. Under the plan,
if the savings promised at the time of enactment don’t materialize, the
President will be required to put forth additional savings to ensure that
the plan does not add to the deficit.


*Implements a number of delivery system reforms that begin to rein in
health care costs and align incentives for hospitals, physicians, and others
to improve quality.  The President’s plan includes proposals that will
improve the way care is delivered to emphasize quality over quantity,
including:  incentives for hospitals to prevent avoidable readmissions,
pilots for new “bundled” payments in Medicare, and support for new models of
delivering care through medical homes and accountable care organizations
that focus on a coordinated approach to care and outcomes.


*Creates an independent commission of doctors and medical experts to
identify waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system.  The
President’s plan will create an independent Commission, made up of doctors
and medical experts, to make recommendations to Congress each year on how to
promote greater efficiency and higher quality in Medicare.  The Commission
will *not* be authorized to propose or implement Medicare changes that
ration care or affect benefits, eligibility or beneficiary access to care.
It will ensure that your tax dollars go directly to caring for seniors.


*Orders immediate medical malpractice reform projects that could help
doctors focus on putting their patients first, not on practicing defensive
medicine.  The President’s plan instructs the Secretary of Health and
Human Services to move forward on awarding medical malpractice demonstration
grants to states funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality as
soon as possible.


*Requires large employers to cover their employees and individuals who
can afford it to buy insurance so everyone shares in the responsibility of
reform.  Under the President’s plan, large businesses – those with more
than 50 workers – will be required to offer their workers coverage or pay a
fee to help cover the cost of making coverage affordable in the exchange.
This will ensure that workers in firms not offering coverage will have
affordable coverage options for themselves and their families.  Individuals
who can afford it will have a responsibility to purchase coverage – but
there will be a “hardship exemption” for those who cannot.



Ari Ne’eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
info@autisticadvocacy.org
732.763.5530


Disability Leadership Meet With White House Staff on Health Reform
From the Disability Representatives Present at the White House (8/31/09):

On August 27, as a follow-up to the meeting that President Obama had with
disability community representatives on July 24, a group of advocates for
home and community-based long-term services and supports met with Nancy-Ann
DeParle and other senior staff at the White House to discuss the Community
First Choice – Option<http://jfactivist. typepad.com/ files/community- first-choice- –option- proposal- 8-31-09-1. doc>


The disability representatives *thanked the President’s staff for his strong
leadership on enacting comprehensive health reform* that will help advance
the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act by eliminating
disability-based discrimination in health care coverage and barring
pre-existing condition exclusions.


The meeting participants had a frank and productive discussion concerning
the possible opportunities and barriers of *including a Community First
Choice Medicaid State option (CFC Option) in the final health reform
legislation* . The CFC Option is an idea that emerged from discussions with
Senator Harkin’s office and Representative Davis’s office as a way to make
progress on home and community-based services and supports under Medicaid
and a way to lay the foundation for later enactment of the Community Choice
Act. It is *a proposal that has support from the cross-disability community
*, including leaders from the NCIL, ADAPT, the Consortium for Citizens with
Disabilities (CCD), AAPD, the National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer
Survivor Organizations, Autistic Self Advocacy Network and Self Advocates
Becoming Empowered (see below fact sheet on the CFC option)


The disability representatives thanked the White House Staff for their time
and support for expanding choices in long-term services and supports, and
all agreed to keep open the lines of communication as health care reform
heats up again when Congress returns from the August recess.


Attending the meeting from the White House were Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director
of the White House Office of Health Care Reform; Tina Tchen, Director of the
White House Office of Public Engagement; Jeff Crowley, Director of the White
House Office on National AIDS Policy and Senior Advisor on Disability Policy
within the Domestic Policy Council; Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the
President for Disability Policy; and Keith Fontenot from the Office of
Management and Budget. Mr. Fontenot’s responsibilities for OMB include
long-term services and supports policy.


Attending the meeting from the disability community were Mike Oxford and
Cassie James from ADAPT, Kelly Buckland and Lou Ann Kibbee from the National
Council on Independent Living, Marty Ford of The Arc/UCP Disability Policy
Collaboration and CCD, Chester Finn of Self Advocates Becoming Empowered,
Daniel Fisher of the National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer Survivor
Organizations, Ari Ne’eman of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Suellen
Galbraith of ANCOR, Lee Page of Paralyzed Veterans of America, Andy Imparato
of the American Association of People with Disabilities, and Bob Williams,
President Clinton’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Disability and Long-term
Care Policy who attended as a private citizen.



