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Community Spirit By Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D

Community spirit is the fabric of life in Harfield Village.  But what exactly is community spirit and how does our brain allow us to have it?


By Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.



Community spirit is the feeling of being involved in and concerned about one’s local neighbourhood. It’s about having the freedom to enjoy one’s own life while considering and living in close proximity to folk who might have different values and backgrounds to our own. It’s also about giving up selfishness - having altruism - that is, being able to think about the greater good instead of focusing on one’s own needs. We are so lucky in Harfield Village to live among an eclectic mix of people of different ages, cultures, backgrounds and opinions who all live together in harmony. Community spirit is also about taking a collective approach to shared spaces, such as looking after our lovely parks, supporting our local businesses and keeping an eye on crime. Community spirit is at the heart of African culture, and is highlighted by the notion of Ubuntu, which means “we are who we are through others”. So, how does our selfish brain - which is primarily concerned about keeping our individual selves alive and well – become a social brain?

The social brain is supported by a network of regions functioning together that enable mentalising, or the ability to understand how we might be perceived by others. It also enables us to empathise with how another might feel, even if they are of a different age, gender or cultural background. Mentalising is sometimes also known as Theory of Mind, which means being able to imagine the mind of another person or a group of people. This is the basis of community spirit, allowing us to think about how our behaviour might be perceived within the neighbourhood and adapting to emerging norms. Theory of mind also allows us to police ourselves, for example, by not playing music loudly because it might annoy our neighbours, or not letting our garbage overflow into the street. But also, mentalising, or Theory of Mind, allows us to empathise about how others feel when engaging in activities in the neighbourhood, such as the pleasure of walking one’s dog in the park, joining local public events, or enjoying our local top-class cafes and restaurants.


The main areas of the brain that function to allow us to have a strong sense of community spirit include: the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the amygdala and related reward/arousal regions (such as the striatum, insula and hippocampus), and the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex (ACC/PCC), which is a ‘collar’ of grey matter that encircles the midbrain structures. The advanced areas of the visual cortex, such as the fusiform gyrus and the precuneus enable us to recognise familiar faces in the street. So, the next time you see Lew Norgarb in his tuk-tuk, you’ll know that these visual cortex areas in your brain will be at work! Modern neuroimaging techniques allow us to model what happens when these brain areas don’t function as well as they should. For example, when the mPFC is damaged or has not developed properly, as in the case of folk living with autism, people struggle with Theory of Mind. That means, that it is difficult to empathise with the feelings of others, which can, in milder cases, underlie social anxiety. Also, an excessively functioning arousal system (incorporating the amygdala, striatum and hippocampus), which is experienced by those people struggling with the ravages of addiction, might seem to act in a selfish way. But in essence they have (temporarily) lost the ability to engage executive prefrontal cortex functions that enable one to consider the perspective of others. The good news is – as I have said before – our brains are very flexible, and so we can learn to strengthen the connections supporting our social brain!

Another factor that strengthens community spirit and brain processes of mentalising, is story telling – keeping a story in mind about our local community. In real-life terms, this means we can share stories about regular events that engage our community and develop memories and a timeline.

For example, the recent Halloween get-together for kids in one of our local parks, has given us a wonderful memory to cherish, as does the regular Harfield Village carnival that evoke memories of fun, laughter and good times shared. Story telling activates ‘feel-good’ hormones in the brain, such as oxytocin and dopamine – this is why gossiping, a form of socially-cohesive story telling – often feels quite pleasant (if done with good intentions of course!). And storytelling activates mirror neurons, so that even if you did not experience the Halloween antics of our local children and parents, or have not attended our local carnival yet, or enjoyed the wonderful food on offer in our many cafes and restaurants, simply hearing the story will make you want to stay, and be part of the wonderful community that is Harfield Village!



Dr Samantha Brooks is a neuroscientist at the UCT Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, specialising in the neural correlates of impulse control from eating disorders to addiction.  For more information on neuroscience at UCT and to contact Samantha, see www.drsamanthabrooks.com.


Click to read all previous articles by Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.



What can neuroscience tell us about the brain processes of panic?

Panic stations are upon us – the water crisis deepens and Day Zero is fast approaching.  But what can neuroscience tell us about the brain processes of panic, and how we can get a handle on them? 

By Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.


These days in Cape Town, raw emotions are running high as we are reminded daily that our water supply is running out. The taps in our homes could soon – if day zero arrives – be turned off. It is a prospect that fills people’s cognitions with fear and leaves us questioning, “how did we get here?”.


The thought of losing our vital, life-affirming water supply has contributed to the emergence of the water guzzler sub-species of folk, who we continue to hear about in the local news despite disaster being imminent.  These folk continue to behave in this way, because our emotions parse with and hijack our cogntions, and fear transforms into panic. Desperate times call for desperate measures, as the water guzzlers take a narrow perspective to ensure that their homes - regardless of the water restrictions applied to everybody else - have plenty of water.  Panic is inevitably fueled by raw, affective rage – and people not only act in denial (which is also a river in Egypt with lots of water!), but also begin fighting each other as they fill their 25 litre cannisters.   The basic negative emotions (also known as affective states) of FEAR, PANIC and RAGE are what the late, great neuroscientist, Professor Jaak Panksepp called primary processes, which are common to animals too.

Humans however, can choose to exert control over these primary processes (which originate from activation of mid-brain areas, such as the amygdala), by exercising secondary processes of learning and memory (found in the hippocampus) that strengthen tertiary processes to remember our future intentions and exercise self-control (in the prefrontal cortex). But what are the practical steps that we can take to exert control over our primary processes during this water crisis?



We need to remember the bigger picture perspective if we are going to alter our water consumption habits and quell the natural tendency to descend into behaviours fuelled by fear, panic and rage. We can consciously pay more attention to our relationship with water, and use small amounts to wash, shower over a bucket and use the short eco-cycle on the washing machine once a week. By taking conscious control in this way, we will find that our primary emotions of fear, panic and rage begin to lessen, and we may avert the arrival of day zero.

But what if day zero actually comes? Capetonians must remember that the tertiary processes in the prefrontal cortex of the brain are what allow us to keep control of ourselves. If we must adhere to new, unfamiliar rules, such as the daily collection of 25 litres of water, it will be our prefrontal cortex that enables us to adapt to this rule and survive.  Our prefrontal cortex - if we practice to be conscious of our water usage habits now – will learn how to regulate primary emotions and keep fear, panic and rage at bay.  And our secondary processes in the hippocampus brain networks will help us to remember how precious our short supply of water is.  In the end, perhaps the whole world will learn from Capetonians, about how to use our brains to cope with the emotional consequences of a changing climate.

Dr Samantha Brooks is a neuroscientist at the UCT Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, specialising in the neural correlates of impulse control from eating disorders to addiction.  For more information on neuroscience at UCT and to contact Samantha, see www.drsamanthabrooks.com.





 Click to read all previous articles by Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D. 







NEUROSCIENCE ABOUT CELEBRATIONS



Easter and the Harfield Village Carnival is here again!  What can neuroscience tell us about the traditions and rituals of groups of people coming together to celebrate?

By Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.




The Easter story is perhaps the most important festival in the Christian calendar and celebrates the metaphor behind Jesus’s resurrection.  It celebrates those who loved him after his death. The story also involves the Supper at Emmaus – where Jesus appeared as an apparition during what is now Easter Sunday.  As the group sat down to enjoy the feast Jesus was not at first recognised by two of his disciples and the Innkeeper.  Soon into their supper however, with surprise and joy they realised whom this temporary visitor really was! Throughout the Easter story, while tragedy is of course central, there is also a lot of joy and remembrance of love, with people feasting together on good food after a period of abstinence (Lent).  Many religions follow similar practices – fasting, feasting and being together with friends, family and loved ones.  We are lucky in Harfield Village to live together in harmony with many people who hold different religious beliefs but who enjoy sharing that universal human joy of celebrating together. What can neuroscience tell us about the very human behaviour of feasting and celebrating together?

