Sound or Silence? The Pros and Cons of Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implants (CI) have been in use for several decades, yet there is still an active controversy surrounding these devices. While some people strongly advocate for the positive effect on an individual’s life, others claim that implants are dangerous both to individual health and to deaf culture at large [1].

PRO
Even though a CI cannot provide 100% hearing capability, it enables the individual to hear and understand most sounds. A cochlear implant does not amplify sounds like common external hearing aids, but stimulates the auditory nerve. The implant essentially replaces the function of the hair cells in the inner ear that usually register sound vibrations.  
Most importantly, a CI enables the individual to hear itself and thus learn to speak and articulate, and thus an implant helps to communicate with hearing people who do not know sign language. It also saves from  lip reading and generally depending on others for hearing help.
Another great advantage of having a CI for young people is that it can help them fully participate in mainstream schools and society, as well as broaden their career choices. While they may still be limited, the limitation won’t be as severe or as disabling as if they had no hearing choices available to them.
Being able to hear is also a measure of safety: the ability to locate sounds allows you to be more aware of perilous situations and hear impending danger such as a car coming from behind.

Blausen.com staff (2014). "Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014". WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29025007

CONTRA
CI require a surgical insertion and obviously surgery of itself always bears risks. Since the device has become available, risks have been minimized, however, complications may include occasional facial numbness or minor facial paralysis. Among individuals wearing a CI, there is also higher incidence of bacterial meningitis than for the general population. Thus an immunization is recommended. The body may also reject the implant, which could require removal or further surgery.
It is important to keep in mind that a CI doesn’t guarantee that a person will be able to hear and speak at a normal level. In some cases, the person with the implant can only hear some environmental sounds. Particularly for adults who receive the implant, electronic signals might not register fully and some hearing impairment may still occur. Also it is important to acknowledge that the auditory cortex is not used to process sound in the same way if a person has been deaf for a long time, so a CI wouldn't help much. 
Thus parents of hearing disabled children are urged  to make a decision as soon as possible for their child. Most people with an implant still need special help in learning to speak and in many cases they will still be stigmatized. Even though they can hear and speak, their hearing capabilities are not the same as a hearing person's [2]. Luckily, the devices are getting better and improved sound perception lets the wearer of CI integrate better into mainstream society.
Obviously, it takes time to get used to the implant and especially in the beginning, many need to get the CI reprogrammed according to their needs. Also, people with CI are limited on some physical activities, especially those involving contact with water, as this could damage the implant.

Controversy in Deaf Society
The primary controversy regarding CI concerns the definition of deafness as a disability. Recently journalist Enno Park gave a talk at the Berlin re:publica conference , where he spoke about his very personal view on the two (hearing and non-hearing) sides of society [3].
The medical community generally regards deafness as a disability that should be treated, and mainstream (hearing) society is of the opinion that hearing allows for a more fulfilling life. Meanwhile, many individuals who are deaf, as well as others who are familiar with non-hearing society feel that deafness is a cultural identity rather than a disability [4]. As a result, they feel that CI implies that there is something wrong with them that needs to be fixed, and that living as a person with a hearing impairment is inherently less fulfilling than as a "normal" person. Thus, these members of the community perceive putting something technical in their brains as serious affront.
Within the non-hearing community, there is a long history of disagreement: Some signing people feel that CI wearers are betraying their culture. Some even go as far as to describe implantation of children as “child abuse”. Also, with more people wearing CI, the need for sign-language interpreters decreases to the disadvantage of those who still rely on their services. On the other hand, parents that do not want their children implanted have to deal with hostility not only from the hearing community, but also from CI-wearers.




--> Get an idea how sound is perceived, through a CI! <--




Interestingly, the attitude towards sign language differs from country to country. In Germany and France, most people working in deaf education even don't speak sign language, and emphasis is placed on children learning to lip read [2,3]. In contrast, in the US, every police department should have one or more interpreters available on call [5]. It is likely that these attitudes and values will change over time, both with the rise of improving hearing technology and activism from within the deaf community.
The decision to receive a CI is a very personal one that should be considered with the help of a medical professional. Every parent with a hearing disabled child needs to decide for themselves what the best choice for their situation is.

Claudia Willmes
PhD Alumna, AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz

Background:
From 2007 to 2008 I worked at the Institute le Bruckhof in Strasbourg, France -  an institution for hearing disabled children, where many children wore cochlear implants [6]. They received special training in learning language and were encouraged to read lips instead of using sign language. However, I also took classes in an adult education center to learn DGS (German sign language) for one year and attended the university in Strasbourg to learn LSF (French sign language). Thus, I heard opinions from all sides: the hearing, the hearing disabled and signing, and those wearing CI.

[1] www.nad.org
[2] personal communication
[3] talk by Enno Park https://bit.ly/2K3MO8P
[4] Ohio University, The Institute for Applied & Professional Ethics https://bit.ly/2wxdrBg
[5] U.S. Department of Justice  https://www.ada.gov/q%26a_law.htm
[6] www.bruckhof.org/
 

Like what you see? Interested in contributing? We are always looking for new authors and submission on anything related to the topic of (neuro)science. Pitch us an article, or send us some beautiful shots from your microscope, poems to claudia.willmes@charite.de!  

New Issue Out Now: BRAIN INVASION

The brain is an amazing thing: it allows to think, feel, create and do lots of other less-glamorous things like breathe and digest your lunch. But what's even more amazing is the system that our body has involved to keep it that way. This issue of the newsletter is all about how things can find their way inside our heads- for better or for worse!

 

https://bit.ly/2LwCVRU

First off, have a look at our primer on the different ways in, intracortical implants to poorly cooked food (page 3), and learn more about the body's first line of defense (page 7-8). We also have a first-hand account of a particularly sneaky invader (page 4), as well as clinical reports of foreign objects turning up where they definitely shouldn't be (page 9)! But it's not all bad news! Recent developments have meant that our senses can be augmented (or even repaired, pages 5 and 10), and optogenetics has "illuminated" a whole new realm of experimental possibilities (page 13-14). Are we ready for blending our brains and technology? We have two stories examining the ways authors play with the idea of cyborgs (pages 11-12), as well as providing some thought-provoking watching material (page 7).
Of course, we also have stories from the here and now on campus. What's the point of publishing negative results (page 19)? Are MSc students treated fairly (page 18)? What is it like to work for a big pharma company (page 16)? And, most importantly: what the heck is going on with those yellow buses all over campus (page 21)?

