Page 12 - aruba-today-20201208

A12 SCIENCE
Tuesday 8 december 2020
Why are some scientists turning away from brain scans?

NEW YORK (AP) — Brain teams used the same anal-
scans offer a tantalizing ysis methods and, overall,
glimpse into the mind's the researchers did not al-
mysteries, promising an al- ways come to the same
most X-ray-like vision into conclusions about what
how we feel pain, interpret the data demonstrated
faces and wiggle fingers. about brain activity."In the
Studies of brain images end, we probably jumped
have suggested that Re- on the fMRI bandwagon a
publicans and Democrats little too fast. It's reached
have visibly different think- This Jan. 30, 2006 file photo shows a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan on a computer the threshold of concern
ing, that overweight adults screen at an Emory University lab in Atlanta. for a lot of us," said Duke
have stronger responses to Associated Press neuroscientist Anita Disney.
pictures of food and that THE NEXT BIG THING
it's possible to predict a so- brain scan projects, based activity through electrodes differences in brain activity With doubts growing, many
ber person's likelihood of on about 60 studies of the placed on the skull or ra- to various personality types. labs have become more
relapse. past decade including her dioactive tracers injected They found many used a cautious about what im-
But such buzzy findings are own. into the bloodstream. In type of analysis that report- aging techniques to use in
coming under growing "We found this poor result comparison, fMRI seemed ed only the strongest cor- efforts to unravel the aver-
scrutiny as scientists grap- across the board," Knodt like a fast, high-resolution relations, leading to poten- age brain's 110,000 miles
ple with the fact that some said. "We're basically dis- and non-invasive alterna- tially coincidental conclu- (177,000 kilometers) of
brain scan research doesn't crediting much of the work tive. sions. A "disturbingly large" nerve fibers. Yale University
seem to hold up. we've done." A flurry of papers and amount of fMRI research researcher Joy Hirsch, for
Such studies have been WATCHING BRAINS 'LIGHT press coverage followed on emotion and personal- example, wants to under-
criticized for relying on too UP' the technique's invention, ity relied on these "seriously stand "the social brain" —
few subjects and for incor- The research being re-ex- pointing to parts of the brain defective research meth- what happens when peo-
rectly analyzing or inter- amined relies on a tech- that "light up" when we fall ods," the group wrote. ple talk, touch or make eye
preting data. Researchers nique called functional in love, feel pain, gamble Later that year, another contact. She's opted out
have also realized a per- magnetic resonance imag- or make difficult decisions. pair of researchers dem- of fMRI, since it can only
son's brain scan results can ing, or fMRI. But as years passed, trou- onstrated that the raw be used on a single person
differ from day to day — Using large magnets, the bling evidence began to results of imaging scans who must remain perfectly
even under identical con- scans detect where oxy- surface that challenged — without the proper sta- still for imagining inside a
ditions — casting a doubt genated blood rushes to some of those findings. tistical corrections — could large scanner.
on how to document con- when someone does an "It's a very powerful thing to detect brain activity in a Instead, Hirsch uses an al-
sistent patterns. activity — such as memoriz- show a picture of the brain. dead Atlantic salmon. Four ternative technology that
With so many questions be- ing a list of words or touch- It lends itself to abuse, in years ago, another group bounces laser lights off of
ing raised, some research- ing fingertips together — al- some ways," said Damian of scientists claimed a dif- a fiber optic cable-laced
ers are acknowledging the lowing scientists to indirect- Stanley, a brain scientist at ferent common statistical skullcap into the brain to
scans' limitations and work- ly measure brain activity. Adelphi University. "People error had led thousands of detect blood flow. The
ing to overcome them or When the technology de- eat them up, things get fMRI projects astray. This technique, functional near
simply turning to other tests. buted in the early 1990s, it overblown. Somewhere in year, Stanford University re- infrared spectroscopy, al-
Earlier this year, Duke Uni- opened a seemingly revo- there, we lost the nuance." searchers described what lows her subjects to move
versity researcher Annchen lutionary window into the QUESTIONS EMERGE happened when they gave freely during scanning and
Knodt's lab published the human brain. In 2009, a group of scien- the same fMRI data to 70 permits her to study live so-
latest paper challenging Other previous imaging tists investigated papers groups of independent cial interactions between
the reliability of common techniques tracked brain that had linked individual neuroscientists. No two several people.q

SpaceX capsules parked side-by-side at station for 1st time

alongside another Dragon presents and the makings bins, a microbiologist and
capsule that carried up as- for a holiday feast for the one of four Americans on
tronauts three weeks ago. seven station astronauts. board. "And now you're
It's the first time Elon Musk's The crew monitored all bringing a vehicle full of
company has two Dragons the action as the capsule world class science for us
at the orbiting lab, filling pulled up and docked to execute."
both available slots. at the station more than The crew also includes two
Unlike SpaceX's previous 260 miles (420 kilometers) Russians and one Japa-
cargo carriers, which had above the Indian Ocean. nese.
to be plucked from orbit The two Dragon parking SpaceX redesigned its car-
by the space station's ro- spots are just 15 feet (4.5 go ships to be as big as its
bot arm, this larger and up- meters) or so apart. spacious crew capsules in
dated model docked all NASA astronaut Kate Ru- order to pack more in.
In this image taken from NASA TV the Dragon cargo capsule by itself a day after rocket- bins offered "a huge con- The cargo Dragon will re-
docks at the International Space Station, Monday, Dec. 7, ing into orbit from NASA's gratulations" to SpaceX main at the space station
2020, alongside a Dragon crew capsule that carried up astro-
nauts three weeks ago. Kennedy Space Center. and everyone else in- for a month, before para-
Associated Press This unusually large ship- volved. chuting into the Atlantic
ment — exceeding 6,400 "It's pretty amazing to think with science samples and
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. goodies arrived at the pounds (2,900 kilograms) that less than a month ago discarded gear. The crew
(AP) — A SpaceX supply International Space Sta- — includes experiments, you docked four crew Dragon will stay up until
ship bearing Christmas tion on Monday, parking equipment, Christmas members," radioed Ru- spring.q