Tag Archives: neuroscience

December 03

Anorexia

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Anorexia nervosa. A disease for the privileged? Shallow white girls trying to look like fashion models? […] The stereotypes attached to anorexia add to the devastating reality of a serious brain disorder

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October 31

Interview with a Zombie: Dr. Bradley Voytek and the Neuroscience of Everyone’s Favorite Monster

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‘Tis the season to be spooky – here’s a bonus NeuWrite post in the spirit of the holiday! At last spring’s UCSD Neuroscience Program Retreat, we had the pleasure of hearing new faculty member, Dr. Bradley Voytek, give a talk about Consciousness Deficit Hypoactivity Disorder (CDHD). If the medical term sounds unfamiliar, maybe you know […]

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May 21

Your Brain on Sex

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What happens in the brain during sex? Are gender stereotypes a cultural construct? Or are there true neurological differences in how men and women experience sex—desire, arousal, orgasm?

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April 30

Birds, Brains, and Boats: The Harvey Karten Story

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“So, what can I do for you?” To be honest, it wasn’t how I expected to find Dr. Harvey J. Karten, neuroscience Professor Emeritus and recent inductee to the National Academy of the Sciences. But when I open the door his office on a bright San Diego afternoon, he is sitting in front of three monitors, hard […]

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February 13

The Neuroscience of the Spotless Mind

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Although there are undoubtedly even more Valentine’s Day-themed films than there are Shades of Grey, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind stands a cut above the rest. I say this not only as a movie-enthusiast but also as a neuroscience-enthusiast. This film may not be overtly about neuroscience, but it touches on questions and themes that are […]

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January 08

“Every Science Story is a Detective Story”

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This week, UCSD, the Kavli Foundation, and the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind hosted a visit from the amazing actor Alan Alda and fellows from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science,.  In addition to a public lecture and workshops for senior faculty and selected postdoctoral scholars, Mr. Alda was kind enough to take […]

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September 04

NeuWrite Reads: “Lock In” by John Scalzi

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Editor’s Note: This is the first in an occasional series where NeuWriters review fiction and nonfiction books about the brain. A few weeks ago I wrote a post about locked-in syndrome, a rare and dramatic disorder in which a stroke or other traumatic event affects the brain stem and leaves the patient completely paralyzed but […]

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August 22

How Does Exercise Improve the Brain?

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When I started college, my best friend and I started a regular workout schedule to evade the infamous freshman fifteen. The odds were already out of my favor when I started to work at the dining hall right next to my freshman dorm. We were not as intense as Olympic runner Allyson Felix pictured above. […]

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May 08

Neurons, Footballs, and the Draft! Oh my!

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Tonight, a few hundred football players will be chosen by one of the 32 teams of the National Football League in the hopes of making millions of dollars and establishing their names in the glory of NFL history. Yet only a tiny fraction of college football players, 1.6%, and an even smaller fraction of high school […]

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November 27

Why We Buy: An Infographic

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Before waiting in line, tackling the crowds, and opening up your wallet this holiday weekend, mentally prepare yourself for the shopping frenzy of Black Friday by exploring the neuroscience behind why we buy.

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