Mind Matters Magazine - Issue 2 // Mental Health and Addiction

OCTOBER

2020

|

ISSUE

NO.

2Â

MIND MATTERS

PAGE 1 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

C O N T E N T S

PAGE 5 BOOK INTO IT!

PAGE 7 WOMEN NEUROSCIENTISTS

PAGE 12 BURNT OUT

PAGE 14 FACTUALLY SPEAKING

PAGE 15 THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

PAGE 18

BREAKING DOWN THE JOKER

PAGE 21

MIND MATTERS

INCONGRUOUS EMOTION

PAGE 23 EUPHORIA

PAGE 24

BRAIN GAMES

PAGE 27 DIVE IN!

PAGE 32

CLOSING CREDITS

Letter from the editor

We need to talk about mental health. NOW.

To our readers, Welcome back!

Let’s talk about mental health … a topic so taboo and stigmatized. But it really shouldn’t be. Every one of us has faced some sort of psychological turmoil, be it stress on the day of an important exam or anxiety while ordering a drink at Starbucks. So let’s talk about mental health and addiction a little bit.

It is never easy to cope with substance abuse, alcoholism, or opioid addiction, and it is much more difficult when you suffer from mental health issues. It is considered a co-occurring condition or concurrent diagnosis because you have both a drug abuse issue and a mental health condition such as addiction, bipolar disorder, or anxiety.

Both mental illness and the addiction to drugs or alcohol have their own particular symptoms in co-occurring conditions that can interfere with the ability to cope at work or education, sustain healthy family life, cope with life's challenges, and connect to others. Co-occurring diseases often affect each other in order to make the problem more complex. The drug abuse crisis generally gets worse when a mental health condition goes unresolved. And mental health conditions typically rise as alcohol or substance misuse rises, too.

The stats below help illustrate this -

Roughly 50 percent of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse.

37 percent of alcohol abusers and 53 percent of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness.

Of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29 percent abuse alcohol or drugs.

PAGE 1 • MIND MATTERS MAGAZINE

So readers, take note - we need conversations around the topic. This issue looks into mental health among youth and representation of addiction through shows like Euphoria.

So join us, readers, as we venture once more into the mind and explore the ravaging course of the neurosciences. Join us as we take on the challenge of seemingly impossible riddles and intriguing discussions. Join us for a deep dive into the brain … and don’t forget to stay mindful !

Nikita Nambiar, Founder and Editor in chief nnikita@tisb.ac.in

PAGE 2 • MIND MATTERS MAGAZINE

Letter from the editor Dear readers, I need to tell you a story. It’s about Brian Joseph McCook, who graduated from the Massachussetts College of Art and Design, majoring in video and performance art. After graduating, he described himself as “aimless” and found himself on the path to serious substance addictions, including heroin. He began neglecting his health, both physical and mental, and spiralled into a series of untreated illnesses.

Eventually, he adopted the stage name Katya Zamolodchikova and competed in the seventh season of Rupaul’s Drag Race. Today, Katya’s accomplishments range from a hit web series to gymnastics and even music! If you haven’t kept up with the self-proclaimed “sweatiest woman in show business”, then I highly suggest you watch UNHhhh on YouTube. Once you’re accustomed to her drag queen slang, Katya’s humour is both hilarious and referential.

So why am I telling you this story about a RussianAmerican comedian-gymnast-drag-queen? McCook’s story, like so many others’, highlights the power of recovery.

Mental illnesses and substance addictions, when treated with the gravity of physical ailments, can be effectively treated and managed.

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McCook’s story is not an inspirational one, and he’d be the first to tell you he is not a role model. He is, however, a case study in the power of the human constitution. He found the art form of drag soon after he mastered the Russian language, and this was his gateway to recovery. Once McCook identified the things which grounded him and kept him motivated, repeating them allowed him to break free from the cycle of addiction. Naturally, the process was complex and took many years, but today he is sober and extremely successful in the entertainment industry.

Today, the rehabilitation system supports millions of addicts worldwide, and psychiatric treatment is an essential first step in addressing underlying issues.

McCook’s story perfectly illustrates how, with the required guidance, our lives can be turned around for the better.

With that, I officially welcome you to the second issue of Mind Matters Magazine! This edition, as always, features great student writing and an outstanding diversity of thought. What you are reading now is the culmination of months of hard work by our team and our writers, about a topic which even experts often find difficult to discuss. I hope this issue impacts you all as much as it has me.

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Armaan Bamzai Head Editor and proofreader barmaan@tisb.ac.in

Madhouse: A Tragic Tale of Megalomania and Modern Medicine Andrew Scull, Yale University Press, 2007ves.

Seamstress Agnes Richter painstakingly stitched an enigmatic autobiographical text into every inch of the jacket she made out of her institutional uniform in a Victorianera German asylum.Hundreds of other patients have managed to get their storeys out, at least in veiled form, amid any effort to censor them, and so it continues today.The brilliant work of Hornstein helps us to cross the gulf, leads us into the inner lives of those afflicted with anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety, and returns with nothing less than a new blueprint for knowing each other and ourselves with so-called 'mental disease.'

