Psychoanalysis and neurosciences: fuzzy outlines? Notes on the notion of cerebral plasticity

“Psychoanalysis versus psychiatry” and “unconscious versus brain” are classic oppositions between different perspectives on the human being and mental suffering. This article draws on certain elements of this discussion and reflects on how new ideas about the brain and biology favor closer interaction between psychoanalysis and the neurosciences. These questions are redefined through the notion of cerebral plasticity, by which the brain is open to interaction with the social environment and the influence of psychoanalytical therapy. Conceiving of the brain as a plastic organ allows for the possibility of interchange between psychoanalysis and the neurosciences.Fil: Mantilla, Maria Jimena. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Instituto de Investigaciones ; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Segregation and symmetry breaking of strongly coupled two-component Bose-Einstein condensates in a harmonic trap

We study ground states of two-component condensates in a harmonic trap. We prove that in the strongly coupled and weakly interacting regime, the two components segregate while a symmetry breaking occurs. More precisely, we show that when the intercomponent coupling strength is very large and both intracomponent coupling strengths are small, each component is close to the positive or the negative part of a second eigenfunction of the harmonic oscillator in $\R^2$. As a result, the supports of the components approach complementary half-spaces, and they are not radially symmetric

THE UTILITARIAN FOUNDATIONS OF THE ECONOMIC APPROACH TO HUMAN BEHAVIOR.

The economic approach to the study of human behavior has been presented by its foremost representative as the most effective method of studying social phenomena. Gary Becker´s view supposes that, on the one hand, all social phenomena can be explained as a consequence of individual actions and, on the other, there is a stable pattern of individual behavior economics has been able to understand thoroughly. Hence, economics, according to this view, is no longer limited to the study of a certain domain of human actions or to the understanding of material wealth or the necessary conditions for the material reproduction of society. Economics is a method that gives the social scientist the necessary tools to understand and even transform the world that surrounds him/her. Becker clearly acknowledges the direct link between his approach and Jeremy Bentham´s theory. Beyond the apparent connections regarding their conception of human nature there is one central point that links the two authors: their view of economics as an attitude of the human mind, an inherent capacity to calculate that explains all human actions. This paper argues that Bentham provides the philosophical groundings for Becker´s theory. The application of the principle of utility to every aspect of human behavior justifies economic imperialism by transforming economics into a method of general analysis of human behavior. Indeed, economics is no longer defined according to its subject matter but according to its method, which means an increasing scope explaining Becker´s claim that the economic approach provides a rigorous framework for the analysis of all social phenomena.Gary Becker

Why Teach History of Economic Thought Today?

Shorter undergraduate studies, increasing specialization and the priority of applied research in Economics represent threats for the History of Economic Thought (HET) as an integral part of the training of young economists. There are mostly sociological arguments to reduce or eliminate HET courses and contents to which we try to respond in this text. We advance that HET allows developing valuable skills that might help overcome the criticisms against Economics due to its alleged incapacity to offer solutions in times of crisis and to its fascination with quantification and technique. In this context, HET appears as a space for thought, self-criticism and introspection in which new economists may understand that Economics is a process and not a product giving them the abilities necessary to participate in the extended present of their discipline.history of economic thought, teaching in economics, economic theory

Microlobiusxylon paranaensis gen. et sp. nov. (fabaceae, mimosoideae) from the pliocene-pleistocene of ituzaingó formation, paraná basin, Argentina

A fossil wood with Fabaceae affinity from the Pliocene-Pleistocene sediments of Ituzaingó Formation is described. The silicified wood was collected at the Toma Vieja fossil locality, Paraná Basin, Argentina. The relationship and comparison with the nearest living relatives (NLRs) are discussed. Wood anatomical characters suggest an affinity with the genus Microlobius C. Presl. In South America, the genus Microlobius occurs in Brazil, Bolivia (Santa Cruz), Argentina (Chaco and Formosa) and Paraguay and is an important extant element of the Paraguay-Paraná system. The presence of this fossil in the Ituzaingó Formation supports the idea that the morphogenus Microlobiusxylon might have been an important component of seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) during the Pliocene-Pleistocene. Today, this forest type has a relict distribution, occurring in isolated localities in the north of Argentina, southeast of Bolivia and Brazil, but in the past were more widespread to the east and south in South America. The presence of Microlobiusxylon paranaensis gen. et sp. nov. would indicate a temperate-warm climate during the Pliocene-Pleistocene.É descrita uma madeira fóssil afim à família Fabaceae em sedimentitos plio-pleistocênicos da Formação Ituzaingó. A madeira silicificada foi coletada na localidade fossilífera Toma Vieja (Paraná, Argentina). O lenho fóssil foi comparado com seu parente atual mais próximo. Sua estrutura anatômica sugere afinidade com o gênero Microlobius C. Presl. Na América do Sul, o gênero Microlobius aparece no Brasil, Bolívia (Santa Cruz), Argentina (Chaco e Formosa) e Paraguai, e é um gênero importante do sistema Paraguai-Paraná. A presença deste fóssil na Formação Ituzaingó avaliza a ideia de que o morfogênero Microlobiusxylon foi um membro importante das florestas tropicais sazonais (SDTFs) durante o Plio-Pleistoceno. Estas florestas são relictos em localidades isoladas no norte da Argentina e no sudeste da Bolívia e do Brasil, mas no passado estendeu-se mais para o leste e o sul da América do Sul. Microlobiusxylon paranaensis gen. et sp. nov.sugere a vigência de um clima temperado-cálido ao longo do Plio-Pleistoceno.Fil: Franco, María Jimena. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Brea, Mariana. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; Argentin

