Is it COVID-19 or anxiety? Here's how to tell the difference
Examining the differences between anxiety and COVID-19 symptoms and discussing the possibility of IAD (illness anxiety disorder) during a global pandemic.
15 September, 2020
Credit: Annie Spratt on Unsplash
- Anxiety can cause symptoms that may mimic (or have you worried about) coronavirus symptoms.
- There are several symptoms of anxiety that are also symptoms of COVID-19, however, there are also key differences in the symptoms of both.
- IAD (illness anxiety disorder) may also lead to some confusion about symptoms. The World Health Organization offers guidelines for when to seek medical attention.
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDI3NTUyMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMjAyMjQ2Mn0.BNVPgIjRlkAk6ZfHijnIxIy73YHQYrx1tMFUl4u2za8/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=12%2C0%2C13%2C0&height=700" id="1df55" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="70ea174c79adbf22861f64f5c72dcc10" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="illustration of anxiety over COVID-19 symptoms" />
It's important to note the differences in symptoms of anxiety and COVID-19, although some may overlap.
Credit: woocat on Shutterstock
<p>During the coronavirus pandemic, many people may be overwhelmed and experiencing higher levels of anxiety. Anxiety can cause symptoms that may mimic (or have you worried about) coronavirus symptoms.</p><p>Additionally, some people may experience illness anxiety disorder (IAD), which is commonly referred to as health anxiety and previously referred to as hypochondria.</p><p><strong>Common symptoms of anxiety: </strong></p><ul><li>Chest pain</li><li>Feeling faint/dizzy</li><li>Chills</li><li>Nausea </li><li>Dry mouth</li><li>Disassociation </li><li>Hot flashes and/or sweating </li><li>Fatigue and/or mental exhaustion</li><li>Muscle aches due to tension/stress</li><li>Shortness of breath </li><li>Numbness </li></ul><p><strong>Symptoms of COVID-19:</strong></p><ul><li>Fever and/or chills</li><li>Cough </li><li>Shortness of breath</li><li>Fatigue</li><li>Headaches</li><li>Muscle aches</li><li>Loss of taste and/or smell</li><li>Congestion</li><li>Nausea and/or vomiting</li><li>Diarrhea</li></ul><p>The symptoms that could present in both cases include shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, chest pain, nausea/vomiting, head or muscle aches, fatigue, and chills.<br></p><p>When examining the difference between anxiety symptoms and COVID-19, it's important to note the symptoms of COVID-19 that are <em>not </em>present in anxiety attacks. </p><p><strong>The difference in symptoms </strong></p><p>A person with anxiety may experience heart palpitations, trembling, tingling, or sweating (without a fever). These are all common anxiety symptoms, but not symptoms often associated with COVID-19. </p><p>Meanwhile, a person with COVID may experience symptoms that will not be present in anxiety cases, such as a sore throat, loss of taste/smell, a dry cough, and congestion.</p><p>It's not uncommon for people to experience symptoms (or assume they are experiencing symptoms) of a virus that has reached the level of a global pandemic. This is why it's important to distinguish the differences in the symptoms you're feeling and the actual symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.</p><p>Chest pain, for example, can be felt in both anxiety and coronavirus patients, but there are some key differences in how that chest pain presents. outlines the differences between a panic attack (commonly associated with high anxiety levels) and COVID-19 symptoms. If you're having a panic attack, according to <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/anxiety-symptoms-vs-covid-19-symptoms#chest-pain-comparison" target="_blank">Medical News Today</a>, your chest pain may last anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour and feel like sharp, stabbing pains. This is often accompanied by mental symptoms such as negative thoughts and emotions. </p><p>COVID-19 chest pain is slightly different. It will be persistent and feel like more of a pressure than sharp pains. These pains may be accompanied by other flu-like symptoms, such as a cough.</p>What is illness anxiety disorder (IAD) and how common is it?
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDI3NTcxNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDQ5MDcwMX0.2TV71vbMTsigdY3isJ7qYvh1hpb0pLgPbqO4-bYOMLA/img.jpg?width=980" id="2dad6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9ddeaf604b2cb31bd1e730b6003296b4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="newspaper clippings related to COVID19" />What is IAD (illness anxiety disorder) and how does it impact you?