A long-suppressed medical outrage, startling in its cruelty and sobering in its consequences.It demonstrates how an early twentieth century leading American psychiatrist came to conclude that psychiatric illnesses were the result of chronic diseases that infected the brain.Henry Cotton, the director of the Trenton State Hospital , New Jersey, persuaded that he had discovered the sole cause of insanity, conducted a ruthless?

Eliminate the risks of infection with pus.

Teeth were cut, tonsils were cut, and all stomachs, spleens, colons, and uteruses were lost in the assault?

Agnes's Jacket: A Psychologist's Search for the Meanings of Madness Gail A. Hornstein,PCCS Books;

Madness: A Brief History Roy Porter, Paw Prints, 2008,;

BOOK

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Restoration playwright Nathaniel Lee wrote, "They called me crazy, and I called them stupid, and darn them, they outvoted me."

As Roy Porter reveals in Madness: A Brief Overview, reasoning about who counts as insane, what induces mental disorder, and how to handle that disorder has varied wildly in modern history, often moving violently.Madness: A Short Background gives a nuanced viewpoint throughout, explaining both the compassionate attempts to support the insane as well as the ludicrous and sometimes malicious confusion that our endeavours to cure the mind of the various afflictions have tarnished.

Madhouse: A Tragic Tale of Megalomania and Modern Medicine Andrew Scull, Yale University Press, 2007

A man is desperately attempting to maintain his deal with the Devil, a wife is imprisoned by her husband in an insane asylum because of religious disagreements, and "a London resident" is condemned to a private madhouse on the testimony of a mere stranger.From the perspective of the patients themselves, this anthology of works from insane and potentially crazy persons is a detailed summary of the history of mental disease over the last five hundred years.

A long-suppressed medical outrage, startling in its cruelty and sobering in its consequences, Madhouse exposes.It demonstrates how an early twentieth century leading American psychiatrist came to conclude that psychiatric illnesses were the result of chronic diseases that infected the brain.Henry Cotton, the director of the Trenton State Hospital , New Jersey, persuaded that he had discovered the sole cause of insanity, conducted a ruthless?

Eliminate the risks of infection with pus.

Teeth were cut, tonsils were cut, and all stomachs, spleens, colons, and uteruses were lost in the assault?

Museums of Madness: Social Organization of Insanity in 19th Century England Andrew T. Scull, Viking, 1979

BOOK

An historical and sociological study (started before this concept even came into existence) of the institutionalisation of the mentally unwell. Scull explores the development of institutions, their growth and eventually assesses the evident rise in the incidence of 'insanity.'

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A Mad People's History of Madness,Peterson, Dale, University of Pistburgh, 1982

WOMEN

NEUROSCIENTISTS PAGE

7 • MIND MATTERS MAGAZINE

Mary Brazier tcapmi reH

In the study of EEG shifts in anaesthesia, Brazier made several fundamental discoveries and was one of the

pioneers in the application of computer science of EEG signals. She has also written in Scientific Background.

"Bibliography of electoencephalography, 1875 – 1948."

EEG and Clinical Neurophysiolohy (1950). Supplement 1: 1–178."Neural nets and integration." In Richter, K. (ed.)m Perspectives in Neuropsychiatry (1950).

London, UK: HK Lewis. pp. 35–45.

kroW reH

The Electrical Activity of the Nervous System. London, UK: Pitman. 1951.

"Some uses of computers in experimental neurology." Experimental Neurology (1960). 2: 123–143.

A History of Neurophysiology in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries: From Concept to Experiment. New York: Raven, 1984.

A History of Neurophysiology in the Nineteenth Century. New York, Raven, 1988.

Gold Medal of the (British) Institute of Electrical Engineers, 1934.

Van Meter Prize of the American Association

Elected member to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1956.

Career Research Award from Neurology Institute at National Institutes of Health, 1962.

One of only four to receive the

Grey Walter Medal from the British EEG Society 1984

Her

stnemeveihcA

award.

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 8

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for the Study of Goiter, 1934.

Marian Diamond a pioneering scientist and educator who is considered one of the founders of modern neuroscience. She and her team were the first to publish evidence that the brain can change with experience and improve with enrichment, what is now called neuroplasticity.

Her research on the brain of Albert Einstein helped fuel the ongoing scientific revolution in understanding the roles of glial cells in the brain.Her YouTube Integrative Biology

kroW reH

lectures were the second most popular college course in the world in 2010.

She was a professor of anatomy at the University of

California, Berkeley. Other published research explored differences between the cerebral cortex of male and female rats, the link between positive thinking and immune health, and the role of women in science.

Einstein's Brain: In early 1984, Diamond received four blocks of the preserved brain Neuroplasticity: Diamond was a pioneer in

of Albert Einstein from Thomas Stoltz

anatomical neuroscience whose major

Harvey. Harvey, pathologist of Princeton

scientific contributions have changed

Hospital at the time of Einstein's death,

forever how we view the human brain.

had removed Einstein's brain during

Diamond produced the first scientific

autopsy in 1955 and maintained personal

evidence of anatomical neuroplasticity in

possession of the brain. The fact that the

snoitubiritnoC reH

and fixed. Diamond showed that the structural components of the cerebral

cortex can be altered by either enriched or

impoverished environments at any age, from

Einstein brain tissue was already

embedded in celloidin when the Diamond lab received it meant that their choice of methods of examination would be somewhat limited. However, they were able to successfully analyze both the superior prefrontal (area 9) and inferior

prenatal to extremely old age. Her initial

parietal (area 39) association cortices of

anatomical experiment, and replication

the left and right hemispheres of Einstein's

experiments, with young rats showed that

brain and compare results with the

the cerebral cortex of the enriched rats was

identical regions in the control base of 11

6% thicker than the cortex of the

human, male, preserved brains. From

impoverished rats based on different kinds

previous analysis of the eleven control

of early life experiences. An enriched cortex

brains, the Diamond lab "learned the

shows greater learning capacity while an

frontal cortex did have more glial

impoverished one shows lesser learning

cells/neuron than the parietal cortex."

capacity. These paradigm-changing results, published in 1964, helped to launch modern neuroscience.

