For you video game fans, I am dressed as LINK from the legend of Zelda! My kudos to think geek.com for offering such a quality costume.
Here is what I am reading today:
:”Our findings suggest a link between brain birth defects and recreational drug use in expectant mothers,” Dr Anna David of the UCL Institute for Women’s Health, lead author of the study and Consultant in Fetal Medicine at UCLH. “We were unable to identify significant links between specific drugs and brain birth defects. Therefore I would discourage women trying to get pregnant and those in early pregnancy from taking any recreational drugs including cannabis. Since only 20 of the mothers in our study had babies with brain birth defects, a larger study of such cases is now needed to examine the links with specific drug use more closely.””
“”While 20 minutes of daily physical activity (DPA) is required in Ontario primary schools, there is a need for innovative and accessible ways for teachers to meet this requirement,” says Dr. Gurd, lead researcher and professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies. “Given the time crunch associated with the current school curriculum we thought that very brief physical activity breaks might be an interesting way to approach DPA. We were particularly interested in what effects a brief exercise bout might have in the classroom setting.””
“Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty person? When it comes to dieting, your answer could change how many calories you drink, according to a study published this month in PLOS ONE. Food psychologists have previously found that people drink less and feel more satisfied when they use a tall, skinny glass rather than a short, wide one, because the human brain perceives height more readily than width. Now, researchers suggest a more nuanced reality: The difference also has to do with where you focus your attention when you pour that drink. “
“Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is thought to play an etiological role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).”
“During the 168th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), to be held October 27-31, 2014 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown Hotel, Steven J. Waller, of Rock Art Acoustics, will describe several ways virtual sound images and absorbers can appear supernatural.
“Ancient mythology explained echoes from the mouths of caves as replies from spirits, so our ancestors may have made cave paintings in response to these echoes and their belief that echo spirits inhabited rocky places such as caves or canyons,” explained Waller.”
“Thanks to this miniature telemetry technology, the animals could move freely in groups in large aviaries so that the scientists were able to continuously register the animals’ entire behavioural repertoire. In their experiment, the researchers concentrated on so-called “stack” calls. They discovered that these calls mainly promote cohesion between males and females within bonded pairs. “Constant contact with a partner is important, as the zebra finches live in large social groups,” says Lisa Trost, co-author of the study.”
“Binge drinking can have lasting effects on brain pathways that are still developing during adolescence, say neuroscience researcher Heather N. Richardson and her colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Louisiana State University. Results of their study using a rodent model of adolescent drinking appear in the October 29 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.”
Our daughter Karla drew these great pictures to bring in Halloween. A time to gift strangers and strange kids with chocolate!
64 Comments
katherinecloninger · November 19, 2014 at 9:11 pm
I found the article regarding synesthesia to be quite interesting. I would not be surprised if having synesthesia improves IQ. This is because correlating colors with numbers opens up different pathways in the brain and extends cognitive abilities. I would like to know if having this ability has any other effects on processes other than IQ score. My roommate has this ability, and she is incredibly creative and artistic. She sees things in nature and everyday life that I never would have noticed. I wonder if the two have anything to do with each other.
katherinecloninger · November 19, 2014 at 9:28 pm
The article regarding dieting is all about perception. It talks about the fact that most people perceive amounts of liquid as different volumes if they are in different shaped containers. For example, people more readily perceive height than width, so a tall skinny glass appears to be holding more liquid than a short wide glass even though they are holding the same amount of liquid. The article relates this perception to dieting. When reading it, I couldn’t help but relate it to the consumption of alcohol. Perhaps if a person if drinking an alcoholic beverage out of a tall skinny glass, they will think that have drunk more than they have, and they think they are more drunk than they actually are. This would be an interesting experiment to conduct!
srvaldez · November 22, 2014 at 11:35 pm
I read the article “Dieting: glass half empty?” which proposed the ideas that our brains are better at perceiving height rather than width and that we should use that in our dieting strategies to drink less calories. At first I was unsure of the credibility of this article until I clicked the link that took me to pages of research and statistical analysis. I never imagined that a small change like the type of glass would effect how much of a beverage I consumed. I wonder if this would also apply to food if they were served in slender tall dishes, it would be interesting to see just how far we could trick our minds into thinking we were consuming more just with this strategy of perceiving height better. I hope to apply this strategy if possible in my own life in healthy ways, it is one small change that could have a big difference.
