The first one to be eliminated...

       If the man upstairs came to earth and told me that I must have one disorder from the DSM and I could choose, schizophrenia is one that I would definitely not choose.  As schizophrenia is defined as the loss of touch with reality and the 'disease' most commonly associated with the concept of madness.  I am the type of person who likes to be in control of everything, as in situations, feelings, thoughts, reactions, expressions, you name it.  I cannot imagine not being able to control something so vital to everyday life.  There are many theories/explanations as to the development of schizophrenia, including psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, sociocultural, and biological.  Most research has been toward the biological view of schizophrenia, nonetheless, in my opinion all of the theories play a role in the development.  As to the treatment, drugs are the most used and most effective treatment for schizophrenia.

             In my view not a lot of people are well educated about schizophrenia, the label is so tainted, I cannot even tell if it is better or just as bad as when David Rosenhan conducted his experiment.  (For those of you who have never heard of this experiment I have posted a video below that summarizes, it is very interesting and is known as the most infamous psychological experiments of all time).  I had a friend who was a paranoid schizophrenic, and I have a cousin who is schizophrenic as the result of substance abuse and people seemed to think everything they say is crazy, and when my friend would become upset, people would become terrified.  In my experience schizophrenic people are not violent, and they are actually very smart, that is not to say this is the norm per say, but it is a good thing that so much research is being conducted, and hopefully the other views are explored further.   

ADHD is a psychiatric disorder!

         Roman comic dramatist Titus Maccius Plautus once said, “Patience is the best remedy for every trouble”.   However, what if the trouble is patience itself?  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized as a constant pattern of impulsiveness, inattention, and lack of patience. 

It seems to me as if more and more children are getting diagnosed with this disorder.  Which really interests me, (at times it makes me wonder if it could have anything at all to do with the way parenting styles have evolved).  For example the symptoms on criteria A in the DSM IV fails to give close attention to details, for instance, difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities, does not seem to listen, does not follow through or not completes tasks, difficulty organizing tasks, loses things, easily distracted, forgetful, fidgets, difficulty remaining seated, and talks excessively.  I know I am not the only one who can agree that as a child all my parents had to do was give me the look, and any of that behavior would disappear (haha).    

            Nonetheless, for most this is a true diagnosis (there are even brain scanning images, like the one below, that show how ADHD affects the prefrontal cortex).  Upon diagnosing the best approach to cope is a combination of medication and therapy.  This of course will take patience, not only from the patient but from family and friends.   “Patience is the best remedy for every trouble” - Titus Maccius Plautus.                

Voluntary Control of Facial Expression

"Control your emotion or it will control you" -Anonymous  

            It is universal knowledge that most can exercise voluntary control over facial muscles, thus, making it possible to inhibit true facial expressions and to replace those true facial expressions with phony ones.  Although this was not new found information it was a realization, something that I had not readily thought about before.  Now I find myself thinking, "what if we did not have voluntary control over our facial expressions".  

           Would we save more time and money? (By not having to go through a court process, we would know if a crime was committed just by asking and seeing the expression).  Would we find true love more easily and not waste time with unfaithful/lying spouses? (After all, we would know if they were lying, and if they truly loved us by their true facial expression).  There are so many possibilities to not being able to hide true feelings through facial expression.    Although I admit that there are positive reasons to choose to put on a false expression, such as a fake smile to comfort an upset friend, the negative reasons to put on a fake expression outweigh the positive reasons (such as, but not limited to, the examples above).     

            I cannot speak for everyone, but I am a very reserved person, therefore, I do not like to show emotion, whether the emotion be negative or positive.  I suppose it makes me feel vulnerable, and invites people to inquire about my thoughts, feelings, views...etc.  So I suppose it is a good thing that we can mask emotions, although I am sure I have some of you thinking about the possibilities haha. 