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consensus was that the nature of your brain was due to genetics and was unchangeable

snoitubiritnoC reH

the early 1960s. At that time, the scientific

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 9

tcapmi reH

Marian Diamond (nÊe Cleeves; November 11, 1926 – July 25, 2017) was

Candace Pert tcapmi reH

Candace Beebe Pert was an American neuroscientist and pharmacologist who discovered the opiate receptor, the cellular binding site for endorphins in the brain.

Pert was an internationally recognized pharmacologist who published over 250 scientific articles on peptides and their receptors and the role of these neuropeptides in the immune system. Her earliest work as a researcher involved the discovery of opiate receptors and the actions of receptors. She had an international reputation in the field of neuropeptide and receptor pharmacology, and chemical neuroanatomy. Pert also lectured worldwide

kroW reH

on these and other subjects, including her theories on emotions and mindbody communication. Her popular book, Molecules of Emotion: Why You Feel the Way You Feel, (Scribner, 1997) expounded on her research and theories.

She held a number of patents for modified peptides in the treatment of psoriasis, Alzheimer's disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, stroke and head trauma. One of these, Peptide T, had been considered for the treatment of AIDS and neuroAIDS. A placebo-controlled, three-site, 200+ patient NIHfunded clinical trial which was principally concerned with possible neurocognitive improvements, was conducted between 1990 and 1995.

Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Between Mind-Body Medicine Scribner Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d, with Nancy Marriott,

In 2004, Pert was an interview partner in the documentary film What the Bleep Do We Know!? where she appeared several times.

Pert was honored by the New York Open Center on November 7, 2006, for her "leadership across the

Pert received the first time award of the Theophrastus Paracelsus Foundation in Holistic Medicine

Her

stnemeveihcA

bridge between science and heart."

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Hay House, Inc. (2006)

Susan Hockfield tcapmi reH

Hockfield, Professor of Neuroscience in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, is a director of General Electric and of Qualcomm.

Hockfield pioneered the use of monoclonal antibody technology in brain research and discovered a gene that plays a critical role in the spread of cancer in the brain.

Hockfield's early work involved the application of monoclonal antibody technology to questions within

kroW reH

neurobiology. She and her colleagues identified a family of cell surface proteins whose expression is regulated by neuronal activity early in an animal's life and reflect the

effect of early experience on brain structure and function.

A link between her research and human health was made

when it was suggested that one of these proteins played a role in the progression of brain tumors. Hockfield's work on one type of brain tumor called glioma identified molecules that allow glioma cells to move through normal brain tissue, the feature that makes glioma particularly deadly.

Elected President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) with

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Amelia Earhart Award, which is given by the Women's Union to honor women who have significantly contributed to the expansion of opportunities for women.

Pinnacle Award for Lifetime Achievement from

Charles Judson Herrick Award (for outstanding contributions by a young scientist), American Association of Anatomists

Her

stnemeveihcA

the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 11

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the term beginning February 15, 2016

BURNT Have you ever been in a situation where you are just emotionally and intellectually exhausted when working and feel like nothing even matters? The answer is most probably yes. Most of us sometimes feel tired after a long day of working and want nothing more than to sleep, or watch a youtube video.

Now do you feel this way every single day without fail? Those who do might have burnout.

Burnout is defined as emotional and mental exhaustion caused by excessive, prolonged stress. While most commonly used in a workplace context, academic burnout has been diagnosed in high school or college students.

In both groups, it can be difficult to pinpoint when burnout started, as it is a gradual process. People with these symptoms report growing feelings of hopelessness when working or studying, often feeling like nothing they do matters. Others simply lose all interest or motivation in the work, even if they found joy doing it before.

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Some primary causes of burnout include sustained overworking with few breaks or opportunities to relax, a lack of close interpersonal relationships in the work or academic environment, and overall sleep deprivation. Because of the physical distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many find it difficult to maintain close relationships, or feel the same fulfilment as an inperson interaction would bring. Thus, the incidence of burnout has increased in 2020.

Many of us have the same lifestyle that leads to burnout, yet not all of us experience it. That is because certain personality types are more susceptible to having burnout. Perfectionists, cynics, and “control freaks” are more likely to burn out than their more laid-back counterparts due to their tendencies to overwork and prioritize their work or academic life over their mental and physical health, causing this mental and emotional exhaustion.

Tanvi, Palsamudram, Bangalore India

For years, burnout was often overlooked, and disregarded in the context of mental illness. However, burnout has been proven to alter the structure of the brain. Neural circuits, pathways of interconnected neurons, can be irreversible altered, causing long term damage to the brain in the process.

