A Handfull of Dust

23 Years Old PhD Student studying autoimmunity in Autism and Schizophrenia, bit of a nerd

[neurosciencenews]

Brain’s Stunning Genomic Diversity Revealed

Our brains contain a surprising diversity of DNA. Even though we are taught that every cell in our body has the same DNA, in fact most cells in the brain have changes to their DNA that make each neuron a little different.

The research is in Nature Neuroscience. (full access paywall)

[humansofnewyork]

“I’m not Barack Obama. I’m not Bill Clinton. Both of them carry themselves with a naturalness that is very appealing to audiences. But I’m married to one and I’ve worked for the other, so I know how hard they work at being natural. It’s not something they just dial in. They work and they practice what they’re going to say. It’s not that they’re trying to be somebody else. But it’s hard work to present yourself in the best possible way. You have to communicate in a way that people say: ‘OK, I get her.’ And that can be more difficult for a woman. Because who are your models? If you want to run for the Senate, or run for the Presidency, most of your role models are going to be men. And what works for them won’t work for you. Women are seen through a different lens. It’s not bad. It’s just a fact. It’s really quite funny. I’ll go to these events and there will be men speaking before me, and they’ll be pounding the message, and screaming about how we need to win the election. And people will love it. And I want to do the same thing. Because I care about this stuff. But I’ve learned that I can’t be quite so passionate in my presentation. I love to wave my arms, but apparently that’s a little bit scary to people. And I can’t yell too much. It comes across as ‘too loud’ or ‘too shrill’ or ‘too this’ or ‘too that.’ Which is funny, because I’m always convinced that the people in the front row are loving it.”

[fearinahandfullofdust]

I don’t even understand how it’s a competition...

[fearinahandfullofdust]

And everybody’s hurt, mine ain’t the worst but it’s mine and I’m feeling it now

[fearinahandfullofdust]

I put a marker there; a pillar of laser-cut titanium. It will never rust, never discolour, never grow old and dusty. It will stand there for aeons. That's right, I think. That's long enough.

Luna: New Moon, Ian McDonald

[fearinahandfullofdust]

The helmet visor masks his hair, the shape of his face and draws all attention to the eyes, his eyes, his great green eyes. There is no world finer - not this grey world, not the big blue world up there - than those eyes.

Luna: New Moon, Ian McDonald

[fearinahandfullofdust]

So let the sun kiss your lips, she knows all of the tricks

So Many Wizards, Lose Your Mind

[fearinahandfullofdust]

And all of this must've been coming, a long long time, 29 years of nerves on fire, Nobody came and nobody saw, made a wreck of myself with the headlights on

Brian Fallon, Open All Night

[allthingseurope]

Leeds, UK (by Emily Coghlan)

[fearinahandfullofdust]

Fair enough

[fearinahandfullofdust]

So yes I will take those, whatever else they give me, if it stops the nightmares, it probably won't kill me.

Brian Fallon, Red Lights

[fearinahandfullofdust]

And we say such foolish things, like 'Love love love, love is all you need

Brian Fallon, Among Other Foolish Things

[jopolniaczek]

that golden moment when your “useless knowledge” comes up in conversation and you sound like the smartest person in the room but really you just spend too much time on wikipedia

[down-but-definitelynotout]

@fearinahandfullofdust basically you in every History lesson at school

[fearinahandfullofdust]

Literally the other day someone I work with was reading the wikipedia article on Dmitri Mendeleev and I confidently said ‘You know he came up with the idea that vodka should be 38% but the Russian tax office couldn’t do the calculations.’ I’d read the wikipedia article before! After a minute she just said ‘Actually, it says here that that’s bullshit and he never came up with it.’ 

The week before the same person wanted to find out the volume of a piece of rat liver, so I suggested she dunk it in water ala Archimedes's law, because I’d read the wikipedia article back in high school. She then recited the law and explained why my understanding of it was wrong.

I feel like there’s a life lesson in there, but instead it’s just a story about a boy who wasn’t keen on outside. At least I’ll always have the Russo-Japanese War!

[medstudentsrock]

MRI of the brain with labels. How cool is that :)

[neurosciencenews]

New Evidence For Immune System Plasticity

Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have found a potential way to influence long-term memory formation in the immune system.

The research is in Nature Communications. (full open access)

[aseaofquotes]

[aseaofquotes]

Anne Rice, Memnoch the Devil

[neurosciencenews]

Absence of Serotonin Alters Function and Development of Brain Circuits

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have created the first complete model to describe the role that serotonin plays in brain development and structure. Serotonin, also called 5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT], is an important neuromodulator of brain development and the structure and function of neuronal (nerve cell) circuits.

The research is in Journal of Neurophysiology. (full access paywall)

[neurosciencestuff]

Scientists Unveil Critical Mechanism of Memory Formation

In a new study that could have implications for future drug discovery efforts for a number of neurodegenerative diseases, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found that the interaction between a pair of brain proteins has a substantial and previously unrecognized effect on memory formation.

The study, which was published November 19, 2015 by the journal Cell, focuses on two receptors previously believed to be unrelated—one for the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is involved in learning and memory, reward-motivated behavior, motor control and other functions, and the other for the hormone ghrelin, which has been connected to appetite as well as the distribution and use of energy.

“Our immediate question was, what is the ghrelin receptor doing in the brain since the natural ligand—ghrelin—for it is missing? What is its functional role?” said Roy Smith, chair of TSRI’s Department of Metabolism and Aging. “We found in animal models that when these two receptors interact, the ghrelin receptor changes the structure of the dopamine receptor and alters its signaling pathway. This is important because many drugs used currently in the clinic, for example for schizophrenia, have poor compliance because of adverse side effects. This discovery opens the door to using neuronal agents that indirectly modify dopamine signaling by pharmacologically targeting the ghrelin receptor—and potentially dramatically reducing side effects.”

“This concept has potentially profound therapeutic implications,” said Andras Kern, the first author of the study and a staff scientist in the Smith lab, “pointing to a possible strategy for selective fine-tuning of dopamine signaling in neurons related to memory. By using small molecules binding to the ghrelin receptor we can enhance or inhibit dopamine signaling.”

Challenging the current theory, which involves canonical dopamine signaling in neurons, the new study shows that the biologically active ghrelin-dopamine receptor complex produces synaptic plasticity, the ability of the brain’s synapses (parts of nerve cells that communicate with other nerve cells) to grow and expand, the biological process underpinning long-term memory formation.

In addition, when the researchers blocked the ghrelin receptor, dopamine-dependent memory formation was inhibited in animal models, demonstrating the mechanism is essential to that process.

Combined with conclusions from earlier studies that showed a significant role for the ghrelin receptor in neurons that regulate food intake, insulin release and immune system deterioration due to aging, the new study further expands the ghrelin receptor’s importance. In animal models, ghrelin inhibits neuronal loss associated with Parkinson’s disease, and stroke, Smith noted, and the new study underlines its possible role in treating memory loss, age related or otherwise.

“All in all, it’s a pretty amazing receptor,” he said.

[allthingseurope]

Urquhart Castle, Scotland (by minggio)