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POPSThe search for the roots of psychopathy Research is being done to study the brains of psychopaths in prison using a portable functional magnetic-resonance-imaging scanner, looking for a defect , with the goal of discovering a treatment. "Although the number of psychopaths who are not in prisons is thought to exceed the number who are—if the one-per-cent figure is correct, there are more than a million psychopaths at large in the United States alone—they are much harder to identify in the outside world. Some are “successful psychopaths,” holding down good jobs in many types of industries. It is generally only if they commit a crime and enter the criminal-justice system that they become available for research." I've known at least two psychopaths personally, neither incarcerated. They are scary people.
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POPSTutorial: Concrete vs. Abstract Thinking
The Dr. Seuss book Green Eggs and Ham "ends with the narrator changing his mind from rejecting green eggs and ham under any circumstances to trying them and actually liking them. At a concrete level of understanding, the story is about a stubborn person changing his mind. At a more abstract level of understanding, it is about people in general being capable of modifying their thoughts and desires even when they are convinced that they cannot or do not want to do so. This more abstract level of understanding can be appreciated by two and three year old children only if the higher level of meaning comes out of a discussion of the book with a more mature adult. At older ages and higher levels of thinking, this same process of more mature thinkers facilitating higher levels of abstraction in less mature thinkers characterizes the process of teaching abstract thinking. For example, this is how great philosophers, like Socrates and Plato, taught their pupils how to think abstractly. "
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POPSMost older adults have brain disease: study Older persons can often handle one pathology in their brain, but the burden of more than one pathology may tip them over the threshold of clinical dementia Therefore, prevention of not only Alzheimer's disease but these other pathologies, particularly stroke and those things that may increase the risk of stroke, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, obesity, "are likely to significantly decrease the prevalence of dementia
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POPSFriendships Keep You Healthy High school and college friends, friends from work, friends from raising children together, from neighborhood committees, from shared vacations -- sure, some of these bonds and friendships fall away as part of the natural cycle of growing and changing, but most women find new friendships to replace them. Women who don't find close friendships, who have trouble keeping up connections, need to make an effort to change those patterns. Hundreds of research studies confirm that isolation hurts us and connection heals us through the same physical mechanisms as exercise and healthy diet. Blood vessels are measurably more elastic, the heart's ability to respond to extraordinary demands is higher, cardiac inflammatory protein levels are lower, and blood pressure response to exercise is better in more connected people. Their stress-hormone blood profiles are also measurably healthier than those of isolated people.
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POPSFootball Players' Wives United by Husbands' Dementia A sad picture, isn't it? :-( Ralph Wenzel's wife said that "his neurologist had determined that on-field brain trauma was the probable cause of his Alzheimer’s-type dementia. In more lucid times Mr. Wenzel estimated his number of concussions as “more than I can count.” "Sylvia Mackey said that the cause of her husband’s frontal temporal dementia was less clear, but that his football collisions — including one headfirst impact with a goal post at full speed — were the likely culprit." "Mr. Wenzel’s dementia is far more apparent than Mr. Mackey’s. Mr. Wenzel walks gingerly, rarely mumbles more than a few nonsensical syllables before growing tired or tongue-tied, and cannot feed himself. He can offer no memories of his N.F.L. career, whether they are about the position he played (offensive line), his seasons (1966-73), his teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers) or his teammates." Are brain-endangering sports worth the risk of early onset Alzheimers' in players?
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POPSYour Central Nervous System; Our Exoskeleton "A robotic exoskeleton controlled by the wearer's own nervous system could help users regain limb function, which is encouraging news for people with partial nervous system impairment, say University of Michigan researchers."
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POPSRead My Mind Important advancement in neuroscience towards improving the life of the seriously handicapped
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POPSHow to live to a ripe old age without losing your marbles "A gene variant that is linked to long life also helps to preserve mental lucidity in old age, scientists have discovered." I certainly hope that I remain mentally lucid for all of my days, and not end up just a pretty face babbling away incoherently. Oops...too late! :D I found it interesting to learn from this article that Ashkenazi Jews, due to restrictive marriage practices, have less genetic variance than other populations, and so are often used as subjects for genetic research.
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POPSCup of tea may help boost memory! "Drinking regular cups of tea could help improve your memory, research suggests." Both green tea and black tea inhibit enzymes that help produce protein deposits in the brain which are associated with Alzheimer's disease. Green tea's inhibitive effect lasts longer. Good news for those of us who love to drink tea, particularly green tea. I'm going to brew a pot right now...
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