Additionally, burnout can cause the abnormal thinning of the brain’s frontal cortex, or the accelerated aging of the brain. This is similar to the neurological change in those with PTSD, suggesting that years of work-related emotional exhaustion can have the same long-term effects as a single extremely traumatic incident.

Furthermore, years of chronic burnout can enlarge the amygdala. The amygdala is a part of the brain’s limbic system, and is involved in the processing of emotions such as fear or anger.

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12 • MIND MATTERS MAGAZINE

BURNT Its increase in size suppresses the connectivity to the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in execution of behavior based on these emotions. Thus, people with chronic burnout have difficulties controlling their negative emotions. This neurological change is in common with autistic children with depression.

With so many symptoms of burnout being similar to those of depression, it is important to note the distinctions between the two. While the emotional exhaustion caused by burnout can be a symptom of depression, burnout can be a facet of depression, but is a separate syndrome altogether caused by adverse working or academic conditions. Similarly, there are differences between stress and burnout, even though both manifest in similar environments. Those with stress are often hypervigilant, believing that completing the work will give them peace. However, those with burnout lose all emotional investment in their work instead.

What can be done about burnout? Experts recommend establishing proper exercise and sleep schedules, as well as reconnecting with any neglected relationships.

Exercise has shown to be effective, as it releases mood elevating hormones like endorphins, and reduces the levels of stress inducing hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin. However, if a person has more severe burnout, they might want to consider quitting their job.

Given that this is not always possible, talking to a counsellor or therapist is another effective way to learn how to deal with symptoms.

In this day and age, the hustle is everything. However, it is important to ensure that you are happy and healthy when working, and know how to avoid burnout in the process of achieving your dreams.

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13 • MIND MATTERS MAGAZINE

Research published in the journal Nature Neuroscience suggests that a person’s brain activity may be as unique as his or her own fingerprints.

This might be one of the scariest of these brain facts when you really think about it, but paleoanthropological research suggests that our brains are shrinking.

Professional athletes know how important fueling their brain is to ensure they’re able to put maximum effort and energy into their workouts. This is because of the mental stimulation that comes with exercise, but also because a healthy cardiovascular system means better plumbing for the brain,

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The visual areas of the brain are in the very back

Your brain might account for only about 3 percent of your body weight, but it receives about 30 percent of the blood being pumped by your heart.

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Beth McQuiston, MD, a neurologist and the medical director of the diagnostics division at the health-care company Abbott, explains that even though the brain has layers of coverings and blood vessels that contain pain receptors, the brain itself has zero.

When you’re fast asleep, you might think that your brain is “shut off,” but it’s actually doing a whole lot more than when you’re walking, talking, eating, and thinking.

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

By Isha Singh, Bangalore, India

Why many neuroscientists

is due to a phenomenon in

support Einstein, when he

image construction, known as

said that imagination was

a neuronal ensemble.Neurons

more important than

in the posterior cortex

knowledge, is deeply rooted

encode various features of an

in the dynamics of the neural

image or object such as its

networks of our brains.

colour, texture, and shape.

These neutrons synchronously form a connection between

Gogh’s famous The Starry

themselves to become a

Night or The Harry Potter

neuronal ensemble. This

series written by JK Rowling,

phenomenon is described by

both these pieces are the

the Hebbian Principle as

result of unique imagination

follows: “Neurons that wire

and creativity. Imagination

together, work together”. The

has been the breeding

neurons that encode the

ground for discoveries,

various characteristics of an

inventions, and revolutionary

image wire together to

ideas - but how is it possible

ensure that each element of

to imagine something that

the image, such as its colour

has never existed or

and texture, is formed as a

occurred?

whole.

Imagine yourself looking at

If you try re-forming a mental

The Starry Night. The reason,

image of The Starry Night, the

you were quickly able to

neuronal ensemble

envision distinct blue swirls

associated with that

and yellow blotches

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 51 EGAP

Whether it is Vincent van

Wparticular image will work

If the neuronal ensembles

synchronously and create a

happen to wire at the exact

complete mental imprint. A

moment, a composite image

dolphin you saw in Hawaii has

can be created. This

a neuronal ensemble linked

conscious and purposeful

with itself too. Every object

synchronisation of different

that you have come across in

neuronal accumulations

your life is encoded by a

performed by the prefrontal

neuronal ensemble

cortex is called Mental

associated with it. Yet, an

Synthesis.

image of a dolphin swimming in the blue swirls of The Starry

However, neurologists quickly

Night does not have a

discovered a pitfall. Some

neuronal collection, so how is

neurons activated by the

it possible for us to imagine

prefrontal cortex can be

that?

further away from the prefrontal cortex than the

The answer is not within the

other ensembles fired. The

Hebbian Principle as it only

longer distance causes one

applies to images directly

neuron to arrive later than the

observed or experienced, for

other. Therefore, the image

that we must hop on to our

cannot be formed as it is

boat (or spaceship or

necessary, according to the

Deathstar) of imagination to

theory of Mental Synthesis,

explore the prefrontal

that both neurons arrive at

cortex’s territory.Imagination

the same time, which in this

is our brain’s ability to form

case does not seem possible.

