Dissecting the gut-brain axis

It is generally believed that cells in the gut transduce sensory information through the paracrine action of hormones. Kaelberer et al. found that, in addition to the well-described classical paracrine transduction, enteroendocrine cells also form fast, excitatory synapses with vagal afferents (see the Perspective by Hoffman and Lumpkin). This more direct circuit for gut-brain signaling uses glutamate as a neurotransmitter. Thus, sensory cues that stimulate the gut could potentially be manipulated to influence specific brain functions and behavior, including those linked to food choices.

> This theory fits the “duration of untreated psychosis” model very well. The longer you’re psychotic, with weird prediction errors popping up everywhere, the more thoroughly your brain is going to shift from its normal mode of evidence-processing to whatever mode of evidence-processing best suits receiving lots of random data. If you start antipsychotics as soon as the prediction errors start, you’ll have a few weird thoughts about how a buzzing fly might have been a sign from God, but then the weirdness will stop and you’ll end up okay. If you start antipsychotics after ten years of this kind of stuff, your brain will already have concluded that the world only makes sense in the context of a magic-wielding conspiracy plus also normal logic doesn’t work, and the sudden cessation of new weirdness won’t change that.

Logo shapes

When people view different shapes and colours a number of psychological processes occur. By selecting the colours and shapes which elicit the desired response, logo designers are able to influence the way people feel about their design and ultimately how they view the brand the logo stands for. This process doesn’t happen by chance, however. Successful logo designers are all well aware of the resonance their designs have and how these can change according to variables such as age, gender, and culture.

For decades, logo designers have relied on a set of design principles and intuition to create successful logos. Most designers through years of experience and practice know what works. Yet, they may not understand why design works. That is why logo designers need to embrace insights from neuroscience and psychology about how the brain reacts to logos, so that they can make better and more strategic design decisions. This is called neuro design.