Brain Science Podcast #37: Dr. John Medina discusses “Brain Rules”
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Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - May 16, 2008 Authors: docartemis Tags: Interviews Neuroscience Podcast Show Notes brain science Brain Rules Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving brain science podcast Ginger Campbell John Medina Pear Press
Update: Brain Fitness Seminars
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Here you are have the bi-monthly update with our 10 most Popular blog posts. (Also, remember that you can subscribe to receive our RSS feed, or to our newsletter, at the top of this page, if you want to receive this digest by email).
We hope you have some time to share with us today. Just came back from a superb event on Brain Health Across the Lifespan...and many stimulating things are happening in the world of brain fitness.
News and Events
Exercise your brain in the Cognitive Age: The New York Times published two thought-provoking articles on brain and cognitive fitness, one of them featuring SharpBrains.
Brain Fi...
Source: SharpBrains - May 16, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Education Professional Development Health & Wellness Brain Fitness Industry Brain Fitness Newsletter Brain exercises brain fitness seminars Brain health Brain Health Across the Lifespan Brain teasers brain
Orgasms Everywhere!
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So what's the story with the big O? Scientific American has the full story. Here's the main points to get you warmed up though:
Principles of Pleasure
* Sexual desire and orgasm are subject to various influences on the brain and nervous system, which controls the sex glands and genitals.
* The ingredients of desire may differ for men and women, but researchers have revealed some surprising similarities. For example, visual stimuli spur sexual stirrings in women, as they do in men.
* Achieving orgasm, brain imaging studies show, involves more than heightened arousal. It requires a release of inhibitions engineered by...
Source: Omni Brain - May 15, 2008 Tags: Health
What happens at Vision Science Society stays at VSS (except in the blogging world)
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Well I'm finally done with VSS it was long and stressful... but mostly fun. Here's a couple pictures...
After all this fun I had to get my game face on and do a talk. I've given a lot of talks in classrooms and even at a conference but after I saw the size of the room and how many people were going to be in it I was a weeee bit intimidated. After letting the stress stew for a couple days I finally gave my talk on Wednesday. I think it went well :) At least people complemented me on it. If you're interested in seeing what I presented with no explanation feel free to download the powerpoint presentation.
I'm looking ...
Source: Omni Brain - May 15, 2008 Tags: Brains and Stuff
Yet Another Reason to Exercise and Eat Right
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A new study suggests that heavy adults have higher rates of psychiatric disorders. Using data from a national health survey of more than 40,000 Americans, researchers found that obese adults were up to twice as likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions as normal-weight adults.
Source: Brain Waves - May 15, 2008 Tags: Mental Health Issues
14 open PhD and Post-doc positions in computational vision
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The planned Frankfurt Bernstein Center for Neurotechnology offers a range of post-doc and PhD positions (14 in total, pending final approval) for theoretical research in:
-computational neuroscience
-computer vision
-machine learning
-developmental robotics
Source: Neurobot - May 15, 2008 Tags: Jobs
Blue Brain Project Satellite Meeting FENS 2008
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The Blue Brain Project is hosting a satellite meeting just before the FENS 2008 meeting at the PalEXPO center in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 10-11, 2008.
Source: Neurobot - May 15, 2008 Tags: External announcements
NINDS Cooperative Program in Translational Research Update
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I spoke with Joe Pancrazio yesterday who brought me up to speed on the the NINDS Cooperative Program in Translational Research. The program is intended to catalyze the development of partnerships between basic and clinical investigators, and to stimulate agreements between the academic and industrial sectors, so that translational research in neuroscience can flourish as a cooperative, iterative process leading to new and effective interventions for neurological disorders. The program in Translational Research is implemented through three coordinated cooperative agreements mechanisms, and NINDS program staff will have a si...
Source: Brain Waves - May 15, 2008 Tags: Neurodevices
Huuuuuge sale of science books from Columbia Press
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There is a huuuuge sale on science books (and other categories...literature theory, anthro, whatever) at Columbia Press. They are all well above 50% off. It looks like there are a bunch of interesting titles. Check it out!
Read the comments on this post...