Ari Ne’eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
http://www.autistic advocacy. org
info@autisticadvoca cy.org
732.763.5530


———— ——— ——— ——— ———
Take a look at our innovative new Public Service Announcement produced with
the Dan Marino Foundation at http://www.nomyths. org


If you like what we do, help support the Autistic Self Advocacy Network by
making a donation at:
https://www. change.org/ donation/ create?charity_ id=211198



 Back Soon
Dear Readers,

Staff at Blog City are scheduled to update the database on Sunday 13th September,  between 9am and 1pm.  Apologies for any inconvenience.

Julie
xx 



Diane Van Deren running on a mountain
Diane says running in the mountains gives her a feeling of security

By Steven Lynch
BBC News

In 1997, Diane Van Deren decided to have brain surgery in a bid to stop the epileptic seizures that were dominating her life.


Twelve years on, Diane, from Sedalia in the US state of Colorado, is a champion long-distance runner – an ultra-runner – and free from seizures.


In February, she was the first woman to complete 430 miles (690km) on the Yukon Quest Trail.


The race is known as the coldest, most difficult and extreme race in the world.


She pulled a sled with over 20kgs of food, clothing and equipment and slept just two or three hours a night.


Given her medical history, her achievement was even more staggering.


At the age of 16 months, Diane had a very high fever and was taken to hospital, where she was packed in ice for three days in an attempt to reduce the fever.


During that time she had a seizure that lasted more than 50 minutes.


She was released from hospital days later, seemingly recovered.


However, 24 years later Diane began to have regular seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy.


The seizures grew worse and over time she felt her role as a mother was suffering.


“It got to the point where my children were starting to care for me and worrying about me,” she told the BBC World Service.


“Every time I took a bath I would have to tell my kids or husband to come check on me, because people do die of seizures in bathtubs,” she says.


Diane even had to teach her children how to drive, so that if she did have a seizure they would know how to turn the car off and how to get help.


Tingling sensation


Diane Van Deren

Diane trains four to eight hours a day

Diane would always have a premonition before the onset of a seizure.


“Before my seizures I would get this tingling sensation in my body, and the feeling of this rising in my stomach,” she says.


“Basically what happens when a seizure occurs, your brain is just fried.


“And when I had come out of the seizure then I’d have this horrendous headache and my body would be aching and sometimes I actually had blood coming out of the side of my mouth from biting on my tongue.


“Sometimes it would take hours to recover from a seizure and sometimes even days.”


Diane eventually developed a way to cope.


Whenever she felt a seizure coming on she would run to the front door, put on her shoes and go running in the nearby Pike National Forest.


Read Article in Full:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8238048.stm



10 September 2009


Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) provided the opening address at a 2-day annual conference for BASE, the British Association for Supported Employment today.


The BASE annual conference takes place today and tomorrow (10th and 11th September) at Manchester Metropolitan University with a host of keynote speakers and workshops looking at government policy on disability and mental health particularly within employment strategies and best practice of supported employment across the UK.


The NWDA supports the work BASE is doing with employers across the region to support their understanding of the needs of disabled people and people with long term mental illness. Encouraging employers to create work environments and cultures which can develop effective support for disabled people in real jobs is important for the future of the Northwest economy.  BASE also supports learning disabled and people with mental illness to sustain employment opportunities.


This year’s conference focuses on those most excluded from the labour market, people who are learning disabled or have long term mental health needs.


In his address Steven welcomed the delegates to Manchester and stressed the importance of access to work particularly in the current economic climate. Steven said:


“The Northwest has an international reputation for attracting investments and skilled people, however, despite all this success we know that many of the people within the region still need support in getting onto the employment ladder.

MORE


BASE and its member organisations work hard with those who are most marginalised within our society and communities, and we need to congratulate and support this work.


We know that economic inclusion is low in parts of our region and that worklessness is concentrated in particular areas, amongst particular communities and groups and the Agency is doing what it can to help address this. In the current economic climate it is even more vital to interact and involve our entire available workforce and provide support to assist access into work wherever we can.


Engaging with the groups that face barriers to employment is essential if we are to increase sustainable economic activity and secure economic inclusion and participation across the region.”


The BASE AGM continues tomorrow with a range of workshops designed to look at:

Learning disability and mental health employment strategies; the autism strategy for England; best practice within supported employment; public procurement and supported business; job retention and the Fit for Work service; and support for ex-offenders and care leavers.



Ends


Notes to Editors:


BASE was formed to promote supported employment as the most effective and direct route to open paid employment for people with disabilities and/or other economic disadvantage.


With over 200 member organisations across Britain, BASE is a powerful and united voice for its members. BASE represents and supports the supported employment sector, informing its members’ activities through regional forums, newsletters, national conferences and its website.


The association is now recognised as a key stakeholder within the disability employment sector. The last year has seen many policy initiatives that are likely to have a great impact on our sector.


