4 Go-To Skills to Support Your Mental Health During COVID–19 (and Beyond)

Posted on May 23, 2020 by Alexandra Moussa-Tooks

We’re living in a very stressful time due to the sweeping, global effects of the COVID–19 pandemic. Although much of the focus has been on physical health, mental health is equally important during these times. Broad feelings of uncertainty, job loss, fear, and drastic changes to our normal schedules and activities take a toll on our mental well-being. Some might be experiencing increased anxiety, sadness, or loneliness, difficulties with concentration or focus, and fatigue and sleep disturbances. These psychological experiences are expected when under stress and may, in turn, impact our physical health.

Below are four of the skills that I have relied on to maintain and support my mental health during COVID–19, though their utility extends to any time I’m experiencing stress in my life. I take these skills from cognitive behavioral approaches.

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Ethics in Research: What is the IACUC?

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Chloe Holden

Research with humans and animals is a complex task, requiring scientists to go through an approval process to ensure humane treatment of their participants, no matter the species. This is an introduction to research ethics applications for those interested in doing research with humans and animals. Part 1 focused on research in humans. In this post, we’ll focus on animal research.

Pictured is a mouse that is typically used in lab animal research labs. — Mice are frequently used in animal research on studies ranging from behavior, genetics, cognition, and more. CC0 on Pixabay.

The Animal Welfare Act of 1966 was brought about by two major media publications. In Sports Illustrated, Pepper, the Dalmatian, had disappeared from her family’s front yard, only to have been found at an east coast hospital and after having been euthanized, following an experimental medical research study involving an early model of a pacemaker. Pepper had been snatched from her owner’s front yard, and then sold for use in medical research, all without their knowledge. Later, Life magazine published a horrifying piece titled Concentration Camps for Dogs. It focused on a farm in Maryland, where dogs had been kept under inhumane conditions before being sold to research laboratories. After the release of these stories, public outcries forced the US Congress into action, and spearheaded by Senator Bob Dole, the first version of the Animal Welfare Act was enacted.

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Ethics in Research: What is the IRB?

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Lana Ruck

Research with humans and animals is a complex task, requiring scientists to go through an approval process to ensure humane treatment of their participants, no matter the species. This is an introduction to research ethics applications for those interested in doing research with humans and animals. In part 1, we’ll focus on research in humans, which is overseen by something called the Institutional Review Board.

Across many fields, scientific research involving humans has a dark history, and many studies conducted in the past are completely unethical both in their original contexts and now. In America, examples include the Tuskegee Study on syphilis, which ran for over 40 years, and Henrietta Lacks’ ovarian cancer cells which were used in scientific research for decades without her or her family’s knowledge. Because of these and other historical atrocities conducted in the name of science, international standards for conducting ethical research have been established and enforced for the past several decades.

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Expanding ‘The Matrix’ of science: The Newman lab inside and out

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Riddhi Sood

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) assistant professor Dr. Ehren Newman studies circuitry in the brain, particularly the circuitry that is associated with the making of stories and the retrieval of memories. Newman’s background as a computational neuroscientist enables him to bring a plethora of new insight into his current field of systems cognitive psychology.

Memory is a complex process with multiple facets. “We don’t remember everything that happens to us with equal probability,” he observes. “Instead, we have fragmented memories of things of varying lengths.” So, how do we choose which memories to store and later recall? Newman uses a combination of computational modeling and experimental work in rats to provide a holistic view of this problem. The Newman lab explores “how various pieces of neural tissue work together at the right time and in the right order to actually give you a memory.” This research, he believes, will ultimately lead to a better understanding of human mental health conditions associated with memory distortion, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia. Learning about the circuit-based mechanisms of memory will conceivably help in the diagnoses, treatment, and in potentially developing a cure for these diseases.

Newman’s love for his work started when he was 11 years old. He was enthralled by “The Matrix,” a film that portrays a world in which brain systems are both understood and can be manipulated. “I thought that if we knew how the brain works, we could interact with it in such a way as to be able to fix or cure its dysfunctions.” This was the start of a journey that Newman then passionately continued, reading as many books as he could on the topic before going on to study neuroscience in college and graduate school. Having now established his own lab in PBS devoted to the study of memory, he currently aspires to provide empirical support for the cognitive models that represent memory through his research.

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30 Years of Hubble: Images and Discoveries that Shaped Astronomy

Posted on April 25, 2020 by Jennifer Sieben

Yesterday, April 24th, was the 30th anniversary of the launch of perhaps the most famous telescope: the Hubble Space Telescope. Orbiting the earth, this telescope has changed the way astronomers and the public alike view the universe. With over 1.4 million observations, providing data for more than 16,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers, Hubble has exceeded expectations.

Stunning Images

If you have ever seen an image of a spiral galaxy as a desktop background, textbook cover, or in the background of an inspirational quote, the chances are high that it was taken by Hubble. Images like these highlight the spectacular beauty of our universe and are often a great tool to encourage interest in science. Hubble images demonstrate that science can be more than a mixture of numbers and buggy code; it can also be spiral galaxies that show where new stars are being formed and remind us that the mystery of galaxy formation is still unsolved. New data received from Hubble constantly challenges our preconceived notions about the universe.