Source: Omni Brain - May 15, 2008 Tags: Books
Damasio on Emotion
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[Image: portrait of Antonio Damasio, from Conscious Entities.]title Advances on the Neurobiology of Emotion: Taking Stockdescription In a long, slightly muffled lecture, the legendary Antonio Damasio talks about issues to do with emotions and the brain, spanning his career and looking forward.producer Princeton Universityfeaturing Antonio Damasioformat Real Video or WMVdate 16/11/06length 01:44:30link http://www.princeton.edu/WebMedia/lectures/direct video link http://realserver.princeton.edu:8080/ramgen/lectures/20061116damasioVN350K.rm direct video link http://www.princeton.edu/WebMedia/lectures/20061116damasioVN35...
Source: Channel N - May 15, 2008 Authors: Sandra Kiume Tags: newtag
Back from Hintertux
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Just got back late last night from a brief stint to the Austrian Alps (Hintertux) for a final snowboarding trip this season. I haven't been boarding since 2002 when I took the opportunity to watch some competitions of the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah and went snowboardng there. Obviously, I was more than a little itching to go!The weather was perfect and the snow fantastic so it was a formidable trip. Now, of course, I'm sore as hell, but that's what you get for not going down the hills for 6 years! Here's a picture of what our resort looked like the past 4 days, taken with my Palm Treo:
Source: bjoern.brembs.net - a neuroscientist's blog : RSS feed of bjoern.brembs.net - May 15, 2008 Authors: query
Unusual sources of lead leading to intoxication
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var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-3639768-12");pageTracker._initData();pageTracker._trackPageview();Lead was an ingredient of antibacterial ointments until the 20th century and are still sold in rural Switzerland. Traditional remedies including Asian plant products may be contaminated. Beauty ointments may be a culprit including lip balms (Fluri et al. Neurology 69:929 2007).Serum, not urine lead levels should be checked and porphoryns may be elevated. MRI may show hyperintensity in the basal ganglia. Encephalopathy and motor neuropathy both can occur in adult intoxications.
Source: neurologyminutiae - May 14, 2008
Bacterial and fungal meningitis in patients with cancer
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var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-3639768-12");pageTracker._initData();pageTracker._trackPageview();Safdieh JE, Mead PA, Sepkowitz KA et al. Neurology 2008; 943-947. High points-- only five percent of cases had the triad of fever, nuchal rigidity and mental status changes. VP shunt patients usually presented with mental status changes. Most patients had had prior neurosurgery. organisms included more gram positive infections and a smattering of diverse other organisms. CSF response was often muted.
Source: neurologyminutiae - May 14, 2008
Neurotheology Rising - The Neural Buddhists
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David Brooks continues his quest to discuss everything in terms of neuroscience. This week in The Neural Buddhists he declares, "Just as 'The Origin of Species' reshaped social thinking, just as Einstein’s theory of relativity affected art, so the revolution in neuroscience is having an effect on how people see the world.
He goes on, "This new wave of research will not seep into the public realm in the form of militant atheism. Instead it will lead to what you might call neural Buddhism." The implications of which he suggest will be the following. "First, the self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relation...
Source: Brain Waves - May 14, 2008 Tags: Neurotheology
INCF MUSIC project: request for comments
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The INCF has engaged in the development of software that allows large scale neuron simulators to communicate during runtime. An RFC - Request For Comments - document is now available and open for comments on the proposed design and prototype specifications. MUSIC (Multi-Simulation Coordinator) is a project under the INCF Program on Large-Scale Modeling of the Nervous System.
Source: Neurobot - May 14, 2008 Tags: External announcements
Programmer - SysAdmin Position at CU Boulder
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The Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder is
seeking applications for an experienced computer support specialist for
system administration and programming related to neuroimaging (fMRI, ERP) and
computational modeling work within the Institute. This person will help
purchase and manage a large new computer cluster (and Mac & Linux desktop
machines connected to it) for neuroimaging data analysis and neural network
simulations, and write scripts and programs needed for these tasks.
Source: Neurobot - May 14, 2008 Tags: Jobs
Can Intelligence Be Trained? Martin Buschkuehl shows how
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We reported our results in two unpublished dissertations, but this is the first time it has been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Could you please explain the training involved in this particular study?
We recruited 70 students aged around 26 years and set half of them on a challenging computer-based cognitive training regimen, based on the so-called "n-back task." This is a very complex working memory task that involves the simultaneous presentation of visual and auditory stimuli. The experimental group watched a series of screens on their computers, where a blue square appeared in various positions on a b...
