MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'circuits'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:32:17 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4001709&cid=t_360693_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F09%2F25%2Flistening-in-on-another-conversation%2F We’ve all done it — listened in on another conversation while talking to someone else. How can we do that? How can we focus our listening abilities on a far away conversation while “turning off” the ability to listen to the conversation that’s right in front of us? This unique listening ability is called selective listening and most people can do it. It’s our ability to tune out one conversation and have our brains hone in on another. And despite this fairly common phenomenon, neuroscientists still have little idea of how we do it. It seems to come down to understanding the neural pathways and circuits that underlie our attention skills. In understanding simple attention skills like how we can selectively listen, neuroscientists believe it could also hel... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4001709 Sat, 25 Sep 2010 16:45:21 +0100 4001709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3695567&cid=t_360693_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fusing-ultrasound-to-zap-the-brain-back-into-action%2F2010.06.24 Scientists at Arizona State University have developed a new method of non-surgical brain stimulation using pulsed ultrasound that enhances cognitive function in mice, and may one day be used to non-invasively treat patients with mental retardation, Alzheimer’s disease and other central nervous system (CNS) dysfunctions. In intact motor cortex in mice, ultrasound was found to stimulate action potentials and elicit motor responses comparable to those only previously achieved with implanted electrodes and related techniques. It also activates meaningful brain wave patterns and the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus — one of the most potent regulators of brain plasticity. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Medgad... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3695567 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:00:01 +0100 3695567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3742329&cid=t_360693_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F14%2Fnear_misses_fuel_gambling_addiction%2F For pathological gamblers, near misses are almost as rewarding as wins (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3742329 Fri, 14 May 2010 07:40:12 +0100 3742329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3502832&cid=t_360693_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F25%2Fflex-your-moral-muscle-god-can-change-your-brain%2F In his newest book, “After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters,” Anglican bishop and biblical scholar N. T. Wright advises his readers not to cheat on their tax returns. Because that deceitful act may very well carve a neural pathway inside the brain that makes it easier to cheat on other things or people. Scary thought. But the reverse is also true: that the decision to grin and bear a conversation with a boring neighbor on the train–to try ever so painfully to remain patient–also leaves a pathway in the brain that facilitates patience the next time you are confronted with an obnoxious, the-armrest-is-mine train mate. Says Wright: Neuroscience is still in comparative infancy. But already the clear indications are that significant events in your life, incl... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3502832 Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:40:26 +0100 3502832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1091307&cid=t_360693_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F12%2F13%2Fat-last-an-explanation-how-stress-causes-obesity.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DIt is a well-known phenomenon: people under stress hit the fridge, and gorge on candy and fatty food. A gallon of ice scream in one sitting is not unheard of. But people who think deeply about such things asked themselves: why don’t they (people under stress) gorge on veggies? And what is the nature of the connection between stress and obesity? Is it simply overeating equalsobesity, or is there a deeper connection, involving the brain? After all, stress is a mind thing.The physiology of acute stress Almost every physiological action in our body is controlled by two systems: the autonomic nervous system, and the endocrine system. The autonomic nervous system has this name because it is, well, autonomic: it marches to its own drum, if you will, independently of ... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1091307 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:21:24 +0100 1091307 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1082054&cid=t_360693_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F12%2F9%2Flosing-your-mind-its-your-white-matter-stupid.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DWho hasn’t complained about loss of memory? With increasing frequency, I forget where I left my glasses, what’s her name? Where did I meet him? And for the hundredth time, what’s the name of this bird?No, it is not incipient Alzheimer’s. I still write blogs, although that’s no proof of a sound mind. I manage a large drug development project, read the newspapers daily and am up on the latest political twist. So what’s going on?Beware received wisdomWhen I went to medical school (UCSF) I was struck by a paper I read claiming that 50% of what we were taught would be either obsolete, or plain wrong, within 5 years; amazing, but true, and not very reassuring to both physician and patient. One of the things I was taught with great certi... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1082054 Sun, 09 Dec 2007 01:48:21 +0100 1082054 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=996496&cid=t_360693_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F11%2F1%2Fthe-psychology-and-neuroscience-of-hypocrisy.html  By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DAn article in the Sept. 17 2007 issue of Time magazine tweaked my interest. In it the author, John Cloud, argues that the recent crop of Republican homosexual legislators deserves our understanding of their weakness, rather the opprobrium of hypocrisy. To quote Cloud, he is offering “a moistly liberal request: Can we have a moment of pity for moralizers who fall?”His argument runs as follows:“Hypocrisy is among the most universal and well-studied of psychological phenomena, and the research suggests that Craig, Haggard and the others may be guilty not so much of moral hypocrisy as moral weakness. The distinction may sound trivial at first, but as a society, we tend to forgive the weak and shun the hypocritical.Assume for a moment that Craig a... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=996496 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 05:58:37 +0100 996496 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=907010&cid=t_360693_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F9%2F27%2Fmind-over-body-a-new-meaning.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DNo, I haven’t become a “new age”, “positive thinking”, “psychic energy” guy. I have seen a lot of willpower, grit and optimism overcome physical limitations—but that does not correct a physical limitation. Wouldn’t a way to change the brain’s perception of pain, or alter the brain’s pathways that determine an addictive behavior be a better solution than the panoply of drugs that we addle our brain with?Technology to the rescueOne of the advantages of living in Northern California is being plugged in to the new and emergent technologies that are all around us. Superb universities that are incubators of revolutionary ideas, startup companies budding all over the place like mushrooms after the rain, many... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=907010 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 06:28:06 +0100 907010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=810007&cid=t_360693_107_f&fid=36045&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbayblab.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Ftravel-back-in-time-to-synthetic_15.html For those interested in synthetic biology (and if you're not you should be), videos of almost all the talks from Synthetic Biology 3.0 in Zurich are now available for download. Here are my personal favorites and some reflections on the conference: George Church, Harvard Medical SchoolReading , Writing and Evolving Genomes Although I did find the talk a bit disjointed and rushed (I guess my brain was too slow to keep up), this talk gets you up to speed on the state of the art and the current challenges in genome-scale DNA synthesis. If you look really closely you can see me in the front row struggling to take in everything displayed on the giant IMAX-like projector screen a few feet away.Pam Silver, Harvard Medical SchoolDesigning Biological Memory and LogicPam had some great videos of euka... Bayblab blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=810007 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 21:06:00 +0100 810007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=810011&cid=t_360693_107_f&fid=36045&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbayblab.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fif-x-and-y-then-phenotype-programming.html Anderson, Voigt and Arkin (UCSF and UC Berkeley) have teamed up to demonstrate the operation of an exquisitely-designed genetic AND gate to control the behavior of E coli (original paper here). The gate integrates two environmental inputs to produce a phenotypic output. As an example, they show how their circuit can be used to program bacteria to invade mammalian cells when the concentrations of two different extracellular chemicals fall within a certain range. You can bet Anderson will be using this circuit to fine tune the specificity of his tumor-invading bacteria in the future. For example:IF ({hypoxia} AND {acid pH}) THEN invadeVery nice tricks for making tumor-specific microorganisms. However based on our experience with ad hoc-engineered tumor-killing microbes, the biggest ch... Bayblab blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=810011 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 17:29:00 +0100 810011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=688578&cid=t_360693_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F6%2F20%2Fenvironmental-cues-that-make-us-hungry.html We modern humans have a tough time curbing our appetite. The reason for that is that our primitive ancestors, leading a life of hunters/gatherers (or scavengers, as recent research suggests) did not have a steady, predictable supply of food. So our physiology has evolved to store calories when we could get them, in the form of fat. The need was to maximize conservation of energy (or calories), and an elaborate system has evolved in the gut and the brain to accomplish that. This state of affairs served our species well until relatively recently. When the industrial revolution arrived about 200 years ago, farms became more efficient and produced more food, people became more affluent working in factories and offices, being able to afford the cornucopia of food and drink. At the same time wor... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=688578 Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:49:55 +0100 688578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=631503&cid=t_360693_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F5%2F22%2Fthe-obesity-epidemic-genes-or-addiction.html A few weeks ago (May 9, 2007) we posted a comment on Gina Kolata’s article in the New York Times (May 8, 2007) The article basically laid the blame for the obesity epidemic afflicting us at our genes. Kolata reviewed work suggesting that genes are involved in obesity, with the implication that a fight to lose and maintain a lower weight is not only excruciating, it is practically futile.That simply didn’t sound right. At least 10 genes have been discovered thus far that are involved in obesity and diabetes; more are bound to be discovered. We also know that the US population is fast approaching the 50% mark of overweight (BMI 25-29.99) or obese (BMI > 30). These genes presumably are not recent mutations. Why is it then, that only relatively recently did these genes express t... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=631503 Wed, 23 May 2007 06:21:07 +0100 631503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=578760&cid=t_360693_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F4%2F29%2Fmore-on-violence-the-role-of-religion.html  Last week we looked at the complex interactions of genes, brain circuits, hormones, psychology and culture in forming the mass killer’s persona. But keep in mind, most killers don’t have genetic or anatomical defects that we know about, although some new ones may be discovered in the future. Obviously then, psychology and culture must be playing a major role in the seemingly unprecedented wave of violence we are experiencing.  Unprecedented? Not quite.  Scriptural violence Here are a few choice nuggets from the Bible: Lot , a pious man living in Sodom, took into his home some traveling strangers who stopped for the night. No sooner than did the men retire for the night, a rumor spread around town that the men were homosexual. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorra... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=578760 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 01:24:17 +0100 578760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=570902&cid=t_360693_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F4%2F26%2Fthe-making-of-a-mass-killer.html  Genes In 1993 scientists reported on a Dutch family, 14 members of whom were sociopaths, involved in aggressive crimes such as bullying, physical violence, rape, and arson. They all had in common a mutation in a gene that makes an enzyme called MAOA. The function of this enzyme is break down neurotransmitters such as serotonin and noradrenaline (or norepinephrine, a chemical first cousin of adrenaline). The ready conclusion was: defective enzyme caused elevated level of serotonin and noradrenaline, resulting in overactive brain circuits that serve aggressive behavior. Case closed? Not so fast… In a wonderful summary of the topic in Newsweek magazine ( April 30, 2007 ) one of my favorite writers on the subject, Sharon Begley) describes a 2002 study in New Zealand of 442 men who... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=570902 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:00:48 +0100 570902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=498494&cid=t_360693_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F3%2F23%2Fmoral-behavior-is-hardwired-in-your-brain.html A recent paper in the Journal Nature, Damage to the Prefrontal Cortex Increases Utilitarian Moral Judgments  (Nature, advance online publication 21 March 2007),  has provided strong evidence that we are indeed moral animals, and that certain aspects of our moral behavior are hardwired in our brain. The institutions involved in this research (U. Iowa Dept. of Neurology, Harvard U. Dept. of Psychology, and the Brain and Creativity Institute at the U. Southern California) reflect the multi-disciplinary approach required for such a study. Where in the brain is Morality? Our brain is organized in layers, somewhat like an onion. The deepest layer, like the brain stem and the structures around it, is the most ancient, or primitive, from an evolutionary point of view. These structures co... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=498494 Sat, 24 Mar 2007 00:21:09 +0100 498494