Happy reading, dear readers! We hope that this issue will stick in your head.

Constance Holman and Claudia Willmes
Editors-in-Chief

Finding a Career Entry That Suits You - Part II

With far fewer academic positions available than there are people with PhDs, the traditional path from student to postdoc to professor is no longer the norm. But besides that, there are many reasons why you might want to leave academia. Maybe you want a more secure job, want to get in contact with clients, or just don't like research anymore. Luckily, there are more jobs out there than you might realize! The process of job hunting can be confusing and intimidating. This collection of tips will help you to identify your strengths and the industry you want to move into and finally find a career entry that fits your interests.

Where can I get insights into specific positions?
We all know former lab members or fellow students who have moved on to non-academic careers. Ask them what they do now, if they are happy, and what kind of additional qualifications they had, suggests career coach Ulrike Schneeberg (http://deinemonster.de/), whom I met last year at a career day organized by the FU in Dahlem.
Job shadowing is also a great opportunity to find out if a job will suit you. Some universities offer programs, but you can as well just ask your acquaintances who work in a job you would like to get to know better. If you are eager and self-confident, you can also directly contact companies; it will for sure make a good impression. If you are about to graduate, do not cancel your studentship just yet: companies prefer to give away internships to students than to recent-graduates.

How do I get familiar with the job lingo?
Online job portals will help you figure out what names the jobs have and what specific skills are listed for the different job titles.
Check the job descriptions of your networking contacts and contact those whose job descriptions sound interesting to you. Most people are happy to report about their job and how they got there. Reach out to people in different jobs, ask if you could meet them for a coffee to ask career questions or interview them for a few minutes on the phone. I can personally report that it is incredibly helpful to get some inside information.

Do I have the right skills?
Browse through job offers and carefully read the descriptions. Ask yourself if you have the essential qualifications. If not, what could you do to gain additional expertise? Maybe you can join a project from a befriended lab, or take a course at your university or online while finishing your degree? However, don’t let the lists of desired skills intimidate you. Most employers are open for applicants who do not have a final degree that exactly matches the industrial sector or job opening if the application is convincing.

How do I structure my job search?
Career coach Ulrike Schneeberg suggests making a timeline to structure your job hunt efficiently. For example: by the end of next month you should have interviewed five people with jobs that sound interesting. Upon completion, reflect if your view has changed and eventually schedule another round of browsing job options and setting up informational interviews. Then narrow your career options down to a few choices that align best with your skills and interests. Having completed this step, it makes sense to start writing your resume, CV and parts of a cover letter tailored to the specific positions and industry. This is a very crucial step - take your time and go over it several times. Show them to your friends and colleagues (maybe even to this person who holds your dream job). Some applications may require references; ask your supervisors early enough if they would be willing to write you a recommendation letter. Most of the time they will be happy to do so, but won’t have much time. In this case, draft a reference yourself, so your referee will only need to edit and update it.

How do I get the attention of prospect employers?
Tell your friends and colleagues that you are looking for a new job. This will increase the likelihood of being offered a position which is not on the public market.
At career fairs, you can get directly in contact with recruitment managers. If you make a good impression and give them your contact detail, you are already one step closer to your dream job.
According to recruiting managers, it is highly recommended to participate in online job portals. More and more companies follow the trend to search suitable candidates themselves or work with recruiting agencies. If you want to be found, make sure to include the right buzzwords in your profile.

Where do I find job adverts?
Most companies advertise their openings online. The biggest resources are LinkedIn (for the international job search), Xing (the most important platform in Germany) and Indeed, but don’t forget to check out more local portals and those specific to the sector you are looking at, such as yourfirm, jobmehappy, jobworld.de, or stepstone.
However, also check out individual company homepages, as not all openings are shared in online job portals. Interestingly, many small- and medium-sized businesses still advertise in print media. Thus getting a copy of your local newspaper might be a good idea as well.
A great resource are also Laborjournal, academics, duz wissenschaftskarriere, Science Jobs DE, Sci-Tec Career, and Wila Bonn. Those looking for international jobs, will find interesting job offers at Science Careers and Naturejobs.

Where do I get information about prospect employers?
Always use more than one source: the company webpage, press releases, social media and rating portals such as glassdoor or kununu. Also check whether local and/or daily news reported about the companies you are interested in. If you want to move into the biotech scene, you should definitely check out labiotech.eu. The different pieces of information will help you to shape an image of the company. Ideal would be if you could talk to current or former employees. This is possible at career fairs or by directly contacting employees.

Where can I get help?
A very helpful tool is the “individual development plan” from science careers. You may also get help from your university. Charité students may contact the stud-hotline@charite.de to get career advice, even after completion of studies. For students enrolled at the Humboldt University, these links might be helpful (http://bit.ly/2E7bMFU , http://bit.ly/2BMLjLW) and you can also attend their events even after you graduated. There are also many helpful events organized by the Agentur für Arbeit. If you are looking for individual help, I can recommend to meet with a career coach. And stay tuned for the new Career Development Program for Berlin Neuroscience graduate students, currently being developed by SPARK with the help of MedNeuro students!
Get in touch with recruitment agencies specific for the sector you want to move into. Generally their services are free of charge for the job seeker and they have a genuine interest to get you a position because they will be paid by the companies upon success. Furthermore, recruitment agencies have a great portfolio of companies, you might not be aware of.

We wish you all the best!
Let us know your career stories, so we can help future graduates to smoothly transition into their first positions!

by Claudia Willmes, PhD Alumna, AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz
This article originally appeared March 2018, in Beauty and the Brain , Vol 11 - Issue 01

Finding a Career Entry That Suits You - Part I

With far fewer academic positions available than there are people with PhDs, the traditional path from student to postdoc to professor is no longer the norm. But besides that, there are many reasons why you might want to leave academia. Maybe you want a more secure job, want to get in contact with clients, or just don't like research anymore. Luckily, there are more jobs out there than you might realize! The process of job hunting can be confusing and intimidating. This collection of tips will help you to identify your strengths and the industry you want to move into and finally find a career entry that fits your interests.

How do I start?
The most important building block for a successful career is to be honest in defining your interests and strengths. The first question should be: do I want to apply for jobs in a technical, creative or management sector? But don’t build up too much pressure: you don’t have to make the perfect decision. A career is a path that arises from many decisions. Of course, the first job sets the direction, but you can always transition to another position. Especially when looking for your first "real world job", you might need to compromise on one or two things.

