Pain Management in Those With Dementia

            With a growing elderly population and an increase in nursing home occupancy, it is important we place more focus on how we treat pain in those with dementia. The current systems for pain management are not always held to professional standards and are sometimes not used at all in clinical settings. Pain management is difficult in those with dementia because they are not always able to communicate clearly and their actions are often mistaken as a “behavior” rather than being in pain. It is also difficult for dementia patients to be placed in hospice care, preventing them from the comfort care and end of life medications often given to others with terminal illnesses. Our ethics topic focuses on the facts and implications of current pain management in those with dementia and what needs to be improved in the near future to provide the best comfort care for those nearing the end of life.

            It is predicted that by 2025, nearly 115 million people will have dementia. Today, only 11% of those in hospice programs have dementia, showing the major gap in treatment plans between those with and without dementia. This is not only because hospice programs require a diagnosis of death within six months, but almost all pain assessment tools rely on self report as their only measurement. People with advanced dementia lack the ability to communicate effectively and comprehend complex questions, leaving it difficult for them to tell someone they are in pain or where the pain is located. This often results in frustration of the patient and acting out, a sign characterized as “behavior” by nursing staff and often treated with antipsychotic medications rather than pain medications. Talking about these issues is imperative. Vulnerable populations in healthcare, especially those with mental illness, need others to advocate their rights for them. We need to make sure these people are getting the best professional care as possible even if they cannot communicate to us.  written by students

Main Article:

Barriers to the Management of Pain in Dementia Care 

Others Articles to Read:

When a Patient Nears the End, a Feared Therapy Can Also Comfort 

End-of-Life Care for Patients with Advanced Dementia 

Animal Ethics

As students of science, we are taught that animal research is the best method for discovering valuable information, especially for collecting data that will eventually be applicable or used for humans; however, as scientists we don’t take the time to think about all side of the ethics of  using animals as a research model. It provides an opportunity to examine a complete life cycle and allows us to control every aspect of an organism’s life. The use of animals for the purpose of research is an ancient practice, but there was not any laws or regulations formally created until the 1950s. Although animal research has lead to life-saving information, there are also some serious downsides to consider. Some of these negative effects include that many of the items that are tested are never used; research can be expensive with the cost of shelter, food, care, and the animals themselves; it may not offer valid results; many research facilities are exempt from animal welfare laws; and many animal studies also frequently appear to be poorly designed.

Something further to consider with animal research are the three Rs of animal research which include reduction, refinement, and replacement. The three Rs are a set of principles that scientists are encouraged to follow in order to reduce the impact of research on animals. Considering the best approach for research with an effective model organism and using the animals to record as much data as possible will help provide more helpful information and make a difference in the future. written by students

Sources to read before class:

Food for thought

Second Thoughts of an Animal Researcher 

Recommended sources for further engagement:

Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research from the National Research Council of the National Academies

Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Nonhuman Animals in Research

The Ethics of Animal Research. Talking Point on the Use of Animals in Scientific Research

Animal Experimentation: BBC article

The Fuzzy Line Between Artificial Intelligence and Being Human

Artificial intelligence (AI) has long only resided in science fiction. Researchers are making strides for AI to become more self-aware, raising questions on how to define humanity. Current research differs on how close AI is to having human-like levels of intelligence, both social and concrete. However, AI is becoming more prevalent in everyday life. For example, Snapchat utilizes AI technology in order to produce filters, while Instagram and Facebook use AI to personalize advertisements to each individual based on their browser history.  

Due to the complexity of human consciousness, some aspects of AI remain pertinent areas of research, such as using past experiences to make decisions. Despite these constraints, AI continues to advance rapidly. For example, an AI program called Deep Patient can use information from patient libraries to predict disease, but its creators cannot fully explain how it makes these decisions. Similarly, some robots that utilize AI have been found to create their own languages in an attempt to communicate with each other. Although the information contained in these messages was found to be harmless, this was understandably startling to researchers; if they did not specifically program language creation, how did the robots achieve this? As a result, even though we might a long way off from sentient and independent robots, AI’s increasing ability to operate beyond programming continually raises the question of what it means to be human.  written by students

Sources read before class:

Kwon, D. March 2018. Intelligent machines that learn like children. Scientific American, 28-31.