Neurotheology - or spiritual neuroscience - attempts to explain religious behaviour from a brain-based perspective.  Most famously, during the 1980s Michael Persinger stimulated the temporal lobes of human subjects with a weak magnetic field using an apparatus known as the "God helmet".  Persinger demonstrated that many of his subjects claimed to experience a "sensed presence" during stimulation.  However, subsequent studies found it difficult to replicate the findings that magnetic stimulation to the brain could evoke the personal feelings of the sense of a higher presence.  Rather, the collective personality characteristics of groups of people most likely contribute to suggestibility and religious experience.  Nevertheless, famous neuroscientists such as Vilayanur S. Ramachandran firmly believe that our religious beliefs are not formed from outside forces – but rather from within ourselves. 

Having our individual, subjective experiences verified by collective suggestion can be very powerful and self-affirming.  As such, neuroscientists suggest that this collective consciousness can hold us together and help to transfer memes – or ideas – about normality within groups.  The Harfield Village Carnival may not be a religious gathering per se – but the festival helps to solidify a sense of collective community and image about what it means to be a Harfielder.  Inviting outsiders from other Cape Town suburbs to join in our celebrations increases a sense of collective spirit.  The carnival – in common with most religious festivities – rewards our coming together with eating, drinking and making merry; all pastimes that help to reduce stress, increase dopamine and the bonding brain hormone oxytocin.  Is it any wonder then, that most religions – including Christianity at Easter – use food and drink and good company as focal points to reinforce beliefs?  Classical and operant conditioning – learning processes – involve the release of dopamine in the middle part of the brain (the basal ganglia), and enable us to associate our coming together to celebrate with pleasure.  And in the same way that Easter Eggs are a powerful reminder to us to celebrate an aspect of the Christian calendar, so too is the image of Lew Norgarb zipping around on his tuck-tuck during the wonderful Harfield Village Carnival!




So have a wonderful time during this year’s festivities Harfielders, whatever religion you follow, and make sure to enjoy the feelings our brains allow us to have when sharing our celebrations!



Dr Samantha Brooks is a UK neuroscientist working with the University of Cape Town, specialising in the neural correlates of impulse control from eating disorders to addiction.  For more information on neuroscience at UCT and to contact Samantha, see www.drsamanthabrooks.com.

Click to read all previous articles by Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.








NEUROSCIENCE OF DELAYED GRATIFICATION

The neuroscience of delayed gratification: how our brains help us look forward to the holidays and a better post-pandemic future.

By Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.


In the current climate of pandemic, where lockdowns and limits to our everyday freedoms have become the new-normal, we have had to quickly learn how to delay our gratification.  This means putting off the possibility of enjoying life’s pleasures in the immediate present, in favour of rewards in the future.  The ability of our brain to look to a brighter future has never been more important.  As we look forward to the fun and festivities of the holiday season, it’s good to think about how our brain enables this very human quality of being able to see into our future by planning ahead.  So how do our brains do it, and what happens when it doesn’t do this so well?

Delayed gratification – also known as temporal discounting or delay discounting – is a process seemingly unique to the human brain.  It involves a psychological skill called working memory – the ability to hold in mind thoughts about the future while ignoring immediate distractions.  It can also be thought of as our ability to imagine things that don’t yet exist, but things that we are looking forward to.  Applying this unique psychological skill to the clear and present danger of the COVID-19 pandemic can usefully help us not to get depressed about losing some of our past freedoms – to visit family and friends, to enjoy going to the shops without a mask, large social get-togethers.  It pays to focus on the future, while washing our hands, socially distancing and wearing our masks, because the pandemic won’t be here forever.  And labs all across the world are creating vaccines that may mean that next year’s holiday season is almost back to normal again. Doesn’t the possibility of a future without pandemic feel good?

The feel-good factor stems from dopamine release in subcortical regions of the brain responsible for motivation and reward.  So, the more we imagine a positive future, the better we feel and the more motivated we are to achieve it, because our brain is literally being bathed in dopamine as it squirts out from the ventral tegmental area when we think positively. 

The aspects of liking and wanting something are also associated with dopamine, in a subcortical area called the nucleus accumbens, which may have had reduced functioning over the past lockdown periods.  But when we think about the future we like and want, dopamine travels along white matter tracts and is received by areas of the prefrontal cortex – particularly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex – which allows us to hold in mind an image of that better future.  It’s the same process experienced when keeping in mind the images evoked when reading an enjoyable book.  These mental images can remain in mind for a delayed period of time and help us to shape the future we want.  