A bright spiral galaxy with two prominent arms of red with a blue glow of stars. The center is bright white. — A Hubble image of the Whirlpool Galaxy, featuring pink star-forming regions and brilliant blue strands of star clusters. Image taken in 2011. Image credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

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IU’s take on the cannabis trend

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Riddhi Sood

On March 20, 2019, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Emeritus Dr. Brian O’Donnell and Research Scientist Dr. Alex Straiker met with the student community for a Q&A session entitled “Cannabis: Science and Policy.”

“IU has been the world center for research regarding cannabinoid signaling,” said Dr. Straiker during his address at the Science Café talk. Having studied cannabinoid signaling for more than 20 years, Dr. Straiker mentions the growing enthusiasm for cannabis use in a variety of forms, like essential oils; not only recreationally, but also for the treatment of anxiety, autoimmune disease, inflammation, and pain management.

Dr. Straiker’s introduction to cannabinoid signaling started as a curiosity when an acquaintance mentioned cannabis’s effects. This curiosity led to him pitching cannabis as a potential project to his Ph.D. advisor, and he has never looked back. Dr. O’Donnell’s introduction to cannabis-related research started 12 years ago, when a postdoctoral scholar wondered if there was a connection between the cannabinoid system and psychotic disorders like schizophrenia.

So, when IU’s undergraduate-lead neuroscience club wanted to educate other students about the science of cannabis use, they didn’t have to look further than their own department!

The image shows Cannabis sativa plant. — *Cannabis sativa* plant. *Image credit*: NickyPe (Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/hemp-cannabis-sativa-nature-crop-4354389/).

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Science without a Degree: What is Citizen Science and How to Get Involved

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Jennifer Sieben

Louis Pasteur once said, “Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world.” The act of doing science should not, and cannot, be confined to people in lab coats with multiple degrees squinting at computer screens and scribbling on whiteboards. Exploring the natural world around us should be something everyone can take part in, and that’s what citizen science is. (more…)

COVID–19: What is it? What you should know about it?

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Haley Jordan

Obviously, we have all heard about COVID–19, the novel coronavirus outbreak that originated at a seafood market in Wuhan China. There is a LOT of information out there about COVID–19 but there are also still many open questions that we are desperately looking for answers to. I wanted to tackle this topic from a scientific approach, so what exactly is COVID–19? The Coronavirus family is characterized as an enveloped positive strand RNA virus, much like the SARS-coronavirus that infected people in 2003, but with a slightly different genome. What does that mean? Let’s break it down. (more…)

What’s it like to work with primates? Interviews from the Ape Initiative

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Chloe Holden

This is the fifth installment of the Primate Conversation Series. Click these links to see parts one, two, three, and four.

What is it like working with nonhuman primates on a regular basis?

Chelsea: I think the analogy that is most accurate would be working with children, except they are 100 pounds and potentially very threatening. For the most part my day is about keeping them happy and busy – I get to think up off the wall things that wouldn’t be kosher anywhere else. Things like a Spaghetti pinata, they loved it! A game of greased watermelon? They scooped it up in a second flat, but they really enjoyed having a whole entire watermelon. Most days the bonobos are happy and playful and want your attention 24/7. Some days they are mad or upset or you have to clean, but they decided you having the broom is the worst thing that ever happened.

Gaila: It is fascinating and interesting every day. It is also dirty and sweaty and can be physically difficult.

Emily: It’s challenging but very rewarding and fun at the same time. Our bonobos are very strong-willed and can be stubborn at times, which can be frustrating. But it is very rewarding to see them so happy and healthy and know that I’m part of the team that takes such excellent care of them.

Amanda: It’s a tough but incredibly rewarding job. Every day I learn something new about them and how we can help give them the best possible life here in Iowa.

Coconut and cantaloupe party!! Check out how Clara, Nyota, and Teco try to open their 🥥🥥

Posted by Ape Cognition & Conservation Initiative on Sunday, October 20, 2019

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You’re not too important to pick up poop: The quirks and perks of working with primates

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Chloe Holden

This is the fourth installment to the Primate Conversation Series, click these links to see parts one, two, and three.

For the past three and a half years, I have been volunteering at the Ape Initiative as part of my research interests in primatology and cognition research. The Ape Initiative is a non-profit research and conservation facility that is home to 7 bonobos (Pan paniscus) and counting! Bonobos are one of the closest living relatives to humans, sharing about 98-99% of their DNA. Their natural habitat is in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they are threatened by deforestation, poaching, the exotic pet trade, and caught in the crossfires of the country’s civil war. My own research project just started this month, but I’ve already learned that there’s a lot of work that goes on behind-the-scenes of research with primates, and a lot of it is about taking care of the animals themselves.

Pictured are the seven bonobo residents of the Ape Initiative. Starting in the top left to right is Kanzi, Maisha, Elikya and Nyota. The bottom row from left to right is Mali, Clara, and Teco. — The bonobos of Ape Initiative. Starting from the top left is Kanzi, Maisha, Elikya, Nyota, then the bottom left is Mali, Clara, and Teco.
Photo credit: Ape Initiative

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ScIUConversations in Science at Indiana University