       Check out this cool video to learn about some of the possibilities... =)      

Sleep...sounds good

I have just read a whole chapter on sleep.  What it is, why we need it, the stages of sleep, dreaming, sleep disorders...etc.  You name it, I read it.  Unfortunately, I still do not seem to completely grasp the whole subject and perhaps I am not meant to understand sleep, perhaps I am only meant to enjoy it.  =)

Any way the topic of sleep intrigues me, because since I can recall I have been an insomniac.  At times I feel it taking its toll on me, yet other times I feel fine. I have recently learned that many people can sleep a short amount of time with no obvious ill effects and that people who are considered average sleepers can decrease their sleep time significantly, also with no obvious ill effects.  This information just baffled me, because from experience, books I have read, and movies I have seen; I understood that there were negative effects to sleep deprivation, and I know that if I had a good sleeping schedule (which I do not), if someone decreased my time I would not be a happy camper.  I would feel as if I need more sleep, because that is what I am used to. 

            I recently saw a movie called The Machinist and let me just say, the sleep deprivation even made the sexy Christian Bale not so sexy.  I know that there is still more research to be done on the topic of sleep and hopefully it is more unwavering then what I read.  There are simply too many theories and studies that require caution when reviewing.  All I know is that although we humans may not need eight hours of sleep daily, there are side effects to sleep deprivation.  Some of them are depicted in the picture below....          

Sex

"I think anything that has to do with sexuality makes people very interested"  -Catherine Deneuve

Most would not argue with the quote above.  I believe that by nature anything that has to do with sex interests us.  Sex is a very broad topic.  Sex can refer to gender/structural difference, behavior dependent on the differences, the act of coitus, or the instinct/attraction of drawing one sex to another.  Of this broad topic, the specific subtopic of sexual orientation captured my attention.  I suppose the reason that this particular area got my attention is that nowadays everyone and their mother's seems to be gay.  (Before I go further I would like to let it be known that I have absolutely nothing against homosexuals, on the contrary my best friend is gay).  Anyway, times have changed and so have people, and apparently so have sexual preferences.  From what I can recall encountering, or hearing of someone who is a homosexual was not very frequent, and my guess is that it has to do with the fact that it was  highly frowned upon.  Therefore, people felt that they had to keep it a secret.  In this day and age being gay has gained acceptance and it is not an uncommon thing to come across.  Which makes me wonder, are there more gay people because there is more approval? 

There have been many studies attempting to find out why or what exactly 'makes' people gay.  Some of these studies involve trying to find out if it is genetic, looking at the levels of sex hormones in both heterosexuals and homosexuals, differences of the brain, the fraternal birth order effect, and the maternal immune hypothesis.  Of all the studies, researches conducted, and hypotheses tested there is still no definite answer or conclusion as to why people are gay or what 'makes' them gay.

Nevertheless, no gown, no gavel. 

 

(Although this video seems to be that of persuasion that is not my intention.  I just think it goes well with my blog, and its cute)

 

 

Perception of Pain

    Everyone, whether we want to admit it or not has experienced some sort of pain and although I cannot speak for everyone, I sometimes think that life would be so much easier if we were not able to experience it.  In my opinion physical pain is not nearly as difficult to endure as emotional pain.  However, anyone who truly cares about another person tries to reduce any sort of pain whether it be physical or emotional in people who are important to them. 

     The dictionary defines pain as physical distress, as due to injury/illness, or an upsetting sensation in a particular part of the body, or mental/emotional suffering or torment.  Yet in my Biopsychology book pain is not as clear cut, in fact it seems like such a paradox.  For instance, there is no special stimulus for pain, it is more of a reaction to potentially dangerous stimulation of any sort.   In reality pain has no obvious cortical illustration,  studies have shown that it differs from person to person, and being that each person is unique in their own way it makes sense that we all experience pain in different areas and ways.  "The anterior cingulate cortex appears to be involved in the emotional reaction to pain rather than to the perception of pain itself" (Panksepp, 2003;Price, 2000).  By reading the statement above I can only assume that the anterior cingulate cortex is damaged, but I am not willing to put my hand in the fire for it.  Nevertheless, the rare condition in which people cannot feel pain is called congenital insensitivity to pain and for those who ever wished that they could not feel pain, or that their loved ones could not feel pain I encourage you to watch the touching video below.                       

Smart Drugs...