When this subcortical dopamine process is too excessive and we cannot exercise restraint over immediate rewards, or if we cannot put off the desire for life to return to normal now, we may experience impulsive behaviours in the present.  For example, the curbs on everyday life experienced during lockdown have been an extremely negative situation for many, with many limits to life enduring post-lockdown to prevent a second wave in South Africa.  There is a motivation to release the tension caused by these frustrating, negative situations, as we see when people become aggressive or break the law.  But the skill is to exercise this unique, human power of being able to imagine a better future, which will ultimately strengthen the cortical and subcortical brain pathways that enable us to cope with uncertainty, however long it lasts.

So, as we approach a slightly different holiday season this year, we must remember to exercise our brain’s working memory processes, so that we will not only feel good in the now, but we will feel good again in the post-pandemic world – and learn that we don’t really need to buy so much toilet paper!  Happy Holidays Harfielders! 

Dr Samantha Brooks is a UK neuroscientist in Harfield Village, specialising in the neural correlates of impulse control from eating disorders to addiction.  For more information you can contact Samantha at: drsamanthabrooks.com 

Click to read all previous articles by Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.


Mother’s Day in the Mother City

Mother’s Day in the Mother City – The Neuroscience of Mother-Child relationships

By Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.

It’s the time of year that we demonstrate our love and devotion to our mothers – and thank them for all the hard work they put in to raising us over the years!  Neuroscience research examining the attachments we had with our mothers or caregivers as children shows us what our relationship patterns are likely to be in adulthood.

Neuroscience shows us that thankfully, the vast majority of people in any given society had what is called a secure-attachment with their mother or caregiver. This means that most people in adulthood have active strategies to develop a sense of independence (proximity removal) from their mother or caregiver – just like birds who eventually fly the nest!  This means that people who were securely attached to their mother or caregiver as a child will engage in the world as an active researcher – and will not fear spontaneously exploring their world.  And as such, securely attached individuals view themselves positively and have positive relationships with others.  Think of Nelson Mandela’s attachment to his mother – he would one day return to the nest that he left, to make her proud of his wonderful worldly achievements!

However, neuroscience also shows us that there are minorities of individuals who had different styles of attachment to their mother or caregiver as a child.  These other types of attachment are called avoidant, unresolved or pre-occupied.

Children who had an avoidant attachment experienced a mother or caregiver who was either emotionally unavailable or inconsistent in emotional responding.  This type of attachment might create an adult who is driven to be detached or emotionally unavailable in relationships.  This will show in adulthood as an irritable character who develops a view that others are variable, and that their own true self is inaccessible to others.  Such people in adulthood might take great pride in feeling inaccessible to others, and refuse to admit dependency on others.  We may wish to consider the relationship that Jacob Zuma had with his mother, as during his presidency he appeared to relish his inaccessibilty, while denying that his popularity depended on the will of the South African people.

In contrast, those who had what is called an unresolved attachment to their mother or caregiver during childhood, while also trying to detach from others in adulthood, will additionally feel hostile to the outside world.  People from an unresolved child-mother relationship will feel scared of others in adulthood, and view themselves as either victims (weak) or as heroes (strong).  We may wish to consider the plight of Oscar Pistorius and the relationship he may have had with his caregiver.  While on the one hand, he saw himself as a hero for the nation, winning medals at the olympics, he also seemed, in the end, to be so afraid of society that he slept with a gun under his pillow.


And finally, people with a preoccupied attachment style would have experienced a mother or caregiver who was uncertain in feelings towards them as a child.  People with a preoccupied attachment with their caregiver will adopt manipulative behaviours in adulthood in an attempt to gain a sense of nearness to a person they have a relationship with. Such behaviours will be driven by a sense of dependence and fear that they may lose their significant other in adulthood.  And such an adult will learn to view themselves as having an ‘uncaring’ attitude, or what is called conditioned amiability, while at the same time viewing others as untrustworthy or unpredictable. One may think of the many gangsters who have found themselves living on the Cape Flats, whose communities were torn apart during the 1960s.  Gangsters may have had a preoccupied attachment style as their families spent their energies instead, trying to cope with the forced removals of the Apartheid government.  This would certainly help to explain why gangsters appear uncaring and not able to trust others.