To solve this tricky problem,

concepts by adding a

neurologists focused not on

personal touch, to deepen

the length of the neural

understanding and allow us

connection, but the

to anticipate the outcome of

conduction velocity of each

actions without actually

neuron. Imagine another

performing via a “simulation

scenario; two runners on a

process”.

track, one’s path is longer than the other. If both the

Now, picture a puppeteer

runners run at a constant

pulling the strings of different

speed, the one with the

puppets to create a

longer route will always arrive

performance. In the context

later. However, if the runner

of the brain, the role of the

with the shorter track decides

puppeteer is played by the

to run barefoot and slows

prefrontal cortex which is

down, the other runner can

connected to the posterior

catch up, and they both

cortex by long extensions

reach the finish line at the

known as neural fibres. The

same time. The same analogy

Mental Synthesis theory

applies to neurons. If the

postulates that as the

neutron closer to the

prefrontal cortex’s neutrons

posterior cortex travelled

send electrical signals down

slightly slower, then the

the neural fibres, multiple

farther neutron could

neuronal ensembles in the

potentially catch up with it.

posterior cortex are activated.

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 61

experiences or intangible

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mental images of unfamiliar

Myelin sheaths control conduction velocities of

References:

neurons. Myelin is an insulator that speeds up electrical

Pearson, Joel. The Human

signals, much like the shoes

Imagination: the Cognitive

of the runner in our analogy.

Neuroscience of Visual

The conduction velocity of a

Mental Imagery. Nature

neural fibre depends on the

Reviews Neuroscience, vol.

thickness of the myelin

20, no. 10, 2019, pp. 624

sheath. Thicker the sheath,

634., doi:10.1038/s41583-019-

faster the electrical signals

0202-9.Agnati,

travel. Therefore, if the neuron closer to the posterior

Luigi F., et al. The

cortex has a thinner sheet of

Neurobiology of Imagination:

myelin, it will move slower to

Possible Role of Interaction-

enable the other neuron to

Dominant Dynamics and

catch up. This difference in

Default Mode Network.

myelination is the key to the

Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 4,

synchronous conduction of

2013,

neurons in the brain.

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.0029

The power of one’s

Alcaro, Antonio, and Stefano

imagination can turn a

Carta. The nature of

playground into a battlefield,

Imagination. A Neuro-

a sky of stars into dancing

Ethological Approach to the

fairies, a bubble bath into an

Evolution of the Reflective

ocean adventure– and even

Mind and Its Application to

help us discover the laws of

Psychotherapy. Frontiers in

physics or write a best-selling

Human Neuroscience, vol. 12,

book series. Our ability to

2019,

imagine enables us to

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.0052

change the world so, as the popular band Aerosmith sang

.Tanggaard, Lene, and Svend

- Dream on.

Brinkmann. Methodological Implications of Imagination.

2017, doi:10.1093/oso/97801904687 12.003.0005..

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 71 EGAP

Oxford Scholarship Online,

r B

a e

D

i k

w o

g n

n

By Isha Singh, Bangalore, India

PAGE

18 • MIND MATTERS MAGAZINE

The Joker’s character, portrayed

by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2019 film “Joker”, has become compelling for many people due to his bold and charismatic nature and compulsive behaviour lacking a moral conscience.

by saying “All I have are negative thoughts,”

Suppressed pain and violence Joaquin Phoenix does an excellent job of portraying Arthur’s deep agony and inviting

Persistent mild depression, which usually

the viewer to experience the downward

precedes Major Depressive disorder ,is

spiral of Arthur’s sanity. From the very

characterized by poor concentration,

beginning of the movie, we see the trauma

decreased appetite, and suicidal thoughts. It

and pain Arthur experiences; he has been

is possible that his troubled childhood and

bullied by others, physically and emotionally,

subsequent trauma, along with his dynamics

all his life. As the movie slowly progresses,

with his mother is the cause of his persistent

we see Arthur’s repressed anger rising to the

depression.

surface. The mask of the Joker is a motif for a mask behind which he buries his pain.

Arthur’s attempt at hiding pain behind the mask is a defense mechanism. In the state hospital scene, we see Arthur’s repressed childhood memories of abuse 2 resurface when his mother acts ignorant of Arthur’s childhood pain in her interview with the

JEKYLL AND HYDE DISORDER There is a possibility that Joker exhibits a

confused and troubled mind.

strange case of the infamous Jekyll and Hyde personality disorder (a type of split personality disorder) where a person often shifts to a second and dark personality within

PERSISTENT DEPRESSION

himself. The so-called “Hyde” personality is known to lack a moral or social consciousness with characteristic impulsiveness in their actions.While people suffering from the J&H disorder keep constantly shifting personalities, in the

The scene at the psychiatrist’s office is

Joker’s case, the audience observes a

significant because the audience gets a

gradual transformation until he eventually

glimpse into Arthur’s mind, where he

lets the “Hyde” personality gain complete

describes chronic depression

control,

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 91

another clue to the audience about Arthur’s

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psychiatrist, His disorganized journal is

thereby losing all moral consciousness. The audience witnesses him killing his ideal (Bill Murray). Later on, he expresses “Their morals, their ‘code?’ It’s all a bad joke.” As the audience sees earlier in the movie, Arthur’s “Hyde” personality was repressed. However, when his childhood memories of abuse rise to the surface after he reads his mother’s psychiatrist evaluation file, he ultimately transforms into his “Hyde” personality. In

Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of the Joker is currently viewed as the most frightening yet realistic manifestation of the classic comic-book villain. He is shaped by his childhood traumas, haunted by the lack of love, and discarded by society.

other words, it is in this moment he is no longer Arthur Fleck but instead the Joker.

