Archive by category | Interesting Neuroscience

Circular logic?

What causes autism? The lack of answers or even particularly good leads is frustrating to say the least. Not surprisingly, people both within the scientific community and the general public are hungry for answers, and my general opinion is that the more information the better. However, I’m a little puzzled by a report from the British Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual Festival of Science.  Read more

What kept Einstein smart…

What kept Einstein smart…

…may have been the fact that he didn’t watch the Baby Einstein videos, distributed by the Walt Disney Company. A recent study by researchers at the University of Washington determined that those babies who regularly watched the supposedly stimulating videos actually scored more poorly on an assessment survey of language development. All research was conducted through phone interviews of over 1,000 parents of children between 2 and 24 months of age. This has Disney in an uproar. They have challenged the quality of the research, the competence of the researchers, and the intelligence of the University, whose president has chosen  … Read more

Politicking for a mate

Politicking for a mate

In Washington DC, coalitions are always formed, with prominent congress(wo)men establishing a staunch public stance on controversial topics, usually to increase their own popularity with certain constituencies, and/or to increase their power. But what about the little-known, junior representative who backs the political giant? What does s/he get? Usually, a nice transportation funding package for the home state, ensuring future votes, or the gratitude of the senior official, perhaps leading to a future seat on an important committee. Well, it seems that chimpanzees operate in much the same way. Although this won’t be the first time that someone compares Washington  … Read more

Another way for the sirtuins to enhance longevity

Another way for the sirtuins to enhance longevity

What do obesity and Parkinson’s disease have in common? Strains on our current health care system? Well…yes, but apparently another answer is the sirtuin family of deacetylases. A new study published in Science claims that controlling the activity of sirtuin2 (SIRT2) can be neuroprotective against alpha-synuclein pathology. The sirtuins are better known for their influence on aging, with many studies demonstrating an increase in the lifespan of several different organisms if these genes are activated. One way to turn on these genes is by stressing an organism, for example through caloric restriction, leading to the activation of SIRT1. SIRT1 can  … Read more