So when we celebrate Mother’s Day this year, especially if you are a new mother, think about the importance of attachment between mother and child.  And be thankful that most in society have had a secure attachment with their mother, which makes most of us view ourselves, the world and others in a positive light.  Happy Mother’s Day to all our wonderful mothers, who do the best they can!

Dr Samantha Brooks is a cognitive neuroscientist specialising in the neural correlates of impulse control from eating disorders to addiction.  For more information on neuroscience and to contact Samantha, see www.drsamanthabrooks.com.

Click to read all previous articles by Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.







WOMEN'S DAY IN SOUTH AFRICA

 It is Women’s Day on 9th August in South Africa, so what can we learn from neuroscience about the brains of strong African women?

By Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.





The annual Women’s Day in South Africa happens again this year on the 9th August 2019, and what
better way to celebrate, than to think about the brains of strong women throughout the world who have challenged the status quo and left their mark indelibly on the world.  Think of Rosa Parks, the brilliant black woman in the US who, with bravery and grit, famously refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person during the infamous – akin to apartheid – Jim Crow laws.  And more recently Michelle Obama became the first black First Lady of the United States of America, pioneering her own social campaigns during her husband’s presidency.  In South Africa in 1932, Margaret Levyns became the first woman to be awarded a degree from the University of Cape Town for her thesis on Cape flora entitled, 'A taxonomic study of Lobostemon and Echiostachys'.  This was remarkable given the zeitgeist, especially in countries with a British influence that discouraged the admittance of women into higher education alongside men.  This idea was fostered at the time, by the likes of the revered UK physician Dr Henry Maudsley (see his Oxford University debate, ‘Sex in Mind and Education’) who said that a woman should not pursue intellectual activities alongside men at university, because the energy she consumes to do so will damage her  reproductive system and her mental health! Thank goodness strong women in the fair Cape and across the world continue to thrive in intellectual circles, proving that Dr Maudsley was wrong.

Women throughout history have faced comparable oppressive and discriminatory processes that the general black populace experienced during the apartheid years in South Africa.  And in other Western countries not so long ago, women could not buy property, gain a pension or go into a bar alone without the presence of a man.  And in some countries still, females are unable, without being arrested, to ride bicycles, drive a car or go out alone in public.  So how is it that some women are able to stand up against the tide of traditional societal pressure, to succeed and alter the prevailing views, despite the odds?  Think of women who grew up in a township, like Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, from Langa – a Cape Flats shanty town on the outskirts of Cape Town – who beat the odds to gain an education that included world class research at the prestigious Harvard University in the USA.  She then returned to Cape Town, to help lead the Truth and Reconcilliation Committee in the mid 1990s, and is now a leading Professor at Stellenbosch University.  And most recently, think of the current Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, the ‘Fab Academic’ Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, an expert world-renowned mathematician who is leading processes to raise the confidence and work ethic in South African university students. How then might the brain and mind of such women work? Without placing them in a brain scanner, we can at least draw conclusions from brain imaging studies of people who demonstrate resilience – or grit – and courage in the face of adversity and long-standing challenges and firmly held traditional beliefs.

As a personality trait, grit involves the ability to strive to achieve long-term goals with passion and
perseverance and plays a crucial role in most forms of achievement. Neuroscientists have recently discovered that the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) – a brain area at the top of your mid-forehead – is activated during an experiment to test grit. The DMPFC brain activity was associated with self-regulation, planning, goal setting and memory maintenance, allowing for reflection on past failures but with a counterfactual viewpoint.  In other words, people who demonstrate grit are able to keep themselves focussed, without losing their passion and belief in a greater goal, while at the same time not getting discouraged by past failures.  And so this pattern of brain activity might be the key to the success of strong women – it is not easy to change the world overnight, but a woman can learn to keep passionate and focussed on her long-term ambitions in the presence of adversity that tries to tell her to stop.  This is something to teach our daughters, as the world is only getting tougher for women, particularly in the post-Trump era.

So on this Women’s Day in South Africa, think of the women in your life who demonstrate grit on a daily basis – be it your wife, mother, sister, daughter, auntie, neighbour, shop-keeper, lawyer, bus driver, petrol station attendant, doctor, bank clerk, homeless person asking you for money at the robot with her baby.  Think of the things these women do on a daily basis – often without asking for praise and encouragement – to buck the traditional views held by some about a woman’s role in society.  Think of the women you encounter on Women’s Day this year, and celebrate their remarkable brains!  Happy Women’s Day Harfield Women!