ARTHUR’S IMAGINATION

Sources

Throughout the movie, Arthur Fleck expresses

Javanbakht, Arash. “Joker: A Powerful

the desire for being important and having

Psychological Drama.” Psychology Today,

connections with people. In one particular

Sussex Publishers, 1 Nov. 2019,

scene, he imagines being on the 3 talk show

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-

and the dialogue he envisions demonstrates

many-faces-anxiety-and-trauma/201911

a desire of being acknowledged and loved -

/joker-powerful-psychological-drama.

“I wish I had a son like you.” The desire is seen in the scene where he fantasizes that

Goodwin, Izzat Tajjudin & John. “The Joker:

he has a relationship with the woman in his

Mental Status Examination.” Psych Central

apartment complex. Within the fantasy, she

Professional, 21 Sept. 2019,

was at the comedy club laughing at his

pro.psychcentral.com/the-joker-mental-

jokes. The scenes reveal Arthur’s deep-

status-examination/.

Singh, Shubhm, and Subho Chakrabarti. “A

into his imagination to feel loved is caused

Study in Dualism: The Strange Case of Dr.

due to negligence of his mother who has

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Indian Journal of

delusional schizophrenia.She truly believes

Psychiatry, vol. 50, no. 3, 2008, p. 221.,

that Arthur had a happy childhood and that

doi:10.4103/0019-5545.43624.

he is the son of Thomas Wayne. In her psychotic delusion, she tells Arthur that he is

AdventHealth. “The Joker: How The Movie

Wayne’s son, which gives Arthur hope who

Depicts Mental Health.” AdventHealth, 11

feels that he will finally be loved by his father

Nov. 2019,

and craves a father figure in his life. Once

www.adventhealth.com/hospital/adventhea

Arthur discovers that his mother was mentally

lth-orlando/blog/joker-how-movie-de picts-

sick and was lying, the pain and anger he

mental-health.

experiences turns him into the Joker.

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 02

people. The mechanism of Arthur to escape

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rooted desire to make connections with

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF INCONGRUOUS EMOTIONS

Ever seen something so incredibly cute that you want to squeeze it, claw it, rip it, throw it out of the window? Or delivered a deafening scream upon seeing your teen idol?Nervous laughter, tears of joy, giggles at a funeral;

“I was surprised no one ever asked why that is,” says Oriana Aragon, a psychological scientist at Yale University.

She and her colleagues hypothesized in their research article: “One might expect to see negative emotion expression when positive emotions run too high and see positive emotion expression when negative emotions run high.”

They proposed that it is a balancing mechanism- when we feel so overwhelmed by an emotion, to a point where we cannot even manage it, we reach a sort of “limit”.

To regulate this, our minds manifest the other spectrum of this emotion – as a way to cope. In their experiment, pictures of infants were morphed to appear ‘cuter’ – larger eyes and cheeks, smaller mouth and chin (and so forth) – to make them an elicitor of strong positive emotion.

PAGE

21 • MIND MATTERS MAGAZINE

By:Shriya Bang Bangalore, India

Volunteers (around 30 years old) reacted to

Sources:

them. Their descriptions supported the hypothesized mechanism:

“I feel like pinching those cheeks!”

“I want to eat it up!”

- Association for psychological science http://clarkrelationshiplab.yale.edu/site s/default/files/files/Psychological%20Sc ience-2015-Arag%C3%B3n-259-73.pdf

“I clenched my hands into fists.”

Other surveys have shown the same results: Their online survey showed that these “dimorphous emotions” – those occurring in

- We’re only human (psychology blog)https://www.psychologicalscience. org/news/were-only-human/nervouslaughter-tears-of-joy.html

two distinct forms – are not specific to a single situation. That means the participants tend to show them when responding to other strong emotions as well, suggesting that dimorphous expressions might be serving as

- Psych central https://psychcentral.com/news/2014/11/ 12/explaining-emotionalcontradictions/77245.html

a general mind mechanism. To see if the mind had truly intended a “balance” of emotions, participants with different levels of aggression on seeing cute stimuli went through a post experimental measurement,

- Frontiersin.org (frontiers in behavioral neuroscience) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3 389/fnbeh.2018.00300/full

five minutes after recovery.

People who were more aggressive toward babies had a greater drop in positive emotion five minutes later; cementing in the idea that the negative emotions are moderators for intense positive emotions, bringing them back to emotional equilibrium. (and vice versa)Discussing their research, the team presented a few assumptions regarding the reason behind the need for

recklessness with emotions and inability to handle them well.It may also be that dimorphous expressions are a social signal

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emotional equilibrium, relating to the mind’s

incapacitated or overwhelmed.

“These new discoveries begin to explain common things that many people do but don’t even understand themselves,” says Oriana Argon.So, the next time you let out a few chuckles in a dangerous situation, or cry for a happy ending, remember that these aren’t embarrassing or weird aberrations – simply wonders of your mind.