Where can I get inspiration?
Use conferences, social events, career fairs, meet-ups and career talks to question others about their work and explore the realities of these possibilities. A great opportunity to get in touch with scientists working outside of academia is the Career Development Seminar every second Wednesday at noon in the CCO Auditorium. Find people with a similar academic background who share your view on life and ask them about their careers. You might not only get inspired but also make important contacts. Even getting to know what you don't like will shape your idea of what you might want to do.
Think outside the box: scientists are not only needed in science but also in jobs like consulting, the public sector, non-profit organizations, management, communication, and many more. There are plenty reports from scientists that escaped academia on Science, Nature and Reddit.
Reflect when you read advertisements in newspapers or scientific journals: why were you attracted to this advertisement? Could you imagine working for this company or in this sector?

What are my strengths?
Pinpoint moments when you really enjoyed or really didn’t enjoy doing something, instead of trying to imagine what you would enjoy doing, because a lot of things aren’t what they seem to be. Find out what you are good at by asking yourself “what do people ask me to help them with?”. Ask people around you what you are good at and what they think is special about you. Consider also your life beyond the lab and think about your strengths outside of your field of study.

What are my interests?
Maybe you are graduating in neuroscience, but you have always been attracted by nutrition science, or you are more interested in the bigger picture of science - all this is worth considering. Only if your career satisfies your interests, will it make you happy. Figure out what it is that drives you. Think about moments when you were really happy, inspired or content with what you were doing.

What is important to me?
Consider what is important to you and prioritize. This might be the work environment, career perspectives within a company, working hours, the salary, or additional benefits. Make sure your prospect job fits your lifestyle and incorporates your personal life plan. If you want kids and would like to take a break from work, would this be compatible with the career aspired to? Do you want to stay in this city or are you willing to relocate? Can you commit to a job that needs a lot of traveling or working on the weekends? Do you want to work in a highly competitive environment? Answering these questions will help you to further narrow down career options.

stay tuned for Part II : Everything from getting familiar with the job lingo, structuring your job search, and where to get further information

By Claudia Willmes, PhD Alumna AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz
This article originally appeared March 2018, in Beauty and the Brain , Vol 11 - Issue 01

How is Ticklishness Coded in the Brain?

People laugh when tickled. It sounds natural, but its mechanism remains to be determined. Shimpei Ishiyama from the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience investigates the neural correlate of ticklishness in rats.

CB: What is your project about?
SI: Nobody knows how ticklishness is encoded. We speculated that ticklishness might be represented in the brain, most likely in the somatosensory cortex. For my project, I tickle rats which are implanted with electrodes in this brain region.

Why do you use rats to study ticklishness?
Tickling is considered to mimic play behavior. Therefore, we needed a very social animal. Mice are not that social compared to rats. We use young rats because they are more ticklish than older rats. Correspondingly, young rats play a lot, while old ones do not. Jack Panksepp was the first to discover that rats vocalize intensively when tickled. He proposed a very bold theory that rat vocalization might be an evolutionary ancestor of human laughter.

How do rats laugh?
Rats evoke ultrasonic vocalizations that are divided into 22 kHz, indicating negative emotions, and 50 kHz, indicating positive emotions. They emit 50 kHz vocalizations during social interactions with conspecifics or mating, while consuming addictive drugs, and during ‘play fight’. We found that rats have specific patterns of vocalization depending on the stimulus. There is a pattern which looks really complicated and appears particularly when the rats are touched or tickled. There are other patterns called “Trill” and “Modulated”; these are continuously pronounced during a break between bouts of tickling. And there are others that are pronounced during touching or tickling. However, I would hesitate to call this the same as human ticklishness or human laughter, but at least rat ticklishness and laughter.

How do you tickle the rats?
Young rats target the nape of the neck during play fight. Professor Panksepp discovered that tickling the nape of rats induces more 50 kHz vocalizations than tickling other parts, which indicates a close relationship between ‘tickling’ and play fight in rats. For the experiment, I put a rat in a big box which is placed underneath a camera. I then put on gloves and tickle the rat with my hand. If I tickle the rats' trunk, they laugh heavily; if I tickle them on other body parts such as the tail, they are less excited.

How do you define ticklishness?
There are two types of ticklishness. One is called knismesis – a very light, itchy, annoying feeling of ticklishness, like the touch of a feather. This does not induce laughter. You can even do it by yourself anywhere on your body. The other is called gargalesis. This ticklishness induces heavy laughter. Obviously that is the one I am studying. Rats show positive emotions and a lot of vocalizations when exposed to ticklish stimuli. It can even make them addicted.

How do you record the rats' brain activity?
We implant 8 tetrodes, which consist of 32 electrodes, within a space of approximately 2.5 mm in the somatosensory area representing the trunk region, because we think this is the most ticklish body part. The electrodes cover nearly the whole area. We use tetrodes that extracellularly detect spikes. These represent action potentials from single cells. In the recorded traces you see different spike amplitudes. Each amplitude size corresponds to a single cell corresponding to the position of the electrode. Therefore, we can separate the signals by analyzing the amplitudes and many other features – this is called clustering – and measure the frequency of action potentials of single units.

Do you see specific activity in the somatosensory cortex while tickling the rats?
Yes indeed! We detected specific firing during the tickling phase when I overlay the electrophysiology data with the video information of the tickling session. The high firing rate was phase-locked to the tickling. There is always baseline firing, but I found cells that fire more during tickling phases.

How do you know that the neuronal activity corresponds to tickling and not just touch?
We just started our investigations and we are not sure yet. Some cells in the somatosensory cortex fire intensively when I tickle the rat, but less when I gently touch the rat. You can assume that this higher activity during tickling compared to gentle touch might be the neural correlate of ticklishness.

Some people are not as ticklish as others. Do you also observe this in rats?
Yes, I do. Rats also have characters. Some are really jumpy, some are very shy. Typically the jumpy rats are more ticklish. Ticklishness is also dependent on mood. If I give the same physical stimuli but the rat's mood is less excited, it vocalizes less. I have bright lights in my setup; rats are scared of bright light as they are nocturnal animals. Under bright light, they don’t move much and laugh less, even if the tickling stimuli are the same.

