Anatomy, Physiology and Neuroscience

This http://i.imgur.com/UrBeIyg.png is a picture of a T2 mri scan of the head. The white/gray represents parts of the head with more fluid and the darker parts with less fluid. Therefore, the skull is dark and the brain gray and parts like the skin is white (to my understanding...I may be wrong). My question: please identify A, B and C. Is A or C the scalp. I have been assuming that A is the scalp/ skin, but I have been wondering if A is an artifact of the mri image processing (keep in mind all of the head mri's I have have this)... If A is the scalp why is there a black/dark space B between A and C. Your help is much appreciated. Thanks

If seawater is ingested, read somewhere it works as a poison. Well, the poisonous effects have to manifest at a certain volume (that I do not know) ingested. Let's assume drinking a litre in 24 hours is really bad for the body. Perhaps lethal. If only the sodium chloride is removed from seawater, leaving all other natural elements present in seawater; will drinking a litre in 24 hours still be poisonous ? (Assume no bio-microorganisms presence in any case)

A question and comment posed by MirceaKitsune in another thread caused me to recall something. Please explain what was going on here. Some years ago, a neighbor set up his old toy train which operated on a track, driven by battery power. He did put in new batteries but the train would not run. I reached out and put one finger on the track in front of the train. It started moving. Whenever I lifted my finger, it stopped; when I replaced my finger, it went. What was going on?

if a person got tetanus accidentlly but he is severely allergic to tetanus vaccination, are there any other ways to save his life ? if tetanus vaccine allergy is found only after the patient is given the shot, how dangerous it is ? is it fatal ? thanks.

Hi guys! I need your help: Why does a decrease in RPF (renal plasma flow) cause an increase in the mean oncotic pressure (of the glomerulus capillary)? Thanks a lot! stefani

A 40 yr old fit female, with no previous history of acute pathological conditions endured a penetrating wound resulting in total obliteration of right dorsal horn of spinal cord segment at T6 vertebrae and total obliteration of the left ventral horn, spinal cord segment level T6 vertebrae. 4 days was given to her for the spinal cord edema to subside, and an examination was taken. What neurological clinical manifestations do you think one would find? My answer: Left side would lose sensation at and below the level of T6 (ventral horn = sensory protopathic?) right side would have flaccid paralysis at T6 level, and spastic paralysis below T6 I know my answer is …

Just a quick point. I am not an anatomist or physiologist but I am very curious. Can the human brain be kept alive inside the cranium separate from the body, if it can be quickly connected to an external circulating source of oxygenated (and glucose-rich) blood and if the deoxygenated blood can be quickly removed? For example, IIRC, the carotid arteries can carry oxygenated blood to be removed by the jugular veins. If so, can emergency surgery be used to extend the life of brains? I saw this video but I do not know if it is practical or not: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSrIkUXwsNk

Creating organs in labs for everyone from cells or stem cells growing or maybe printing in the shape instead is helpful, but can this even be used to keep us, the brain going and keep adding neurons to live forever? I imagine only if we can add brain tissue and it auto connects then this would be useful to live forever, as the brain would die itself after around 100.

I came across this research and now am wondering if we can measure the transition from happiness to unhappiness and vice-versa using brain states? http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/22/brain-movies/ I mean, if we can reconstruct a part of a movie from brain states then why not happiness/unhappiness. I understand that different people have different opinion about happiness/unhappiness. But why not *ask* the person being scanned what makes him/her happy/unhappy and based on that map the brain states to happiness/unhappiness?

I know that there is short term synaptic plasticity which lasts to few minutes and long term plasticity which lasts longer, but I still don't understand exactly how it works. Does synaptic connections strengthen from minute to minute as we learn, or does it need a longer time, like hours, overnight sleep, days? Or is it like with muscles, they will be stronger after they'll regenerate and grow over days.

Hi there, I am a medical student and with my general physiology exam approching, we wondered something with friends! We looked everywhere online but couldn't find the answer! The professor probably won't bother us with that but we still wanna know. So adrenergic beta two receptors increase cAMP production when stimulated, inducing a relaxation of smooth muscle cells (via MLCP activation and all that), correct? This will therefore dilate blood vessels. Adrenergic beta one receptors in kidneys will stimulate renin production, which will activate Angiotensin I then II, producing a vasoconstriction. How can two adrenergic receptors have opposite effects? Am I …

Because unless I'm wrong a damaged neuron cell with perfectly intact DNA would duplicate a new perfect cell right? Is it just the DNA being shortened each time that would make it soon crumble, or also some other things (what though?)

Quick question: Would an increase in sympathetic activation of SA node cells lead to an increase in stroke-volume? For example, wouldn't increased sympathetic activity from exercise increase SA activity which would increase amount of contractions which would then strengthen the heart and then make contractions stronger? If you can provide any sources to show this would be great. Thanks for the help in advance!