BASE has represented the views of members within the DWP’s review of disability employment programmes and the LSC strategy, Learning for Living and Work.


As a member of the Jobcentre Plus Provider Forum, BASE is active in representing the interests of local provider services.


For further information please contact Neil Roscoe, Senior Press Officer on 01925 400232 or mobile 07980 713282 or neil.roscoe@nwda.co.uk


For urgent out of hours press enquiries please call 01925 400259.


For further information and to view previous press releases visit us at www.nwda.co.uk/press


The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England’s Northwest and is responsible for:
• Supporting business growth and encouraging investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life


http://www.nwda.co.uk/news–events/press-releases/200901/agm-of-the-british-association.aspx



With Christmas just around the corner, we are delighted to announce the launch of the first-ever LEGO® calendar, the sales of which will see 100% of the profits donated to The National Autistic Society (NAS). The calendar is on sale now priced £7.99 and available to buy online at www.shop.lego.com

The calendar features LEGO mini-figures in a series of quirky scenarios based on timely activities and key calendar dates, including Easter, back to school and Hallowe’en.

“Everyone at LEGO UK is really excited about the launch of the calendar, as it is something that we have never done before. Even more exciting is the fact that 100% of the profits will be going to support the vital work of the NAS.”

Melissa Wallace, PR & Promotions Manager, LEGO UK

The initiative is the latest activity in our partnership with LEGO UK, who have been working over the past two years to raise money for the redevelopment of the NAS Radlett Lodge School playground.

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1673&a=20504

NEW LEGO GAMES! 

Toy Innovation 2009

Winner Category “GAMES + ACTION” 

Introducing LEGO Games, the world’s first collection of games that you build, play and change.  Now you can experience a whole new way of having fun together with family and friends.

Not only do you get to play a variety of fun and exciting games, you also get to build and change them, making LEGO Games the ideal way of spending fun, quality time with the whole family!

Delivering great value, LEGO Games takes the LEGO experience you know and love to a whole new level.  With everything you need to get the fun started, each LEGO Game features a unique, buildable LEGO Dice, building instructions and game rules.  Just open the practical game box for a whole new way to play!

Challenge your friends and family to an exciting LEGO Game from a wide range of game types.  Including guessing, strategy and memory games.  Just try rolling the bouncy rubber LEGO Dice and find out why no two games will ever be the same!

Master the Labyrinth!

Minotaurus

Ages 7+  211 pieces

The mighty Minotaur, a mythical creature, protects a secret temple hidden deep inside a labyrinth.  Be the first to lead your heroes to the temple, avoiding the Minotaur and cleverly placing walls to block your opponents.  Clear and simple rules make this game great fun for the whole family (2-4 players).  Game play approximately 20-30 minutes.

http://shop.lego.com/product/?p=3841&LangId=2057&ShipTo=UK


A Race in Space!

Lunar Command

Ages 7+  271 pieces

Build enough space stations to gather a crew of robots and astronauts before your opponents progress.  The first commander to have a full crew wins and gets to launch the Lunar Rocket.  A deeply engaging and strategic game for 2 players.  Game play approximately 15-25 minutes.

http://shop.lego.com/product/?p=3842&LangId=2057&ShipTo=UK


A Game of Tactics!

Ramses Pyramid!

Ages 8+  231 pieces.

 The Mummy King Ramses is planning on conquering all of Egypt with his army of mummies!  Unlock the crystal coded layers to climb to the top of the pyramid and defeat the Mummy King, taking his crown and the treasures within.  An award winning game for 2-4 players.  Game play approximately 20-30 minutes.

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=3843&cn=595

 
Monster 4

Ages 7+  141 pieces

Night has fallen in the graveyard and the monsters have come out to play with the skeletons.  The first to get four of their monsters in a row wins.  But keep an eye out for the spider jumping in and scaring you off!  A clever and exciting game for 2-4 players.  Game play approximately 15-25 minutes.

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=3837&cn=595


Magikus 

Ages 6+  108 pieces.

Be the first to cast the magic spell in the cauldron!  With the help of the owl you must be the first to collect the four special ingredients from the shelves.  Steal ingredients from your opponents to slow them down and help you win the game.  A simple yet extremely engaging game for 2 to 4 players.  Game play approximately 10-20 minutes.

 http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=3836&cn=595


Lava Dragon

Ages 7+  131 pieces

Prove you are the bravest knight of all by being the first one to summon the dragon from the top of the volcano.  Avoid the lava and block your opponents as you climb to victory.  With the LEGO Dice no two games of Lava Dragon are ever the same.  For 2 to 4 players.  Game play approximately 15-25 minutes.