The findings have since been published in Science

Claudia Willmes, PhD Alumna AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz

This article originally appeared March 2015, Volume 08 Issue 01, Humor

New Issue Out Now: BEAUTY AND THE BRAIN

The brain is beautiful. From single cells to the sulci and gyri on an MRI, there is a lot to admire. In this issue of the newsletter, we dive into neuroaesthetics, an exciting field studying how beauty is created, understood and valued by the brain. To start things off, why not take a short primer course (page 3), or hear about it straight from the source: scientists working at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (pages 8-11)? We also take a look at whether beauty is only skin-deep literally (pages 15 and 17) and figuratively (pages 13 and 18-19), and how a pretty face (or not…) impacts your chances in life and academia (pages 5 and 12). Do art and beauty always go hand in hand (pages 16-17 and 20)? What if drugs get into the mixture (page 21)?

As part of a recent scientific writing workshop, we are trying to give the newsletter a ‘makeover’. For this purpose we want to hear from YOU, dear readers! See our survey on the next page, give us your best elevator pitch (page 21) or get involved with writing or editing. On this note, a huge shout-out to new author Nina Stöberl, whose story on page 14 and beautiful image of the neuromuscular junction provided our cover art! Most importantly, we want to cover more topics that are directly relevant to our audience, to that end check out our great front-line reporting and critique on Charité PhD life (pages 22-24).

This issue, we are excited to welcome four new members of our proofreading and editorial team: Bettina Schmerl, Aarti Swaminathan, Malika Renz and Zara Khan. Unfortunately, we also have some sad news as well: Helge, one of co-editors-in-chief is about to finish his PhD, and will transition into the exciting and glamorous world of consulting. Thanks for everything Helge, and thanks for all of your hard work for the newsletter! Replacing Helge and joining Constance as the new EIC is Claudia Willmes, an alumna of AG Eickholt and Schmitz and current editor of our blog. We look forward to working with Claudia and expanding our presence both on the web and the written page.
Beautifully yours,

Constance Holman & Helge Hasselmann co-editors-in-chief

Access the full issue here.

Attention: Driverless Bus Crossing!

A silent humming can be heard these days, when you walk around Charité. And you should watch carefully, when you hear it: Currently, BVG and Charité are testing autonomous busses on our campus! But even if you cross the street absorbed in thought, you won’t be knocked over: The busses have an integrated system that makes them stop as soon as they detect any object crossing their way.

Currently, four driverless shuttles operate at a maximum speed of 20 km/h on defined routes with fixed stops in the two clinic premises Campus Mitte and Campus Virchow. The pilot phase is part of the “Stimulate" project by the Institute for Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Sciences, which aims to answer what options autonomous minibuses offer for future public transport and how driverless vehicles are accepted by users. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Charité provides the infrastructure, and BVG is responsible vehicle operation.

Ligier EZ-10 autonomous electric minishuttle, via Wikimedia Commons

According to Charité and BVG, the two Charité locations in Mitte and Wedding are particularly well-suited, as they represent a sufficiently large test area, separated from public roads. In addition, there are sidewalks, intersections and road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, cars, trucks, buses and ambulances. Thus they are like "a small image of our city," said Charité CEO Einhäupl. "First, the shuttles have to learn the routes," said BVG board member Henrik Haenecke. The shuttles orient themselves with the help of laser and radar that detect the environment. Only remote monitoring is provided and passengers will not be able to intervene in the steering system. Only braking maneuvers will be allowed.
"We hope that the project will enable us to expand the existing transport offer for our patients, visitors, employees and students in the future," said Einhäupl. According to a Charité press release from last year, passengers are allowed to board from the second quarter of 2018. At first there will be staff on board who can intervene in case of problems. From 2019, the minibuses should operate without accompaniment.

Claudia Willmes
PhD Alumna, AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz

source: Gemeinsame Pressemitteilung von BVG, Charité und Land Berlin

(Available only in German)

High Impact: Consequences of Brain Injury in Athletes

Who has watched the Super Bowl last night? It had more than 111 million spectators. Besides watching a great sports game and an amazing halftime show, viewers were also witnessing series of brain concussions.

In football, players run like bulldozers, ramming everyone in their way. If the heads of two football players collide, the impact can reach up to more than 100 g [1], similar to forces in a car crash; a high school football player experiences about thousand blows to the head each season [2]!

Rising Awareness Since 2005
Football has been played since 1869, but awareness that repetitive concussions and sub-concussive hits to the head may have long term neurodegenerative effects has been rising only since 2005. It all started when Bennet Omalu autopsied the brain of Mike Webster, a four-time winner of the Super Bowl who died at the age 50. After retiring from a long football career, he developed depression, took drugs, had memory and concentration problems, as well as shaking hands.
Mike Webster’s brain showed amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the neocortex, reminiscent of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Omalu diagnosed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and hypothesised that head-to-head collisions were the cause [3]. With accumulating case studies, he also started making connections between repetitive mild brain injuries and depression. Later, a second group led by Ann McKee reported CTE in a larger cohort of post-mortem samples and confirmed many of Omalu's hypotheses [4].

Upon Impact, the Brain Hits the Skull
Helmets worn by the players only prevent skull fractures, but not internal damage; the brain hits the skull from the inside, referred to as “Brain Slosh”. The shearing of brain tissue leads to excessive toxic release of neurotransmitters, changes in glucose-metabolism, immune activation, and damage of blood vessels. This leads to secondary injury: breakdown of the blood brain barrier, disturbances in cerebral blood flow, formation of hematomas, neuroinflammation and so on.
The results are neurological symptoms during acute injury (dizziness, headache, nausea) which collectively persist in long-term deficits [5]. Neuronal damage and traumatic axonal injury further lead to accumulation of a-beta amyloid, tau and ApoE components [5]. Though sharing many similarities with AD, CTE-associated tauopathy differs with regard to the distribution: in CTE, tau is most prominent in superficial cortical layers and sulci, and tends to surround blood vessels [5].

by Jack Kurzenknabe, via flickr

Diagnostic Difficulties
The clinical phenotype of CTE is still incomplete, because most of the knowledge comes from post-mortem analyses and retrospective data. In the 158 autopsy cases analysed so far, 80% showed signs of CTE [6]. However it is difficult to asses how natural age-related changes, unrelated psychiatric illness, alcohol/drug use or coexisting cognitive impiarment contribute to the current picture of CTE; due to the long latency of CTE, co-morbidities are often present.
As of yet, there have been no established diagnostic criteria or in vivo biomarkers, meaning that CTE can only be diagnosed post mortem. But there is hope: Recent research developed means for premorbid identification of neurodegeneration in contact-sports athletes. NFL players with histories of mood and cognitive symptoms were subjected to positron emission tomography (PET) scans, which revealed that they had higher tau deposits than controls in all subcortical regions and the amygdala, areas known to produce tau deposits following trauma [7].

INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE STILL UNKNOWN

However the incidence and prevalence of CTE are still unknown and, to date, there is no consensus regarding which intensity of head blows is tolerable. Large-scale prospective, longitudinal studies of concussed and non-concussed individuals are needed to provide a better picture.
To further advance the research on biomarkers and treatment approaches, a mouse model has been developed. It uses controlled closed-head impacts on unanaesthetized mice to recapitulate the spectrum of behavioural symptoms noted in patients diagnosed with CTE [8].

What are the Consequences?
Until recently, the National Football league (NFL) did not recognize these injuries as consequence of the sport itself. Rather, a common argument suggests that former players can’t cope with not being the focus of attention anymore, which is why they develop depression and take drugs, which then goes on to eventually cause neurodegeneration. Several former NFL players sued the league for allegedly misleading them about the risks of brain injury and one player even resigned from the NFL because he feared the consequences of the daily brain trauma.

Is This the End for Football?
Football has been played for 150 years. In 1905, 19 players died in a single season, most due to head and spine injuries. President Roosevelt, an avid football fan, ordered football coaches to reform the rules eliminating the more brutal features of the game. Since then, the sport has changed time and again. As a reaction to the current discoveries, President Barack Obama also expressed concern about college football players and the “problems with concussions and so forth” [9]. Football is just too big of a cult for this to be the end. New rules will hopefully be enforced to make the games safer for the athletes and still satisfying for fans.

[1] Funk et al, Ann Biomed Eng, 2012
[2] Beckwith et al, Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2013
[3] Omalu et al, Neurosurgery, 2005
[4] Stein et al,  Alzheimers Res Ther, 2014
[5] Chauhan, Restor Neurol Neurosci,  2014
[6] Gardner et al, Br J Sports Med,  2014
[7] Small et al,  Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, 2013
[7] Petraglia et al, J Neurotrauma, 2014
[9] Foer and Hughes, New Republic, 2013

by Claudia Willmes, PhD Alumna AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz
this article originally appeared June 2016 in Volume 09 Issue 2 "The Sporty Brain"

Interesting movies to watch:

• 1954: On the Waterfront
• 2015: Concussions

Of the Importance to Publish Negative Results

I had a rough time during my PhD with many experiments that did not support a common hypothesis in my field of research. However, I was able to successfully submit a manuscript describing my negative data. Recently I even won a prize for publishing them.

When scientists embark on a new study, they formulate a hypothesis that they want to test. Sometimes the experiments do not support the hypothesis the researchers set out to test. If the obtained data are unable to confirm a hypothesis or replicate previous results, they are called negative results. Sometimes they are also called NULL results, as the Null hypothesis H₀ (the hypothesis that there will be no difference between experimental and control group) was not rejected. Most of the time, negative results are more accurate and give more informative than results that support a new hypothesis. 

If a test of experimental data comes up significant with p < 0.05, we reject H₀ and accept H₁ (the hypothesis that the results show an effect). Notably, we only tested H₀ and the p-value says nothing about the probability of H₁ being true. However, a non-significant p-value means that H₀ is true (or the data didn’t have enough power to reject it). In a Bayesian sense, data underlying a non-significant p-value can be strong evidence for the H₀. 

Negative data are obviously not very spectacular, because we want to find out what is true, not what isn’t. Positive results seem more interesting and more important than NULL results. The latter are often not submitted for publication, because they are believed to generate less value to scientists and academic publishers. Indeed, they are less likely to open new avenues of research that generate funding opportunities. Manuscripts reporting negative data are also more likely to get rejected, because they appear less exciting. Traditionally it is difficult to publish negative data, unless they refute a spectacular claim. Studies that do not confirm a new hypothesis often get literally filed away in a drawer. Therefore this is also called the “file drawer phenomenon”.

PUBLISH ALL RESULTS TO FIGHT THE PUBLICATION BIAS! 

Unfortunately, the negative data get lost to the scientific community. If ever another group of researchers has a similar hypothesis, they are likely to tap into the same dead end. The fact that such negative data are rarely published, leads other scientists to waste time and effort by unnecessarily repeating experiments. It is estimated [1] that this costs the US economy alone, $28bn each year, similar in scale to the total $35bn National Institute of Health annual budget [2]. Moreover, the bias towards positive results can lead to an overestimation of biological phenomena or efficacy of drugs. It is devastating and frustrating, if the biased representation of preclinical work compromises the outcome of drug trials. Thus, publishing more negative results will have a positive impact on the development of new drugs and healthcare solutions. 

by Maklay 62 via pixabay

Another current problem is reproducibility. Even though it is fundamental to scientific progress, replication of studies carries little prestige in academic research. Especially in neuroscience, reproducibility has come under particular focus due to some spectacular cases, where data could not be reproduced [3]. Recently, systematic studies demonstrated that current biomedicine has a serious replication problem. It is shocking that more than half of the published biomedical data could not be reproduced [1]. This led to the declaration of a reproducibility crisis. It is necessary to value the effort to reproduce and publish studies regardless of their outcome.

 SCIENCE IS MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE RESULTS ARE PUBLISHED

Fortunately, many journals now publish reproduction studies and negative data; for example PeerJ, PlosONE, J Neg Res Biomed, Scientific reports and others. Furthermore the necessity to reproduce experiments and publish negative results gets now also recognized by funding agencies that award publications that do not confirm the expected outcome or original hypothesis. The prizes aim to emphasize the value in publishing all the results, as science is most effective when both positive and negative results are published. Another way to fight publication bias and focus on the scientific process and soundness are “Registered Reports”. For this type of journal article, methods and proposed analyses are pre-registered prior to research being conducted. Thereby the results are accepted for publication before data collection commences and without regard to their positive or negative outcome.  
These efforts show, that the recognition to publish negative results and replication studies is growing. Hopefully this will contribute to the soundness of science and retrieve research from the reproducibility crisis.

