May 2012
2 posts
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Calling all New Yorkers: the World Science... →
Want to learn more about science in an unconventional way? Starting today, the WSF is in town (by town I mean all over NYC) and the events look incredible. For you neuroscience folk, there are plenty of scientific sessions on resilience, neurodevelopmental disorders and more. However, the festival covers pretty much all branches of science and exhibits and art installations are spread throughout...
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Psychiatry's "Bible" Gets an Overhaul: Meet DSM-5 →
jtotheizzoe:
The essential reference tome of the world’s psychiatrists is getting its first major update in 30 years. Due for publication in May 2013, Ferris Jabr has a great and detailed summary of the challenges, changes and history of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Some highlights of the new edition:
They’ve eliminated several diagnoses (including the...
April 2012
2 posts
Anonymous asked: I have a computer science degree (hons) and i am very interested in neuroscience. can you tell me what study i need to accomplish this?
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March 2012
6 posts
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NY Times: The Benefits of Bilingualism →
Click on the link to read about the bilingual brain and associated cognitive and protective benefits. Boost your brain power, learn a new language!
Benefits of bilingualism according to the article:
Agility and speed at solving certain kinds of mental puzzles
Improved executive function
Differences in environmental monitoring (bilinguals have a heightened ability to monitor the environment)
...
teaspoonsatnoon asked: Hi there :) I'm currently doing a Bsc of neuroscience, and I just wanted to thank you for posting such relevant and inspiring articles. I've been stuck on which topic to choose for a neurobiology assignment, but thanks to you I'm feeling inspired and ready to get my write on (and spoiled for topical choice) :D So thanks again, lovie!
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WiredScience: A pill that can erase painful... →
Even though PTSD is triggered by a stressful incident, it is really a disease of memory. The problem isn’t the trauma—it’s that the trauma can’t be forgotten. Most memories, and their associated emotions, fade with time. But PTSD memories remain horribly intense, bleeding into the present and ruining the future. So, in theory, the act of sharing those memories is an act of forgetting them.
In...
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List: Astrocyte Functions
Astrocytes are a special kind of stellate-shaped brain cells that are found throughout the central nervous system and that play a supportive role for neurons. For a long time, astrocytes were thought of as merely providing “assistance” for neuron function and survival. However, the discovery that astrocytes express voltage-gated channels and neurotransmitter receptors suggests the...
February 2012
3 posts
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“Neuroscience is the Sistine Chapel of Science”
– J.G.Ballard , Project for a Glossary of the Twentieth Century (via artneuroscience)
Amen to that. Sorry, couldn’t resist ;)
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January 2012
9 posts
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“In these ways I am of the opinion that the brain exercises the greatest power in...”
– Hippocrates, On the Sacred Disease (Translation by Francis Adams in 1886)
Click on the link for a full read :) Obviously, most of this “knowledge” is rustic, primitive and inaccurate. But, give the man a break! To me it seems like reasonable logic, considering this was written...
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The Neuroscience Behind Near Death Experiences
So today I found a neuroscience review dealing with a far-out topic: the neuroscience underlying near death experiences (NDE) and other “paranormal” phenomena such as experiences seeing bright lights, meeting the dead or being convinced that you are dead.
According to Mobbs and Watt (2011), approximately 3% of Americans declare that they have had a near-death experience, which...
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From Father to Offspring: The Contribution of...
Coming from a lab focused on mother-pup interactions and attachment during infancy, I never really considered the contribution of paternal care to offspring survival and development. Needless to say, I myself am guilty of minimizing the role and contribution of paternal behavior on offspring development. Much to my (pleasant) surprise, I found that there is much relevant work being done in this...
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NY Times: The Americanization of Mental Illness →
Interesting article about how the perception of mental illness and psychiatric care are shaped by sociocultural factors. Unique read because it brings together topics that fall both under social sciences and biological sciences. Also, it makes you think about the repercussions that this problem (yes, it is a problem) may have, like what implications it may have for treatment/therapy) across...
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Epigenetics
The term epigenetics was introduced in the 1940s by Conrad Waddington, who defined it as: ‘‘the branch of biology which studies the causal interactions between genes and their products which bring the phenotype into being.’’ However, with the growth and evolution of genetics, the term gained a narrower and more specific sense.
Today, epigenetics is widely known and referred to as:
‘‘the study of...
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Newsweek: Call for Submissions: What's Your... →
jtotheizzoe:
timemagazine:
At TIME.com, we’re working on a guide to the best Tumblrs out there. But we want to know what you think first.
What Tumblr can’t you live without? (Aside from ours, of course.) Whether it’s news, photography, design or just cat videos, we want to know what you follow — and…
*Tastes list*
Needs science.
