Redheads require more anesthesia

by Neurofreak on March 2, 2010

Bask in the weirdness of this one:

Little known fact: Anesthetic requirement is increased in redheads. – “Red hair seems to be a distinct phenotype linked to anesthetic requirement in humans that can also be traced to a specific genotype.”

Weird just weird. Did I mention weird? Let’s talk about it. Comment if you think this is weird. If you don’t comment, I’ll assume you’re a redhead, and can’t respond because you’re testing your anesthetic-dose-requirement… Naughty, naughty.

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    Weekends make people… happier. (now proven with SCIENCE)

    by Neurofreak on February 27, 2010

    ‘Weekend effect’ makes people happier regardless of their job, study says – “From construction laborers and secretaries to physicians and lawyers, people experience better moods, greater vitality, and fewer aches and pains from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, concludes the first study of daily mood variation in employed adults to be published in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.”

    In other news water is wet, etc. etc. The study used a pager that reminded people to report how they felt for the study, both physically and mentally. Regardless of socioeconomic status people generally reported feeling better on the weekends!

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    Choline deficiency’s relationship with anxiety

    February 24, 2010

    Choline (and anxiety) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – In a large population-based study, choline concentrations were inversely correlated with anxiety symptoms in subjects aged 46–49 and 70–74 years who had valid information on plasma choline concentrations and symptoms of anxiety. [5] [...] It is well established that supplements of methyl group transfer vitamins B6, [...]

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    Deep brain stimulation of the habenula aids depression sufferer

    February 21, 2010

    Deep brain stimulation successful for treatment of severely depressive patient – “Scientific studies have shown that the habenula is hyperactive in depression, the idea was to downregulate this structure by deep brain stimulation. [...] The brain pacemaker was switched off and was not reactivated for a few days, and the depression promptly returned. A few [...]

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    Lack of sleep increases risk of suicidal ideation — in teens

    February 18, 2010

    Earlier bedtimes may help protect adolescents against depression and suicidal thoughts – Results show that adolescents with parental set bedtimes of midnight or later were 24 percent more likely to suffer from depression (odds ratio = 1.24) and 20 percent more likely to have suicidal ideation (OR=1.20) than adolescents with parental set bedtimes of 10 [...]

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    Neuro Vocab Word(s) of the Day: Jamais Vu

    February 15, 2010

    Jamais vu – I’ve discovered a new vu. Thanks, wikipedia. – “In psychology, the term jamais vu (from the French, meaning “never seen”) is used to describe any familiar situation which is not recognized by the observer. Often described as the opposite of déjà vu, jamais vu involves a sense of eeriness and the observer’s [...]

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    Success and setbacks for cocaine vaccine

    February 12, 2010

    Cocaine addicts take cocaine vaccine, then go broke – “After the vaccine, doing cocaine was a very disappointing experience for them,” said Kosten, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
    Nobody overdosed, but some of them had 10 times more cocaine coursing through their systems than researchers had encountered before, [...]

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    Ultricle and saccule (collectively “otoliths”) found to affect brain blood flow

    February 9, 2010

    BBC News – Minute organs in the ear can alter brain blood flow – “Minute organs hidden deep within the ear appear to directly alter blood flow to the brain, scientists have revealed. Until now, experts thought the inner ear’s job was to control balance alone. [...] Dr Jorge Serrador and his team from [...]

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    Neuro Vocab Word of the Day: Derealization

    February 6, 2010

    Derealization – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – Derealization (DR) is an alteration in the perception or experience of the external world so that it seems strange or unreal. Other symptoms include feeling as though one’s environment is lacking in spontaneity, emotional colouring and depth.[1] It is a dissociative symptom of many conditions, such as psychiatric [...]

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    Neural Plasticity and “Training” The Aging Brain

    February 3, 2010

    How to Train the Aging Brain – An article on neural plasticity from NY Times – “While it’s tempting to focus on the flaws in older brains, that inducement overlooks how capable they’ve become. Over the past several years, scientists have looked deeper into how brains age and confirmed that they continue to develop [...]

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