Analytical methods
« Previous EntriesFetal Hypothalamus Controls Mother’s Contractions
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008The fetus tells the mother when it is ready to be born when its hypothalamus becomes activated — probably releasing oxytocin, which reacts with the mother’s oxytocin receptors - not in the mother’s brain, but in the womb lining cells. Interesting.
Stimulation of Fetal Hypothalamus Induces Uterine Contractions in Pregnant
Rats at Term
Hisashi Endoh1,2, Takashi Fujioka1, [...]
DNA Research Roundup: Fragile X Premutation, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Major Psychosis all related to DNA misprocessing
Thursday, May 29th, 2008Albert Bierstadt, Lake Tahoe, Spearfishing by Torchlight (1867)
I’ve wondered why the meanest relatives live the longest , and pointed to some DNA trinuclotide repeat disorders that have psychiatric aspects — like machiavellianism or just meanness . So here’s more on that: Fragile X premutation, schizophrenia, biopolar and major psychosis are all related to [...]
Neuroimaging article in Wired
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008Brain Scans as Mind Readers? Dont Believe the Hype
This is just a link to a terrific article in Wired magazine by Dr. Daniel Carlat. Dr. Carlat goes through various types of brain scanning and meets with different neuroimaging experts. He concludes that his own neuroimaging, in its present state, is useless for [...]
Where do you put your insulin when you don’t have a refrigerator? Or electricity?
Monday, May 19th, 2008Ok, this is strictly a pharma-geek post, but this is why there is science: combining chemistry, protein structure, medicine, computer science, and third world social sciences, scientists from Cleveland and Chicago made a mini-revolution: uber-insulin that doesn’t need refrigeration. How great is that?
Maybe a little back story: One of my side projects is working with [...]
People don’t remember you as well when you’re not happy, so put on a happy face (video and lyrics, too)
Friday, March 21st, 2008I lurve experiments where oxytocin is squirted up people’s noses. Oxytocin-up-the-nose affects your ability to recognize people you’ve seen before — and, according to two new reports, this effect is most pronounced if you see them displaying the same emotion that you first saw them displaying. Happy memories are the strongest. So, don’t be [...]
The “Clinton Neuron” and why Pamela Anderson should get a cabinet post
Thursday, March 6th, 2008
The Clinton Neuron
Neurodemocracy, you gotta love it. Branding, celebrity and politics — all evoke neurological responses in primitive brain areas. How can the candidates best position themselves to have the best neurological response in swing voters?
I have some advice. Free! For Senator Clinton, first, promise Pamela Anderson a cabinet post.
Sphere: Related Content
Airborne® lawsuit settlement - once you find out something doesn’t work.
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008Being in the biopharma business, I’m always amazed at the direct-to-consumer adverts on TV. It looks like unmitigated chutzpa to me, to advertise that you can get rid of stubborn belly fat or that you apply directly to forehead. Now, I feel a little vindicated. Except I wonder if taking away hope that a [...]
The Bob Dylan Committee Could Have Been A Delusion Caused By Improper Brain Connectivity
Saturday, March 1st, 2008Exhibit A: A committee of badly disguised Bob Dylan imposters?
As a child, with “Maggies’ Farm” on the record player, I asked an elder sibling why Bob Dylan looked so different on each of his (vinyl) album jackets. She calmly lied through her teeth, and explained that Bob Dylan was a committee, not a [...]
Why Sumo Wrestlers Have High Resting Energy Expenditure
Thursday, February 28th, 2008So, what do you find when you put a Sumo wrestler in the MRI and get an image, slice by slice, of everything inside them? That and a recipe for a Sumo lunch below.
Sumo in Hawaii by hellochris on Flickr : “. . .22 year old Mongolian rikishi Hakuho as [...]
“A unified genetic theory for sporadic and inherited autism”
Thursday, February 21st, 2008“Transposable Elements” by Swivelchair, all rights (if any) totally waived. This work was inspired by the work of Dr. Barbara McClintock.
Here’s today’s research paper:Zhao, X., Leotta, A., Kustanovich, V., Lajonchere, C., Geschwind, D.H., Law, K., Law, P., Qiu, S., Lord, C., Sebat, J., Ye, K., Wigler, M. (2007). A unified genetic theory for sporadic and [...]
