Feeling stuck in the present? Mania proneness and history associated with present-oriented time perspective

Humans have the ability to mentally time travel through past, present, and future. But can a disruption in emotion characteristic of emotional disorders cause this ability to unwind, leaving people "stuck" in the present emotional moment? Two studies are presented that examine emotional time-perspective in a disorder (mania) characterized by present-oriented tendencies, including impulsivity and emotion dysregulation. In Study 1, associations were reported between mania proneness and emotion time-perspective (n = 509), and Study 2 compared emotion time-perspective between individuals with a clinical history of mania (n = 32), and controls (n = 30). We show that mania is associated with increased present and decreased future focus. These findings suggest that emotional disorders can be understood, at least in part, by examining how people understand and use time to guide their behavior and feelings.     

New approaches to neural circuits in behavior

A fundamental goal of neuroscience is to understand how the brain represents the world. If we consider the neurons of the brain to be one system and the external world to be another system, how do the two systems interact, and by what translational code does the former represent the latter? Recent advances in imaging neural activity, genetically altering specific neural circuits, and genetic tools for the direct manipulation of neural activity are beginning to shed light on this critical question. We review recent advances in these areas that illustrate a path to addressing this fundamental question.     

Reflective Writing about Near-Peer Blogs: A Novel Method for Introducing the Medical Humanities in Premedical Education

Narrative analysis, creative writing, and interactive reflective writing have been identified as valuable for professional identity formation and resilience among medical and premedical students alike. This study proposes that medical student blogs are novel pedagogical tools for fostering peer-to-peer learning in academic medicine and are currently underutilized as a near-peer resource for premedical students to learn about the medical profession. To evaluate the pedagogical utility of medical student blogs for introducing core themes in the medical humanities, the authors conducted qualitative analysis of one hundred seventy-six reflective essays by baccalaureate premedical students written in response to medical student-authored narrative blog posts. Using an iterative thematic approach, the authors identified common patterns in the reflective essays, distilled major themes, coded the essays, and conducted narrative analysis through close reading. Qualitative analysis identified three core themes (empathic conflict, bias in healthcare, and the humanity of medicine) and one overarching theme (near-peer affinities). The premedical students’ essays demonstrated significant self-reflection in response to near-peer works, discussed their perceptions of medical professionalism, and expressed concerns about their future progress through the medical education system. The essays consistently attributed the impact of the medical student narratives to the authors’ status as near-peers. The authors conclude that reading and engaging in reflective writing about near-peer blog posts encourages premedical students to develop an understanding of core concepts in the medical humanities and promotes their reflection on the profession of medicine. Thus, incorporating online blogs written by medical trainees as narrative works in medical humanities classrooms is a novel pedagogical method for fostering peer-to-peer learning in academic medicine.