- February 9, 2010
- 07:00 AM
- 5 views
“I Feel Your Pain” – The Neural Basis of Empathy
by Shaheen Lakhan in Brain Blogger
Last month, a terrible earthquake raised havoc in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. While the Haitians in Port-au-Prince are miles away from us, witnessing media images of their physical and emotional suffering moves us tremendously, and motivates many of us to respond to their distress with monetary and other donations. In a sense, this is an amazing human [...]... Read more »
Rizzolatti, G., & Craighero, L. (2004) THE MIRROR-NEURON SYSTEM. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 27(1), 169-192. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.27.070203.144230
Rizzolatti, G. (1996) Premotor cortex and the recognition of motor actions. Cognitive Brain Research, 3(2), 131-141. DOI: 10.1016/0926-6410(95)00038-0
Decety, J., & Meyer, M. (2008) From emotion resonance to empathic understanding: A social developmental neuroscience account. Development and Psychopathology, 20(04), 1053. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579408000503
- February 9, 2010
- 07:00 AM
- 4 views
Differences between CAM practice and primary care practice
by Orac in Respectful Insolence
If there is one aspect of "complementary and alternative" medicine (CAM) that can puzzle advocates of science-based medicine, it's why, given how nonsensical much of it is given that some of it actually goes against the laws of physics (think homeopathy or distance healing), CAM is so popular. Obviously one reason is that there are conditions for which SBM does not have any "magic bullet" treatments. Diabetes, heart disease, other chronic illnesses, SBM can manage them quite well, but it can't c........ Read more »
Heiligers, P., de Groot, J., Koster, D., & van Dulmen, S. (2010) Diagnoses and visit length in complementary and mainstream medicine. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 10(1), 3. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-10-3
- February 9, 2010
- 06:59 AM
- 4 views
Conserving the jaguar: a continent-wide assessment of habitat corridors
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
In order to protect the relative genetic health of jaguar populations and to establish priorities for habitat conservation, researchers use an innovative model to map potential corridors between 90 remaining areas of high jaguar density throughout Central and South America...... Read more »
Rabinowitz, A., & Zeller, K. (2010) A range-wide model of landscape connectivity and conservation for the jaguar, Panthera onca. Biological Conservation. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.01.002
- February 9, 2010
- 06:50 AM
- 7 views
How many words for Red?
by Sean Roberts in The Adventures of Auck
The distribution of colour terms on Wikipedia correlates with the human Just Noticable Difference Curve.... Read more »
Long F, Yang Z, & Purves D. (2006) Spectral statistics in natural scenes predict hue, saturation, and brightness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103(15), 6013-8. PMID: 16595630
- February 9, 2010
- 06:29 AM
- 4 views
Uncovering the Genetic Controls of Cellular Aging
by Rick Scavetta in DNA Dude
A fascinating thing about DNA replication is that the actual process lacks the ability to replicate the very ends of chromosomes. That means chromosomes should get shorter with every round of cell division (DNA replication), but they remain more or less the same length, getting gradually shorter with aging. The natural shortening of chromosomes is [...]... Read more »
Shore, D., & Bianchi, A. (2009) Telomere length regulation: coupling DNA end processing to feedback regulation of telomerase. The EMBO Journal, 28(16), 2309-2322. DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2009.195
Codd, V., Mangino, M., van der Harst, P., Braund, P., Kaiser, M., Beveridge, A., Rafelt, S., Moore, J., Nelson, C., Soranzo, N.... (2010) Common variants near TERC are associated with mean telomere length. Nature Genetics. DOI: 10.1038/ng.532
- February 9, 2010
- 05:56 AM
- 4 views
ToE Expansion pack: Foraminifera!