Source: SharpBrains - May 14, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Education Health & Wellness Neuroscience Interview Series BrainTwister cognitive benefits Computerized cognitive training fluid intelligence John Joindes Martin Buschkuehl mental exercise n back task Phys
Neuroscience and Health blogs
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This week's editions of two excellent blog carnivals. Enjoy!
- Encephalon #45 - Life Is Good, Brains Are Better
- Grand Rounds 4:34 at the Health Business Blog
Blog Carnivals, brains, encephalon, Grand Rounds, healt, Health blogs, Neuroscience blogs
Source: SharpBrains - May 14, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Uncategorized Blog Carnivals brains encephalon Grand Rounds healt Health blogs Neuroscience blogs newtag
Announcing the 34th annual meeting of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology
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June 26-29, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Registration is now open; deadline Thursday, June 5 -- 12:00pm EST
Note that early registration is suggested, as the reserved hotel block is likely to fill quickly.
The 2008 conference will feature presentations by:
George Ainslie, Michael L. Anderson, Louise Antony
Peter Carruthers, Louis Charland, Anjan Chatterjee
David Danks, Felipe De Brigard, Michael Devitt
Marthah Farah, Evelina Fedorenko, Owen Flanagan,
Jerry Fodor, Kenneth R. Foster, Lila R. Gleitman (President of SPP)
George Graham, Bryce Huebner, Bertram F. Malle,
Barbara Malt, Christopher Meacham, Domi...
Source: Omni Brain - May 13, 2008 Tags: Brains and Stuff
Superstition at the Exploratorium
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Tempt Fate, and Take a Risk
Superstition Obstacle Course Opens Friday, June 13th
Are You Scared?
June 13 - September 1, 2008
For many people, Friday the 13th suggests bad luck -- but is it really
tempting fate or taking a risk to break a mirror? Are you courting disaster
by walking under a ladder? And what really happens if you step squarely on
that crack in the sidewalk? Challenge these and other superstitions at the
Exploratorium's new Superstition Obstacle Course. Experience how your own
superstitions, your own emotions, and your own judgment come into play.
Although none of the beliefs represented have a scientific ba...
Source: Omni Brain - May 13, 2008 Tags: Brains and Stuff
“All in the Mind” looks at Nicotine and the Brain
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The May 10th episode of All in the Mind is an excellent discussion of the latest research about nicotine addiction. It includes a very balanced look at the controversy over the new smoking cessation drug, varenicline, which is sold in the US as Chantix. Nicotine has a unique effect on certain neurotransmitter receptors in the brain. Varenicline works as a partial agonist, which means it mimics some of the effects of nicotine, but it also blocks the receptor so that when a person smokes the experience is not rewarding. However, since the receptors involved also have other functions (they aren’t there to respond to the...
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - May 13, 2008 Authors: docartemis Tags: Neuroscience Other links Podcasts All in the Mind Chantix nicotine addiction smoking-cessation varenicline
Another Reason to Eat Right and Exercise
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Being obese can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 80 percent, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Source: Brain Waves - May 13, 2008 Tags: Mental Health Issues
Neupro Patch for Parkinson’s Disease Recalled by FDA
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Neupro patches were approved by the FDA for Parkinson’s disease treatment in September 2007. They proved to be very effective in the control of Parkinson symptoms, as compared to the effects of other dopamine agonists including Mirapex and Requip. Unfortunately, in March, the FDA recalled Neupro due to problem with the patch delivery of the medications. What they found posed no imminent danger to patients. Rather what was happening was that the active drug, rotigotine, was crystallizing in the patch therefore not delivering the full dosage of medication to the patient. What would happen is that affected patients̵...
Source: Sarasota Neurology - May 13, 2008 Authors: Dr. K Tags: Movement Disorders Parkinson's disease
Brain Fitness Webinar Series
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I have been travelling much over the last 2 weeks to speak at a number of conferences and universities. I promised I would be sharing some of the key highlights, but we have decided to do something better to do justice to the richness and complexity of the field we cover. We are going to launch an experiment: a Brain Fitness Webinar Series.
This inaugural Brain Fitness Webinar Series will consist of 3 free live sessions. The series covers the most fundamental advances in cognitive science and their implications for individuals, companies and organizations. And we are honored to have John Medina lead of the sessions!
Each ...
