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POPSSchizophrenia: The Curse That's Almost a Blessing
A recent study may have found what kind of process goes awry in schizophrenic brains. Researchers found that DISC1 regulates the migration of new neurons in the adult brain. When the levels of DISC1 were reduced in mice during adult neurogenesis, the newborn neurons sped up and overshot their intended targets within the hippocampus, When the neurons finally reached their destinations, they forged an unusual number of connections with neighboring cells, a series of events that might give rise to the abnormal—and quite crippling—brain functions associated with schizophrenia, according to Hongjun Song, a Johns Hopkins neurologist who also worked on the study. It is possible, Song says, that further research will lead to a drug that treats schizophrenia by restoring normal neurogenesis. So what evolutionary advantage could schizophrenia-related genes bring to people who have some of the genes but not the disease? For now, this remains one of the many open questions.
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POPSIn Memory of Norman Mailer What we have lost is more than an author, it is not even a "spirit." Gore Vidal is right - it is a FORCE. A constant iconoclastic pressure, an unrelenting challenge to our lives. As we constantly sink into comfort and complacency, it was Norman Mailer who would grab us by our collar and shake us into waking. Of all the times, right now we need Norman Mailer more than ever. As the country seems poised to let the inertia for genuine change dissipate into politics as usual, who will shame us for getting comfortable at the expense of the mute suffering that is the byproduct of our current society?
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POPSUsing Your Limited Power Effectively "In fact, it isn’t up to you to save this nation. It is up to us all. And you need to convince me, your friends, your family, your co-workers, etc. every single day that if we aren’t acting or paying attention, we are letting the powers that be hold their prized power over us for one more day."
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