Recommended sources for further engagement:

The Business of Artificial Intelligence [internet]. July, 2017. Harvard Business Review [2018; March 18, 2018].

The Challenge of Determining Whether an AI is Sentient [internet]. April 14, 2016. Slate Magazine; [2018; March 18, 2018]. 

The Dark Secret at the Heart of AI [internet]. April 11, 2017. Technology review; [2018; March 18, 2018]. 

Human vs. robot dog trying to open door (video)

Robot jumping over hurdles (video)

Designer Babies and Gene Editing

The topic of gene editing and designer babies is an exciting new frontier that is currently being tested all over the world. New genetic technology, such as CRISPR-CAS9 and IVF (in virto fertilization), have led to new possibilities for families struggling to have children, as well as families predisposed to genetic malfunction, and may lead to the widespread availability for parents to pick for or against certain traits in their future infant. Our ethics topic looks specifically at designer babies, and the implications of picking traits for future generations, as well as questioning how far is too far when it comes to gene modification and selection.

Currently, IVF is used for families that are unable to conceive naturally. This process is very time consuming and expensive, but currently allows for selecting particular embryos over others, for a variety of reasons including sex. CRIPSR has also allowed scientists to make gene modifications in experimental species, but has not yet been used on viable human embryos, although that is a next step in the research. With all of these technologies allowing for parent, doctors, and researchers to select traits, we can't help but ask where the line will be drawn. Will parents get to select their child’s appearance? Intelligence? Athleticism? Overall health? Will this eradicate populations with special needs, and how will that impact society? Will the lifespan get longer, and will over population become an issue? Will selection only be available for the rich, creating a larger social divide? So many ethical, and quite frankly extremely difficult questions exist, but only time will tell just how far we will go. -written by students

Readings assigned before the discussion:

Article 1 

Article 2 

Further readings and videos:

Specific Neuro gene editing

Three parent babies

Video of CRISPR

History of IVF

What might be done with CRISPR in the future

CRISPR and farm animals

Link to Nobel Conference page, which focused on this topicin 2017

Education and Neuroscience: The evolving field of Mind, Brain, and Education

Today, the field of education is rapidly changing. Educational theories, curriculum, and research that is being used in the field today is extremely complex and profound. However, with a great deal of outdated research and theories being used it is time for scientific research, cognitive neuroscience, and education to collaborate with one another in order to achieve new boundaries.

An upcoming field within cognitive neuroscience is mind, brain, and education (MBE). This field encompasses psychology, education, and neuroscience with the goal to expand the current knowledge on how to extend the attention span, how individuals learn, the ideal learning environment, individual learning differences, dyslexia, and learning disorders. Looking forward, a lot of educators are extremely hopeful for the collaboration with scientific research; however, there is some apprehension for this connection. How will the research be connected back to the classroom? Will it be incorporated into every lesson plan? Will scientific research actually be able to “solve” the current issues in the classroom? Answers to questions like these and others sought through this connection of neuroscience, education, and society.

In regards to how humans learn the best, it is extremely important to consider the learning environment. There are many factors that need to be considered when addressing the optimal learning environment. It is time to steer away from attempting to determine what the best way to teach is, and start understanding the best ways to learn.

Combining the research of MBE with the knowledge educators already possess allows for the integration of new techniques that focus on strategies to help the students understand concepts better and learn more effectively. In addition to the MBE field within cognitive neuroscience, research has been looking into the effects of classroom structure, exercise, technology, and sleep on the brain and learning. As research develops, educators will continue to have a better understanding of how to incorporate these things in a way that proves to advantageous for learning.  written by students

Sources Read Before Class:

Article 1  *read until page 4

Article 2

Recommended Sources for Further Engagement:

• School Start Times and Adolescents (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2014)

• We Must Prepare Ph.D. Students for the Complicated Art of Teaching (Derek Bok, 2013)

• In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning (Carrie Fried, 2007) 

• Reading on E-Devices Hinders Understanding of Scientific Concepts (Matt Swayne, 2017)