Credit: zimmytws on Shutterstock
<p>Illness anxiety disorder is the fear or worry that you are, or may become, seriously ill. You may have no physical symptoms, or you may worry that normal sensations or minor symptoms are signs of severe illness.</p><p><strong>How common is illness anxiety disorder (IAD)?</strong> </p><p>IAD is a relatively new disorder, having only been added to the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) in 2013. It has replaced the now-obsolete "hypochondria disorder."</p><p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554399/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to research</a>, among the patients who were previously diagnosed with hypochondriasis, about 25 percent of them will meet the criteria for IAD. Patients with IAD typically remain dissatisfied with negative evaluations from health practitioners and may attempt to consult multiple hospitals or doctors for the same medical problem.</p><p><strong>IAD and COVID-19: When should I seek coronavirus testing?</strong></p><p>Knowing the difference between anxiety-related symptoms and the general fear and anxiety surrounding COVID-19 and its symptoms can be difficult, so how do you know when you should seek medical attention? </p><p><a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses" target="_blank">According to the World Health Organization (WHO)</a>, 1 in 6 people experience serious symptoms of COVID-19. If a person is struggling with minor symptoms (such as a cough or fever), the WHO suggests they self-isolate and monitor their symptoms carefully. If their symptoms progress or become more serious, they should seek medical attention.</p><p>If a person believes they have serious symptoms of COVID-19, they should call their doctor to discuss appropriate next steps and testing for the virus. If you have been cleared from the virus through testing and still seem to be struggling with anxiety caused by the global pandemic, your doctor can offer alternate treatment plans.</p><p>Consult the WHO's coronavirus page on their website <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
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Equity made Estonia an educational front runner
Estonia has combined a belief in learning with equal-access technology to create one of world's best education systems.
08 September, 2020
- Estonia became a top performer in the most recent PISA, a worldwide study of 15-year-old students' capabilities in math, reading, and science.
- PISA data showed that Estonia has done remarkably well in reducing the gap between a student's socioeconomic background and their access to quality education.
- The country's push toward providing equal-access to learning technology is a modern example of the culture's dedication to equity in education.
<p>As I performed my interviews for this article, one fact was made abundantly clear: Estonians aren't ones to engage in lavish praise and pat-on-the-back congratulations. A far more self-critical culture, they find comfort forgoing the small talk, getting to work, and honing in on areas to improve. But one area where Estonians will simply have to grit and bare the praise is in discussing their education system. Smaller than West Virginia and with a population of 1.3 million, this Baltic state has developed one of the world's best education systems as assessed by <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results.</a></p><p>PISA is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) triennial study that measures the reading, mathematics, and science abilities of 15-year-olds across the world. Talks of PISA tend to focus on educational powerhouses such as <a href="https://bigthink.com/mike-colagrossi/no-standardized-tests-no-private-schools-no-stress-10-reasons-why-finlands-education-system-in-the-best-in-the-world" target="_self">Finland</a>, Singapore, and Korea, but those looking closely have been noticing Estonia's ascent throughout the years. It began in 2006, and despite a small dip in 2009, the country's scores continued upward in 2012 and 2015. </p><p>By 2018, <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the most recent PISA study</a>, Estonia became Europe's number one performing country and one of the best in the world. Its students placed fifth in reading, eighth in math, and fourth in science, with mean scores in each that were well above the mean. The only education departments to outperform Estonia's were Singapore and a few of China's distinct economic areas, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Macau.</p><p>Such a cohort may make the reason for such scores obvious. Like Singapore and Shanghai, Estonia is both small and relatively affluent; such education departments simply spread out their resources across fewer students. But PISA's data doesn't support this reasoning. While socioeconomic background is an important predictor of academic success, it doesn't play out that more money equals better education. In fact, according to PISA data, Estonia's per student expenditure was 30 percent lower than the OECD average. Conversely, the United States handily outspends many other countries but receives middling PISA scores for its investment.</p><p>Then what explains Estonia's ascent? That's an answer that requires untangling a myriad of cultural, social, and historical factors that interconnect in ways difficult to untangle. But one factor stands out. A cultural mindset centered only on excellence in education but the drive to give students equal access to that education. </p>
Estonia's cultural heirloom
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzc0Mzk5My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDMyNjU2OH0.rTLLp1sU-VH33gVkZD33Yn-td9wsEOE3Dm0gjoecly0/img.jpg?width=1068&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&height=559" id="96dbe" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2a10956a524467f160f83ddaee4901c5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />A chart showing student performance scores in reading for the 2018 PISA study.
