CONTACT:
Dian Land
Phone: 608/263-9893
Date mailed: March 27, 1998
SUBJECT TO INTENSE SCIENTIFIC SCRUTINY, EMOTIONS APPEAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
MADISON, Wis. -- Are emotions too ≥slippery≤ to study? Might their effect on peopleπs health be overstated? The worldπs leading scientists on the biology of emotion, gathering here soon, would respond to both questions with a resounding ≥no.≤
To be held in Madison April 17-18, the ≥Affective Neuroscience≤ symposium will feature discussions on the latest hard-science findings demonstrating the biological underpinnings of emotion, and the profound effects positive and negative feelings can have on human health. The latest technological advances used to identify brain systems associated with different emotions will also be described.
≥The newest functional imaging techniques are giving us exquisite views of the activity of specific human brain structures at the moment positive and negative emotions are occurring,≤ said UW Medical School psychiatry department chair Dr. Ned Kalin. ≥By applying rigorous science to the study of emotions, weπre learning that they play an even greater role than we thought in influencing many physiological systems that make people either resilient or susceptible to disease.≤
Daniel Goleman, New York Times science writer and author of Emotional Intelligence, will kick off the symposium with a public talk the afternoon of April 16.
Seven leading researchers will describe their most current findings, listed below, to some 300 symposium participants.
--brain imaging studies show that antidepressants may increase a personπs ability to respond to positive stimuli rather than over-reacting to negative influences
--some brain areas are more adaptable than others, and may recover from insults more easily
--some areas of the brain may be associated with vulnerability and resilience
--areas related to positive drive may provide insights into drug addiction
--repeated exposure to drugs may change brain function at the cellular level --fear and anxiety in monkeys are associated with altered brain and hormone
function
The symposium is the fourth in a series of annual interdisciplinary conferences organized by and held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Conceptualized by Dr. Richard Davidson, Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at UW-Madison, the symposia were created to disseminate new knowledge on the science of emotion, and at the same time highlight the critical mass of UW psychology and psychiatry faculty involved in research on various aspects of emotion.
This yearπs symposium is sponsored by the Medical Schoolπs HealthEmotions Research Instutute, which was recently established to scientifically determine how emotions influence health. Institute researchers are hoping to unlock the mysteries underlying the biology of emotions and the mind-body link.
≥By featuring the most current scientific investigations into the biology of emotion, the symposium brings to the fore issues that form the driving force behind our efforts,≤ said Institute director Kalin, who also is the Hedberg Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology.
Since education and training is a top priority of the Institute, it has invested heavily in supporting student involvement in the symposium. It is underwriting costs for 14 of the most highly qualified applicants, representing the best and brightest graduate, medical and post-graduate students in the country interested in studying emotions. Travel awards also have been given to another 65 scientists in training.
In fact, student participation has been a major emphasis of the symposium since the series began. Each year in conjunction with the meeting, a semester-long seminar is offered for UW graduate students which requires that they become totally immersed in the work of researchers to be showcased. The seminar culminates at the symposium when, after 13 weeks of intense study, students finally get a chance to interact face-to- -more-face with the leaders in the field.
Symposium presenters this year include: Jocelyne Bachevalier, University of Texas School of Medicine; Raymond Dolan, University College of London; Robert Post, National Institute of Mental Health; Trevor Robbins, University of Cambridge (UK); and Kalin, Davidson and Ann Kelley, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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