QUEST is giving away 15 awards of € 1,000  to first/last/corresponding authors (BIH, MDC or Charité affiliation) of preclinical or clinical research papers in which the main result is a NULL or ‘negative’ or in which the replication of own results or the results of others is attempted. Futher information can be found here.

The ECNP’s Preclinical Data Forum created the “ECNP Preclinical Network Data Prize”, a prize for published “negative” scientific results, of €10,000. Aimed initially at neuroscience research, it encourages publication of data where the results do not confirm the expected outcome or original hypothesis. The ECNP’s Preclinical Data Forum is a mixed industry and academic group which aims to improve the replicability and reliability of scientific data, especially in drug development. Futher information can be found here.

by Claudia Willmes, PhD Alumna AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz  

[1] sciencemag, 2015 http://bit.ly/2E5ho01
[2  sciencemag, 2017 http://bit.ly/2uWuFTt
[3] nature news, 2014 http://go.nature.com/2rAME4b

Your Lab Notebook Goes Digital!

Even though labs today have high-profile technical equipment and produce data mainly digitally, most of the documentation is still done on paper. Labfolder provides an electronic, web-based note book that allows you to store, organize, and analyze your scientific data in a digital format, accessible anytime and anywhere. We met with one of the founders, Florian Hauer.

What is the idea behind Labfolder?
Labfolder is a digital platform where scientists can capture, validate, collect, and also connect all the data and data sources in the laboratory. In most laboratories, scientists still use paper-based lab books. Labfolder transforms these labs into the laboratories of the future, where everything is digital and connected. The idea is that science will be better, more transparent, more reproducible, and more successful if the lab goes digital.

When did you start working on Labfolder?
I started working on Labfolder together with my co-founder Simon Bungers in 2011. It all started with writing a grant for the EXIST fellowship from the German government which awarded us 100.000 EUR to start. We started building the first prototype in 2012 and founded the company in autumn 2013.

You came directly from working in a lab and created Labfolder. What is your background?
My background is molecular biology and biophysics. I had done electron microscopy before I started with Labfolder; it is a discipline which is very data-heavy.

STAYING IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH IS AS RISKY AS FOUNDING A STARTUP

How did you get into this field? Why did you decide not to follow research?
It was curiosity. And then followed by possibility. My co-founder and I were curious to see what it would look like to have our own company. When we got the possibility to do it, we grabbed it immediately. We were often asked if this was not very risky, but our statement is that staying in academic research is equally risky. There is actually no difference whether you want to pursue the academic path, go to the industry or build a startup.

Did you have any training which prepared you for your adventure?
We had to learn everything right in the moment: how to do tax declarations, set up contracts, register a company, and so forth. Luckily, we were embedded in a network from the FU Berlin, which came with our funding. They gave us support in many ways. But I can tell you this: If you have done scientific lab work, then doing the bureaucratic efforts of founding a company is really not rocket science. For a scientist, I would say, it is not a big problem to figure out how to do all these things that are necessary to start and run a company.

What were the milestones in the development and growth of Labfolder?

Our first important milestone was the release of the alpha version in 2012. After only 3 months of development, we released the first very basic prototype of Labfolder, which was already good enough to ignite the interest of some users here at the Charité. More milestones were the steps of publishing new features and available languages. Among the milestones are also the partnerships that we made both with other startups like Mendeley and investors, but also our agreement with the Max Planck society, and very recently with the BIH to roll out Labfolder here at the Charité and the MDC.

FOUNDING A COMPANY IS REALLY NOT ROCKET SCIENCE

 

Who is using Labfolder already and how many customers do you have?
Around 14.000 scientists are using Labfolder. Most are from Germany, but also from the rest of Europe, the US, and Asia. Our customers are 60% academic research laboratories, the others are companies. However, the number of customers does not necessarily reflect the number of users, as for example the Max Planck society is one customer with many users. We also have customers that are using Labfolder in analysis labs with routine testing.

Andrea Claes (l) and Florian Hauer (r) from Labfolder, Photo: Claudia Willmes

How is Labfolder going to evolve in the coming years?
Very soon we will release a few features that will allow scientists to manage their data even better. One feature will allow you to control the experimental parameters in a more structured way, and run queries on your experimental data. Another feature will allow you to link all the material you are using by introducing a material database.
In the long run, we are interested in implementing all the features that allow scientists to get a better grip on their data and make more out of it. The promise of digitalization is not only to have everything digital, but to also do something with the data: To make connections that were there but were not visible before. In the age of big data, it is important to make it possible for scientists to easily store and access it.

What do you like the most about your job?
I like that I have to do something new every day. It never gets boring. There are no normal work days!

What are some of the challenges of your job?
Well, the challenges are also that there is something new every day. But I think it is the challenges that make us grow stronger. I would say that it is probably not the easiest of all jobs, but in our team we are all equally hungry for challenges and for the success that comes with mastering them.

Do you sometimes wish you would be doing experiments in a lab?
I actually still do lab work as a guest scientist! It is very important to me to stay connected to the laboratory and science. Of course, I do much less. I usually take 2 weeks holiday per year which I spend in the lab. I have never lost the connection to the lab and I also plan to keep that in the future.

IN TIMES OF BIG DATA IT'S IMPORTANT TO EASILY STORE AND ACCESS DATA

 
To what extent can Labfolder contribute to better “scientific practice” and data availability?
Labfolder makes it easier to follow the guidelines of good scientific practice, as it is just done automatically without you needing to do anything. Today the main problem of science is that the data are just not accessible to others. If you write up your thesis, you finish your lab notebook and put it on the shelf in your lab: And the data are practically gone! With Labfolder, we want to make sure that future generations of scientists and also the general public will be able to follow your experiments and make use of your data. What ends up in the paper is maybe 5% of the data you have generated, and the rest is lost. It is our mission to provide the technical possibility to share the data in an easy way, and not to share only the tip of the iceberg which is the paper, but also the hidden bottom. These data could be used by others to come to new conclusions and to combine different datasets in order to find new things. With the digital platform for scientific data, there are going to be a lot of possibilities to exchange data. Funding agencies such as the DFG want scientists to share their data, including the raw data. There is a trend to open science and we would like to offer a platform where this trend can become reality.

