Reason #1183903 why the NIH is ducking fumb, or GET YOUR CHALLENGE GRANTS NOW

Challenge grant review assignments went out today. You know, the ones so essential to revitalizing the economy? Not surprisingly the reviews are due back soon- June 5th.
To access the challenge grants you use eRA Commons. However, eRA commons is going to be offline for the next five days for a massive infrastructure upgrade. Which means if you don’t get your review assignment downloaded tonight, you can’t access it until May 26th.
Genius. Download your grant assignments now, if you’re reading this.

Things I like to Blog About: Addiction and the Opponent Process Theory

Perhaps I should put a special category up for “things I like to blog about”. Or maybe just ‘basics’.
Sci’s been a little out of her bloggin’ groove lately, feelin’ her stuff is not up to snuff. But with THIS, Sci will get her groove back. And she will get it back with pictures. Pictures that are drawn in powerpoint so they don’t make your eyes bleed. I care.

So what is the opponent-process theory? The opponent-process theory (hereafter called the OP Theory) is one of the current theories we are using to understand addiction. Because, to be honest, we don’t really understand it. Oh sure, we know about initial rewarding effects, we know about withdrawal, we know about tolerance. But do we really KNOW what it is that makes people walk away from their families and homes and jobs and sell themselves for their next hit? A next hit that, oftentimes, they HATE and need at the same time? …nope. Still working on that.

But one of the theories out there to explain drug addiction and how it may work is the OP Theory.