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=3838&cn=595


Robo Champ 

Ages 6+  118 pieces

There is a contest at the robot factory.  The first to build a robot with all the correct colour parts will win this year’s trophy and be named the Robo Champ.  If someone takes a part you need you may have to steal it back to achieve victory.  A fast and fun game to play again and again for 2 to 3 players.  Game play approximately 10-15 minutes.

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=3835&cn=595


Pirate Code 

Ages 8+  268 pieces.

Who can be the most cunning pirate of them all? Guess the other players’ secret codes before they discover yours and become the pirate captain.  A game of logic and luck, secrets and treasures for 2 to 4 players.  Game play approximately 15-25 minutes.

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=3840&cn=595


Race 3000 

Ages 7+  166 pieces.

Do you have what it takes to cross the finish line first and win the trophy?  Use shortcuts, overtake or turbo boost past your opponents to get in front and change lanes to avoid the oil slicks in your way.  The LEGO Dice brings a new twist on a classic racing game for 2 to 4 players.  Game play approximately 20-30 minutes.

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=3839&cn=595


Creationary  

Ages 7+  338 pieces.

Roll the LEGO Dice to select one of four exciting building categories: vehicles, buildings, nature or things.  With three levels of difficulty you can show off your building skills, while the others guess what you are creating.  A great game for family and friends to test your imagination, creativity, building and guessing skills to the max.  An interactive game for 3 – 8 players.  Game play approximately 30-60 minutes.

 http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=3844&cn=595


games.LEGO.co.uk

Find out all about LEGO Games, which is the right game for your family, how the games’ designs help your child’s development, discuss the games with other parents and so much more …  http://games.lego.com/en-gb/kids/default.aspx



Try Chocolate for an Emotional Release


By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 12, 2009


New research suggests a palatable method to relieve stress involves regular consumption of dark chocolate. As an additional bonus, the chocolate may also improve cardiovascular health and supply benefits associated with antioxidants.


In a clinical trial, investigators found that eating about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced levels of stress hormones in the bodies of people feeling highly stressed.


Everyone’s favorite treat also partially corrected other stress-related biochemical imbalances.


Sunil Kochhar and colleagues note growing scientific evidence that antioxidants and other beneficial substances in dark chocolate may reduce risk factors for heart disease and other physical conditions.


Studies also suggest that chocolate may ease emotional stress. Until now, however, there was little evidence from research in humans on exactly how chocolate might have those stress-busting effects.


Read in Full:  http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/11/12/try-chocolate-for-an-emotional-release/9525.html


Banishing monsters from under the bed


Sarah Hutcheon
Society for Research in Child Development


 

Many parents of preschoolers struggle with their children’s fears of real and imaginary creatures. A new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis offers some ideas on how they can better manage their children’s worries.


Researchers studied about 50 4-, 5-, and 7-year-olds in an effort to identify coping strategies that can be carried out by children. The children listened to a series of short illustrated stories. Each story featured a child alone or with another person who came into contact with something that looked like a real or an imaginary frightening creature, such as a snake or a ghost. Children were asked to predict how intensely afraid each of the children in the stories were, to give a reason why each child felt that way, and to offer a way to help the child in the story feel less afraid.


In situations in which a child’s fear was caused by real creatures, the researchers found, children would rather do something than think positive thoughts. In these situations, boys more often suggested fighting, while girls more often wanted to avoid the creature.


They also found that between ages 4 and 7, children show more understanding that people’s thoughts and beliefs can both cause and reduce fear. While preschoolers tended to suggest pretending the imaginary creature was friendly, older children tended to suggest reminding themselves what the reality was. Therefore, the researchers say, preschoolers may benefit from seeing things in a more positive light (“Let’s pretend the dragon is nice“), while older children may do better when they focus on what’s real and what’s not (“Dragons aren’t real“).


These results should help parents by reminding them to keep in mind their children’s age-appropriate abilities when helping them deal with their fears, particularly fears of imaginary creatures,” according to the researchers.


Sayfan L, Lagattuta KH. Scaring the Monster Away: What Children Know About Managing Fears of Real and Imaginary Creatures Child Dev. 2009 Nov/Dec;80(6):1756-1774   [Abstract]


 

Parents often underestimate impact of stress on their kids


 

Psychologists say Americans’ stress levels too high with few receiving support to make lasting lifestyle changes


Angel Brownawell, APA
Juanita Panlener, Vanguard Communications


Stress related to school pressure and family finances has a greater impact on young people than parents believe, according to a new national survey released today by the American Psychological Association (APA). Building on past research indicating that stress is a top health concern for U.S. teens between 9th and 12th grade[1], psychologists say that if they don’t learn healthy ways to manage that stress now, it could have serious long-term health implications.