srvaldez · November 23, 2014 at 12:24 am
I read the article adolescent binge drinking and its detrimental effects on the brain and behavior. It was unfortunate reading about all the poor effects of alcohol considering the college culture, full of young and intelligent people, has quite a bit of alcohol in it. Even though I don’t drink myself, I like to believe my friends have the right to drink if they want to and not be judged for it. Unfortunately, beyond the social barriers of drinking, the long-term effects of alcohol on the brain are more severe than I thought. I did not realize just how much myelin in the prefrontal cortex could be influenced this late in development, and I’m guessing most teenagers who drink don’t know this either. If more adolescents were informed of the potential long-term effects of drinking on their judgment and ability to control behavior later in life, it might make a few rethink their decision to drink. Most college freshman are shocked when I inform them how long the influence of alcohol can stay in their system in relation to how well they can take that test after a weekend of binge-drinking, let alone how decades from now their cognition could decrease from those few crazy nights their first quarter here.
hannahjoslin · November 23, 2014 at 3:24 pm
What I found most interesting in “sad effects of adolescent alcohol brings on their brains,” is that very few adolescents, at least that I’ve observed show any concern for their health when it comes to alcohol. Luckily, Cal Poly has great programs that educate students of the risks of alcohol consumption. However, these programs mostly pertain to staying safe and making good decisions. They do not touch upon the fact that alcohol has lasting effects on us even into late adulthood, like being more prone to memory loss. It also seems as though many people are turning to marijuana as the recreational drug of choice, because it is “healthier” than alcohol (most cited concern I’ve heard is liver problems). However, I knew that marijuana stunted prefrontal cortex development, but I did not know alcohol had the same effect. I think many people believe they are bettering themselves by turning to marijuana, when in reality, both drugs have adverse negative effects. I think it would be a really important change to have these lessons also implemented into our orientation programs as well, so students can be fully aware of the consequences of both alcohol and marijuana.
zk · November 23, 2014 at 6:30 pm
I read the article regarding the herpes complex and Alzheimer’s disease, and found the study interesting, but at the same time was a bit skeptical. It was a weird study for me to read because in general, we really do not know a lot about either Alzheimers or herpes. It is interesting that we found a correlation between the two, but the fact that we really don’t know enough about either of the conditions to make any informative statements about this correlation makes this study seem quite unimportant to me. But, then again, being able to make this correlation may reveal some bigger picture concepts in the long run-maybe there is a gene or protein composition in individuals involved with this correlation that can help us better understand both conditions. On the other hand, such an inconclusive study encourages people to formulate their own conclusions, such as that if you have herpes you will get alzheimers, which is not necessarily true. In addition, I think the population size used in the experiment (of 270) is really not enough, considering 75% of people (or around that) have herpes, I think a much bigger population is needed.
camandrew · November 23, 2014 at 10:55 pm
I read the article “Adolescent binge drinking reduces brain myelin, impairs cognitive and behavioral control.” While what i read was nothing new, it was very interesting to read about the effects on an autonomic level. The way they studied rats behaviors and the negative effects alcohol had on many cognitive functions only reinforces the negative consequences of drinking. My only question is if we, as college students, know the negative cognitive effects of alcohol why do we continually handicap ourselves in regards to academics. The college drinking culture is very odd, to say the least.
emmathompson95 · November 24, 2014 at 10:57 am
I found the article regarding FUNtivities in elementary classrooms very applicable. Many elementary schools are dramatically cutting back PE time, which I believe actually has a negative effect on the children. I agree with this article, and think every elementary school should look into applying some activities like the ones described in this article in order to enhance the childrens’ learning.
katherinecloninger · December 4, 2014 at 1:01 pm
In the article “Unlike people, monkeys aren’t fooled by expensive brands,” the author makes an interesting point near the end. The point is that perhaps people tend to think more expensive goods have higher quality because if they are more highly priced, it must mean that other people like the product. This interests me because it alludes to the facts that the environment and the opinions of others have a great effect on us. This concept doesn’t exist in monkey culture. In human culture, however, this notion exists beyond the taste in food and can stretch into the realms of style and fashion. Brands and prices greatly influence fashion trends in modern society, whereas in monkey culture, this concept does not influence them.
