- acupuncture to bai hui (GV 20) invoking a micro-immune response at location of needle insertion, resulting in incr. blood flow to area, stimulating action of parietal association cortex + therefore improving mental performance on episodic and semantic tasks
- does the hypercortisol state of cushing's syndrome result in decreased quality of sleep (e.g. parasomnias, lack of both non-REM and REM sleep)? Beta wave (13-24 Hz/CPS) state characterized by higher cortisol levels (i.e. what relaxation techniques seek to reduce) along w/ elevated BP, HR, breathing, etc - REM has all of these but includes paralysis as induced by locus coeruleus. perhaps hypercortisol state is extension of REM sleep (when individual is in sleep dept) into hours of wakefulness? i.e. does insufficient REM sleep lead to higher cortisol levels and resulting weight gain, depression, etc?
- use of dopaminergics (e.g. antiparkinsonian agents) in treatment of withdrawal stage in addictive disorders - replacement for reward centre (esp. useful in cocaine addiction + overeating)
- cuttlefish ink + prevention of angiogenesis in tumor cells (via MMP-2 inhibition)
- acupuncture points on rats, PET/fMRI to measure head points + some sort of functional test to measure otherwise; i.e. quantification of acupuncture's effects
- effect of dopaminergics on learning in rats; functional definition is progression in difference in speed of maze running (or some other task)
- also, dopamine-deliverance reward system
- ipad used in combination w/ digitized textbook to take in-class notes
- what is treatment protocol for schizophrenia / capgras delusion / other delusional disorders? is there ever an 'unveiling of the truth'? how does psychoanalysis function in these situations?
- freud did not treat psychoses, only mood/personality disorders; doesn't this alone disprove psychoanalytical thought?
- why was psychoanalysis so widely accepted (and still accepted/integrated clinically) despite lack of empiricism + falsifiability?
- do human beings prefer cold water when thirsty b/c there are more water molecules per unit of volume at a colder temperature? i.e. can rehydrate faster
- motor laterality (eg. handedness) results in angiogenesis on the corresponding side of the brain (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC54366/) - by training oneself to be either right or left-handed (or both), can we improve characteristically lateral traits (eg. RHness improve speech) by increasing regional blood flow?
- weight loss culture in females as a function of kyriarchal oppression of female intellectual activity (brain mass lost faster than body mass - see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6893660); with rise of technological society, there was a decrease in the relevance of males' (generally) superior physical strength. imposing weight loss upon females ensured shrinking of brain mass, even faster than they lost physical functionality
- dorsolateral prefrontal cortex development/damage and its role in dopamine-related disorders
- role of dopamine in set-shifting and other executive functioning tasks
- dopamine-based reward systems as inducing reward dependence, thus reducing executive function
- case study of individuals w/ bilateral speech activity ... increasing levels of speech learning (eg. another language, learning how to roll r's, learning new words, developing articulation) resulting in neurogenesis in corpus callosum - used as treatment for depersonalization, personality integration, information processing, etc - (see http://www.sciencemag.org/content/229/4714/665 - LHers more likely to have language on both sides of brain therefore requiring higher levels of bilateral neural communication)
- rowing machines for physical exercise
- role of the hippocampus/amygdala complex in impulse control disorders and related (eg tourette's, compulsive gambling, drug addiction, overeating, etc) - deactivation of hippo/amyg matrix (loss of neurons) resulting in improvement of condition? localized seizure induction?
- iPS induction of neural soma resulting in re-normalization of neurotransmitter production
- dextromorphan as a withdrawal aid from addictive dopamine agonists other than opiates
- alternative atyp. antipsych (dopamine antagonists) to current models; how to prevent glycemic side effects, decreased insulin sensitivity
- dopamine receptor sensitivity as common factor in eating disorders & their comorbid psychiatric/psychological diagnoses - eg. axis II PD's and others often associated with reward dependence (i.e. emotional dysregulation, 'codependence', impulse disorders, etc) - http://journals.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?Volume=158&page=547&journalID=13
- Csikszentmihalyi's 'flow' - fMRI of brain areas when in this condition; accusations of long-term elevated cortisol - can we distinguish this from chronic (dis)stress (perhaps prolonged eustress?)
- arcuate nucleus hypothalamic activity, menstrual status, and weight status (functional definition = BMI) in AN
- re-establishing associations w/ classical archetypes at differing points across the lifespan - at what point does latent inhibition become insurmountable/remarkable?
jul 5 2013 ∞
jul 21 2013 +
jul 21 2013 +