Source: SharpBrains - May 13, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Education Professional Development Health & Wellness Brain Fitness Industry alvaro fernandez bloggers brain 101 brain fitness software Brain health brain performance brain rules Executives investors J
PBS: Not so neuroscience-savvy
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Salon has an interesting piece condemning a recent PBS show purportedly on Alzheimer’s treatment but really more of a sketchy informercial. The program concerns a neurologist with tenuous ties to UC Irvine who advocates SPECT (single photon emission computed tomograpy, a technique which, similar to PET, uses a radiotracer) and some unfounded preventative treatments for Alzheimer’s. The neurologist Bill Amen has appeared on many big-name media outlets including CNN, the Today Show, and Fox News (and the real sign of media success — Oprah) although his approach to Alzheimer’s detection and treatment i...
Source: neurodudes - May 13, 2008 Authors: Neville Tags: Business Discussion Internet and blogs Neuropharmacology
Differential diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy
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var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-3639768-12");pageTracker._initData();pageTracker._trackPageview();1) Peripheral nerve entrapment (eg CTS)- see positive Phalen's and Tinel's sign, typical distribution, abnormal nerve conduction studies v. normal in cervical radiculopathy2)Rotator cuff abnormal-- pain in shoulder or arm, rarely below elbow, worse with shoulder movements, normal sensation and reflexes.3) Acute brachial plexitis-- (Parsonage Turner)-- see pain in neck shoulder and arm followed within days to weeks by weakness especially in C5-6 region as pain recedes (whereas in radiculopathy pain and weakness coincide)...
Source: neurologyminutiae - May 12, 2008
Cervical radiculopathy
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Carette S, Phil M, Fehlings MG. Clinical practice. NEJM 2005; 353:392-399.The etiology in 70-75% is encroachment of the foramen due to cervical spondylosis or other cause of degeneration, whereas HNP is much less frequent (20-25 %) and tumors and other causes even less frequent. Pain occurs only if the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is compressed. Hypoxia of the nerve root and DRG exacerbates the pain. Inflammatory mediators including MMP's, PGE2, IL6 and NO. Nonsurgical management resolution correlates with imaging improvement. Neck and arm pain predominate. Sensory symptoms (burning, tingling) follow a dermatomal distributio...
Source: neurologyminutiae - May 12, 2008
Clinical feature and prognostic factors in adults with bacterial meningitis
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var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-3639768-12");pageTracker._initData();pageTracker._trackPageview();van de Beek B, de Gans J, Spanjaard L et al. NEJM 2004; 351: 1849-59. Dutch study analysed 696 cases of community acquired acute bacterial meningitis seen 1998-2002. The classic triad of neck stiffness, fever, and change of mental status was seen in only 44 %, but 95 % had two of the four symptoms (the fourth symptom being headache). Mortality was 21 % and much higher with pc meningitis than mc meningitis (30 v. 7 %). Risk factors (negative risk) were advanced age, present otitis or sinusitis, absent rash, low GCS on ad...
Source: neurologyminutiae - May 12, 2008
HABC Hypomyelination of basal ganglia nad cerebellum
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van der Kmaap MS, Linnannkivi T, Paetau A et al. Hypomyelination with atrophy of the basal ganglia and cerebellum: followup and pathology. Neurology 2007; 69: 166-171.A report of 11 new patients is made. Typically a pediatric population presented with normal or delayed psychomotor development, with increasing extrapyramidal movement disorders, spasticity and ataxia. The putamen was small or absent, the caudate often atrophic with normal thalamus and globus pallidus. The cerebellar granular layer was typically affected. All known patients were sporadic. This is a recently described syndrome (2002) with less than 20 reporte...
Source: neurologyminutiae - May 12, 2008
National Neurotechnology Intiative Act Introduced in Both House and Senate
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I am extremely happy to share that the NNTI was introduced into the House and Senate last week! This is a major milestone for the industry and for those suffering from brain-related illnesses.
BIPARTISAN GROUP OF SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES INTRODUCE BILL TO BATTLE BRAIN-RELATED ILLNESS
National Neurotechnology Initiative Act seeks to accelerate development of new treatments for brain and nervous system ailments
SAN FRANCISCO & WASHINGTON, D.C., May 7, 2008 – A bipartisan team of prominent members of both houses of Congress introduced today the National Neurotechnology Initiative (NNTI) Act, a bill designed to fos...