NYT: This is your brain on NASDAQ
Friday, February 8th, 2008 “Dopamine Futures” original art by Swivelchair
(all rights, if any totally waived, copy it all you want).
If you compare a screen shot of on-line gambling with a screen shot of on-line stock trading, they look very similar. That is probably because humans are hard wired for rewards — if you hunt and are successful, [...]
Antisocial Genetic Type for ADHD has genetic variant for using up dopamine more quickly than normal
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
About 3000+ children diagnosed with ADHD were then tracked for many years to see if they developed antisocial behavior. The children were also genotyped as to a particular gene, the catechol O-methyltransferase gene (COMT) gene. The COMT gene is known to have variants associated with schizophrenia and other conditions involving trouble with cognition.
Lo [...]
Pathological crying can be caused by brain dysfunction
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008Ricky, don’t cry! You haven’t been Auf’d! [Swivelchair note: Ricky was auf'd] I hope you’re OK - you know, the very basic areas of the brain are involved in crying. If you can’t stop, I hope it’s not a tumor (see abstract below).
J Clin Neurosci. 2008 Jan 10 [Epub ahead of print]
Brainstem compression [...]
Why Dr. Kaczynski may believe there’s nothing wrong with him (anosognosia)
Monday, February 4th, 2008
Theodore Kaczynski
Even though he was holed up in a backwoods cabin containing piles of his feces, writing a manifesto against technological society, in moldy pants he had worn constantly for a year, Dr. Kaczynski was entirely unaware of his mental illness. In fact, he refused treatment of any sort over the better part of his [...]
Cannabis stops pain from hot chili peppers and hot mustard
Friday, February 1st, 2008Cannabinoids Desensitize Capsaicin and Mustard Oil Responses in Sensory Neurons via TRPA1 Activation Armen N. Akopian,1 Nikita B. Ruparel,1 Amol Patwardhan,1 and Kenneth M. Hargreaves1,2
Akopian et al. 28 5: 1064 — Journal of Neuroscience
Making Chili Powder
(Thank you Sporkist on Flickr (under creative commons attribution license)
Chemicals in marijuana block [...]
E harmony is so wrong on so many levels where do I start
Thursday, January 31st, 2008I think internet dating can be terrific (read this, though), but the whole thing about personality testing — like human resources personality testing — is just wrong.
Findings: Hitting It Off, Thanks to Algorithms of Love
By JOHN TIERNEY
NYT Published: January 29, 2008
As online matchmakers compete for customers using algorithms in the search for love, the battle [...]
Studies Cite Head Injuries As Factor in Some Social Ills - WSJ.com
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008Studies Cite Head Injuries As Factor in Some Social Ills - WSJ.com
The Wall Street Journal(subscription required for most, but not this) has an article saying that brain injuries are way more common, and account for way more problems, than we appreciate. (See the video either on [...]
Neuromarketing: Neural Correlates of Conspicuous Consumption in Groups Vulnerable to Social Injustice
Sunday, January 27th, 2008There are lots of studies as to why people purchase luxury goods, but these are mostly directed at individuals in isolation. What about group behavior?
Manhattan, Harlem, Lenox Ave.
Ray Fisman, an economist, has an interesting article in Slate about why African-Americans (and other ethnic minorities) in the US spend disproportionately on status-seeking items. As quoted in [...]
Power trips powered by dopamine
Monday, January 21st, 2008The rewarding effect of aggression is reduced by nucleus accumbens dopamine receptor antagonism in mice.Couppis MH, Kennedy CH.Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008 Jan 8 [Epub ahead of print]
I sat next to someone the other day wearing a t-shirt that said:
Of course, I had to sit and do the full analysis of that one for a while. I [...]
Genetics: 200 family members having dementia-mutation studied for 13 years
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008Brain. 2008 Jan;131(Pt 1):72-89. Epub 2007 Dec 7., “The tauopathy associated with mutation +3 in intron 10 of Tau: characterization of the MSTD family,” Spina S, Farlow MR, Unverzagt FW, Kareken DA, Murrell JR, Fraser G, Epperson F,Crowther RA, Spillantini MG, Goedert M, Ghetti B., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School [...]
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