Status Epilepticus, TLE, and GABA-A Receptor Gene Therapy

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) refers to a condition where recurrent seizures arise in the temporal lobe of the brain. This condition is seen in humans and animals. Often, TLE arises following a neural insult such as head trauma or tumor, but can also be triggered by infection. These febrile seizures are often seen in children [...]

Everybody Post About Mirror Neurons!!!

Mixing Memory brings up some excellent points regarding mirror neurons in primates, and Frontal Cortex follows up with his thoughts. To both of them I say “bravo, but your skepticism probably doesn’t go far enough”. We give Rizzolatti et al too much credit with their conclusions. After all, they’ve only demonstrated the existence of mirror [...]

Stem Cells for Spinal Cord Injuries

The difficulty with treating spinal cord injuries arises from a number of factors. Firstly there is the primary damage to the axons of the spinal cord itself, resulting in mechanical damage that can inhibit neurotransmission and transport of cellular material to and from the distal cord. The damaged cord must also compensate for secondary damage [...]

Pesticide-induced dysfunction of dopaminergic neurons

Shelley mentioned a study last week that suggested more and more young people are getting Parkinson’s Disease, and she wondered whether there was any utility in blaming our industrialized society based on the fact that certain compounds we produce can induce Parkinsonian symptoms. Let’s start by giving a brief overview of the systems involved before [...]

SIRT1 Pathways and the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Pathology

A highly conserved set of genes known as the sirtuin family are known to be activated by caloric restriction (CR) and extend the lifespan of a number of species. CR may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, and can prevent the formation of amyloid plaques in transgenic mouse models of AD. The question, then, [...]

PDE-5 Inhibitor Sildenafil Improves Cognition, or Viagra’s Good for the Big Head Too

Inspired by Rush Limbaugh’s apparent erectile dysfunction, I decided that today’s Evil Journal Club should address the “other” potential uses of PDE-5 inhibitors, the most (in)famous of which is Viagra.

And when you’re in your bigger room…

…you might not know what to do you might have to think of how you got started sittin’ in your little room –The White Stripes