Out of sight, out of mind: Modern economics, social interactions, and Smith´s sympathy

After having reviewed some of the recent advances in Economics trying to incorporate new elements in our understanding of human interactions, we aim at contributing to this line of research using Adam Smith´s system of sympathy. The features Smithattributes to the intersubjective identification mechanism of sympathy lead not only to conceive the construction of a community but also the possibility of exclusion of some of its members. The asymmetry of sympathy allows explaining emulationof those seen as more fortunate as well as the exclusion of those perceived as miserable. Through a formal representation we try to illustrate the phenomena of inclusion and exclusion present in intersubjetive relations and the construction of communities.Keywords: Adam Smith, sympathy, emulation, exclusion.JEL Codes: B12, B31, D03.Adam Smith, sympathy, emulation, exclusion

The effects of context processing on social cognition impairments in adults with Aspergers syndrome

Social cognition—the basis of all communicative and otherwise interpersonal relationships—is embedded in specific contextual circumstances which shape intrinsic meanings. This domain is compromised in the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), including Asperger’s syndrome (AS) (DSM-V). However, the few available reports of social cognition skills in adults with AS have largely neglected the effects of contextual factors. Moreover, previous studies on this population have also failed to simultaneously (a) assess multiple social cognition domains, (b) examine executive functions, (c) follow strict sample selection criteria, and (d) acknowledge the cognitive heterogeneity typical of the disorder. The study presently reviewed (Baez et al., 2012), addressed all these aspects in order to establish the basis of social cognition deficits in adult AS patients. Specifically, we assessed the performance of AS adults in multiple social cognition tasks with different context-processing requirements. The results suggest that social cognition deficits in AS imply a reduced ability to implicitly encode and integrate contextual cues needed to access social meaning. Nevertheless, the patients’ performance was normal when explicit social information was presented or when the situation could be navigated with abstract rules. Here, we review the results of our study and other relevant data, and discuss their implications for the diagnosis and treatment of AS and other neuropsychiatric conditions (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, frontotemporal dementia). Finally, we analyze previous results in the light of a current neurocognitive model of social-context processing.Fil: Báez Buitrago, Sandra Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva. Fundación Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Diego Portales; ChileFil: Ibanez Barassi, Agustin Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva. Fundación Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Diego Portales; Chile. Universidad Autónoma del Caribe; Colombia. Australian Research Council; Australi

Evaluación de la citotoxicidad y genotoxicidad in vitro de biomateriales basados en Polietilenglicol- Quitosano

La medicina regenerativa es la ciencia que tiene como objetivo reemplazar o regenerar células humanas, tejidos u órganos, para restaurar o establecer una función normal. La ingeniería de tejidos es una disciplina científica que se basa en la medicina regenerativa para generar nuevos tejidos, ambas buscan la comprensión de la estructura y función de los tejidos y el desarrollo de sustitutos biológicos para restaurar, mantener o mejorar su función. Estas disciplinas han dado origen a los biomateriales, que son fabricados por procesos que usan o imitan fenómenos biológicos. Se puede decir que se trata de cualquier material, natural o sintético, usado en contacto con tejido vivo. Esto incluye que no sean tóxicos, inmunogénicos, trombogénicos, carcinogénicos ni irritantes. Los hidrogeles son biomateriales conformados por redes poliméricas entrecruzadas que absorben una gran cantidad de agua u otro fluido sin mostrar alteraciones en su conformación tridimensional. Sus características les permiten servir como andamiaje ya que se trata de materiales blandos, flexibles y porosos, además de permitir el paso de oxígeno, nutrimentos y otros metabolitos, lo que los hace ideales para aplicaciones que necesitan imitar una matriz celular