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- All Subjects: Neuroscience
- Creators: Harrington Bioengineering Program
- Creators: Conrad, Cheryl
commands designed to streamline post-processing of MRI images. Using this partnership, the Applied Neuroscience and Technology Lab at PCH has been able to complete production of a post-processing pipeline which integrates locally sourced smoothing techniques to help identify lesions in patients with evidence of Focal Cortical Dysplasia. The end result is a system in which a patient with epilepsy may experience more successful post-surgical results due to the
combination of a lesion detection mechanism and the radiologist using their trained eye in the presurgical stages. As one of the main points of this work is the global aspect of it, Barrett thesis funding was dedicated for a trip to London in order to network with other MELD project collaborators. This was a successful trip for the project as a whole in addition to this particular thesis. The ability to troubleshoot problems with one another in a room full of subject matter
experts allowed for a high level of discussion and learning. Future work includes implementing machine learning approaches which consider all morphometry parameters simultaneously.
Advancing the understanding and treatment of many neurological disorders can be achieved by improving methods of neuronal detection at increased depth in the mammalian brain. Different cell subtypes cannot be detected using non-invasive techniques beyond 1 mm from cortical surface, in the context of targeting particular cell types in vivo (Wang, 2012). These limitations in the depth of imaging and targeting are due to optical scattering (Ntziachristos, 2010). In order to overcome these restrictions, longer wavelength fluorescent proteins have been utilized by researchers to see tagged cells at depth. Optical techniques such as two-photon and confocal microscopy have been used in combination with fluorescent proteins to expand depth, but are still limited by the penetration depth of light due to optical scattering (Lee, 2015). This research aims to build on other detection methods, such as the photoacoustic effect and automated fluorescence-guided electrophysiology, to overcome this limitation.
This paper provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the relationship between beauty and addiction, with a focus on the emerging field of neuroaesthetics. Neuroaesthetics investigates the neural mechanisms that underlie aesthetic experiences and how the brain cognitively processes beauty. Since there is a biological foundation of this report, I will predominantly discuss neuroanatomy, neurological studies, and the overlap in neural circuitry between beauty and addiction. In addition, I will discuss the philosophical roots of beauty, as well as the environmental elements involved. Chapter 1 begins by explaining the history of beauty and its importance. I discuss the main constituents of beauty and differentiate between key terms involved in the beauty experience. In order to understand the link between beauty and addiction, it is essential to have a knowledgeable background on what beauty is. Next, I discuss the neurobiology of addiction. The main component of this chapter involves the mesolimbic and mesocortical reward pathways. I also describe neuroanatomical terms involved in addiction. The last chapter considers the implications of neuroaesthetics in various studies, which primarily involve the use of fMRIs. I discuss the sensory evaluations of beauty and the brain regions involved in the beauty experience. From this, I found that the experience of beauty activates these main brain regions: PFC, amygdala, striatum, NAcc, cingulate, VTA, and most remarkably, field A1 of the mOFC. By combining the neurological studies with studies of aesthetics, I reached the conclusion that there is an overlap in the neural pathways during the experience of beauty and during addiction. Although it is necessary for further research to be conducted to properly declare this, I discovered that the pursuit of beauty can lead to addictive behaviors, as the reward centers of the brain are activated by aesthetic experiences.