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 22

to others that the expresser feels

“The thought of having to stand up, exert 172 muscles each step for 85 feet, just so I could sit on cold porcelain & piss out toxins over & over again for the rest of my life makes the whole concept of living feel like one long, sadistic joke.”

Personally, I couldn’t specifically relate to the parts with talked about drug abuse, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t relate to other parts of the show as well. At the very least, I am now more informed about the dangers of walking down certain paths of life.

Having the above line be the main character’s—Rue Bennet (Zendaya)—first

Maybe you cannot relate to the show at all

thought out of bed, just goes to show how

or maybe you find yourself relating

morbid this show can get, and it’s not

more to the show than you’d like to admit—

without good reason.

like I did. Nevertheless, it provides those who watch it with a view into a few

This U.S. adaption of an Israeli show,

worst-case scenarios which have

courtesy of HBO, consists of just 8

definitely happened before/still happening

episodes. But they’re merely 8 separate

right now—Sam Levinson based Rue

stories—each about one individual

Bennet’s drug addiction storyline with

teenager—with an overarching plot-line.

incidents from his own teenage drug abuse.

Creator Sam Levinson is the one we have to thank for this 3rd person insight into the

This is not meant to be a simple review of

inside of these teenagers’ minds & lives

Euphoria, but a shout-out to all

This is by no means a show just for

teenagers who are going through tough

teenagers, as adults have every right to be

times in their lives, & telling them to watch

informed about their children’s lives. The

the show as they might find solace in the

subject matter can range from drugs &

fact that they’re not alone

love to trauma & depression;

with your entire family, yet important for each family member to watch anyway

when it comes to dealing with life’s troubles, a fact which far too may of us need to be reminded of more than once.

The acting is top notch, the directing & editing will make you feel everything that’s happening on screen, & the writing will stick with you well after you finish watching. If these three attributes aren’t enough to make you watch the show, well then, I’m told that the actors & actresses are easy on the eyes… so there.

The majority of the criticism about the show stems from how unrealistic the show’s depictions of drug abuse & trauma.

But it’s not as if teenagers are spared from trauma & drug abuse either.

"Every Time I Feel Good, I Think It'll Last Forever, But It Doesn't."

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 32

certainly not something you want to watch

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Pranav Venugopal, Bangalore, India

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In 1990, a person is 15 years old and in 1995 the same person is 10 years old. How is it possible?

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 52 EGAP

RIDDLE ME THIS

RIDDLE ME THIS

1. Why did the neuron like to sleep in the top bunk bed?

Because it wanted to have a high resting potential.

2. What did the neuron say to the glia cell? “ Thanks for the support!”

An sw er s

5. Why are the temporal lobes considered the “safari” regions of the brain?

Because that’s where the hippos and rhinos are found (hippocampi and rhinencephalon)

tHIS WAS IN 1990 AND 1995 B.C

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 62

4. Why did the action potential cross the optic chiasm?

To get to the other side

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3. What did the hippocampus say during its retirement speech?

“Thanks for the memories.”

snebmuccA suelcuN

noitciddA

E V DI Dopamine Pathways N I

ar i b m Na a t i k ia d Ni n I , re o l a g Ban

Dopamine

H3Q5DOP Ventral Tagmental Area A BRIEF DISCUSSION PAGE

27 • MIND MATTERS MAGAZINE

WHY DO WE NEED THIS? HERE WE WILL UNCOVER SOME INTERESTING CONCEPTS IN A REALLY SIMPLISTIC WAY . IMAGINE THIS TO BE A CONCISE INFORMATION PACKET .

THIS SECTION AIMS TO BRIEFLY DISCUSS TOPICS PERTINENT TO THE EVER CHANGING WORLD OF THE COGNITIVE SCIENCES AND THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES.

SO READ. ENJOY. AND SEND US YOUR QUERIES ON OUR WEBSITE! PAGE

28 • MIND MATTERS MAGAZINE

Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter. Your body makes it, and your nervous system uses it to send messages between nerve cells.

That's why it's sometimes called a chemical messenger.Dopamine plays a role in how we feel pleasure. It's a big part of our unique human ability to think and plan. It helps us strive, focus, and find things interesting.

ADDICTION Addiction impacts the brain on many levels.

The chemical compounds in stimulants, nicotine, opioids, alcohol, and sedatives enter the brain and bloodstream upon use. Once a chemical enters the brain, it can cause people to lose control of their impulses or crave a harmful substance.

When someone develops an addiction, the brain craves the reward of the substance. This is due to the intense stimulation of the brain’s reward system. In response, many continue the use of the substance, unlocking a host of euphoric feelings and strange behavioral traits. Long-term addiction can have severe outcomes, such as brain damage, and can even result in death.

Just like narcotics cause extreme euphoria, they often create even greater dopamine spikes, strongly reinforcing the connexion between the drug's intake, the enjoyment that follows, and all the visible indications related to the encounter. At the detriment of other, healthy interests and habits, massive surges of dopamine "teach" the brain to pursue medications.

Cues that have been synonymous with substance use due to improvements to the reward circuit in the everyday life or atmosphere of an individual will cause uncontrollable cravings if the individual is introduced to these signals, even though the medication itself is not present. Particularly among people who have not users.