<p>The belief in education's value is ingrained within Estonian culture. As Mailis Reps, the Estonian Minister of Education and Research, told me in an interview, it's an ethos handed down generation to generation, like a cultural heirloom.</p><p>"Many generations have had to start from zero all over again. Let it be the war, the regimes, economic reforms, people being deported, people losing their families, or changes to the system," Reps said. "So, education was something that was always given, generation to generation. There's a very strong cultural belief that education is the only thing you cannot take away from a person."</p><p>Because education is <a href="https://humanrights.ee/en/topics-main/inimoigused-eestis/inimoiguste-aruanne/human-rights-estonia-2014-2015/right-to-education/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a constitutional right</a>, Reps informed me, state and local governments ensure that primary education is available to everyone. Lunches, textbooks, transportation, and study materials are provided gratis, with extracurricular activities subsidized so fees remain low. Local municipalities also subsidize pre-primary education. They maintain a social allowance so fees are tied on a parent's financial situation. Parents enduring economic hardships or temporary setbacks can send their little ones to preschool free of charge, while more financial stable families pay a small fee. And even that fee remains small—Reps says it is no more than €91 (about $107).</p><p>Under such a comprehensive system, many children start their education careers young, as early as 15 months old. Because pre-primary isn't compulsory, parents have more latitude over how their children attend school: half days, a few days a week, etc. By kindergarten, Estonia has a 91 percent attendance rate. Primary attendance is close to universal.</p><p>That system may sound expensive, and like any education system, it takes its share of GDP. But as mentioned, it's not simply a matter of dollars spent. According to <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cmd.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the National Center for Education Statistics</a>, in 2016 the United States spent $13,600 per full-time-equivalent student in elementary and secondary education. The OECD average that same year was $9,800. Estonia spent $7,400.</p><p>"In many countries, the school's socioeconomic context influences the kind of education children are acquiring, and the quality of schooling can shape the socioeconomic contexts of schools," Andreas Schleicher, the OECD's director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, writes in <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/PISA%202018%20Insights%20and%20Interpretations%20FINAL%20PDF.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">his assessment of PISA 2018's data.</a> "The result is that in most countries, differences in education outcomes related to social inequalities are stubbornly persistent, and too much talent remains latent."</p><p>But despite relatively modest spending, that's less true in Estonia. According Schleicher's assessment, 20 percent of disadvantaged boys did not attain minimum proficiency in reading in all countries except three. Estonia was one of those three. It stood as one of 14 countries in which disadvantaged students have at least a one-in-five chance of having high-achieving schoolmates, a ratio that corresponds to reduced social segregation. And the country joined Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom in having more than 13 percent of its disadvantaged students demonstrate academic resilience, a metric that measures proficient educational outcomes in the face of adversity.</p><p>These data point to a weak relationship between student performance and socioeconomic background, a sign that Estonia has lessened the gap between a student's personal situation and their access to quality education.</p>A Tiger Leap forward
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzc0NDAyNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDM0MTA4Nn0.H5-_Jxe6JOldGX12EhCtz1lr4yArmlCaKHD5UBXwIkg/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C47%2C0%2C175&height=700" id="d7e87" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c391c4512ba7c5ee6533cb6a9b4a61dc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="students and teacher at computers" />Fourth-grade students learn computer skills in elementary school.