LABFOLDER IS AN IMPROVEMENT OF  DATA SAFETY AND SECURITY

What about data security? Would it be possible to hack the Labfolder data?
This is a very valid question, but there is no system in the world that is 100% safe. Your paper notebook is also not safe. If you look at large industrial companies that fell victim to espionage, the port of entry never has been the system, but a corrupted person. The risk to be attacked by a hacker is especially high if you have your data on your personal computer or unsecured hard drive. Having your data on Labfolder, where the communication is encrypted and data are stored behind a firewall means security is a lot higher. Also, the Labfolder servers regularly undergo scheduled backups. Even if your computer bursts into flames, your data is still safe in Labfolder. Compared to the many other ways of data storage, Labfolder is actually quiet an improvement of safety and security.

What can our readers do if they want to start using Labfolder?
Using Labfolder at the Charité is now possible! You are very much invited to contact us, either me or Andrea Claes. Andrea will help finding the right strategy to transition from paper based lab book to Labfolder to make it seamlessly easy to jump into the digital lab notebook.

Thank you very much for this interview, we are looking forward to the new features of Labfolder!

This interview was edited for length and clarity
 
Interview by Claudia Willmes, PhD Alumna AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz
This interview originally appeared June 2017 in  CNS Volume 10 - Issue 2

You are very much invited to contact Andrea Claes,
Project & Account Manager, and contact partner for the BIH andrea.claes@labfolder.com

Head-Turning Asymmetries during Kissing

Did you know that there is a name for the scientific study of kissing? It is called Philematology, from the ancient Greek word philos = earthly love. Scientists found out that we use up to 34 muscles for intensive kissing, that kissing increases levels of endorphins and dopamine, and that we exchange as many as 10 million to 1 billion bacteria during kissing (don't worry, 95% of them are not pathogenic for immunologically competent people). You might be aware of that, but have you ever wondered why you nearly never bump your partner’s nose or head when you kiss?

The Kiss by Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Paris

Onur Güntürkün observed 124 kissing pairs in public spaces in three countries and documented that 65% turned their heads to the right and only 35% to the left, resulting in a 2:1 ratio for right-kissing [1]. Where does this head-turning asymmetry come from? Is it due to brain laterality or due to a motor bias?

Romantic Theory about the Influence of Emotion
One hypothesis is that head-turning asymmetry during kissing is linked to brain laterality. In popular psychology the left hemisphere is often said to be involved in analytical thinking, whereas the right hemisphere processes emotions. At least for posing behavior in portraits, it was shown that the emotional context has an effect on lateralisation bias. In emotive conditions, individuals show the left cheek, i.e. turn the head to the left, whereas when posing for an impassive scientific portrait they show the right cheek [2]. Is head-turning to the right during kissing, like posing behavior, also influenced by the emotional context?
To study the association of right-kissing and emotions, subjects were asked to kiss a life-sized doll head without emotion. The right turning ratio was compared to that of kissing couples. The results showed a similar right turning ratio for both the doll kissers and the couples. As no preferential difference between kissing couples and doll kissers was observed, the emotion theory was dismissed. Kissing the doll does not involve emotions like kissing a partner, but the head-turning ratio was still similar [3].

Reappearance of a Neonatal Right-Side Preference
Another possible explanation for the preference of right-kissing is the persistence of a motor bias seen in neonates: During the final weeks of gestation and during early infancy, most humans have a preference for turning the head to the right. This motor bias persists into adulthood and has effects on various asymmetries. The preferential head turning direction in infants can even be used as prediction for later handedness [4]. However, the prevalence of right-handedness is 8:1 [5]; thus not consistent with the 2:1 kissing ratio for the right side observed by Güntürkün. Thus, the kissing asymmetry is not a simple result of right-handedness. If the asymmetry during kissing is caused by a motor bias, how is it related to handedness and other lateral preferences?
To test whether head-turning preference is related to other lateral preferences, the handedness, footedness, and eye preference of volunteers who were asked to kiss a symmetrical doll face were determined. The study revealed that right-kissers were more likely to be right-handed and right-footed than left-kissers [6]. This relation could not be shown for eye preference, but as the data structure was the same the authors speculate that their questionnaire was not detailed enough. However, the study showed that head-turning preference during kissing is indeed due to a motor bias and related to handedness and footedness.

Dominance of Right-Kissers
As kissing always takes two and both kissers are always influenced by the partner’s head-turning preference, scientists were interested in what happens if a right-turner kisses a left-turner. Therefore Van der Kamp and Canal-Bruland analyzed the consistency of the head-turning bias in kissing by using a doll head rotated in different orientations that were either compatible or incompatible with the participant’s head-turning preference. In the study, right-kissers were more likely to persistently turn their head to the right even if the doll's head was turned as if kissing on the left side [7]. Because the head turning bias among right-kissers is stronger than among left-kissers, two people with different head-turning preferences are more likely to turn their heads to the right during kissing. Furthermore, the results support the hypothesis that behavioral asymmetries are stronger for individuals with a lateral preference pattern for the right than for the left side [8].
In conclusion, the observed asymmetries during kissing can be explained by a motor bias rather than by the emotive context.

[1] Güntürkün, Nature, 2003
[2] Nicholls et al, Proc Biol Sci, 1999
[3] Barrett et al, Laterality, 2006
[4] Michel, Science, 1981
[5] Corballis, Psychol Rev, 1997
[6] Ocklenburg and Güntürkün, Laterality, 2009
[7] Van der Kamp and Canal-Bruland, Laterality, 2011
[8] Searlman and Porac, Brain Cogn, 2003

By Claudia Willmes, PhD Alumni, AG Eickholt and AG Schmitz 

This article originally appeared 2014 in CNS Volume 7, Issue 2, Neuroscience of Love

Ever thought about an editorial career?

Springer Nature offices in Berlin invited PhD students and Postdoctoral Researchers to inform them about editorial and publishing careers at Springer Nature. The event took place on November 30, 2017. 

When I got an invitation for the event via the facebook group Career Development Seminar Series (check it out and join!), I jumped at the opportunity to get new ideas on how to proceed in my career, having just recently finished my PhD.

To say the least, my expectations were more than met. The evening started with four editors presenting their career paths, which was very inspiring. This was followed by a more general presentation that gave insights on how an editorial job looks like, what the different positions at Springer Nature are, and how to secure a job at Springer Nature. In the subsequent Q&A session participants asked questions from all angles ranging from how to stand out as an applicant, how the application process looks like, and how high the salaries are.