Teens and tweens were more likely than parents to say that their stress had increased in the last year. Nearly half (45%) of teens ages 13-17 said that they worried more this year, but only 28 percent of parents think their teen’s stress increased, and while a quarter (26%) of tweens ages 8-12 said they worried more this year, only 17 percent of parents believed their tween’s stress had increased. Similarly, only 2-5 percent of parents rate their child’s stress as extreme (an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale) when 14 percent of tweens and 28 percent of teens say they worry a lot or a great deal.


It’s clear that parents do not fully appreciate the impact that stress is having on their kids,” says psychologist Katherine C. Nordal, PhD, APA’s executive director for professional practice. “What we’re seeing with stress is in line with existing research about parents’ perception of their kids’ engagement in risky behaviors. Parents often under report drug use, depression and sexual activity in their children. Now it appears the same may be true for stress.


Parents’ responses about sources of stress for their children were out of sync with what children reported as sources of worry. Children were more likely to say they worried about their family’s financial difficulties than parents were to say this was a source of stress for their children (30% vs. 18% of parents). Results are similar for doing well in school (44% vs. 34% of parents). In general, children also were more likely to report having experienced physical symptoms often associated with stress than parents were to say their children experienced these symptoms, including headaches, difficulty sleeping, and changes in appetite.


  • *Tweens (30%) and teens (42%) say they get headaches vs. 13 percent of parents
  • *Tweens (39%) and teens (49%) cite difficulty sleeping vs. 13 percent of parents
  • *Tweens (27%) and teens (39%) report eating too much or too little vs. 8 percent of parents.

 

 

Stress in America survey results show that adults continue to report high levels of stress and many report that their stress has increased over the past year. Additionally, many adults are reporting physical symptoms of stress.


Seventy-five percent of adults reported experiencing moderate to high levels of stress in the past month (24 percent extreme, 51% moderate) and nearly half reported that their stress has increased in the past year (42%). Nearly half (43%) of adults say they eat too much or eat unhealthy foods as a result of stress. Thirty-seven percent report skipping a meal because they were under stress.


While 44 percent of adults report that they exercise or walk to relieve stress, many Americans also say they rely on more sedentary activities to manage stress (49% listen to music, 41% read, 36% watch TV or movies more than two hours per day, and 33% play video games.) While these activities may be helpful in alleviating stress, they do not provide the extra benefit of improving overall physical health or maintaining a more healthy weight that more active forms of stress management afford.


Overall, many adults say they have felt the physical effects of stress in the past month:


 

  • *47 percent of all adults report that they have lain awake at night;
  • *45 percent report irritability or anger;
  • *43 percent report fatigue;
  • *40 percent report lack of interest, motivation or energy;
  • *34 percent report headaches;
  • *34 percent report feeling depressed or sad;
  • *32 percent report feeling as though they could cry;
  • *and 27 percent report upset stomach or indegestion as a result of stress.

 

 

The prevalence with which Americans continue to report increasing and extreme stress levels is a real concern,” said Dr Nordal. “Also, people say that their levels of stress and lack of willpower are preventing them from making lifestyle and behavior changes that are necessary for improving and maintaining good health. It’s clear that people need tools and support to better manage extreme stress in order to prevent serious health consequences. Unfortunately, our current healthcare system does not do a very good job in this regard. And insurance companies often don’t cover preventive services or the kinds of services people need in order to better manage chronic illness.


Two-thirds (66%) of adults living in the U.S. have been told by a health care provider that they have one or more chronic conditions, most commonly high blood pressure or high cholesterol. The vast majority of adults indicated that their health care provider recommended lifestyle and behavior changes (70%).


Few adults reported that their health care provider offered support to help them make lasting changes: only 46 percent were given an explanation for the recommendation; only 35 percent were offered advice or shown techniques to help make changes; and only 5-10 percent were referred to another health care provider to support the adoption of lifestyle changes. Further, only 48 percent of adults reported that their health care providers followed up with them to check on their progress in making lifestyle and behavior changes – such as quitting smoking, getting more sleep, reducing stress, exercising, losing weight and choosing healthier foods.


In general, people cited a number of barriers in their efforts to make lasting lifestyle and behavior changes – lack of willpower (33%); not enough time (20%); and lack of confidence (14%). More than one in ten people cited stress as the barrier preventing them from making lifestyle and behavior changes (14% of adults reported they are too stressed to make these changes).


Stress in America is part of APA’s Mind/Body Health public education campaign. For additional information on stress and lifestyle and behavior, visit www.apahelpcenter.org, read the campaign blog www.yourmindyourbody.org, and follow @apahelpcenter on Twitter.


