Neuroscience is making its way in to the work environment. Researchers are discovering new ways to utilize neuroscience to benefit human behavior in the workplace. The use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to help researchers demonstrate the level and degree emotions and thought when put in stressful activities.
The Scandinavian Psychological Association published a research study about the use of fMRI to study the treatment of chronic stress in employees (Bergdahl. J., Larsson, A., Nilsson, L., Åhlström, K. R, 2005). fMRI allow more accurate and less radioactive results, with the use of hemoglobin molecules. “fMRI indicates the present of brain activity because the hemoglobin molecules in high brain activity lose some oxygen they are transporting, which makes the more magnetic and respond strongly to the magnetic field.” (Goldstien, 2011). It uses the iron properties in hemoglobin molecules as magnets. The use of the fMRI allowed researchers in the study to track the brain activity in one of the areas of the brain for perception called the prefrontal cortex.
The prefrontal cortex is located in the frontal lobes of the brain. This cortex job is to regulate cogitative emotion and social behavior. Dr. Richard Davidson used fMRI to conclude that the left prefrontal cortex activity shows happiness and the right prefrontal cortex shows sadness (Breazeale, 2013). The more a person is happy or content the more active the left side is. The unhappier a person is, the more activity shows up on the right side. Researchers have also refer to this as part of the brain as the decision-making function. Some considered aspects of executive functioning humans plan, make decisions and express certain behaviors (Goldstien, 2011). Emotions play a key role in the way a person reacts to certain situations and makes certain decisions. This also means that the prefrontal cortex can also be affected by the emotions and decision making when a person is under stressful situations. In the research study, where the fMRI was used to treat chronic stress in important to decisions and effects of decisions in the work place environment.
In the study the researchers used FMRI to track activity in subjects prior to the treatment, short term affect focus groups. Then also after the treatment was given. It was reported that all subjects had high stress levels and the psychological effects of stress prior to the treatment (Bergdahl, J., Larsson, A., Nilsson, L., Åhlström, K. R., 2005). It is also conclusive with the research from Dr. Davision that there were lower levels of activity in the left prefrontal cortex. After the treatment concluded, researchers noted that the reported levels of stress were reduced. Researchers also noted the side effects of stress were lowered as well. The signal intensities in the left side was higher, resulting in lower left side activity.
These advancements in neuroscience can be used to make generalizations about stress reduction and performance in the workplace. The use of neuroimaging tool like the fMRI has help not only researchers connect the prefrontal cortex with the complexities of its executive functioning. It helps industrial organizational psychologist create and modify plans based on reduction of stress, which has an outstanding effect on behaviors and decision making in the work place. The high costs and limited access of the fMRI technology, limits research for this purpose.
References
Bergdahl, J., Larsson, A., Nilsson, L., Åhlström, K. R., & Nyberg, L. (2005). Treatment of chronic stress in employees: Subjective, cognitive and neural correlates.Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 46(5), 395-402. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/620901632?accountid=13158
Breazeale, R. (2013). The Role of the Brain in Happiness: Advances in neuroscience reveal fascinating details about how the brain works. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-the-face-adversity/201302/the-role-the-brain-in-happiness
Goldstein, B. (2011). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience (3rd ed.). Wadsworth, Inc.
PSU. (2016). Cognitive Neuroscience, Lesson 2. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1804143/modules/items/21169293
This was an interesting post and made me think of iron-deficiency anemia. Our body uses “iron to make hemoglobin” and as we know already, hemoglobin plays the role of carrying oxygen throughout our bodies through the use of iron (Iron deficiency, n.d.) Therefore, if we do not have enough iron, our body starts to make “fewer and smaller red blood cells [and our] body has less hemoglobin, and [we] cannot get enough oxygen” (Iron deficiency, n.d.).
You said in your post that the researchers used fMRI technology track the brain’s activity because of the iron that is present in hemoglobin. You also mentioned that when the brain is highly active, the hemoglobin loses some of it’s oxygen –– which inevitably means there’s lower iron.
I did not see an explicit connection made in your post regarding iron-defiency anemia and chronic stress and I did some extra research but didn’t find a connections made there either. But, from your research and the knowledge about hemoglobin and iron, what if the chronic stress is an indication toward those who have iron-deficiency anemia? Because if a person who has iron deficiency anemia – a person whose iron levels are not normal to begin with – is not getting treatment, the high brain activities are depleting their iron to even lower rates. And if the iron is depleting then so is the hemoglobin, which then leads to the chronic stress. Someone who doesn’t have iron deficiency anemia may only experience stress –– not chronic stress –– because their iron levels were normal to begin with. Perhaps, one of the other symptoms to iron defiency anemia is chronic stress and with treatment, it can raise the iron and hemoglobin levels to normal and lead to better functioning of the prefrontal cortex (and other brain areas).
References:
Iron deficiency anemia-topic overview. Retrieved October 8, 2016, from WebMD, http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/tc/iron-deficiency-anemia-topic-overview#1