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Summary of Transcript:
In this YouTube video, host Tom Bilyeu interviews Dr. Moriel Zelikowsky, an assistant professor of neurobiology at the University of Utah. Dr. Zelikowsky’s primary area of focus is on neural circuits involved in emotion, and she has been working on social isolation in mice. She explains that social isolation is a hot topic for understanding human behavior and emotions. Dr. Zelikowsky began her research looking at fear and memory and is currently working on projects investigating the effects of social isolation on mating behavior and violence in mice. She explains that mice are a great model organism for neuroscience research as they are genetically tractable, and their brains have high applicability to the human condition.
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Summary of Description:
Neuroscientist Moriel Zelikowsky discusses her research on the neural mechanisms of stress, fear, and social behavior. She discusses the effects of extreme social isolation on mice and humans and the surprising consequences of joining PTSD support groups. Moriel also explains why fear is adaptive and helpful and how anxiety disorder builds on itself. In addition, she presents the most recent research on fear and the brain.
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The study of emotions is one of the fascinating fields of neuroscience, and Moriel Zelikowsky is a leading expert in this area. In the latest episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, she talks about her research into social behavior, fear, and stress and how extreme social isolation affects mice and humans.
Moriel’s interest in emotions began at a young age. She was always curious about why we feel the way we do and what we can do about our negative emotions. Her studies on social isolation revealed that the effects of extended isolation were severe in mice, even resulting in violence among them.
Fear, a common emotion, becomes much more persistent after isolation, which can dramatically affect behavior. Moriel explains that social isolation hijacks the systems in the brain that normally produce positive results, leading to negative effects such as increased anxiety and depression.
Moriel also touches on the correlation between social media and social isolation and whether these platforms help mitigate or exacerbate the condition. Interestingly, the duration of social isolation in mice has direct consequences. Two weeks of isolation is enough to cause severe damage; the same can be said for humans.
During the interview, Moriel discusses the most recent research on fear and its location in the brain. She also explains why anxiety is adaptive and helpful. When we sense danger, our brains release chemicals that put us in a heightened state of alertness and enable us to respond quickly to risk.
Finally, Moriel presents some intriguing findings on PTSD therapy. It has always been believed that joining support groups is the best action for people with PTSD. However, her research highlights a significant challenge to this claim. In an experiment, PTSD patients who were part of a support group experienced higher levels of distress than those who weren’t.
In conclusion, Moriel Zelikowsky’s journey into the science of emotions is intriguing and insightful. Her research on social isolation sheds light on why this condition can be overwhelming and how we can mitigate its effects.
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Source Description
Neuroscientist Moriel Zelikowsky studies the neural mechanisms underlying stress, fear, and social behavior. In this episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, she discusses her research into how extreme social isolation affects mice and humans. She talks about what drew her to the science of emotions, why fear is adaptive, and presents some surprising reasons to question the general advice that people living with PTSD should join support groups.
SHOW NOTES:
Moriel discusses what drew her to the science of emotions [0:35]
Moriel right now is working on social isolation and how it affects the brain [3:39]
Violence often happens after social isolation in mice [6:33]
Fear becomes much more persistent after isolation [7:57]
Social isolation hijacks systems that normally produce positive results [12:01]
For mice, two weeks of social isolation is long enough to cause severe consequences [14:46]
To what degree does social media mitigate or exacerbate social isolation? [16:08]
Moriel discusses the most recent research on fear and where it’s located in the brain [18:18]
Moriel explains why fear is adaptive and helpful [20:25]
Moriel details how general anxiety disorder builds on itself [24:05]
The most common therapy for PTSD is some form of exposure therapy [26:15]
Moriel describes an experiment on PTSD with truly surprising results [28:27]
QUOTES:
“Everywhere you look, you see that fear would be adaptive.” [21:16]
FOLLOW:
WEBSITE: https://bit.ly/33AWzYT
LAB WEBSITE: https://zelikowskylab.com
INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/morielz
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/moriel_z
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