News by Subject Social & Behavior

Language, empathy, attention - as different as these abilities may be, one brain region is involved in all these processes: The inferior parietal lobe (IPL). Yet until now it was unclear exactly what role it plays in these profoundly human abilities. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences have now shown that the IPL comes into play when we need to interpret our environment.

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have found that that during the processing of rewards that change in value over time, dopamine neurons exhibit a pattern of neuronal activity that is distinct from previously established neuronal firing related to reward prediction. This work opens the door for future research regarding the way in which rewards are processed, and more broadly, the way that dopamine neurons process information in real-time.

A Tokyo Medical and Dental University study on children sought a connection between impatience and living through a disaster: the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. A game simulating ability to delay reward showed that, among traumas, children who lost their housing were more likely to seek immediate gratification. Those experiencing other traumas did not show this tendency. This stress and instability of a child losing their home may increase impatience.

The Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases Study (RUDY) JAPAN is a digital platform for supporting research collaboration between patients and researchers. Osaka University-led researchers modified this from the RUDY UK system to attempt collaborative research in the context of Japan. The online RUDY framework let study participants self-report and monitor their conditions, while patient partners could effectively guide research design via the Steering Committee, and co-create new survey methodology such as the development of questionnaires.