Emotion, Moral Reasoning, and the Human Brain


 

Emotion, moral reasoning, and the human brain – Dr. Daniel Tranel Professor of Neurology and Psychology University of Iowa The neurobiological basis of moral reasoning, which was vividly brought to scientific attention by the famous case of Phineas Gage, has attracted considerable interest from contemporary cognitive neuroscience. At the University of Iowa, we have been pursuing a program of research built around systematic investigations of modern-day “Phineas Gage”-type patients — neurological subjects with focal damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Our research has demonstrated a fundamental role for emotion in many facets of moral reasoning. Deprived of emotion, patients with vmPFC damage make decisions that are myopic and not in their overall long-term best interests, although, oddly enough, they also make decisions that are more utilitarian and driven by outcome rather than intention. Daniel Tranel received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Iowa in 1982. He completed post-doctoral training at Iowa under Arthur Benton and Antonio Damasio, and he joined the faculty in the Department of Neurology in 1986. Tranel serves as director of the Divisions of Cognitive Neuroscience and of Neuropsychology, and as chair of the Neuroscience doctoral program at Iowa. He studies the neural basis of higher-order cognition and behavior, using the lesion method and functional neuroimaging in human participants. His work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the

 

Warren County schools participate in National Drug Facts Week

Filed under: national institute on drug abuse

… Hackettstown, Warren Hills, North Warren and Great Meadows created banners that “Shatter the Myths” about drug abuse by providing the facts they researched using the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) website at drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov.
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Teens, Communities and Scientific Experts Team Up for NIDA's National Drug

Filed under: national institute on drug abuse

Through community-based events, online activities, and a Web-based chat with scientists, this week-long observance encourages teens to get facts from scientific experts about drugs and drug abuse. It is sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse …
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Support Groups

Filed under: national institute on drug abuse

Lake Erie PRIDE is a local team affiliated with PRIDE Youth Programs, which is the nation's oldest and largest peer-to-peer organization devoted to drug abuse and violence prevention through education. …. The following Food Addicts in Recovery …
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5 Things Standing Between You and a Healthy Relationship

Filed under: national institute on drug abuse

As many as 80 percent of abused children meet the criteria for a mental health disorder at age 21 — depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders being among the most common. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse …
Read more on Huffington Post