Could You Hack Your Brain To Get More Motivated?
We know we should put the cigarettes away or make use of that gym membership, but in the moment, we just don't do it. There is a cluster of neurons in our brain critical for motivation, though. What if you could hack them to motivate yourself?
These neurons are located in the middle of the brain, in a region called the ventral tegmental area. A paperpublished Thursday in the journal Neuron suggests that we can activate the region with a little bit of training.
The researchers stuck 73 people into an fMRI, a scanner that can detect what part of the brain is most active, and focused on that area associated with motivation. When the researchers said "motivate yourself and make this part of your brain light up," people couldn't really do it.
"They weren't that reliable when we said, 'Go! Get psyched. Turn on your VTA,' " says Dr. Alison Adcock, a psychiatrist at Duke and senior author on the paper.
That changed when the participants were allowed to watch a neurofeedback meter that displayed activity in their ventral tegmental area. When activity ramps up, the participants see the meter heat up while they're in the fMRI tube.
"Your whole mind is allowed to speak to a specific part of your brain in a way you never imagined before. Then you get feedback that helps you discover how to turn that part of the brain up or down," says John Gabrieli, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was not involved with the work.
Using an fMRI for this kind of brain feedback is more effective than other, older tools like placing electrodes on the skull or EEG, Gabrieli says. "MRI lets you target a specific brain system or structure. EEG does not. When we're measuring electrical activity, we don't know really where it's coming from." He says he hasn't seen compelling evidence that EEG feedback, which is commercially available, has helped people change their behavior.
Two of the researchers, Kathryn Dickerson and Jeff MacInnes, tried the system out on themselves. Not everything worked. Dickerson said she tried thinking about different memories that left the feedback meter cold. "Zip lining was super fun, but [thinking about that] was just terrible and not effective at all."
So she switched strategies and tried giving herself a pep talk in the scanner. "I was like, 'Come on Katie. Move the thermometer. Just do it and move it.' And I just pumped myself up. That was very effective," she says. "It was exhilarating."
It was also exhausting, MacInnes says. "The experience of the task was very difficult. You're being asked to generate these intense motivational states for 20 seconds over multiple periods. It was very fatiguing for people."
Study participants had a similar experience, Adcock says. Some people sang Queen songs to themselves or imagined having an angry coach yell at them. "My personal favorite was running down a line with everyone giving you high-fives," Adcock says. When she took the feedback meter away, the participants were still able to light up their ventral tegmental area by thinking about the same things.
People really are changing their mood when they're doing this, Adcock thinks. They're really becoming more focused and eager. And it seems the effect begins reaching out to parts of the brain involved with learning and memory,
"We think that's exciting because it shows after this training, something changed, Dickerson says. "The brain isn't quite the same." She thinks people might be achieving a state of mind that's more conducive to learning and motivation.
If that's true, it would be extraordinarily useful, Gabrieli says. Using MRIs to exert control over certain parts of our brain has been done before, he says. "[But this] is the first study to show it can be applied to the most important brain structure for human motivation. That could be very valuable for things people want to accomplish in life."
Or it might be applied to habits that are really hard to start or break, Gabrieli says. "The hugely exciting piece of this is whether now people can use this upcoming research to gain control of behaviors that are challenging," he says. "Healthy habits, eating habits, stopping to smoke and can a person with addiction use this successfully?"
And it might someday be a clinical tool. For instance, this particular cluster of neurons in the midbrain is part of the dopamine system. Adcock thinks activating the neurons in this way might also be releasing dopamine that could replace drug therapy for certain disorders.
"In ADHD, for example, we use stimulants that result in the same kind of release of brain chemicals," Adcock says. "Does this technique generate that same kind of release of dopamine that a stimulant does? If we teach people to use it successfully, we could impact attention."
But nobody knows if this actually changes brain chemistry. MacInnes says there are more experiments and tests they need to see if the brain activation they're seeing actually does release dopamine or other neurochemicals.
Even if it does, Adcock says it's definitely not affecting neurochemicals as much as a medication like Adderall, which is used to treat ADHD.
And Adcock hasn't yet studied whether anyone actually changed their behavior after the sessions in the MRI.
