# brain: pulsatile curiosity

<< The most surprising association offered new insight: Children with lower socioeconomic status generally have lower achievement than peers, but those who were characterized as curious performed similarly on math and reading assessments as children from higher income families. Our results suggest that while higher curiosity is associated with higher academic achievement in all children, the association of curiosity with academic achievement is greater in children with low socioeconomic status >> Prachi Shah.

University of Michigan. Study explores link between curiosity and school achievement. Apr 30, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-04-explores-link-curiosity-school.html

Prachi E. Shah, Heidi M. Weeks, et al. Early childhood curiosity and kindergarten reading and math academic achievement. Pediatric Research. doi: 10.1038/s41390-018-0039-3. Apr 26, 2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-018-0039-3

# behav: apropos of the uncertainty about the 'Zona Incerta', a thresholding mechanism involved in curiosity and novelty-seeking behavior

<< Motivational drives are internal states that can be different even in similar interactions with external stimuli. Curiosity as the motivational drive for novelty-seeking and investigating the surrounding environment is for survival as essential and intrinsic as hunger. Curiosity, hunger, and appetitive aggression drive three different goal-directed behaviors—novelty seeking, food eating, and hunting >>️

<< Optogenetic activation of inhibitory neurons in medial ZI (ZIm) [medial Zona Incerta in mouse, freedom to choose what it wants], ZImGAD2 neurons, showed a dramatic increase in positive arousal level, depth of investigation, and duration of interaction with conspecifics and novel objects compared with familiar objects, crickets, and food. Optogenetic or chemogenetic deactivation of these neurons decreased depth and duration of investigation. Moreover, [AA] found that ZImGAD2 neurons are more active during deep investigation as compared with during shallow investigation. >>

<< [They] found that activation of prelimbic cortex (PL) axons into ZIm increases arousal level, and chemogenetic deactivation of these axons decreases the duration and depth of investigation. >>

<< Optogenetic activation of ZImGAD2 axons into lateral periaqueductal gray (lPAG) increases the arousal level, whereas chemogenetic deactivation of these axons decreases duration and depth of investigation. Calcium fiber photometry of these axons showed high activity during deep investigation and no significant activity during shallow investigation, suggesting a thresholding mechanism. >>️

<< Last, [AA] found a new subpopulation of inhibitory neurons in ZIm expressing tachykinin 1 (TAC1) that monosynaptically receive PL inputs and project to lPAG. Optogenetic activation and deactivation of these neurons, respectively, increased and decreased depth and duration of investigation. >>️️

Ahmadlou, Janou H. W. Houba, et al. A cell type–specific cortico-subcortical brain circuit for investigatory and novelty-seeking behavior. Science . Vol. 372, Issue 6543, eabe9681. doi: 10.1126/ science.abe9681. May 14, 2021. 

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6543/eabe9681   

Brain mechanism of curiosity unraveled. Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - KNAW.  May 13, 2021. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210513142430.htm

# rmx-s-brain: yes, we all know what killed the cat ...

<< For their Review, the authors used a working definition of curiosity "as a drive state for information," which can be observed in organisms as simple as nematode worms >>

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/cp-csa102815.php

Kidd C. and Hayden B.Y. "The psychology and neuroscience of curiosity" Neuron Volume 88, Issue 3, p449–460, 4 November 2015


http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.010

# behav: ADHD may have been a feature of nomadic exploration among hunter-gatherer societies

<< All mobile organisms forage for resources, choosing how and when to search for new opportunities by comparing current returns with the average for the environment. In humans, nomadic lifestyles favouring exploration have been associated with genetic mutations implicated in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), inviting the hypothesis that this condition may impact foraging decisions in the general population. >>️

David L. Barack, Vera U. Ludwig, et al. 

Attention deficits linked with proclivity to explore while foraging. Proc Royal Society B.  doi: 10.1098/ rspb.2022.2584. Feb 21, 2024. 

https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2584     

<< Is it a legacy of the hunter-gatherer world? >> Arjun Ramakrishnan

Chen Ly. ADHD may have evolved to help foragers know when to cut their losses. newscientist.com Feb 21,2024.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2418114-adhd-may-have-evolved-to-help-foragers-know-when-to-cut-their-losses

Also: nomads, bushmen, behav, uncertainty, curiosity, in https://www.inkgmr.net/kwrds.html

Keywords: adhd, nomads, hunter-gatherers, behavior, behaviour

# gst: high entropy can alloy immiscible nanoparticles

<< Making a giant leap in the 'tiny' field of nanoscience, a multi-institutional team of researchers is the first to create nanoscale particles composed of up to eight distinct elements generally known to be  immiscible, or incapable of being mixed or blended together >>

<< To create the high entropy alloy nanoparticles, the researchers employed a two-step method of flash heating followed by flash cooling >>

<< With cross-discipline curiosity, the demonstrated applications of these particles will become even more widespread >> Steven D. Lacey.

University of Maryland. Scientists mix the unmixable to create 'shocking' nanoparticles. Mar 29, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-03-scientists-unmixable-nanoparticles.html

Yonggang Yao, Zhennan Huang, et al.
Carbothermal shock synthesis of high-entropy-alloy nanoparticles. Science. 2018; 359 (6383): 1489 - 94. doi: 10.1126/science.aan5412

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6383/1489