<p>A crucial example of Estonia's dedication to equity can be seen in how it wove digital technology into the learning fabric. In the last two decades, Silicon Valley has had a commanding influence in how we approach and access education, but for many countries, the push toward always-accessible, always-on education hasn't <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/technology-and-learning/technology-driving-educational-inequality" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ameliorated many systemic inequalities</a>. </p><p><a href="https://bigthink.com/culture-religion/finland-education-system?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3" target="_self">Consider the United States</a>. The U.S. finances schools through local property taxes or federal grants tied to test scores and attendance rates. This leaves schools in well-to-do districts with a lion share of funding and resources. Such lopsided endowments, as noted <a href="https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/2018-01-10-Education-Inequity.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a 2018 report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights</a>, "harm students subject to them" and are "fundamentally inconsistent with the American ideal of public education operating as a means to equalize life opportunity." An inconsistency that the Supreme Court has defended as perfectly <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1972/71-1332" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in keeping with the U.S. Constitution</a>.</p><p>This legacy inequality left many low-income neighborhoods facing another disadvantage at the turn of the century: a lack of access to technology. That reality became starkly apparent in <a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/" target="_self">the COVID-19 pandemic</a>. <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2020/06/22/unequally-disconnected-access-to-online-learning-in-the-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Data from the U.S. Census Bureau</a> suggests that as schools closed, "1 in 10 of the poorest children in the U.S. has little or no access to technology" for learning. For children being raised in a household earning less than $25,000 a year, roughly ten percent have no access to the internet or digital learning devices.</p><p>Conversely, Estonia has made internet access available to all students. In the late 1990s, after its independence from Russia, Estonia initiated <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiigrih%C3%BCpe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Tiger Leap</em></a>. The program invested heavily in building and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-22317297" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">developing infrastructure for the e-revolution</a>. The push moved many social programs online, such as taxes, voting, and health records, and schools were updated for internet access, computer labs, and the then-latest technologies. </p><p>Today, Estonia has made digital literacy a key competency required in its educational outcomes. Learning materials, such as textbooks and assessments, must be available for free in a digital format (known as the e-schoolbag). Even schools in remote areas enjoy access to high-speed internet.</p><p>That may sound concerning to parents worried that today's technology has reduced learning to the solitude of screens and mental cubicles. But the Estonian government only provides access to the tools and ensures they work. Schools and teachers have broad autonomy in determining when and how to use them. That is, after all, their expertise.</p><p>"We have never forced our teachers to use it, but we have celebrated if they do so," Reps said. "This is one of the things that I advocate a lot. Provide them the possibility, build them the infrastructure, the quality needs to be there. Because if you start downloading and it doesn't work, no young person accepts it."</p><p>Teachers of young students, for example, may forgo technological solutions in favor of more analog approaches to develop motor and social skills. Meanwhile, secondary education may lean heavier on online assessments to prepare students for a tech-focused workforce.</p><p>Unlike <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/technology/silicon-valley-kansas-schools.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Silicon Valley's push into the U.S. education system</a>—a seeming bid to capitalize as much on student's learning time as their free time—Estonia prefers a more Goldilocks strategy. As Gunda Tire, Estonia's PISA National Project Manager, told me in an interview: "If you look at PISA data about education systems that use a lot of technology, if they use it very extensively, they have lower scores. If they don't use it at all, they also have lower scores. The big challenge is to find the balance."</p><p>As we've learned during the pandemic, that's a balance that shifts with circumstance, but by distributing the tools and infrastructure broadly, Estonia has been able to keep its footing. Reps estimates that before the COVID-19 shutdowns, approximately 14 percent of schools regularly used the available digital textbooks. Most preferred the physical counterpart. </p><p>But because the digital option was available for ever school, they were able to quickly pivot to a 100-percent use rate. Additionally, years of prioritizing computer literacy development helped teachers gain competency in digital learning tools, and a civil social push identified at-need children to equip them with the devices necessary to learn remotely. As Mart Laidmets, Estonia's secretary general of the Ministry of Education and Research, said in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2ZOQbMdSm8" target="_blank">a roundtable on the subject</a>, it looked as though the country had "been preparing for such a crisis for 25 years."</p>What can we learn from Estonia's success?
