Ever since I can remember, my grandmother has had shaky hands. Although shakiness and aging often go hand-in-hand, her unsteadiness was diagnosed as an essential tremor (ET), the most common form of pathological tremor (1). ET affects about 4% of people over 40 years old (2), and is characterized most often by a tremor of […]
Category Archives: Neuroscience
December
12
The best-laid brains of bugs and men
posted by Andy Peters
Five hundred million years ago, Alalcomenaeus and Fuxianhuia scuttled along the ocean floor side-by-side. These creatures, each 1-2 inches in length, were living in a time known as the Cambrian Explosion – the sudden fossilized shift from largely single-celled organisms to animals representing every animal phylum still in existence today. To put this in perspective, […]
November
28
Tuckered Out By Turkey’s Tryptophan?
posted by socogal42
The carcass lies half eaten in the middle of the room. Its devourers are scattered about, full stomachs groaning as they sleep off their heavy meal. A sense of quiet calm settles around their tired forms. Yes, it has been a successful feast, one that is taking place across a joyful nation. I’m talking, of […]
November
26
More Breast, Please
posted by Melissa Lau
Golden, browned skin… tender, succulent flesh… an enticing, irresistible aroma—there’s not much else that people require of their Thanksgiving turkeys! In fact, that beautifully roasted bird on your table is the culmination of a centuries-old undertaking, starting with the first domestication of turkeys by Mesoamerican civilizations in 800 BC.1,2 Since then, generations of selective breeding […]
November
21
The unsexy side of antidepressants
posted by Emilie Reas
Do you suffer from sadness, loss of interest or anxiety? Talk to your doctor about NeuWriteSD.org. Ninety-five percent of depressed individuals report a more positive outlook and greater contentment after reading NeuWriteSD 1. Please, always consult your doctor before reading this or any other blog, as side effects may include decreased libido, impaired sexual function, or […]
November
18
Antidepressants, plasticity, and language development
posted by Melissa Troyer
As an attendee at the 5th annual Society for Neurobiology (SNL) conference, four years had passed since my first exposure to the meeting–a discussion of the state-of-the-art research being done on the neuroscience of language processing. In those four years, things have happened! This meeting left me marveling at new advances and the number of […]
November
14
Red Ribbon Week: A Neuro Perspective
posted by Melissa Galinato
“If I eat a brain of a meth-addict, will I get high?” “Are street rats and lab rats the same?” “What happens if I eat a rat brain?” These are some of the questions that my lab encountered when we visited a middle school in Escondido, CA as classroom speakers last week. Together the Mandyam […]
November
05
Get Data
posted by Ethan McBride
The Society for Neuroscience meeting is less than a week away! Have you been up all night to get data for your poster? We know the feeling… If you need a break from battling Illustrator, check out this promotional video for the UCSD Neurosciences Graduate Program SfN Social!! Special thanks to @123ComicBro for filming and […]
October
31
Tricked By Your Treat
posted by Rachel Tsunemoto
WARNING! This infographic may make you think twice before devouring your sugary stash of Halloween candy.
October
30
True Blood: Sucking the Magic Out of Vampires
posted by Melissa Lau
Blessed with charismatic looks, viciously sharp fangs, and an immortal existence, vampires have simultaneously delighted and horrified for centuries—now, with the recent folkloric addition of skin that sparkles like diamonds, mere mortals don’t stand a chance! And yet, while the modern-day vampire embodies all that is dangerous but sinfully irresistible, the science behind vampire mythology […]
NeuWrite San Diego 
You must be logged in to post a comment.