Since the study, people have been trying the same strategies to motivate themselves in their daily lives, according to Adcock. If it's working, brain training in an MRI might be a way for us to tap into our mind's circuitry for willpower.
That, Gabrieli says, would be terrific.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
Je, Unaweza Kuvunja Ubongo Wako Ili Uwe na Msukumo Zaidi? """Tunajua tunapaswa kuweka sigareti mbali au kutumia uanachama huo wa mazoezi, lakini kwa sasa, hatufanyi hivyo." Kuna kikundi cha neuroni katika ubongo wetu muhimu kwa motisha, ingawa. Namna gani ikiwa ungeweza kuivunja ili kujichochea? Neuroni hizo ziko katikati ya ubongo, katika eneo linaloitwa eneo la ventral tegmental. Utafiti uliochapishwa katika jarida la Neuroscience ulionyesha kuwa kuna uwezekano wa kuamsha sehemu hiyo ya mwili kwa mazoezi. Watafiti waliweka watu 73 kwenye fMRI, kipima-sauti kinachoweza kugundua sehemu gani ya ubongo inayotenda zaidi, na kuzingatia eneo hilo linalohusiana na motisha. "Wanafunzi waliposema ""jicho lako na sehemu hii ya ubongo wako"" watu hawakuweza kufanya hivyo." "Hawa hawakuwa wenye kutegemeka sana tulipowaambia, 'Nendeni! Kupata psyched. "Kama vile ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya ""Vitality of the Mind"" na Dk Alison Adcock, mtaalamu wa magonjwa ya akili katika Chuo Kikuu cha Duke, ""Uwezo wa kuamua ni nini." Hii ilibadilika wakati washiriki walipopewa kipimo cha neuroreflective ambacho kilionyesha shughuli katika eneo lao la tegmental. Wakati shughuli zinaongezeka, washiriki wanaona mita inapokanzwa wakati wako katika bomba la fMRI. "Akili yako yote inaruhusiwa kuongea na sehemu fulani ya ubongo wako kwa njia ambayo hujawahi kuwazia hapo awali.""" "Kisha unapata maoni ambayo yanakusaidia kugundua jinsi ya kugeuza sehemu hiyo ya ubongo juu au chini, ""anasema John Gabrielli, mtaalamu wa neva katika Taasisi ya Teknolojia ya Massachusetts ambaye hakuhusika na kazi hiyo." "Kutumia fMRI kwa aina hii ya maoni ya ubongo ni ufanisi zaidi kuliko zana nyingine za zamani kama kuweka electrodes kwenye fuvu la kichwa au EEG, ""Gabrielli anasema." "MRI hukuruhusu kulenga mfumo au muundo fulani wa ubongo. EEG haifanyi hivyo. Tunapopima utendaji wa umeme, hatujui hasa unatokana na wapi". "Hata hivyo, hakuna ushahidi wa kutosha kwamba maoni ya EEG, ambayo yanapatikana kibiashara, yamesaidia watu kubadilisha tabia zao.""" Watafiti wawili, Kathryn Dickerson na Jeff MacInnes, walijaribu mfumo huo juu yao wenyewe. Si kila kitu kilichofanya kazi. Dickerson alisema alijaribu kufikiria kumbukumbu tofauti ambazo ziliacha kipima-mtazamo baridi. "Kufanya zip lining kulikuwa na furaha sana, lakini [kufikiria juu ya hilo] kulikuwa jambo baya sana na halikuwa na matokeo hata kidogo". Kwa hiyo alibadili mbinu na kujaribu kujipa msemo wa kutia moyo kwenye skana. "Nilikuwa kama, 'Hebu Katie. Hebu uhamishe kipima-joto. Fanya tu na uihamishe.' Na nilijitia moyo sana. Hilo lilifaulu sana", akasema. "Ilikuwa yenye kusisimua". Pia ilikuwa yenye kuchosha, MacInnes asema. "Uzoefu wa kazi hiyo ulikuwa mgumu sana. Mfano: Mfano wa kuchochea nguvu ya msukumo kwa sekunde 20 kwa