Source: Brain Waves - May 12, 2008 Tags: NIO
Popping in and out of existence... what I'm doing right now in Florida
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Right now I'm about to, or already am, standing at a podium to give a talk at the Vision Sciences Society annual meeting (better known as VSS) in Naples Florida.
Wish me luck!
Here's the exciting abstract:
Popping in and out of existence: The effect of gradual and abrupt occlusion on object localization.
J. Stephen Higgins1,2, Daniel Simons1,2, Ranxiao Wang1,2
1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2Beckman Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The human visual system typically tracks the position of objects as they move. However, when disruption occurs (e.g., as objects are ...
Source: Omni Brain - May 12, 2008 Tags: Brains and Stuff
Memory for Facts and Events Takes Time to Develop
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From the Gabrieli lab, declarative memory pathways require the prefrontal cortex, so no surprisingly, declarative memory pathways take time to fully mature. In this new report, fmri changes develop quite late, with even teens not fully developed as subjects in their 20's. Interestingly though, medial temporal lobe systems (important for both episodic and declarative memory) were fairly mature by the age of 8.Developmental studies such as this may be helpful in designing the most efficient ways of using children's memory systems (they may also be helpful in deciding reasonable expectations). Immaturity of the PFC in childre...
Source: Eide Neurolearning Blog - May 12, 2008 Tags: teens development prefrontal gifted memory children add
Jack LaLanne and Dakim
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What a beautiful display of creativity:
Physical Fitness 'Godfather' Jack LaLanne Turns to Brain Fitness, Becoming Ambassador for Dakim's [m] Power System
- Dakim, Inc., announced today that 93-year-young Jack LaLanne, the world's most iconic figure in health and fitness, has signed on as a "brain fitness motivational coach" on behalf of the company's [m]Power Cognitive Fitness System, joining the company's efforts to help seniors fight against dementia.
- "I've spent my life preaching the importance of physical fitness with the understanding that your brain doesn't die of old age, it dies of inactivity,&qu...
Source: SharpBrains - May 12, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Health & Wellness Brain Fitness Industry
Understanding Brain Imaging
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Daniel Lende and Greg Downey run the though-provoking Neuroanthropology blog. Daniel also teaches a class at University of Notre Dame, and he asked his students to submit group-based blog posts in lieu of the traditional final essays. He explains more on Why A Final Essay When We Can Do This?.
Below you have a spectacular post written by 4 of his students. They show how brain imaging is starting to provide a window into the plasticity (glossary here) of our brains, and how our very own actions impact them. For good and for bad.
Understanding Brain Imaging
--- By Chris Dudley, Matt Gasperetti, Mikey Narvaez, and Sarah Wa...
Source: SharpBrains - May 11, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness addictions alcohol abuse brain functions Brain Imaging Brain Plasticity correlation causation Daniel Amen drug abuse EEG fMRI Neuroanthropology neurotransmitter PET University of N
Brain Resources and Websites
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We recently prepared a Directory of Web Sites as part of our Resources section. You will find some gems here, in a variety of areas:
>> The Dana Foundation offers several excellent online resources:
- Brainy Kids Online offers children, teens, parents and teachers links to games, labs, education resources and lesson plans.
- BrainWeb: general information about the brain and current brain research, as well as links to validated sites related to more than 25 brain disorders.
- Brain Resources for Seniors provides older adults and their caretakers with links to sites related to brain health, education and general informati...
Source: SharpBrains - May 10, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Health & Wellness AARP Alzheimers Association brain brain awareness week Brain health brain resources brain websites Brainy Kids Online CDC dana foundation David RabinerMaintain Your Brain Healthy Brain Initiative NeuroInsigh
Brain Resources and Websites
discuss this article
We recently prepared a Directory of Web Sites as part of our Resources section. You will find some gems here, in a variety of areas:
>> The Dana Foundation offers several excellent online resources:
- Brainy Kids Online offers children, teens, parents and teachers links to games, labs, education resources and lesson plans.
- BrainWeb: general information about the brain and current brain research, as well as links to validated sites related to more than 25 brain disorders.
- Brain Resources for Seniors provides older adults and their caretakers with links to sites related to brain health, education and general informati...
