Welcome to the forty-seventh edition of Brain Blogging. In this round, we discuss whether science is in need of another cognitive revolution, how to reinforce our cognition, how reduced hippocampal neurogenesis correlates with depression, and other 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. You can check out our archive for past editions. Read more →

Welcome to the forty-sixth edition of Brain Blogging. In this round, we discuss the difference between thoughts and intuitions, the power of exercise on memory and neurogenesis, and a proposal for a new psychiatric diagnosis: Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder (PTED).

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. You can check out our archive for past editions. Read more →

Emotional memories last forever. Evolutionarily speaking, it is advantageous to remember the important events in life. However, some memories become harmful or maladaptive, such as in post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, and some addictions. Psychologists and psychiatrists have tried for more than a century to erase these detrimental memories through pharmacological, psychological, and behavioral treatments, with only limited success. However, a new study published in Nature Neuroscience reports that the common medication propranolol — a member of the beta-blocker class normally used to treat hypertension — can erase the fearful element of an emotional memory. Read more →

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 →

There is an old British saying, “a bird in hand is worth more than two in the bush.” Using this metaphor, John McCain is the known quantity (bird in the hand) and Barack Obama is relatively unknown (two in the bush). McCain has been in the public eye for over 35 years. The sheer number of years he has been in public service provides some comfort and familiarity to many. On the other side, Obama is very intelligent, calm under pressure, and seems very welcoming. However, he is new to the national scene. How will we decide who to vote for? This decision may already have been subconsciously made. It is now only a matter of consciously rationalizing the decision. Read more →

I’ve decided to go ahead and post a series on Medicine and the Law. One of the things I hear about so often from both sides of the patient-physician relationship is the fear and threat of legal action. Typically physicians are paranoid of being sued. They practice defensive medicine and go out of their way to write copious notes, dictate exhaustive patient summaries and operative reports. For the practicing physician, all the documentation, paperwork, and reporting is simply exhausting. Sometimes all of the documentation takes up way more time and energy than the actual exam or procedure. It is a sad state of affairs when 90% of the time allocated to a patient is dedicated to documentation rather than with actual time with the patient. Read more →