 

  • 1. America’s Promise Alliance for Youth. Voices Study: Research Findings. Alexandria, VA: American’s Promise, 2005

 

 

 

Freedom from Fear

Neurogenesis may decay short-term fear memories


Cathleen Genova


 

Short-term memory may depend in a surprising way on the ability of newly formed neurons to erase older connections. That’s the conclusion of a report in the November 13th issue of the journal Cell, which provides some of the first evidence in mice and rats that new neurons sprouted in the hippocampus cause the decay of short-term fear memories (fear extinction) in that brain region, without an overall memory loss.


The researchers led by Kaoru Inokuchi of The University of Toyama in Japan say the discovery shows a more important role than many would have anticipated for the erasure of memories. They propose that the birth of new neurons (neurogenesis) promotes the gradual loss of memory traces from the hippocampus as those memories are transferred elsewhere in the brain for permanent storage. Although they examined this process only in the context of fear memory, Inokuchi says he “thinks all memories that are initially stored in the hippocampus are influenced by this process.


In effect, the new results suggest that failure of neurogenesis will lead to problems because the brain’s short-term memory is literally full. In Inokuchi’s words, we may perhaps experience difficulties in acquiring new information because the storage capacity of the hippocampus is “occupied by un-erased old memories.


Of course, Inokuchi added, “our finding does not necessary deny the important role of neurogenesis in memory acquisition.” Hippocampal neurogenesis could have a dual role, he says, in both erasing old memories and acquiring new ones.


Earlier studies had shown a crucial role for the hippocampus in memorizing new facts. Studies in people with impaired and normal memories and in animals also showed that information recall initially depends on the hippocampus. That dependence progressively decays over time as memories are transferred to other regions, such as the neocortex. Scientists have also observed a similar decay in the strength of connections between neurons of the hippocampus, a phenomenon known as long-term potentiation (LTP) that is considered the cellular basis for learning and memory.


Scientists also knew that new neurons continue to form in the hippocampuses of adults, even into old age. But it wasn’t really clear what those newborn brain cells actually do. Inokuchi’s team suspected that the integration of new neurons was required to maintain neural connections, but they realized it might also go the other way. The incorporation of new neurons into pre-existing neural circuits might also disturb the structure of pre-existing information, and indeed that is what their new findings now show.


The researchers found that irradiation of rat’s brains, which drastically reduces the formation of new neurons, maintains the strength of neural connections in the hippocampus. Likewise, studies of mice in which hippocampal neurogenesis was suppressed by either physical or genetic means showed a prolonged dependence of fear memories on that brain region.


On the other hand, voluntary exercise, which causes a rise in the birth of new neurons, sped up the decay rate of hippocampus-dependency of memory, without any memory loss.


Enhanced neurogenesis caused by exercise may accelerate memory decay from the hippocampus and at the same time it may facilitate memory transfer to neocortex,” Inokuchi said. “Hippocampal capacity of memory storage is limited, but in this way exercise could increase the [brain’s overall] capacity.


The study sets the stage for further examination of the connections between neurogenesis and learning capacity, the researchers say. They also plan to examine how the gradual decay of memory dependence on the hippocampus relates to the transformation of memory over time from a detailed and contextually-rich form to a more generic one.


Kitamura T, Saitoh Y, Takashima N, et al. Adult Neurogenesis Modulates the Hippocampus-Dependent Period of Associative Fear Memory. Cell 2009 Nov 13;139(4):814-827   [Summary]


 

Mice with deleted gene less anxious, depressed


Graeme Baldwin – BioMed Central


 

Removing the PKCI/HINT1 gene from mice has an antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like effect. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience applied a battery of behavioral tests to the PKCI/HINT1 knockout animals, concluding that the deleted gene may have an important role in mood regulation.


Elisabeth Barbier and Jia Bei Wang, from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Maryland, USA, carried out the experiments to investigate the role of the gene in regulating mood function. Wang, the corresponding author of the paper, said, “The knockout mice displayed behaviors indicative of changes in mood function, such as increased perseverance and reduced anxiety in open spaces.


The causes of mood dysfunction, as seen in depressive and bipolar disorders, are still not fully understood. They are believed to be multifactorial, involving heredity, changes in neurotransmitter levels, altered neuro-endocrine function, and psychosocial factors.


Speaking about these results, Wang said, “Although we don’t yet know why the deletion of the gene altered the mood status of the mice, what we have learned about the importance of this gene in mood function and its involvement in human mental disorders is interesting. The protein encoded by this gene could be a potential drug target for development of diagnostic or therapeutic agents that one day might be used for depression, bipolar or schizophrenia disorders. In addition, the knockout mice might be useful as a model to study mania, as there is no other animal model available yet.”