Dr Samantha Brooks is a UK neuroscientist in Harfield Village, specialising in the neural correlates of impulse control from eating disorders to addiction.  For more information you can contact Samantha at: www.drsamanthabrooks.com.

Click to read all previous articles by Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.













FATHER'S DAY IN SOUTH AFRICAN

Father’s Day in South Africa – what can neuroscience tell us about the brain processes associated with the relationship we have with our father?

By Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, famously described the complex relationship sons and daughters have with their fathers.  The Oedipus Complex was born out of psychoanalysis to describe the ‘if you can’t beat him, join him’ trope of learning about power from one’s father.  Taken from the Greek Tragedy Oedipus Rex, the story plays out when the son unknowingly courts the affections of a woman who turns out to be his mother, and in the process unwittingly kills his main rival (his father).  The angst that Oedipus experiences when he realises what he has done, leads him to gouge out his eyes at the end of the play.  The metaphor behind Freud’s borrowing of the story for his psychoanalytic theory is rooted in the notion that a son or daughter desires to be as powerful as the father in the family. And that this insatiable desire causes uncontrollable anxiety and despair if not accepted during childhood.


The brain, according to psychoanalytic tradition, develops to harbour the unconscious phantasy of overpowering the father – an individual’s very first experience with competition.  But as this motivation is impossible  to satisfy in a child, the brain develops to internalise the values and characteristics of the powerful father.  Both sons and daughters – according to psychoanalytic tradition – learn the meaning of power in the presence of the mother’s submission.  Without internalising the power from the father, or without coming to terms with the anxiety of not being able to overpower the father, it is suggested by psychoanalytic theory that mental illness is a common outcome.  Anxiety disorders and self-esteem issues may occur if the anxiety about one’s own powerlessness as a child is not accepted.  And for those without a father figure to internalise during childhood, deviant anti-social behaviour in both males and females can occur.  According to Don Pinnock – the famous author of the book Gang Town, this can be seen in the widespread gang culture of Cape Town’s Cape Flats, where many young boys have grown up without powerful father figures to internalise during their mental development.  As a result, these young men have cognitive traits and behaviours that illuminate a hidden disregard for power within society.  Most gangsters think that they are more powerful than the civil laws of society.  Yet, gangsters will still look for guidance from the most powerful gang member in their community, until they become the leader and the most powerful themselves.

Yet, what of the everyday person on the streets of Harfield Village?  How does the childhood relationship with their father play out in brain development?  Recent research suggests that paternity – in much the same way as maternity – has a distinct neural process that is mimicked, via mirror neurons in the growing child. Having access (if not specifically a parent) to a male and female role model during childhood can help foster these brain processes.  Maternity is stereotypically nurturing, empathic and soothing, whereas by contrast, paternity is governed by mastery of the external world, outward looking for ‘threats to survival’ and exploration.  These might be out-dated gender distinctions in the modern world, however, where previously gender-specific roles are now commonly shared by gender-fluid people born into a particular sex category.  Nurturing traits are largely related to emotion-related neural circuitry in the basal ganglia for example, whereas goal-driven mastery is largely a prefrontal cortex function.  Clearly, both fathers and mothers have these brain regions and are holistic human beings who can be both nurturing and goal-driven.  However, in more traditional, paternal societies like some parts of Africa, it is likely that the father adopts cognitions and behaviours that are less nurturing and soothing, and more related to prefrontal cortex goal-driven behaviours that are outward looking.  It has been said that daughters who form closer bonds with their fathers than with their mothers learn to mimic these outward-looking traits, and become successful leaders and pioneers. 

The take-home message is that – regardless of whether we are a son or a daughter - our brains function under both masculine and feminine qualities.  But sometimes we can learn to internalise the cognitions and behaviours of a father figure who helps us to navigate the world.  And during this time of celebration on Father’s Day in Harfield Village, we can all at least celebrate the  election of the latest Father of the Nation, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa! And we can hope that he will successfully lead all South Africans towards greater prosperity.  Happy Father’s Day Harfielders!

