The Good, Bad, and Weird in Physiology and Neuroscience
Optogenetics likes to light up debate. Optogenetics is a hot technique in neuroscience research right now, involving taking a light-activited gene (called a channel rhodopsin) targeted into a single neuron type, and inserting it into the genome of, say, a mouse (yes, we can do this now).
It’s something we feel we’ve always known: if you can’t sleep, you need to exercise more. Wear yourself out, make yourself good and tired, you’ll sleep like a baby!
We all know that stress can impact our lives, maybe cause us headaches or stomachaches or depression or insomnia. But have you ever worried that your stress might be affecting your…gonads?
Over at Neurotic Physiology, I’m talking about the brand new study on sugar in mice. It looked pretty toxic from some of the news coverage, but what does it mean?
There are lots of challenges when it comes to studying the brain, but one of the biggest is that it’s very hard to see. Aside from being, you know, inside your skull, the many electrical and chemical signals which the brain uses are impossible to see with the naked eye.
Sci is at Neurotic Physiology today talking about territory. Territory in humans. Specifically, beach territory. Who claims it? Who doesn’t?
…because I was blogging the whole time! I posted here on Sleep and weight gain, as well as Liking sugar and alcohol. And over at Neurotic Physiology, I posted a lot of good, bad, and weird!
...because I was blogging the whole time! I posted here on Sleep and weight gain, as well as Liking sugar and alcohol. And over at Neurotic Physiology, I posted a lot of good, bad, and weird!Care to split a liver?
Most current treatments for depression target the serotonin system, a chemical messenger that plays a role in mood (though it also plays a role in many, many other things).
I’ve got a terrible sweet tooth. And I am kind of proud of it, in a way. Yeah, I CAN eat that whole chocolate cake. I’d even LIKE it.
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