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7062b1eb332bc8c8b101f53433f20be7"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rbhQ_euH7Ac?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>While Estonia may not spend as much on a dollar-to-dollar basis, the country has created immense valuable in its system by spreading the educational wealth. Part of that achievement stems from removing barriers to primary education and fostering equal-access to learning technology; however, those are simply examples of the principle of equity at work. <a href="https://ncee.org/what-we-do/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/estonia-overview/estonia-teacher-and-principal-quality/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Others include well-educated teachers</a>, even at the pre-primary level; granting schools broad autonomy to adapt the national curriculum to suit local and cultural needs; and maintaining at-school support centers so students have access to mentors, psychologists, special needs teachers, and anti-bullying resources. The list goes on.</p><p>"The success of any system is sort of like a puzzle," Tire said. "You have to have many pieces and fit them in properly, or you won't see the whole picture."</p><p>Is there room for improvement? Of course! Just ask any Estonian. Tire told me that recent PISA data showed a discrepancy in the results between the country's Estonian-speaking students and its Russian-speaking ones. They are looking into the reason for that gap and how to raise scores across the board. When asked the same question, Reps pointed to improving the country's vocational-track education, the integration of practical skills into <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnasium_(school)" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">gymnasium</a>, and research into personalized learning.</p><p>When asked what other countries could takeaway from Estonia's example, my interviewees were more cautious. As Reps rightly points out, "Education is so culturally and historically tied. It's very difficult to copy something, and I would be careful to tell any country to copy the Estonian model." </p><p>She did offer some facets for consideration, though. She recommends that systems never look at a child as a problem to solve. Instead, it should look to ameliorate issues in their background or experiences. Even though education systems can be expensive, they should always be child-friendly and dedicated toward their growth. Digital technology doesn't create equality de facto; it must be accessible to all. And trust your teachers. "They are amazing human beings. They come to teach; they want to give their best; they want to help their pupils."</p><p>In my own research into Estonia's education system, its history, and its successes, I would humbly add one more: Foster a culture that values education and assures its available to everyone.</p>
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Changing the way we grade students could trigger a wave of innovation
How students apply what they've learned is more important than a letter or number grade.
01 July, 2020
- Schools are places where learning happens, but how much of what students learn there matters? "Almost all of our learning happens through experience and very little of it actually happens in these kinds of organized, contrived, constrained environments," argues Will Richardson, co-founder of The Big Questions Institute and one of the world's leading edupreneurs.
- There is a shift starting, Richardson says, in terms of how we look at grading and assessments and how they have traditionally dictated students' futures. Consortiums like Mastery.com are pushing back on the idea that what students know can be reflected in numbers and letter grades.
- One of the crucial steps in changing how things are done is first changing the narratives. Students should be assessed on how they can apply what they've learned, not scored based on what they know.
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<a href="https://bigthink.com/future-of-learning/" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzM4MjI4Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNDYwMTAyNH0.HcyXGsDebKwteIO_Z3ByjC802bN88sPB9pZ3N4AbGcs/img.jpg?width=980" id="716e9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="95ca2d05be116ccc1f0eaaa12054d3ba" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt=""></a>
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This brain balancing act allows consciousness
Two types of thinking have a time-sharing deal going on in your brain.
13 March, 2020
Image source: paulaphoto/shjk/Big Think
- Your DMN and DAT neural networks cooperate by staying out of each other's way.
- FMRI scans reveal a surprising temporal dance.
- When both systems are at the same activity level, boom, you're unconscious.