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DOP AMINE

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 92

Your body spreads it along four major pathways in the brain. Like most other systems in the body, you don’t notice it (or maybe even know about it) until there’s a problem.

Too much or too little of it can lead to a vast range of health issues. Some are serious, like Parkinson’s disease. Others are much less dire.

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) (tegmentum is Latin for covering), also known as the ventral tegmental area of Tsai, or simply ventral tegmentum, is a group of neurons located close to the midline on the floor of the midbrain. The VTA is the origin of the dopaminergic cell bodies of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system and other dopamine pathways; it is widely implicated in the drug and natural reward circuitry of the brain.

The VTA plays an important role in a number of processes, including reward cognition (motivational salience, associative learning, and positively-valenced emotions) and several psychiatric disorders.

.Neurons in the VTA project to numerous areas of the brain, ranging from the prefrontal cortex to the caudal brainstem and several regions in between.

VTA

VENTRAL TAGMENTAL AREA

The nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area are the primary sites where addictive drugs act.

The following are commonly considered to be addictive: cocaine, alcohol, opioids, nicotine, cannabinoids, amphetamine, and their analogs. These drugs alter the neuromodulatory influence of dopamine on the processing of reinforcement signals by prolonging the action of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens or by stimulating the activation of neurons there and also in the VTA. The most common drugs of abuse stimulate the release of dopamine, which creates both their rewarding and psychomotor effects. Compulsive drug-taking behaviors are a result of the permanent functional changes in the mesolimbic dopamine system arising from repetitive dopamine stimulation. Molecular and cellular adaptations are responsible for a sensitized dopamine activity in the VTA and along with the mesolimbic dopamine projection in response to drug abuse.

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 03

The nucleus accumbens is a primary site mediating reward behavior, and it is thought to be directly involved in reinforcing and addictive behaviors in response to drug use.

The dopaminergic neurons of the mesolimbic pathway project onto the GABAergic medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle. Each cerebral hemisphere has its own nucleus accumbens, which can be divided into two structures: the nucleus accumbens core and the nucleus accumbens shell. These substructures have different morphology and functions.

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NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS

The molecular processes that underlie addiction persistence remain largely unknown. Lepack et al . found that there is an intracellular dopamine buildup in the neurons of a brain region called the ventral tegmental area with cocaine exposure (see Girault 's Perspective). In order to induce a previously unexplained process of epigenetic modulation called dopaminylation, dopamine binds with chromatin. This alteration has an impact on the role of the ventral tegmental region and, subsequently, on the capacity for dopaminergic action. The effect is aberrant dopamine signalling during times of drug searching in the ventral striatum.

it is basically a protein called transglutaminase 2 can directly attach dopamine molecules to histone proteins (a process called histone dopaminylation or H3Q5dop) which, in turn, affects the histoneDNA spool to enable environmentally regulated alterations in gene expression.

H3Q5 DOP

DOPAMINE PATHWAYS Dopaminergic pathways, sometimes called dopaminergic projections, are the sets of projection neurons in the brain that synthesize and release the neurotransmitter dopamine. Individual neurons in these pathways are referred to as dopamine neurons. Dopamine neurons have axons that run the entire length of the pathway.

Dopaminergic pathways are involved in many functions such as executive function, learning, reward, motivation, and neuroendocrine control. Dysfunction of these pathways and nuclei may be involved in multiple diseases and disorders such as Parkinson's disease,[4] attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and addiction.

The cell bodies of the neurons produce the enzymes that synthesize dopamine, and they are then transmitted via the projecting axons to their synaptic destinations, where most of the dopamine is produced. Dopaminergic nerve cell bodies in such areas as the substantia nigra pars compacta tend to be pigmented due to the presence of the black pigment melanin.

PAGE 31 • MIND MATTERS MAGAZINE

The Team Core Team

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 23

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- Nikita Nambiar , Founder and Editor in chief - Armaan Bamzai, Head editor and Proof reader - Venya Naidu, Social Media director - Rohini Sarkar, Head of creative design - Astha Deep, Head of creative design - Diya Ranga, Head of creative design - Gaayen Saghal, Chief content curator - Hemajashri Reddy, Chief content curator - Maanya Medapa, Chief content curator - Pranav Venugopal, Head of public relations - Dhruva Iyer, Head of public relations - Tanvi Palsamudram - Innovation departmenat

The Team Secondary Team

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 33

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- Sanchi Subbiah , Chief article writer - Shreya Bulusu, Social media team - Samyuktha Kumar, Social Media Team - Isha Singh, Intern and article writer - Anandita Kapoor, Intern and Article writer - Gautam Nambiar, Intern and article writer - Sunethra Shanta Raman, Content curator - Viha Amit Thumar, Intern and article writer

We are grateful for the support from Dr.Caroline Pascoe, Ms.Nyree Anne Clayton, Mr.Santanu Paul, Mr.Tarun Biswas and all other senior staff involved in the process.

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 43

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We would like to give a special Thanks to The International School Bangalore for supporting us in this endeavour.

episodes from The Brainyack Podcast!

ENIZAGAM SRETTAM DNIM • 53

Use this link to watch exclusive

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Neuroscience on the go!

SEPTEMBER

2020

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NO.

2Â