Afterwards we were invited to chat with the speakers and some more editors over drinks and snacks. Unfortunately I couldn’t eat the snacks as I was so busy talking to people, but it contributed to a very welcoming atmosphere. All in all I found the event very helpful and encouraging! 

If you are as excited as me about disseminating science, enjoy writing and communication, and are keen to read cutting-edge research before it is published, then pursuing a career in the editorial or publishing field could be right for you. 

 

Visit Springer Nature’s editorial and publishing careers page for further information and job openings at www.springernature.com/editorial-and-publishing-jobs or contact Katie Riddle, the Global Editorial Talent Manager at k.ridd@nature.com

Claudia Willmes

PhD Alumna AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz

Follow Up: Child/Family Space at Charité

On November 1, 1848 the first US women's medical school opens in Boston. Since then the rights for women changed a lot: In our society it is common that women can study and be doctors just like men. However, as nature can not be changed, it is still the woman who has to carry the baby and breastfeed. Unfortunately this can be an obstacle when a mother-to-be or a breastfeeding mum want to combine motherhood an work.


In our March edition of the newsletter (Vol. 10, Issue 1), we included a series of interviews with female members of the Charité research community. One of our participants mentioned the lack of a room in the CCO for breastfeeding women, or staff members who need a room to rest during their pregnancy (read the full interview here).
Kimberly Mason from the NeuroCure office pointed out that such a room equipped with a couch or mattress for anyone needing a rest was initially planned. Unfortunately, when the Charité highrise renovations began, the CCO had to absorb several groups and services. There was an intense scramble for space and the resting room got repurposed.

However, such a space does actually exist: on Campus Mitte you find it in Hufelandweg 9, Level K1, Room 006. There is also a parent-child room on the Virchow Campus. For details see: https://familienbuero.charite.de/charite_mit_kind/kinderbetreuung/kinderzimmer/

Since one room does not cover the needs of all pregnant women and parents with their children for the whole campus, maybe there is something we can do. We want to explore creative alternatives and would like to hear your opinion.

Thank you Kimberly for the helpful information!

by Claudia Willmes, Post-doc AG Schmitz

This article originally appeared September 2017 in CNS Volume 10, Issue 3, Spirituality in Science

How Wearing a Fitness Tracker Can Change You

Lately, a big market for fitness trackers has emerged. Different wearables and apps can measure a number of fitness-related parameters, including heart rate, GPS tracking, steps, distance covered, pace, calories burned or even sleep quality. In many cases, you can also log your caloric intake to get an even better profile of your performance. But the psychological aspect of fitness trackers is just as important as the technology behind them because they do more than inform: they reinforce, motivate and reward.

The Advertised Effects
Fitness trackers and apps are advertised as beneficial for your health and lifestyle. They provide an objective measure of your activity so you can’t lie to yourself. Wearable trackers should get you to be more active, motivate you during exercise and provide information about your daily routine or workout without requiring manual calculations or notes. Furthermore, they should help you to reach your fitness goals.
These devices and apps are becoming increasingly popular in personal healthcare and promise easy lifestyle changes. These promising words fall on fertile soil. Most adults are aware of (or at least suspect) not meeting their recommended daily activity guidelines. However, there are no objective research results to bolster up their promise of improving physical activity levels.

Do They Work?
Fitness trackers are great for those who really have no idea how many calories they burn during an activity and can help those in need of a motivational tool to keep them going. However, one study found that using a pedometer did not significantly increase step count among overweight and obese adults [1]. Another study with overweight people showed that after 18 months, those who had used a device that tracked steps and calorie expenditure lost on average five pounds less than people without self-tracking [2]. Thus, devices that monitor and provide feedback on physical activity may not offer an advantage over standard behavioral weight-loss approaches after all.

A FITNESS TRACKER INITIALLY INCREASES MOTIVATION

 

From personal observations and a (non-representative) survey among colleagues, it became apparent that a fitness tracker motivated us to be more active initially . For nearly all it was fun to log and track our own health data and progress with colorful charts and badges for achievements. However, the excitement – as with all new toys – had died away at some point and most of us were back to our previous activity levels after a while. Until now, not a single long-term study has analyzed the effect of constantly wearing a fitness tracker on the average consumer.

The Author's Personal Records

What Else Do They Do?
However, many users also observed that they developed a guilty conscience if they had not moved enough. In some cases this led to abandoning the device altogether. Thus, wearing the device alone is not enough to lead a healthier life. Many devices and apps offer an online platform where users can compare themselves with others or even challenge a friend. This additionally increases the motivation, but also the pressure to perform and reach your goals as the wearer is held accountable by the device, app and group members. The motivation to be at the top of a ranking can also be amplified by the ability to broadcast your exercise statistics via social media.

USING A FITNESS TRACKER CAN WORSEN EATING DISORDERS

This can, for obvious reasons, also have negative consequences for some people. One study examined the relationship between use of calorie counting and fitness tracking devices with eating disorder-related behaviour in college students [3]. Participants using calorie and fitness trackers manifested higher levels of eating concern and dietary restraint. Interestingly, fitness tracking, but not calorie counting, emerged as a unique indicator of eating disorder symptomatology. These findings suggest that for some individuals, these devices do more harm than good.

Should I Track?
It is nice to know your daily step count, heart rate, caloric intake, and the like, but wouldn’t you also have an approximate idea about these parameters if you simply reflected on your daily routine? Depending on how important it is for you to know the exact parameters, it makes sense to wear such a device... or not. Many devices have a built-in alarm that goes off if you have not move for a certain time. This might come in handy, but can also be annoying if you are at work and just can’t go for a walk right now. In the end, it always depends on the individual who wears the device.
If you are not prone to being overly critical about your weight, tracking your workouts and food intake can be motivating. But tracking everything might become obsessive for some, as the numerical focus of the trackers is akin to the obsessive fixation characteristic for eating disorders and exercise addiction.
It's true that these devices make you be more aware of your health. However, this can also be achieved without fitness trackers but instead with good education about lifestyle and health.

[1] Takahashi et al, Clin Interv Aging. 2016
[2] Jakicic et al, JAMA. 2016 
[3] Simpson et al, Eat Behav. 2017

by Claudia Willmes, PhD Alumni AG Eickholt/Schmitz

this article originally appeared June 2017 in CNS Volume 10, Issue 2, Digital Health and Big Data