A short but clear animation of what Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors do. This is also a very clear explanation of one major biological explanation of depression: the serotonin hypothesis.
You can see it here...
Showing posts with label A2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A2. Show all posts
18.10.10
3.10.10
Copy Cat Suicide
Read this news article in the Sun. How would social learning theory explain the behaviour of the two women?
Women dead in copycat suicide
Women dead in copycat suicide
2.10.10
"I never liked to wear a dress"
Androgen insensitivity, the role of testosterone in gender development, the Batistas.
A short documentary on intersex....here
A short documentary on intersex....here
26.9.10
7.8.10
1.8.10
Evolutionary psychology rap
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Baba Brinkman was contacted by David Buss to produce a rap guide to evolutionary psychology:
"Actually it wasn’t my idea; David Buss suggested it to me. He’s the professor who wrote the EP textbook that’s used in most college courses on the subject, and apparently someone gave him a copy of my Evolution CD which prompted him to write me this endearing email message (verbatim): “This is one of the coolist [sic] things I've ever heard! I've passed it on to all of my evolutionary psychology colleagues. You should consider doing one exclusively on EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY! So many cool topics to cover. If interested, I'd like to send you a copy of my Evolutionary Psychology text.”
The CD is free to download and includes tracks on short term mating, parental investment, and twin studies. Have a listen, you might learn something, I did (have a listen to the track David Buss Message).
Link to: The Rap Guide to Human Nature
13.6.10
10.6.10
9.6.10
Diagnosis
Scizophrenic or psychotic depression? Phobic or obsessive compulsive? How about a personality disorder? The Wall Street journal has an article on how film characters are being used to train psychiatrists to diagnose mental disorders using checklist systems like DSM IV. Why not have a go yourself and use the signs and symptoms checklists in DSM IV to complete the diagnosis of the following film characters.....
Link to: Fictional stars, real problems
Link to: See a shrink
12.4.10
9.4.10
Genetic determinism
Lighter sentence for murderer with 'bad genes'
"Some fear that such cases could lead to the acceptance of genetic determinism — the idea that genes determine the behaviour of an organism — in criminal cases.
"90% of all murders are committed by people with a Y chromosome — males. Should we always give males a shorter sentence?" says Steve Jones, a geneticist at University College London. "I have low MAOA activity but I don't go around attacking people."
Farahany points out that prosecutors could use the same genetic evidence to argue for tougher sentences by suggesting people with such genes are inherently 'bad'.
"The question is where do you stop," Jones adds".
Link to: Italian court reduces jail term after tests identify genes linked to violent behaviour
"Some fear that such cases could lead to the acceptance of genetic determinism — the idea that genes determine the behaviour of an organism — in criminal cases.
"90% of all murders are committed by people with a Y chromosome — males. Should we always give males a shorter sentence?" says Steve Jones, a geneticist at University College London. "I have low MAOA activity but I don't go around attacking people."
Farahany points out that prosecutors could use the same genetic evidence to argue for tougher sentences by suggesting people with such genes are inherently 'bad'.
"The question is where do you stop," Jones adds".
Link to: Italian court reduces jail term after tests identify genes linked to violent behaviour
Genetic factors and aggression
A comprehensive article on genes and aggression from the New Scientist that focuses on the role of MAOA in aggression. One thing the article makes clear are the implications of a biological approach to explaining aggression for the nature nurture debate and free will and determinism:
"Bayout's history of mental illness got him a soft nine-year sentence. The defence team managed to reduce this by a further year on appeal, arguing that carrying the MAOA-L gene predisposed Bayout to violence. This is the first time that behavioural genetics has affected a sentence in a European court. But it is not the first instance of lawyers trying the "my genes made me do it" defence, which is now the subject of heated debate".
Linl to: Dangerous DNA: The truth about the 'warrior gene'
"Bayout's history of mental illness got him a soft nine-year sentence. The defence team managed to reduce this by a further year on appeal, arguing that carrying the MAOA-L gene predisposed Bayout to violence. This is the first time that behavioural genetics has affected a sentence in a European court. But it is not the first instance of lawyers trying the "my genes made me do it" defence, which is now the subject of heated debate".
Linl to: Dangerous DNA: The truth about the 'warrior gene'
4.4.10
Radioactive cocaine..
...and the sexy button. The documentary below should give you a lot to think about and raises many ethical issues associated with research on addictive behaviour. The introduction states:
"On BBC 2 now how can anyone kick the habit be it drink, drugs or smoking. Extraordinary research into constant craving. Includes scenes of drug use and animal experiments"
"Olds and Milner (1954) first identified brain sites where direct electrical stimulation is reinforcing. Laboratory animals will lever press at high rates (> 6,000 times per hour) to obtain brief stimulation pulses to certain brain regions. The reinforcement from direct electrical activation of this reward substrate is more potent than other rewards, such as food or water. The potency of this electrical stimulation is most dramatically illustrated in a classic experiment where the subjects suffered self-imposed starvation when forced to make a choice between obtaining food and water or electrical brain stimulation (Routtenberg & Lindy, 1965). A second distinguishing feature of reward from electrical brain stimulation is the lack of satiation; animals generally respond continuously, taking only brief breaks from lever pressing to obtain the electrical stimulation. These two features (i.e., super-potent reward and lack of satiation) are important characteristics of direct activation of brain reward mechanisms".
You can watch the rest of the documentary here...