Source: SharpBrains - May 10, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Health & Wellness AARP Alzheimers Association brain brain awareness week Brain health brain resources brain websites Brainy Kids Online CDC dana foundation David RabinerMaintain Your Brain Healthy Brain Initiative NeuroInsigh
Gamma response in EEG caused by micro-saccade
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Transient Induced Gamma-Band Response in EEG as a Manifestation of Miniature SaccadesShlomit Yuval-Greenberg, Orr Tomer, Alon S. Keren, Israel Nelken and Leon Y. DeouellTurns out that a large component of gamma oscillation responses in the EEG literature is generated by small eye movements. Caution: this is not to discount the physiological importance of gamma oscillation and its roles in cognition, as had been demonstrated in single unit studies, local field potentials, MEGs, and some EEG studies.
Source: SCLin's neuroscience blog - May 9, 2008
Degeneracy
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Probably the most important common denominator of evolutionary theory and neuroscience is degeneracy. The degeneracy found in gene networks and the degeneracy found in the organization of brains. See e.g. 2001 PNAS article by nobel laureate Gerald Edelman. In it he writes:[Degeneracy] is both necessary for, and an inevitable outcome of, natural selection. In other words: if there were no evolution, there would be no degeneracy.Therefore, creationists will have to explain why there is degeneracy if there is no evolution.In the latest issue of ScienceExpress, there is an absolutely fantastic study by Tagkopoulos et al. from ...
Source: bjoern.brembs.net - a neuroscientist's blog : RSS feed of bjoern.brembs.net - May 9, 2008 Authors: query
Quantitative biology database
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BioNumbers - The Database of Useful Biological Numbers
Here’s a neat new website. It’s a repository of quantitative information on biological things (eg. organisms, biomolecules, etc.) Some stuff I found while glancing through:
Number of mRNA/cell in E. coli: 138
Volume occupied by all RNA in E. coli: 6%
Average gene length in mammals: 16.6kb
Average gene length in nematode C. elegans: 4 kb
Mutation rate per genome per replication in humans: 0.16 mutation/genome/replication
Average time between blinks in humans: 2.8 sec
Amount of photons necessary to excite a cone in humans: 100
Citations are included for mos...
Source: neurodudes - May 9, 2008 Authors: Neville Tags: Internet and blogs Systems biology
BIF: bibliographic impact factor or brain irritability factor?
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The journal "Epidemiology" has a series of great articles on why we need to get rid of Thomson Scientific's Impact Factor. I've reported about this ridiculously influencial number before and how irrational, stupid and detrimental to science it is (1, 2, 3). Here the links to the great Epidemiology articles (via Coturnix):Epidemiologists (of All People) Should Question Journal Impact FactorsImpact Factor: Good Reasons for ConcernHow Come Scientists Uncritically Adopt and Embody Thomson's Bibliographic Impact Factor?Rise and Fall of the Thomson Impact FactorThe Impact Factor FolliesI think there's more than enough evidence t...
Source: bjoern.brembs.net - a neuroscientist's blog : RSS feed of bjoern.brembs.net - May 9, 2008 Authors: query
Comment 13 (Retraction reaction)
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To Noah Gray: well, my view is based on experience with one top rated journal. Well respected Editor promised in several e-mails to invesigate suspected misconduct, to inform me about results of investigation etc., but in two years time nothing happened. For every reminder which I sent to him I had a reply that case is not closed and note of final decision will be sent to me. During these two years I was asked to send again files which were lost, heard that they are too busy investigating other cases of misconduct etc. Nothing happened, I gave up. I asked people around and found that my experience is not unique, many stori...
Source: Action Potential - May 9, 2008 Authors: alex
Brian: a pure Python neural simulator
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Brian is a new simulator for spiking neural networks available on almost all platforms. The motivation for this project is that a simulator should not only save the time of processors, but also the time of scientists. Brian is easy to learn and use, highly flexible and easily extensible.
Source: Neurobot - May 8, 2008 Tags: Software
IQ
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title Stephen Murdoch Discusses IQdescription Author Stephen Murdoch discusses the history of IQ tests, including abuses, and why it's a surprisingly emotional topic.producer The Commonwealth Club of California and FORA.tvfeaturing Stephen Murdochformat Flash, mp3, mp4date 16/04/08length 00:44:43link http://fora.tv/2008/04/16/Stephen_Murdoch_Discusses_IQ Tags: brain video vodcast IQ intelligence neuroethics cog_sci history psychology law eugenics education tests
Source: Channel N - May 7, 2008 Authors: Sandra Kiume Tags: newtag
Psychology of Intelligence Analysis
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(Hat tip: Boing Boing)
The CIA has posted the full text of one of its guidebooks, "Psychology of Intelligence Analysis", published in 1999 by the CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence.