         Some of us have heard of nootropics (aka 'smartdrugs').  Nootropics are substances that are thought to increase brain activity and memory.  Although not everyone has heard of smart drugs almost everyone has heard of or seen the movie Limitless, and for those who have not seen it, it is about a man who takes a pill that allows him to use 100% of his mind.  Thus, changing his life for the better.  Occasionally the shelves of health food stores have them but shockingly enough they are more available on the internet.  The sales pitch for these pill is, "scientific evidence has proven that these substances improve memories of healthy children and adults and block the adverse effects of aging on memory" (Pinel 295).  The fact of the matter is that most of the research for these drugs has been tested on both nonhuman and humans with memory difficulties such as the elderly.  In my opinion these pills have a comparable result to hard work and caffeine.  If you are not a whiz kid before you will certainly not become one afterwards.  But as stated that is just my opinion.  Perhaps these nootropics really do work, the thought is ideal, but I am skeptical.  Perhaps it is mind over matter, after all the mind is a powerful thing, it would not be the first and only trick it plays on us.

         All in all the subject of nootropic drugs is very interesting and being that I mentioned the movie I thought that this short clip would not only give you an idea of the movie (haha), but it would show you how the drug is supossed to affect your brain.  Enjoy!

                              

              

Evolution of Language

"The limits of my language means the limits of my world" -Ludwig Wittgenstein

            Human communication differs from the communication of other species.  Human language is a system allowing vast numbers of ideas, hopes, dreams, wishes, and feelings to be expressed by combining a finite set of rules.  It is difficult to imagine limitations to what was just described.  What if we were not able to speak or readily communicate?

          Would we find ourselves like our nonhuman primates who cannot tell a story, but simply state their present situations.  Although other species can correspond via vocalizations and gestures their communication serves for warning purposes, unlike humans they cannot express new ideas.  "Language has been called a human instinct because it is so readily and universally learned by infants" (Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek, 2006).  This statement really got my attention and got me thinking.  It is interesting to me that humans have evolved in so many ways.  Such as our looks, the way we live, our brain, and our language.  In thinking about any type of evolution a  typical caveman image comes to my mind.  Grunting, yet somehow communicating with fellow cavemen.  Studies propose that human language may have evolved from a capability in understanding that already existed in our primate ancestors.  This to me makes sense being that chimpanzees for instance can interpret many sounds, yet they do not apply excellent motor control over their voices. 

            Communication, whether it be language, sign language, pictures, etc. is an important aspect in our everyday lives which is why this particular topic was so appealing to me.  It was interesting to learn how our brain and what part of our brain is responsible for this.  "Language is the most lateralized cognitive function" (Pinel 426).  

          I found this video and thought that it corresponds to what I am rambling on about.  I also found that it further intrigued me.  Take a look!        

Benefits of Cognitive and Physical Exercise

"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not" -Mark Twain      

            After a long day at work or school or in some instances both it is natural to want to go home and just relax.  Lay down and watch TV, or simply go to sleep and throughout this hectic day it is so much easier and faster to pick up some fast food instead of having a good healthy sit down meal.  I myself am guilty of both things mentioned.  It seems to me that it is so much more difficult and more expensive for us to stay healthy.  For example, when we do go get our 'fast-food' there is the healthy option of a salad, but the salad alone is six dollars while a burger, fries, and a drink is also six dollars or less.

            What I am getting at are the benefits of cognitive and physical exercise.  In the long run I am going to wish I had exercised after school or work.  I am also going to wish I had ordered the salad instead of that delicious cheap burger.  Studies have shown that, "individuals who are cognitively and physically active are less likely to contract neurological disorders; and if they do, their symptoms tend to be less severe and their recovery better" (Sarkamo et al., 2008).  However, in such correlational studies there are constantly problems of  understanding.  Do more active people tend to have healthier neurological outcomes because they are indeed active, or are they inclined to be more active since they are less ill?  To answer this question there was an experiment done to study the neurological benefits of animal models of epilepsy, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Down syndrome and different forms of stroke and traumatic brain damage in an 'enriched environment' which promotes cognitive and physical activity.  The end result was what you probably expected.  A healthier lifestyle may not completely cure, but it does make a big difference in a good way.      

