Welcome to the forty-third edition of Brain Blogging. In this round, we discuss brain electrical rhythms, the efficacy of subliminal messages, the rising epidemic of “Internet Asperger’s Syndrome,” and few more topics.

Remember, we review the latest blogs related to the brain and mind that go beyond the basic sciences into a more human and multidimensional perspective. If you were left out, just leave a comment with your relevant blog entry. You can check our archive for all previously published editions. Read more →

Scientists out of Oxford University have developed a deep brain stimulation protocol for the orbitofrontal cortex of the brain, a small center behind the eyes which is believed to have a role in our perception of pleasure associated with food and sex. Dr. Tipu Aziz, a professor of neurosurgery at Oxford remarks, “A few years ago, a scientist implanted such a device into the brain of a woman with a low sex drive and turned her into a very sexually active woman. She didn’t like the sudden change, so the wiring in her head was removed.” The doctor further comments that a “sex chip” utilizing this technology could be available within 10 years. Read more →

Since its discovery many years ago, harnessing the power of electricity has been an ongoing endeavor. Benjamin Franklin’s eighteenth century experiments with electricity ushered in the evolution of the modern battery. In the middle of the last century, electricity was introduced as a remedy for difficult psychiatric disorders. “Shock treatment,” as it was known then, was used to treat many psychiatric diseases by inducing seizures. Now called electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), its mechanism of action is still unknown and its use is under strict guidelines set forth by the American Psychiatric Association. ECT is now reserved for severe psychiatric conditions when other treatments are deemed inadequate. Read more →

Welcome to the forty-first edition of Brain Blogging. In this round, we discuss the likelihood of bipolar children becoming bipolar adults, problems with learning during multi-tasking, how magnets can improve your mood, and many more topics.

Remember, we review the latest blogs related to the brain and mind that go beyond the basic sciences into a more human and multidimensional perspective. If you were left out, just leave a comment with your blog entry. You can check our archive for every edition. Read more →

One controversial area where the brain, politics, and law collide is in cases where people suffer severe brain damage and are in a persistent vegetative state (this is more accurately termed complete vegetative state). In this state, the higher cortical functions of the brain are essentially wiped out. The person’s brain stem is often still intact so breathing, swallowing, eye-blink, and other basic functions still can occur. However, without the neocortex (cortex that is not brainstem), the person cannot really see, hear, speak, or think. Read more →

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is an imaging technique that is currently being used before resective surgery in pediatric epilepsy patients to determine whether or not surgery is necessary and if the surgery will be successful. Before this technique was implemented, doctors had to rely on symptoms caused by seizures and traditional techniques that did not provide sufficient information about the success or possible long-term, adverse effects of resective surgery. Read more →