by Psi Wavefunction in Skeptic Wonder
After getting over my little moment of rage there, I decided to go ahead and redo the forams while I could still vaguely remember the phylogeny, sort of. So here comes the Tree of Eukaryotes Expansion Pack: Forams!I hope somebody is happy now, after nagging me about the freaking forams for the past two weeks! I know they deserve more space, and I did them an awful injustice by shrinking the entire group to just 'Forams'. Since I still haven't figured out the space problem (should I just shrink e........ Read more »
Flakowski, J. (2005) ACTIN PHYLOGENY OF FORAMINIFERA. The Journal of Foraminiferal Research, 35(2), 93-102. DOI: 10.2113/35.2.93
HABURA, A., GOLDSTEIN, S., PARFREY, L., & BOWSER, S. (2006) Phylogeny and Ultrastructure of Miliammina fusca: Evidence for Secondary Loss of Calcification in a Miliolid Foraminifer. The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 53(3), 204-210. DOI: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2006.00096.x
LONGET, D., & PAWLOWSKI, J. (2007) Higher-level phylogeny of Foraminifera inferred from the RNA polymerase II (RPB1) gene. European Journal of Protistology, 43(3), 171-177. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2007.01.003
Pawlowski, J. (2003) The evolution of early Foraminifera. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(20), 11494-11498. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2035132100
- February 9, 2010
- 05:37 AM
- 9 views
Intrusive images and intrusive verbal thoughts are different phenomena
by Christian Jarrett in BPS Research Digest
The vivid, intrusive visual images that are a hallmark of post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) are based on a separate memory system from intrusive verbal thoughts. That's according to a new study that claims to provide empirical support for psychologist Chris Brewin's dual-representation theory of PTSD.Brewin's theory posits two memory systems, one that's largely sensation-based, inflexible and automatically accessed and another that's more deliberately accessible, containing material that is context........ Read more »
Hagenaars, M., Brewin, C., van Minnen, A., Holmes, E., & Hoogduin, K. (2010) Intrusive images and intrusive thoughts as different phenomena: Two experimental studies. Memory, 18(1), 76-84. DOI: 10.1080/09658210903476522
- February 9, 2010
- 05:20 AM
- 13 views
Evolutionary origins of religion: weak relation to morality
by Björn Brembs in bjoern.brembs.blog
It is a long-standing argument among religious believers that religiosity were necessary for morality. In a recent Trends in Cognitive Sciences article (requires subscription), Pyysiäinen and Hauser argue that morality can arise and indeed can be found without and before any religious education and thus religion is a by-product of pre-existing cognitive properties of the brain. Indeed, religion is not ubiquitous, as for instance the Hadza's religion has been described as 'minimal', and yet, coo........ Read more »
Ilkka Pyysiäinen, & Marc Hauser. (2010) The origins of religion: evolved adaptation or by-product?. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. info:/10.1016/j.tics.2009.12.007
- February 9, 2010
- 02:08 AM
- 10 views
Optimal Target for Deep Brain Stimulation for Depression
by Dr Shock in Dr Shock MD PhD
The strongest evidence exists for Broadman Area 25 in the subcallosal cingulate gyrus (SCG) as target for deep brain stimulation in treatment resistant depression. This area in the brain is depicted in the figure above and is from the most important publication about DBS and depression in Neuron march 2005 by Helen Mayberg. Functional neuroimaging [...]
Related posts:Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment Resistant depression New data are being published about deep brain stimulation...