Synapses, Drugs, and Addiction

            Drugs have been around since the beginning of time both for medical and recreational purposes, and many of these drugs are extracts of plants.  A good example of both points would be extracts of belladonna plant that ancient Greeks consumed to take care of stomach ailments and to make themselves more beautiful.  Greek women thought that the pupil-dilating effects of these extracts enhanced their attractiveness (belladonna literally means beautiful lady).

            Without the experimentation or research of drugs things would be so different.  Psychological disorders would be different.  Would people with schizophrenia be able to live among us and lead average lives without medication?  I am going to take a wild guess and answer no to that question.  Which brings me to why I am so enthralled by this particular subject (synapses, drugs, and addiction).  Drugs obviously affect synaptic transmission, but how?  Well there are seven steps, "1. synthesis of neurotransmitter, 2. storage in vesicles, 3. break-down in the cytoplasm of any neurotransmitter that leaks from the vesicles, 4. exocytosis, 5. inhibitory feedback via autoreceptors, 6. activation of postsynaptic receptors, and 7. deactivation" (Pinel 95).  There are two types of drug effects known as agonistic, and antagonistic.  The way to distinguish between the two is to remember that in agonistic the drug increases the synthesis of neurotransmitter molecules.  While on the other hand when thinking about antagonistic drug effects I think of the literal meaning of antagonist, opponent (or an easier way, antagonist=anti).  Which means that unlike agonistic which increases the synthesis of the neurotransmitter molecules antagonistic drug effects block the synthesis. Of course there are other differences but these are the main differences. 

            We have come a long way since belladonna, and although some of these medications help we must also think about the side effects and the fact that they do not always work.  Most medications do not cure, they just get rid of symptoms.  However, they can produce symptoms of their own.  It is an important topic to research, because I am certain that there will be more discoveries.             

Nerve Impulse

I wish life was like science, and by this I mean that everything is either black or white.  I wish I could view the world as a scientist, fact or fiction.  Unfortunately things are not always that simple. 

            I suppose the 'All or Nothing Law' interested me because of its black and white nature.  For those who do not know or fully understand the all or nothing law it has to do with nerve impulse.  Basically when stimuli causes an adequate amount of sodium ions to enter the cell, this happens in order to alter the membrane potential  to a point known as the 'threshold' level.  Once at the threshold level action potential is reached.  If depolarization is not sufficient enough to get to threshold,  then action potential as well as an impulse will not be created.  This is the all or nothing law.  To make a long story short ion channels are either open or closed.  There is no middle position.  The way nerve impulse works reminds me of the sodium-potassium pump.  The difference is that the sodium-potassium pump is driven by the breakdown of energy unlike the nerve impulse which is due to voltage.        

            Another reason for my fascination is the fact that these microscopic neurons or as I like to call them little mail men, deliver impulse/information that affect us in our everyday lives.  It is crazy to when you stop and actually think about it.  Things such as touch, motion, and stretching is controlled by this stimuli that starts the nerve impulses.

            If you would like to share my enthrallment I suggest watching this video           

 

Introduction to Pysiological Psychology

“Biology gives you a brain, life turns it into a mind.” –Jeffrey Euginedes

In my opinion the concept of nature vs. nurture has always been interesting.  It is like comparing science and religion.  I believe that both topics are allies, not enemies.  One is simply too young to understand the other.  The notion of nature and/or nurture has a long and complex history.  It seems that every time one or the other was discredited it resurfaced in a vaguely tailored form. 

The reason I find this particular topic to be so enthralling is simply because we all technically have the same brain, with all the same parts yet we are so completely different.  No two people are alike and it comes down to the way we are raised and the way we just are.  We have all read the books, seen the movies, or seen the television shows where a smart individual from a good home and good family does terrible things or vice versa.  When the person from the good family does something bad the parents always seem to ask themselves, “where did I go wrong”, perhaps they did nothing wrong it was simply in their nature, the fact that they were nurtured well simply suppressed what was truly underneath.   (Of course this is just my thoughts on the matter).                      

Some still debate this topic, however, the question has changed from “is it nature or nurture” to “how much is genetic, and how much is the result of experience”.  John P.J. Pinel the author of Biopsychology 8^th edition ends the topic with three very good points to think about, “1. Neurons become active long before they are fully developed; 2. The subsequent course of their development depends on their activity; 3. Experience continuously modifies genetic expression”.