"On BBC 2 now how can anyone kick the habit be it drink, drugs or smoking. Extraordinary research into constant craving. Includes scenes of drug use and animal experiments"
"Olds and Milner (1954) first identified brain sites where direct electrical stimulation is reinforcing. Laboratory animals will lever press at high rates (> 6,000 times per hour) to obtain brief stimulation pulses to certain brain regions. The reinforcement from direct electrical activation of this reward substrate is more potent than other rewards, such as food or water. The potency of this electrical stimulation is most dramatically illustrated in a classic experiment where the subjects suffered self-imposed starvation when forced to make a choice between obtaining food and water or electrical brain stimulation (Routtenberg & Lindy, 1965). A second distinguishing feature of reward from electrical brain stimulation is the lack of satiation; animals generally respond continuously, taking only brief breaks from lever pressing to obtain the electrical stimulation. These two features (i.e., super-potent reward and lack of satiation) are important characteristics of direct activation of brain reward mechanisms".
You can watch the rest of the documentary here...
28.3.10
Brain Scans for Psychiatric Diagnosis
"Ethics of Brain Imaging
Excellent panel discussion on issues involved in using brain imaging for psychiatry from the Neuroethics Learning Collaborative, featuring three leading experts. They begin with a mention of Daniel Amen’s claim that he can use SPECT imaging to diagnose and treat psychiatric illnesses. Most psychiatrists and psychologists, however, base diagnoses on a person’s behaviour and perception rather than brain structure. The panel explains how a biological basis for behaviour differs from biological disease, and ethical and technical issues involved in the potential use of neuroimaging for diagnosis. They also touch on the use of neuroimaging in law. Although it isn’t the focus of their discussion, it also happens to address a perennial criticism of antipsychiatry activists about why biological tests aren’t used for mental health issues".
21.3.10
Neurotransmitters and Aggression
The Dunbar Number
Evolutionary anthropologist Robin Dunbar explains Dunbar's number and the limitations of Facebook here...
20.3.10
Depression: Nature v Nurture
"The debate whether it’s nature or nurture that dictates your life has raged since the time of Darwin. But the latest DNA testing and our understanding of genetic action, is sending us into a new era.
Jonica Newby steps into the future by taking a DNA test not yet available to the public. The test will reveal whether she has the double gene for depression. If she does, science says she will be prone to severe depression during stressful times.
The story captures the moment when the news is delivered and discusses the implications of knowing your genetic destiny.
The link between genes and behaviour is being closely studied in Dunedin, New Zealand. Similar attempts over the last 20 years have failed – but this team did something unusual. They cross-referenced the genes with the person’s background – with extraordinary results.
Their first discovery has been hailed as a gene for violence. We explain how it works – people who have one version of the MAOA gene are not readily able to damp down their stress response in the brain. But it’s only a problem if they have a stressful childhood – most people with the wrong gene/environment combination have ended up in jail for violent crime.
And now, the same team has found a gene for depression. It involves a different neurotransmitter – in this case using the serotonin system – but the same applies; combine a certain gene with stressful life events, and these people are far more likely to develop depression.
The debate between nature and nurture may soon be declared a tie.
Combine the two and it seems you may have a powerful predictor of human behaviour. The discovery will change society forever from our legal system, to healthcare and insurance and even perhaps what it means to be human".
Click the link under the headline Nature Nurture to launch a 10 min ABC documentary on nature v nurture in aggression and depression.
Jonica Newby steps into the future by taking a DNA test not yet available to the public. The test will reveal whether she has the double gene for depression. If she does, science says she will be prone to severe depression during stressful times.
The story captures the moment when the news is delivered and discusses the implications of knowing your genetic destiny.
The link between genes and behaviour is being closely studied in Dunedin, New Zealand. Similar attempts over the last 20 years have failed – but this team did something unusual. They cross-referenced the genes with the person’s background – with extraordinary results.
Their first discovery has been hailed as a gene for violence. We explain how it works – people who have one version of the MAOA gene are not readily able to damp down their stress response in the brain. But it’s only a problem if they have a stressful childhood – most people with the wrong gene/environment combination have ended up in jail for violent crime.
And now, the same team has found a gene for depression. It involves a different neurotransmitter – in this case using the serotonin system – but the same applies; combine a certain gene with stressful life events, and these people are far more likely to develop depression.
The debate between nature and nurture may soon be declared a tie.
Combine the two and it seems you may have a powerful predictor of human behaviour. The discovery will change society forever from our legal system, to healthcare and insurance and even perhaps what it means to be human".
Click the link under the headline Nature Nurture to launch a 10 min ABC documentary on nature v nurture in aggression and depression.
16.3.10
DSM-V
The image above shows how the number of mental disorders have expanded with each new publication of the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders. This has led some psychiatrists to claim that ordinary states of mind, feelings, and some behaviours have become pathologised.
A new version of the DSM is being produced right now and many psychiatrists and psychologists are concerned that 'normal' states of mind and some 'normal' behaviours will be classified as disordered or abnormal and require treatment:
"Three changes, in particular, could lead to an enormous pathologization of non-disordered conditions. The first is the suggested revision of the criteria for Major Depressive Episode to remove the bereavement exclusion from this diagnosis. At present, the criteria for major depression require five or more out of nine symptoms including sadness or lack of interest or pleasure that least for at least two weeks. However, the criteria exclude people who experience these symptoms in response to bereavement: “The symptoms are not better accounted for by Bereavement” That is, people who develop enough symptoms to meet the criteria after the death of an intimate are nevertheless not defined as disordered but instead as suffering from a natural, nondisordered response to loss".
Link to DSM-V: Getting Closer to Pathologising everyone
Link to DSM-IV-TR
Link to DSM-V Development
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