Barbier E, JWang JB. Antidepressant and anxiolytic like behaviors in PKCI/HINT1 knockout mice associated with elevated plasma corticosterone level. BMC Neuroscience 2009;10:132   [Abstract | Full text (PDF)]


 

Seattle Residents Continue To Report High Levels Of Stress


Article Date: 10 Nov 2009 – 2:00 PST


Work is causing stress for more Seattleites this year according to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Stress in America survey, while the number reporting money or the economy as significant stressors has dropped since last year. More than 50 percent of city residents remain stressed by one or more of these three sources, a cause of concern for psychologists who worry about the effects of long-term stress and how it can contribute to chronic health disorders.


The survey released today reported that the number of Seattle residents who cited work as a significant cause of stress grew from 74 percent in 2008 to 82 percent in 2009. And about two in five employed Seattleites (42 percent) said they typically feel tense or stressed out during the work day, compared to 36 percent last year. Additionally, one-quarter of Seattle residents rated their average stress levels as an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale. But the number of Seattleites reporting that their stress had decreased in the past year has gone up from 12 percent in 2008 to 20 percent this year.


These high and long-lasting levels of stress can contribute to serious physical health problems. Diabetes, heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure are just a few of the diseases linked to chronic stress. In the APA survey, 70 percent of Seattle residents said they have been told by a health provider that they have a chronic condition (vs. 66 percent nationally). More than the rest of the nation, they reported that they are overweight or obese (31 percent in Seattle vs. 25 percent nationally), depressed (29 percent vs. 17 percent nationally) and have anxiety disorders (15 percent vs. 8 percent nationally).


Read in Full:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170355.php


Survey Says: Fewer Americans Using Mental Health Professionals To Manage Stress


Article Date: 10 Nov 2009 – 2:00 PST


Results of a recent survey reveal that, despite an increase in stress, fewer Americans use therapy as a way to manage it.

The results of the annual “Stress in America” survey by the American Psychological Association, released last week, found that while 85 percent of Americans say their stress level has remained the same or increased in the past year, just 4 percent of people use therapy as a way to combat that stress. This reflects a decrease in therapy usage related to stress. In 2008, 7 percent of people said they saw a mental health professional to manage their stress.

In fact, Americans are more likely to eat (28%), smoke (14%), shop (15%) or watch TV (36%) than see a therapist as a stress management technique.

“We need to make Americans aware that seeing a mental health professional such as a Marriage and Family Therapist is a wise, effective way to manage stress that’s getting in the way of daily life,” said Patsy Pinkney-Phillips, Ph.D., president of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Board and a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. “If you’re experiencing high levels of stress, talk therapy can help you get through it.”


Read in Full:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170353.php


Anxious personalities linked to poor oral health


Jo Galer – University of Otago


 

People with anxious personalities are more likely to have poor oral health, including decayed or missing teeth, a University of Otago, New Zealand study has found.


A recent study, published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, looked at the anxiety levels of 1037 participants aged 15 to 32 in the long-running Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study and identified about one quarter of the group who were dentally anxious.


Split into three groups, they had always been dentally anxious (stable anxious); or had developed dental anxiety later as adolescents (adolescent-onset anxious), or as adults (adult- onset anxious).


Those in the stable anxious group had more tooth decay at age five and early experience of dentists; the adult-onset group was more likely to have lost teeth between the ages of 26 and 32, while the adolescent-onset anxious group had experienced more tooth decay from the age of 15.


Those with dental anxiety were more than just people who visit the dentist with a feeling of trepidation as the dentist looms over them with drill in hand; they were so frightened at the prospect of visiting a dentist or having dental procedures that they would avoid the dentist altogether – until the problem became so serious that treatment could no longer be avoided.


Researchers, led by Professor Murray Thomson, of the University’s Department of Oral Sciences, probed deeper into the characteristics of these anxious groups and found that they tended to be “the glass-half-empty” personality type – people who, as a rule, would be anxious about other things, such as heights. Some in this group were also anxious due to bad dental experiences in the past.


Usually, these people become more and more anxious through a vicious cycle of avoiding the dentist to the point where their dental condition becomes much worse,” he says.


They then require more unpleasant treatment options such as lancing an abscess, root canal treatment or a tooth extraction; and this reinforces their dental anxiety and makes it even less likely that they will attend the dentist next time they have a problem.


As a consequence, people who are dentally anxious end up with more tooth decay and more missing teeth than those who are not.


This was reflected in tooth decay statistics which showed that non-anxious people would have about 13 decayed, missing or filled tooth surfaces by the age of 32, whereas the stable anxious group would have almost double that – 22 surfaces affected by tooth decay – by 32.


