I'm Not Crying, There's Just Some Genetic Coding in My Eye

   It is common knowledge that depression tends run in families, and women are much more emotional than men, but according to the article I read on Sciencedaily.com, our genetic coding has more control over our feelings than previously thought.

   In the article, "How Your Brain Reacts to Emotional Information is Affected by Your Genes," published May 7th, 2015, it discusses how carriers of a certain gene perceived positive and negative images more vividly than others without said gene.

   The experiment talked about in this article conducted at University of British Columbia studies people with and without the gene ADRA2b, which influences the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Carriers of this gene showed a great deal more of activity in a region of the brain responsible for controlling feelings and detecting pleasure and threat.

Pictured above: University of British Columbia

   Study participants were asked to estimate the amount of "noise," or pixelation, put on images that had either positive, negative or neutral emotional content. Compared to non-carriers, carriers of the ADRA2b gene estimated lower levels of noise on positive and negative images, relative to neutral images, indicating emotionally enhanced vividness, or EEV.
   I'm not quite sure how the estimation on the editing of a picture can relate to emotional levels, but on the more scientific side of things that I can believe, carriers of the genetic code also showed significantly more brain activity reflecting EEV in key regions of the brain sensitive to emotional relevance.




Image shows increased activity in the brains of ADRA2b carriers.

Credit: Image courtesy of University of British Columbia

   The results of this study prove to be a possible explanation as to why some people are more susceptible to things such as PTSD. This experiment also can give us ideas as to why some people are more sensitive than others. It may not just be the way someone was raised that causes people to react the way they do, but is also influence by coding our parents passed onto us. Further research is planned on this certain gene to explore emotionally enhanced vividness in different ethnicities, anxiety and stress-related mental disorders, and addiction.
    You can read the article for yourself at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150507135919.htm