Brain Science, Technology and Mental Health
Since the beginning, humanity has faced many paradigm shifts, accompanied by the excitement of the possibilities and worry for the unknown. “Every great advance in civilization can be attributed to the human brain – from agriculture to space exploration,” said Passion Jun, M.D., Main Representative, Korea Institute of Brain Science (KIBS) and Program Director, International Brain Education Association (IBREA). How can technology influence our cognitive abilities and mental health now and how will they in the future? How eager will we be to invite this powerful paradigm shift and what are the benefits to mental health? What scientists and researchers are coming up with may surprise and delight you.
Technology has revolutionized how scientists and researchers understand mental and cognitive health. “Neuroscience is studying these emotions, neurons, etc. and we are beginning to explain things that we couldn’t explain before,” said Dr. Hae Ahm Kim, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Cornell University. Dr. Kim mentioned how focuses in the field of psychiatry have shifted because of the advances in technology. For instance, we know that if we smile at someone, we will have some effect on their mood and they will probably smile back. Likewise, if we see someone crying, we will also become teary-eyed or feel a similar emotion to the one expressed. Neuroscience backs up this phenomenon with “mirror neurons.” “You are not experiencing that emotion yourself, but another person’s feelings and emotions, like it is contagious,” said Dr. Kim. Our empathy for other people can be explained through a triggered chemical reaction in our brains, giving us a whole new understanding of how we work – mental and physical health become interchangeable.
So, is mental health on everyone’s agenda? Is it of international concern – its importance transcending all cultures? Health is heavily on the agenda for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, but is mental health included in this? According to Mr. Modest Mero, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Permanent Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United Nations, “many are not aware of the magnitude of this problem,” he continued, “we are used to hearing about Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and those areas which receive much attention, but we forget about mental health and it is time to look at that.” Mr. Mero is one of the many concerned for this increasing problem in his country and all over Africa “there is a need for international intervention to help bridge the gap of expertise in Africa, in terms of mental health,” said Mr. Mero. One fifth of the 2.5 million people with a mental illness will obtain professional treatment and according to WHO, 1,200 psychiatrists and 12,000 psychiatric nurses support the entire African population of 620 million. Mr. Mero added, “People with mental health problems are invisible.”
One proposed solution to solving the epidemic of mental issues and illness is found in cognitive assessment. Where IQ tests and other intelligence/cognitive tests have failed, the Brain Tests Project by IBREA fits the bill. Other tests have been language and culture dependant, inaccessible to most people and completely inaccessible to those in developing countries. IBREA, with the scientific guidance of renowned neuroscientist Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, will be able to create a normative sample that will allow individuals to compare their scores with people from a similar demographic background, all over the world. These unique and carefully constructed tests will eventually be available for clinicians, educators and other professionals as a diagnostic tool. It will soon be available in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian and Japanese along with many others to come.
Dr. Carol Kennedy, Educational Technology Consultant for the St. Christopher/Jenny Clarkson Consortium of Schools, is using computer technology to enhance the lives of children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – “a severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others” (National Institute of Mental Health). Currently, she is in the process of carrying out the REACH program with her students with ASD and eventually looking for structural changes in their brains. “We are really in uncharted territory here,” says Dr. Kennedy, who is already finding unexpected results from the students’ responses to the computer program. “We found out that these students are very interested in being on the computer,” says Dr. Kennedy, “They seem to be able to spend an enormous amount of time, far more than they do in the classroom or under other instructional circumstances.” In addition, an interactive Supported Digital Text program is available for ESL students that allow them to translate words, have the words read aloud and put in a context that will help them to understand the meaning. Simple techniques such as taking pictures to express themselves and integrating music bring down anxiety are proving to be effective. Since there is no cure for autism, only support for maintaining the disorder, Dr. Kennedy wants to help children gain independence for a successful adult life. “I want to make these computer programs available to everyone,” said Dr. Kennedy. Look out for the rest of the results from this study, in the future, as it will continue throughout the summer.
New technology may cater to the needs of those who cannot correct deficiencies with modern learning styles and limited one-on-one time with teachers, as it can enhance the development of anyone who has a brain. As Dr. Jun said, “Thanks to the relatively new findings about the human brain and its ability to change itself – neuroplasiticty and neurogenesis, we now have hope to develop our own brain for better usage.”