<p>While consciousness remains "the hard problem" — as in what exactly is it? <em>Where</em> is it? — a new study published in <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/11/eaaz0087" target="_blank"><em>Science Advances</em></a> sheds surprising light on how the brain switches us from conscious to unconscious states and vice versa. It has something to do with an imbalance between two neural systems. In fact, consciousness <em>requires</em> that imbalance.</p><p>Imagine you and a friend want to go out to dinner but you want Chinese food and your friend wants pizza. If both of your preferences carry equal weight, nobody gets to eat. Let's say that's like unconsciousness. But when one of you gives in, yum: Consciousness.</p><p>According to lead author <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vq5REi4AAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">Zirui Huang</a> of University of Michigan Medical School, "Studies have shown that the anti-correlation of the two networks is vital for maintaining ongoing interaction between self and the environment, [and] that contributes to consciousness."</p>
Seesaw
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg3NTg4Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNTU4MDU2MH0.4qULqe_jntyF34N7LBOrh8GEGzcz9eEehbqIIIcz8AU/img.jpg?width=980" id="5efe4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="18b15b69de8476f9e0b6e6c9c85de288" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Image source: Gearstd/Shutterstock/Big Think
<p>The two neural networks are the default mode network (DMN) and the dorsal attention network (DAT).</p><p>The DMN is an internally directed neural system that exhibits electrical activity in fMRI scans when you're awake and the brain is comparatively at rest and not at work performing a specific task. Maybe you're spacing out, or reflecting on something, or maybe you're enjoying a memory of some sort.</p><p>The DAT lights up when your brain is actively directed externally toward accomplishing a specific task; it's sometimes called the "task -positive system." </p><p>The scientific term for their relationship is that they're "anti-correlated," and the maintenance of their opposite states is a consistent thing, so some kind of temporal relationship seems implicit.</p>Nighty-night
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg3NTg4OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTU1NzM0NX0.SiMN57X1q26Iizu2AkfAcLNvCjYNPCkXPlUbNV4M-zY/img.jpg?width=980" id="f4747" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="07b3c2819ede939eab5eddadcece09fe" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Image source: Hakaba/Shutterstock
<p>The implied temporal relationship has not previously been definitively shown to impact consciousness. Huang's study, however, tests the idea that this anti-correlation is a requisite for consciousness, or maybe it's the other way around: Absent consciousness, the anti-correlation breaks down.</p><p>To test their hypothesis, Huang and his colleagues analyzed resting-state fMRI scans from 98 participants in varying states of responsiveness, located in Shanghai and Wisconsin. (Because participants were given task in various states, the researchers chose to grade their level of unresponsiveness instead of unconsciousness." In addition to a DAT-mode control group, scans were performed on participants who were in unresponsive states from anesthesia, either propofol or ketamine, or from <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/06/16/otto-warmbier-update-what-unresponsive-wakefulness-syndrome-can-he-recover/403475001/" target="_blank">unresponsive wakefulness syndrome</a>, or UWS. Ultimately, the researchers developed four data sets: propofol-Shanghai, propofol-Wisconsin, ketamine, and neuropathological patients.</p><p>They found being unresponsive correlated consistently with scans in which the DAT and DMN systems were at equilibrium. No Chinese food or pizza for them.</p><p>For confirmation, a second study was performed with scans from 248 subjects published in the <a href="https://openfmri.org" target="_blank">OpenfMRI</a> database. The cohort consisted of healthy individuals, as well as individuals with psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Various states of responsiveness in the available scans were identified, and once again, when DAT and DMN activation was equal, participants were in an unresponsive state.</p>Part of a larger mystery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg3NTg5MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTI2NTAxM30.dATkFl9qzFjK028yJM04nF9lEHRLsJvaiuiJ3seutto/img.jpg?width=980" id="71916" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f897c319df013325e00501fa30ec3c27" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />DMN imagery
Image source: John Graner/Wikimedia
<p>Of course, this study doesn't get us much further along regarding the hard problem, but we do now know a little bit more about how consciousness appears to work at least. The DMN and DAT neural networks together account for a lot of what goes on it consciousness. Just, please, not at the same time. </p>
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Testing, testing: How will measurement change in the future of education?
When measuring for the future, there is much to consider.
10 October, 2019
- We need to embrace a plethora of schooling options as necessary to help different types of learners get to success.
- On top of testing for literacy and math competence, we should also test for other things that are clearly important to parents, such as whether kids feel safe and cared for. These things are softer but more difficult to assess.
- To improve our education system, we need to understand we currently only have answers to some huge open questions right now. We are still figuring things out on how to enrich different people's lives as they find their positions in the economy — and society at large.
- This video is supported by yes. every kid., an initiative that aims to rethink education from the ground up by connecting innovators in a shared mission to conquer "one size fits all" education reform.
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