In the study, three non-anxious groups were also identified, comprising three-quarters of the people studied; the three non-anxious groups were named stable non-anxious low; stable non-anxious medium and the recovery group.


The anxious groups tend to be more nervous than others, while the non-anxious groups tend to have more robust personalities, and are more able to cope with what life throws at them – these are the majority,” Professor Thomson says.


The biggest surprise was the appearance during the study of a ‘recovery’ group, which had been dentally anxious at age 15, but had ceased to be so by the age of 32.


We only had 13 respondents in this group, which is too small to study, but we would like to do more work in this area to find out what makes people cease to be anxious,” he says.


Professor Thomson says the study has implications for the dentistry profession and for the public.


This gives the dental profession a good understanding of what makes people dentally anxious, and to be mindful that some people can grow out of it,” he says.


For the public, it’s useful to know that, if you take the path of least resistance and avoid dental care, then in the end you will be worse off, not only dentally but also in terms of appearance, social interactions and your quality of life.


This reinforces previous findings from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Study which show that poor oral health can lead to compromised quality of life and other health-related problems.


Thomson WM, Broadbent JM, Locker D, Poulton R. Trajectories of dental anxiety in a birth cohort. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2009;37(3):209-19 [Abstract]


 

Why Do We Have Emotions?


by Ilana Simons, Ph.D.

Mental illness often results from excess emotion.

Mental illness often results from excess emotion. The overflow of emotion doesn’t just drive mood disorders like Major Depression but fuels most psychological problems: phobias, anxiety, trauma, hoarding, obsessiveness, borderline personality disorder, and drug and alcohol abuse.


Why (oh why) were we made to feel so much? It’s as if our wiring (which, when given the options of emotion and reason, gravitates to the former), were out to screw us.


The popular answer is the evolutionary one–that emotions have helped us survive. When we lived in the wild–with monkeys and mastodons and tigers–we needed emotions in order to react quickly to dangerous stimuli. If faced with a tiger, it’s better to be rocked with a fear so strong it triggers a rush of blood than to sit around and theorize about the threat. We developed an emotional system because it could induce quick responses to danger (for theorists on emotion and evolution, see Antonio Damasio, Joseph LeDoux, and Robert Trivers).


But the claim that emotions keep things alive is too simple. After all, you can name a lot of efficient, enduring response systems that don’t include emotion. Rivers are one–they skirt serious barriers and survive through history. Or consider an ivy plant. It has a very good sensory system and no love, fear, or drama to weigh it down. It winds itself up from the ground, over rocks, through the locks of gates, finding places to cling. It can endure weather changes, feed itself, and grow new cells. That’s a solid response system not driven by emotion. So, again, why were we built to carry the burden of so much sentiment?


An evolutionary answer with a bit more detail is that we’re animals: more aggressive and self-conscious than rivers and plants are. Aggression and the desire to survive that comes with selfhood helped scoot animals up the food chain. If you want to create a system that works hard to survive, make it consciousness and emotional. It will want to keep itself around.


Read in Full:  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-literary-mind/200911/why-do-we-have-emotions





Project Spectrum was created to give people on the autism spectrum the opportunity to express their creativity and develop a life skill using Google SketchUp 3D modeling software. The idea for Project Spectrum originated when we began getting phone calls and emails from users telling us about how much kids on the autism spectrum were enjoying SketchUp. As the calls kept coming in, we learned that autistic people tend to be visually and spatially gifted—that, in fact, they think in pictures. When people with these gifts get their hands on powerful, easy-to-use 3D design software like SketchUp, sparks tend to fly.

Update on the Google SketchUp model by Rachel W.

Rachel is the daughter of Theresa K. Wrangham, USAAA Advisory Board Member. Theresa updates us on Rachel’s progress since she started Project Spectrum in 2007.

Rachel is attending Front Range Community College to complete her Associates Degree in MultiMedia. She is a past award recipient of the Skills USA pin design contest, as well as Boulder Valley School District Destination Imagination award recipient. She currently has 9 credits toward her degree and graduated with honors from high school and is a member of the National Technical Honor Society.

The wonderful thing about Project Spectrum is that without that exposure, I don’t know that Rachel would ever have identified her career track. Of course, as parents we know she could change her mind and choose another direction…we are just happy that she has found a direction.”

Learn More …http://www.google.com/educators/spectrum.html

As an educator, you can:
Try Google SketchUp – free 3D design software
Sign up for the Google for Educators Newsletter
Join our online community at the Project Spectrum Google Group
Watch a video on how to get started using SketchUp
Download the Project Spectrum Manual of Lesson Plans