Agreed. And neuroscience ;) Anybody feel like recommending...
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The Autism Enigma: Nature Neuroscience Special... →
Nature Neuroscience, one of the world’s leading peer reviewed scientific journals, has put out a whole issue dedicated to autism and autism-spectrum disorders that is freely available to everyone. I happen to have a hard copy of it and it’s a comprehensive collection of all the recent advances in that field. Click on the link to access a copy of the issue, which includes news,...
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The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers: Andre... →
Andre Fenton is a faculty member at the NYU Center for Neural Science that was recruited recently. He has published very interesting work on the neurobiology of memory and the role of a powerful protein kinase inhibitor- PKMzeta- on memory formation and recall. You will be able to see multiple video interviews in which he explains what he does, while also learning some of his lesser known secrets...
December 2011
2 posts
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November 2011
6 posts
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The Language Fossils Buried in Every Cell of Your... →
jtotheizzoe:
Noam Chomsky once wrote:
“As far as we know, possession of human language is associated with a specific type of mental organization, not simply a higher degree of intelligence. There seems to be no substance to the view that human language is simply a more complex instance of something to be found elsewhere in the animal world.”
Human language and its precursors seem to have...
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“In order to understand what is meant by the word ‘brain’ as it is...”
– J.Z. Young (from Philosophy and the Brain, 1987)
ardent-intrigue asked: Yes.
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October 2011
17 posts
I love your blog
my retina is tripping me out!
;)
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UV Dermatomes Body Paint
I created a body art piece that is medically accurate (well as medically accurate as something that not all anatomy textbooks actually agree on can be) and I would absolutely love if you reblogged any of the pieces from this project. I’m currently working on a bachelors degree in sports medicine and I wanted to create a piece of photography that represents my own internal struggle between the...
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Semantic Web Meets Neuroscience
The Neuroscience Information Framework is the largest semantically enhanced neuroscience search portal on the net! Currently indexing over 100 federated neuroscience databases and over 4000 resources (from data, materials to software and lgrants), the NIF provides the one-stop shop for all things neuroscience. Find what you need, faster with less queries at www.neuinfo.org. To contribute and...
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Core Concepts in Neuroscience →
This is a link to a PDF covering the fundamental principles of neuroscience that was created by the Society for Neuroscience and is freely available. They are a practical resource about:
How your brain works and how it is formed.
How it guides you through the changes in life.
Why it is important to increase understanding of the brain.
Also, they are a good read for beginners or those wishing...
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reversaloflogic asked: Could there be therapeutic benefits for brainstorming?
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On Brainstorming and Cognitive Stimulation
Brainstorming is a popular method of generating new and creative ideas. Osborn (1957) is credited with developing the idea (of brainstorming) and creating four brainstorming rules. These rules were designed with the purpose of creating non-evaluative context that fosters the process of idea generation. They are:
Criticism is ruled out.
Freewheeling is welcome.
Quantity is wanted.
Combination...
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“Learning is physical. Learning means the modification, growth, and pruning of...”
– Dr. James Zull, Biochem professor and author of The Art of Changing the Brain – Enriching Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning.
anewtonofscience asked: Your blog, simply put, is a dream. Brilliant, informative and well-written. Thank you!
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Kandelian Model (1967-1969)
A while ago I was hearing a talk by Joe Le Doux and he mentioned what Eric Kandel’s (a Nobel prize winning neuroscientist) approach for conducting research was in the late 60s. It seems simple, yet elegant. Allow me to share…
Find a quantifiable behavior you can measure (otherwise known as a behavioral phenotype).
Identify the areas/substrates involved in the regulation or...
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scientificmindhumanisticheart asked: Hi. I'm a CyberPsychologist myself and I noticed your post about the Google Effects paper on here. I've recently read this paper and find it to be pretty much 'ground-breaking' in the research area concerning whether the internet is changing the way that we read, think and remember. I find the topic to be an intriguing one. Hoping to research whether the net is changing the way...
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derbrandtaucher asked: Do you do any imaging studies? If so, what program do you use for image processing? If not, what is your area of expertise?
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yafiggadealme asked: Can our brain develop new neurons? If they can explain.
September 2011
2 posts
rottenminds asked: I'm currently going to school for behavioral neuroscience! I'm so excited that I found your blog thank you :)
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This is your brain on stress and city living
Although city life offers many advantages and even some health benefits, meta-analyses indicate that city living is a substantial risk factor for mood and anxiety disorders. Basically, people who live in cities have a higher incidence for these disorders. Also, genetically predisposed individuals are at an even greater risk if they are brought up in cities. In schizophrenia, for example, the...
July 2011
8 posts
psychology2010 asked: Thank you! Your blog will supplement my studies when I take Brains and Behaviors this upcoming semester!