Dr Samantha Brooks is a cognitive neuroscientist specialising in the neural correlates of impulse control from eating disorders to addiction.  For more information on neuroscience and to contact Samantha, see www.drsamanthabrooks.com.






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What does it take to forge a career as a neuroscientist?

School term is fast drawing to a close for another year – and while learners are thinking about their next steps – what does it take to forge a career as a neuroscientist? 
By Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.


Being a neuroscientist is about learning to accurately study the brain, how it functions in health and mental disorder, and designing experiments to collect data about the brain and write up findings for an international audience. Being a neuroscientist is an exciting job, and neuroscience is really important in South Africa. For example, a South African neuroscientist could study brain-related illnesses such as addiction and HIV-related cognitive problems that place a huge socio-economic burden on South African society. You don’t have to study medicine to become a neuroscientist, and you can start studying neuroscience at any age. But, like a medical doctor, you’ll need to prepare yourself for a few good years of studying – about 10 years to be precise! Don’t be put off though - after all that studying a wonderful career awaits! The last decade was coined the decade of the brain for good reason - there were many amazing brain-related discoveries, such as the invention of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). fMRI allows neuroscientists to look into the brain while a person is still alive! But we need more neuroscientists to keep making new discoveries!

Studying to become a neuroscientist typically begins with a Bachelor’s degree – finishing at honour’s level - in a subject like psychology, physiology, computer science, science, mathematics. Students with good matriculation grades in Cape Town can choose to study for an honour’s degree at various excellent universities including the Universities of Cape Town, Western Cape, and Stellenbosch. After gaining an honour’s degree, students will typically go on to study towards a Master’s degree in a science-related subject – which can be completed over 1 (full-time) or 2 (part-time) years. During Master’s study, a student will learn about neurons (brain cells), the way neurons connect (synapses, dendrites), the organisation of the brain (neuroanatomy), how the brain works (neuronal activation), both in health and disorder (e.g. neuropsychiatry), on a macro level (e.g. brain scans) and on a micro level (e.g. cellular systems, neurotransmitters, genes). Completing a Master’s degree (usually with a thesis and sometimes also exams) will equip a person with the necessary knowledge, writing skills and analytic thinking to continue onto doctoral level towards a Ph.D.

Gaining a Ph.D. in neuroscience typically takes about 3-4 years, and students are expected to conduct some novel experiments to test a question about the brain. This is exciting because a student – by doing a Ph.D. – can contribute to improving the mental health of people in society. Not only that, but a doctoral student gets to join a community of neuroscientist researchers, involving lectures, clubs, societies etc. After a Ph.D., students can train in clinical work or continue down the research route. Research after a Ph.D. is known as postdoctoral study, where further grants are often available to pay for salary and research costs over approximately 2 years or more, to deepen one’s area of expertise and to publish more work. There is an old adage in research – publish or perish – which perhaps sounds a bit harsher than reality! But essentially, it is good to learn early on how to write papers for the international neuroscience community, so that work in South Africa can become known and read all over the world!
                                                                                                                                                 
What else is there to say about a career in neuroscience? Well, it has taken me from a small farming village in the middle of England – where I completed my schooling (matric.) – to all corners of the world, working with different groups and presenting work with my colleagues on important issues to help people with mental disorders to get better. My colleagues and I work together to try to build international connections so that we can try to solve some of the brain’s deepest mysteries. Such as, what is consciousness and how does consciousness relate to mental illness? Where is the mind located in the hardwired physical brain, and what happens to the brain when the mind becomes disordered? How do we improve treatment for various psychiatric conditions? And what are the best neuroscientific methods to use to get to the crux of the issue of mental disorder? If you like meeting new people, working as a team, writing interesting articles, conducting experiments to test the hypotheses related to these questions, and to travel - then perhaps neuroscience is a career for you! Do get in touch if you would like to learn more, we are always on the look-out for research assistants and new students to join us! I hope to hear from you soon!

Dr Samantha Brooks is a neuroscientist at the UCT Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, specialising in the neural correlates of impulse control from eating disorders to addiction. For more information on neuroscience at UCT and to contact Samantha, see www.drsamanthabrooks.com.