Posts Tagged ‘ptsd’
Brain Cartilage–Together with microglia cause pain after nerve injury
Everyone knows about bone cartilage, but fewer people are aware of “brain cartilage.” The cartilage-like substance is composed of long chains of sugar molecules attached to a protein matrix, smeared over the surface of many types of brain cells. When examined under a microscope the substance looks like a wet fishnet clinging to neurons, inspiring…
Read MoreNew discovery explains why binge drinking leads to alcohol dependence and suggests new treatments
“Why can’t you stop drinking?” This week at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago announced a new finding that provides a fresh answer to this persistent question that plagues people addicted to alcohol. The discovery offers an entirely new approach to treatment. Neuroscientist,…
Read MoreTo Flee or Freeze? Neural Circuits of Threat Detection Identified
Suddenly something streaks into your peripheral vision. Instantly, you jump back and raise your arms defensively. “What was that!” You exclaim in shock. Only then do you realize that the blurred streak you just dodged was a wayward basketball zinging like a missile on a collision course for your face. A rush of adrenaline flushes…
Read MoreThe Kathmandu earthquake will alter brain structure of survivors
Studies of people who have survived earthquakes and other traumatic events can provide important insights into the effect of stress on human brain structure.
Read MoreTransforming Terrorizing Memories
I’ll never forget it. They strapped electrodes to my wrist, cranked up a black dial on a frightening electronic device encrusted with switches and knobs, and shocked me repeatedly with jolts of electricity.
Read MoreOn Boylston Street
(First published on BrainFacts.org ) The last time I was on Boylston Street it was to give a lecture in November at a scientific meeting in the Weston Hotel. Today, Sunday, I’m looking out onto an empty street, barricaded. An eerie modern-day ghost town festooned with yellow police tape rippling in the cold Boston wind. …
Read MoreRecognizing the Face of a Murder
The test subjects were able to suss out the murders on appearance alone, even though the photos were tightly cropped to reveal nothing but the parts of the human face that communicates emotion and internal states–eyes, nose, and mouth.
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