Haven't had time to play with it yet, but these quotes sound fascinating:
- "Of the diverse problems that impede accurate intelligence analysis, those inherent in human mental processes are surely among the most important and most difficult to deal with. Intelligence analysis is fundamentally a mental process, but understanding this process is hindered by the lack of conscious awareness of the workings of our own minds....
Source: SharpBrains - May 7, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Peak Performance Professional Development
Ubuntu and You (well me really)
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For the last week I've been using Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (aka Hardy Heron) on my laptop almost exclusively. I'm making an effort to try to move all of my computing to Linux (from Windows) over this summer, and my science laptop is my first victim. My computer is an important apparatus for my science, and I've written about some of the programs I use here and here. But migrating to a new environment means finding new ways to do old things, and I thought I'd share my experience so far. This is entirely motivated by the idea that science should be open access, and as such every aspect of the process should be open sourced as well, i...
Source: Somatopsychic - May 7, 2008 Tags: linux apparatus
Brain Exercise: Software vs. Crosswords
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Today I had a great conversation with Martin Buschkuehl, one of the U Michigan researchers involved in the cognitive training study that has received much media attention since early last week, when the study was published at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
I will publish the interview notes next week. For the moment, let me paraphrase his answer to the question: "Why are computerized programs like the one you used fundamentally different from, say, simply doing many crossword puzzles?".
His answer was that for 3 reasons:
Adaptive: The constant adaptability of the challenge level, thanks ...
Source: SharpBrains - May 7, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness assessments brain age brain exercise cognitive health crosswords IQ test Martin Buschkuehl Neurosoftware Physical Fitness PNAS smarter stress management technology newtag
Award-Winning Neuroethics
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title Teen Braindescription Neuroethics and the teen brain. The brain continues developing until about age 25. Questions of moral and legal culpability between ages 18-25, when the brain hasn't developed impulse control and good judgement in the PFC, are explored. Is 18 the right age for legal adulthood? Repercussions include a more educational prison that could keep young adults from being housed with hardcore life offenders and becoming the same. In theory. Host Jonica Newby (above right) won a Eureka Prize for Science Journalism for her work on this episode of the science TV programme Catalyst.producer ABC [Australia]fe...
Source: Channel N - May 7, 2008 Authors: S. Kiume Tags: newtag
...and now for some egg in a bottle
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The classic experiment in a new venue
Source: bjoern.brembs.net - a neuroscientist's blog : RSS feed of bjoern.brembs.net - May 6, 2008 Authors: query
Brain and Cognition Expert Contributors
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As you have probably noticed, a growing number of Expert Contributors are writing in our blog, so that we can collectively discuss the latest research and trends on cognitive and brain health, and the implications of brain research in general for our everyday lives.
If you haven't done so already, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter (above) and our RSS feed (on the right).
Below you have the profiles of some of our Contributors and links to their best articles with us so far. Enjoy!
Dr. Pascale Michelon has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has worked as a Research Scientist at Washington University in Sain...
Source: SharpBrains - May 6, 2008 Authors: Alvaro Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Education Health & Wellness altruism Applied Learning attention training brain brain fitness program cognifit cognition Cognitive Neurology cognitive psychology compassion Duke University Haifa Harv
The truth about TTX!
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If the Fish Liver Can’t Kill, Is It Really a Delicacy? [NYT, login]
Amazing. It looks like TTX (tetrodotoxin, a potent voltage-gated sodium channel blocker well-known to electrophysiologists) is not made by the pufferfish (which I had always assumed), rather it is from the bacteria/food consumed by the fish.
Decades earlier, another Japanese scientist had identified fugu’s poison as tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin that leaves victims mentally aware while they suffer paralysis and, in the worst cases, die of heart failure or suffocation. There is no known antidote.
Researchers surmised that fugu probably got the toxin by eat...
Source: neurodudes - May 5, 2008 Authors: Neville Tags: Genetics and molecular Misc Neuropharmacology