I've read various Internet discussions about the Golgi stain. However, I've not come across any feasible answers as to the mechanism. If it's being argued that it's mechanism is unknown. I don't believe it's purely random and violates the laws of causality. It might, but I don't believe that. My current hypothesis is that during staining, proteins, perhaps an ion channel, has its molecular configuration changed that enables the silver nitrate to attach to it. I think the answer would be found in attempting to molecularly manipulate various biomolecules until the silver nitrate attaches to a particular configuration. I don't think answering the question of how it attac…

Does anyone know whether the heart rate reserve is lower or higher than normal in those with pulmonary diseases? I would think lower since their resting HR would most likely be higher and they would probably have a lower max heart rate?

so what gives us the perception of the speed of time? speed of time for different species are different, for example, for a fruit fly, one second for them is a lot longer than one second for us, so what determines this difference? im asking this question becauce im wondering what happens if somehow you change individuel neuoron into mechanical form using nano tech and change the signals that neuron transfer into em wave that proprogate in the speed of light, would that slows down our perception of the speed of the time since our brain works in a much higher speed? im a high school student and not an expert in neuroscience, so please dont call me stupid

Hi, I've benn working with a group of people developing brain computer interfaces (BCI) using the Emotiv Epoc neuroheadset. Until now we have been working on two different BCIs, one speller based on the P300 signal, and one based on SSVEP (steady state visually evoked potentials). These two BCIs work fine, they are kind of accurate. Now we want to design a BCI that doesn't need external stimuli, based on motor imaginery. We began recently with this project, but in this case we are not getting the results we expected (although we still have a few things to improve). With high density EEGs people have developed accurate BCIs based on motor imaginery. These EEG have higher …

I'm a personal trainer and want to get a really good view of the muscles. I'm looking for the best program that will allow this. Ideally something that clearly shows me all the muscles, superficial as well as the very deep ones, as well as the tendons that connect them and the bones. Can someone recommend the best program for this? Thank you.

So, I'm not finding as much information as I want on the Internet about holonomic brain theory, so any mathematicians, biologists, philosophers, and physicists may feel free to contribute to this thread. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holonomic_brain_theory Here is my issue: What is doing the observing of the hologram? It all seems really mystical, and this might get into philosophy. However, that's ok. Supposedly, objects hit the eye, that gets translated and transformed in the brain somewhere, and out of it all comes some kind of hologram. That's great, so what I'm seeing is a hologram. But then, where am I? I have not found any decent models that diagram…

Hi everyone. From an early age I realized I could consciously initiate some "sensation" in my lower back. Later on, I found that there was a large increase in heart rate (~70 -> ~180) while doing this and so I assumed it was in some way related to adrenaline. I have also noticed dilated pupils and diminished pain. This is not related to any breathing techniques or anything like that, it's something I have direct control of as I have control over my fingers. I have found a handful of people over the internet who claim to be able to do this as well but I haven't been able to find any medical record of it. Has anyone heard of this or knows about any research in the ar…

I am slightly confused as to why VENOconstriction decreases TPR. TPR = (mean arterial pressure - venous pressure) / CO this equation seems to be saying that increased venous pressure (venoconstriction) = decreased TPR How is this true?

I'm a harpsichordist. The harpsichord is a keyboard instrument that was common from about 1500 to 1800. It has a very light keyboard compared to the modern piano that doesn't require much strength or force to push down. It's almost like typing on a computer keyboard. All movement going into pushing the keys down is relegated to the fingers whereas in piano technique, the arms and back are involved somewhat since the keys are much heavier. Music for the harpsichord is usually filled with these little short but fast melodic figures known as ornaments that decorate the music. Most ornaments are built around a trill: a fast alternation between two adjacent notes (separat…

My own voice sounds so unfamiliar. I can not explain why. The uncanny thing is i can easily recognize others' voices. They no need to say a word, just sigh, hum, yawn and sneeze, I can tell who they are. why I can't recognize my own voice ?

Hello I'm writing my master thesis and part of my discussion evolves around diffusion capacity. I read several papers stating: The diffusion gradient (between alveoli and lung capillaries) increases with exercise, so the gradient is greater during vigorous exercise than during rest. Anybody got an explanation to this ?Is it due to the Bohr effect ? Best regards Rasmus

my parotid gland is swollen for a couple of days, and it is getting worse now but i dont feel any pain at all. All the anti-inflammation pills doctor prescribed are not working. I am dying to know the cause of it, but only to be told 'i have no idea, i dont know.' by the doctor. what i could do is go for Dr Google, then I rule out the possible causes of my swollen parotid gland : https://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/salivaryGlands.cfm 1. obstruction; 2;infection 3. tumor 4. other disorders. None of it is the cause of my condition. so what is the real cause of it ? i wonder... i even suspect the skin care i use... who can give me some clue ? many tha…