Devil or Angel - Genetic Conflicts in Brain and Behavior

Explore the fascinating intersection of genetics, behavior, and evolutionary conflicts in this Santa Fe Institute lecture. Delve into the concept of self-defeating behaviors and internal conflicts from a molecular genetics perspective. Discover how genes inherited from mothers and fathers can favor different behavioral patterns, leading to clashes during brain development and decision-making processes. Examine cultural models of internal conflict, neurochemical opponency, and genomic imprinting. Investigate intriguing phenomena such as hyperbolic discounting, preference reversals, and bet-hedging. Learn about genetic chimeras, Turner's Syndrome, and parental conflicts over risk. Gain insights into temporal discounting, including studies on mice, and understand how different mechanisms operate across various timescales. Conclude with key take-home messages that shed light on the complex interplay between genetics and human behavior.

Intro
Self-defeating behavior
Overview
Cultural models of internal conflict
Neurochemical Opponency
Conflict and stability
Conflict and instability
Explanation 1: adaptation
History
"Real" conflict
Genomic Imprinting
Imprinted effects in the brain
Genetic Chimeras
Turner's Syndrome
Hyperbolic Discounting
Preference Reversals
Precommitment
Bet-hedging
Parental conflict over risk
Temporal Discounting
Discounting in mice
Conflicts over discounting
Different mechanisms for different timescales
Take-home messages