[Adta] altruism and the brain

Barbara A Busse busse002 at mc.duke.edu
Thu Jan 25 15:34:33 EST 2007



thought this would be of interest to some of you.  This is a paste job of
Duke News Release.
Barbara  I wonder whether this could impact quality of movement
observation, empathy and
such.

                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
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 (Embedded image moved to file: pic46928.gif)News Release                   
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           Activation of Brain Region Predicts Altruism                     
                                                                            
                                                                            
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   (Embedded image moved to file: pic52838.gif)Article Details              
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
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       keywords :                                                           
                                                       Brain, Brain Imaging 
       date :                                                               
                                                       1/21/2007            
       media contact :                                                      
                                                       Marla Vacek          
                                                       Broadfoot , (919)    
                                                       660-1306             
                                                       marla.broadfoot at duke 
                                                       .edu                 
                                                                            
                                                                            
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   DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University Medical Center researchers have          
   discovered that activation of a particular brain region predicts whether 
   people tend to be selfish or altruistic.                                 
                                                                            
                                                                            
   "Although understanding the function of this brain region may not        
   necessarily identify what drives people like Mother Theresa, it may give 
   clues to the origins of important social behaviors like altruism," said  
   study investigator Scott A. Huettel, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the      
   Brain Imaging and Analysis Center.                                       
                                                                            
                                                                            
   Results of the study appear Sunday, Jan. 21, in the advance online       
   edition of Nature Neuroscience and will be published in the February     
   2007 print issue of the journal. The work was funded by the National     
   Institutes of Health.                                                    
                                                                            
                                                                            
   Altruism describes the tendency of people to act in ways that put the    
   welfare of others ahead of their own. Why some people choose to act      
   altruistically is unclear, says lead study investigator Dharol           
   Tankersley, a graduate student in Huettel's laboratory.                  
                                                                            
                                                                            
   In the study, researchers scanned the brains of 45 people while they     
   either played a computer game or watched the computer play the game on   
   its own. In both cases, successful playing of the game earned money for  
   a charity of the study participant's choice.                             
                                                                            
                                                                            
   The researchers scanned the participants' brains using a technique       
   called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which uses harmless 
   magnetic pulses to measure changes in oxygen levels that indicate nerve  
   cell activity.                                                           
                                                                            
                                                                            
   The scans revealed that a region of the brain called the posterior       
   superior temporal sulcus was activated to a greater degree when people   
   perceived an action -- that is, when they watched the computer play the  
   game -- than when they acted themselves, Tankersley said. This region,   
   which lies in the top and back portion of the brain, is generally        
   activated when the mind is trying to figure out social relationships.    
                                                                            
                                                                            
   The researchers then characterized the participants as more or less      
   altruistic, based on their responses to questions about how often they   
   engaged in different helping behaviors, and compared the participants'   
   brain scans with their estimated level of altruistic behavior. The fMRI  
   scans showed that increased activity in the posterior superior temporal  
   sulcus strongly predicted a person's likelihood for altruistic behavior. 
                                                                            
                                                                            
   According to the researchers, the results suggest that altruistic        
   behavior may originate from how people view the world rather than how    
   they act in it.                                                          
                                                                            
                                                                            
   "We believe that the ability to perceive other people's actions as       
   meaningful is critical for altruism," Tankersley said.                   
                                                                            
                                                                            
   The scientists suggest that studying the brain systems that allow people 
   to see the world as a series of meaningful interactions may ultimately   
   help further understanding of disorders, such as autism or antisocial    
   behavior, that are characterized by deficits in interpersonal            
   interactions.                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
   The researchers are now exploring ways to study the development of this  
   brain region early in life, Tankersley said, adding that such            
   information may help determine how the tendencies toward altruism are    
   established.                                                             
                                                                            
                                                                            
   C. Jill Stowe, a decision scientist in Duke's Fuqua School of Business,  
   also participated in the research.                                       
                                                                            
                                                                            

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