New Kin........ Read more »
Hamani, C., Mayberg, H., Snyder, B., Giacobbe, P., Kennedy, S., & Lozano, A. (2009) Deep brain stimulation of the subcallosal cingulate gyrus for depression: anatomical location of active contacts in clinical responders and a suggested guideline for targeting. Journal of Neurosurgery, 111(6), 1209-1215. DOI: 10.3171/2008.10.JNS08763
- February 8, 2010
- 07:48 PM
- 18 views
Pediatric Perplexity #001
by sandnsurf in Life in the Fast Lane
A 7 year-old girl was brought to hospital with lethargy, irritability and vomiting. A week previously she developed chicken pox, and was treated with regular aspirin and paracetamol for fever and discomfort.... Read more »
Glasgow JF, & Middleton B. (2001) Reye syndrome--insights on causation and prognosis. Archives of disease in childhood, 85(5), 351-3. PMID: 11668090
Schrör K. (2007) Aspirin and Reye syndrome: a review of the evidence. Paediatric drugs, 9(3), 195-204. PMID: 17523700
- February 8, 2010
- 06:02 PM
- 30 views
Be religious and be free (or at least, let off with a lighter sentence)
Cherie Booth was in the news this week for giving a suspended prison sentence to a man who broke another guy's jaw in an assault, apparently on the grounds that he was religious. Here's the offending quote: “I am going to suspend this sentence for the period of two years based on the fact you are a religious person and have not been in trouble before," she told him at Inner London Crown Court. "You caused a mild fracture to the jaw of a member of the public standing in a queue at L........ Read more »
Heaton, P. (2006) Does Religion Really Reduce Crime?*. The Journal of Law and Economics, 49(1), 147-172. DOI: 10.1086/501087
- February 8, 2010
- 05:00 PM
- 16 views
Science, Cookies, and Pizza
by Allison in Dormivigilia
With a departmental initiative to hire new tenure-track neuroscientists/psychopathologists, I highlight today's job seminar given by Dr. Jilla Sabeti of The Scripps Institute and attach her respective paper. ... Read more »
Sabeti, J., & Gruol, D. (2008) Emergence of NMDAR-independent long-term potentiation at hippocampal CA1 synapses following early adolescent exposure to chronic intermittent ethanol: Role for sigma-receptors. Hippocampus, 18(2), 148-168. DOI: 10.1002/hipo.20379
- February 8, 2010
- 04:02 PM
- 15 views
A diagnosis of prostate cancer ups the risk of fatal heart attack or suicide
by Helen Jaques in In Sickness and In Health
Receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer is a very stressful and upsetting event, so much so that some men go on to have a fatal heart attack or kill themselves.
Two pieces of research by the same study group, one conducted in 340,000 men in the US and the other in 170,000 men from Sweden, have [...]
... Read more »
Fall, K., Fang, F., Mucci, L., Ye, W., Andrén, O., Johansson, J., Andersson, S., Sparén, P., Klein, G., Stampfer, M.... (2009) Immediate Risk for Cardiovascular Events and Suicide Following a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: Prospective Cohort Study. PLoS Medicine, 6(12). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000197
Fang, F., Keating, N., Mucci, L., Adami, H., Stampfer, M., Valdimarsdottir, U., & Fall, K. (2010) Immediate Risk of Suicide and Cardiovascular Death After a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: Cohort Study in the United States. JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute. DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djp537
- February 8, 2010
- 03:56 PM
- 11 views
Mean Streets
by Roberta Kwok in Journal Watch Online
Roadkill numbers in upstate New York look grim
... Read more »
Barthelmess, E., & Brooks, M. (2010) The influence of body-size and diet on road-kill trends in mammals. Biodiversity and Conservation. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-010-9791-3
- February 8, 2010
- 03:10 PM
- 12 views
Racehorse Research Identifies Speed Gene
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, molecular biology, Thoroughbred race horses, horses, aerobic capacity, muscle development, myostatin, MSTN, myostatin-suppressing C variant, myostatin-suppressing T variant, Horse Genome Project, Equinome, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
Emerging from the mist is Rachel Alexandra, a champion American Thoroughbred who excels at winning both long and short distance races.
Image: Rob Carr, 2009, Associated Press [larger view]
If you'........ Read more »
Hill, E., Gu, J., Eivers, S., Fonseca, R., McGivney, B., Govindarajan, P., Orr, N., Katz, L., & MacHugh, D. (2010) A Sequence Polymorphism in MSTN Predicts Sprinting Ability and Racing Stamina in Thoroughbred Horses. PLoS ONE, 5(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008645
- February 8, 2010
- 02:49 PM
- 14 views
Diminishing the Double Digital Divide
by Krystal D'Costa in Anthropology in Practice
To wrap up my notes on Social Media Week, I thought I would pursue a comment made by Meebo CEO and co-founder Seth Sternberg during the Social Graph Optimization panel. He suggested that without proper education on the use of digital tools, we would see the a growing divide between two technological classes increase: those with access to information would be at a greater advantage than those
... Read more »
Hargittai, E. (2002) Second-level digital divide: Differences in people’s online skills. First Monday, Peer-reviewed journal of the Internet, 7(4). info:/
Jung, J. (2008) Internet Connectedness and its Social Origins: An Ecological Approach to Postaccess Digital Divides. Communication Studies, 59(4), 322-339. DOI: 10.1080/10510970802467387
- February 8, 2010
- 02:34 PM
- 18 views
Barnacle Sex
by Kelsey in Mauka to Makai
Sad but true: Barnacles (critters who spend the majority of their lives with their heads glued to a hard surface) may be getting more action than you are.