katherinecloninger · December 4, 2014 at 1:13 pm
I am very interested in the article “Adolescent binge drinking reduces brain myelin, impairs cognitive and behavioral control” because it regards my age group. The data found in this study is quite concerning, and I believe we must work as a society to solve some of these ongoing problems. It seems that most of the damage does not come from social drinking, but from binge drinking. I believe that by lowering the drinking age in America, or by putting in place an “alcohol license” (similar to a driver’s license), we will be able to lower the rate of underage binge drinking in the United States. I believe that because it is illegal for adolescents to drink, they are more inclined to do so. It is a “forbidden fruit,” if you will, and many tend to go overboard. There are many other possible solutions to this ongoing problem.
jennatehaney · December 5, 2014 at 9:16 am
To be honest, the article, “Adolescent binge drinking reduces brain myelin, impairs cognitive and behavioral control” left me scared, realizing that drinking at such an age can have such incredibly detrimental effects was quite sobering. It is frightening, and I honestly can think of no better fitting word, that we live in a society that, at least socially, allows some alcohol use at this age when it has lasting affects on the mater structure and constitution of ones brain. Myelin is such an incredibly important impetus to our brain and bodily functions, and that the findings can assert a “causal role” between alcohol use and myelin damage is incredibly alarming. I would, however, like to know a more specific age group of “adolescents.” I for one never experienced, saw or heard of really any alcohol use until high school and even then it was only socially accepted that the older high school kids chose to partake in recreational drinking. I think it would be really interesting to get some insight into just how many people in numbers this affects and how much alcohol is needed for these effects to take place – the answers to which I presume I may find more terrifying than comforting.
ckclausen · December 5, 2014 at 3:48 pm
I read “Drug tests on mothers’ hair links recreational drug use to birth defects.” I surprised that half of the mothers in the study who smoked cannabis at conception continued to do so for most of their pregnancy. I did not know that when people take drugs, some of it goes through the bloodstream and then out through the scalp into our hair follicles. It definitely sounds like a good idea to test whether the mother–or anyone, for that matter–has been using recreational drugs and at what time (each month and/or trimester of the pregnancy). The article said that “213 women whose baby had a type of birth defect with potential links to recreational drug use, 143 women whose baby had a birth defect with no previously reported links to drug use and 161 women whose baby was normally formed.” It seems a little strange that there is not a huge gap in between the women who did not use drugs and who did use drugs among those whose children has birth defects. There could perhaps be another factor that is occurring in both sets of women to cause this result.
hkadera · December 5, 2014 at 4:05 pm
I read the article “Do I still look handsome to you” and found it very interesting. I remember talking about this research in class and thinking how applicable this is in our society. I would be interested to see what the difference is when women go off other contraceptives such as the ring or other things. Is their husbands attractiveness or satisfaction still changed? And if so what is the reasoning for that? Why does that happen? I was interested in this particular reading because I have friends who are now married and wanting to have kids but they are having a hard time getting pregnant. I also assume that the female population has gone on the pill younger and younger some may even starting at the young age of 16. So by the time they choose a mate and want to have kids with him I wonder to what extent this research also has an effect on getting pregnant? Does attractiveness or satisfaction factor in to being able to conceive?
hkadera · December 5, 2014 at 4:17 pm
I read the article “sad effects on alcohol…”. I found the article to obviously ring truth to the science behind what alcohol really does to our brains at a young age. I initially wondered, if we know that alcohol affects the axons in our prefrontal cortex and even cognitively affects our brains in the later years, why don’t we teach this to teenagers who are abusing the substance. But then as I read on in the article I realized that even if we taught the young about these findings, the ability for them to decide not to use and abuse may not even be possible for them yet. Their prefrontal cortex which is involved with decision making has not fully matured. While I find it to be a good idea to teach them that alcohol may be more damaging than just coming off the binge sicker than a dog, it may not be as helpful as we would hope. It is however good to know what the binge drinking does to the brain. And also very interesting the power of the brain and the affects of substance abuse.