muda mrefu. Ilikuwa yenye kuchosha sana kwa watu". Washiriki wa utafiti huo walikuwa na uzoefu kama huo, Adcock asema. Watu fulani waliimba nyimbo za Queen wenyewe au walidhani kwamba kocha mwenye hasira angewapiga kelele. "Nilipenda sana kukimbia mstari huku kila mtu akikupiga makofi", Adcock asema. Wakati alipochukua kipima maoni mbali, washiriki walikuwa bado na uwezo wa kuangaza eneo lao la tegmental ya ventral kwa kufikiria mambo yaleyale. Watu kweli ni kubadilisha hali yao ya moyo wakati wao ni kufanya hili, Adcock anafikiri. Wao ni kweli kuwa zaidi ya kuzingatia na hamu. "Hii inaonekana kuwa athari huanza kufikia sehemu za ubongo zinazohusika na kujifunza na kumbukumbu, ""Tunafikiri hiyo ni ya kuvutia kwa sababu inaonyesha baada ya mafunzo haya, kitu kimebadilika,"" anasema Dickerson." "Ubongo si sawa kabisa". Yeye anafikiri watu wanaweza kuwa kufikia hali ya akili ambayo ni zaidi ya kuwezesha kujifunza na motisha. Ikiwa hilo ni kweli, lingekuwa lenye manufaa sana, Gabrieli asema. "Kutumia MRI ""kuchukua hatua ya kuongoza"" sehemu fulani za ubongo wetu ni jambo ambalo limetumiwa kwa miaka mingi." """Hii ni utafiti wa kwanza kuonyesha kwamba inaweza kutumika kwa muundo muhimu zaidi wa ubongo kwa motisha ya binadamu." Hilo laweza kuwa lenye thamani sana kwa mambo ambayo watu wanataka kutimiza maishani." "Kama vile ilivyo katika baadhi ya masomo ya zamani, ""kuanza au kuvunja tabia ni ngumu sana,"" Gabrieli anasema." "Kitu cha kusisimua sana ni kama sasa watu wanaweza kutumia utafiti huu ujao kupata udhibiti wa tabia ambazo ni changamoto, "anasema. "Mazoea ya afya, mazoea ya kula, kuacha kuvuta sigara na mtu mwenye uraibu anaweza kutumia hii kwa mafanikio?" Na huenda siku moja ikawa chombo cha kitiba. Kwa mfano, kikundi hiki cha pekee cha chembe za neva katika ubongo wa kati ni sehemu ya mfumo wa dopamini. Adcock anafikiri kuamsha neuroni kwa njia hii inaweza pia kuwa kutolewa dopamine ambayo inaweza kuchukua nafasi ya tiba ya dawa kwa matatizo fulani. "Kwa mfano, katika ADHD, tunatumia dawa za kuchochea ambazo husababisha kutolewa kwa kemikali za ubongo za aina hiyo", Adcock anasema. "Je, mbinu hii hutokeza aina ileile ya dopamini ambayo kichocheo hutokeza? Ikiwa tutawafundisha watu kuitumia kwa mafanikio, tunaweza kuathiri uangalifu." Lakini hakuna anayejua kama hii kwa kweli hubadilisha kemia ya ubongo. MacInnes anasema kuna majaribio zaidi na vipimo wanahitaji kuona kama uanzishaji wa ubongo wanaona kweli inatoa dopamine au neurochemicals nyingine. Hata hivyo, Adcock anasema hakuna athari kwa kemikali za neva kama dawa kama Adderall, ambayo hutumiwa kutibu ADHD. Hata hivyo, Adcock amesema bado hakuna utafiti ulioonyesha kama watu waliobadilika tabia zao baada ya uchunguzi huo. Tangu utafiti huo, watu wamekuwa wakijaribu mikakati hiyo hiyo ili kujichochea katika maisha yao ya kila siku, kulingana na Adcock. "Kama inafanya kazi, mafunzo ya ubongo katika MRI inaweza kuwa njia kwa ajili yetu ya kuunganisha katika ""mzunguko"" wa akili yetu kwa ajili ya nguvu ya mapenzi." Gabrieli anasema kwamba hilo lingekuwa jambo zuri sana. Copyright 2021 NPR Kwa maelezo zaidi, tembelea www.nl.org.