Of course, that depends on how you quantify “action.” Barnacles have a fairly short mating season—compared to our non-stop mating season—but they cram a whole lotta nooky into [...]... Read more »
HOCH, J. (2008) Variation in penis morphology and mating ability in the acorn barnacle, Semibalanus balanoides. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 359(2), 126-130. DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2008.03.002
Hoch, J. (2009) ADAPTIVE PLASTICITY OF THE PENIS IN A SIMULTANEOUS HERMAPHRODITE. Evolution, 63(8), 1946-1953. DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00668.x
Murata, A., Imafuku, M., & Abe, N. (2001) Copulation by the barnacle Tetraclita japonica under natural conditions. Journal of Zoology, 253(2), 275-280. DOI: 10.1017/S0952836901000243
Neufeld, C., & Palmer, A. (2008) Precisely proportioned: intertidal barnacles alter penis form to suit coastal wave action. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 275(1638), 1081-1087. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.1760
- February 8, 2010
- 01:56 PM
- 15 views
Mazel tov! You should have such long telomeres
by ouroboros in Ouroboros: Research in the biology of aging
A study of Ashkenazi Jewish centenarians by Atzmon et al. has revealed that telomere length is correlated with longer lifespan and slower biological aging (reflected in measurements of several biomarkers of aging). Both lifespan and telomere length are, in turn, correlated with polymorphisms at the hTERT and hTERC loci, two genes that respectively encode the [...]... Read more »
Atzmon, G., Cho, M., Cawthon, R., Budagov, T., Katz, M., Yang, X., Siegel, G., Bergman, A., Huffman, D., Schechter, C.... (2009) Evolution in Health and Medicine Sackler Colloquium: Genetic variation in human telomerase is associated with telomere length in Ashkenazi centenarians. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(suppl_1), 1710-1717. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0906191106
- February 8, 2010
- 01:49 PM
- 12 views
Methods Monday: Maximum Likelihood in SAS using PROC NLP
by Ryan in Evidence-Based Public Health
I've been working on fitting some excess relative risk (ERR) models to case-control data on occupational exposures lately. ERR models are of the form:RR=1+β*XIn SAS, unfortunately, we don't have unlimited freedom in defining the form of the model we want to fit, but a recent paper by Langholz and Richardson [behind firewall] describes a way that we can solve for parameters once we specify the likelihood function. (For those interested, the likelihood function can be thought of as the ........ Read more »
Langholz, B., & Richardson, D. (2009) Fitting General Relative Risk Models for Survival Time and Matched Case-Control Analysis. American Journal of Epidemiology, 171(3), 377-383. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwp403
- February 8, 2010
- 01:32 PM
- 18 views
How do you establish who will do well with pain management?
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
Some people just won’t do well with pain management. In just the same way as a surgeon selects good candidates for surgery, so people need to be selected for self management. Although there is some truth that getting even a little pain management is good for everyone, the cost of doing so in staff energy [...]... Read more »
Foster, N., Thomas, E., Bishop, A., Dunn, K., & Main, C. (2009) Distinctiveness of psychological obstacles to recovery in low back pain patients in primary care. Pain. DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.11.002
McCracken, L., & Zhao-O’Brien, J. (2010) General psychological acceptance and chronic pain: There is more to accept than the pain itself. European Journal of Pain, 14(2), 170-175. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2009.03.004
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