Anatomy, Physiology and Neuroscience

I understand how carcinogens such polonium-210 can cause cancer through radioactive emmision, but what about non radioactive chemicals such as benzene. What properties do these chemicals have that cause them to be carcinogenic and through what mechanisms do they work?

It's on the USA network. Really good show. In the storyline 4400 people our abducted and taken to the future over a period in the 20th century and are all sent back in present time , but with a new ability. They all now have a supposed 5th neurotransmitter called promiacin that allows them to develop unique powers such as telekenesis, healing ability, and predicting the future. I just want to know the realistic possibility of something like this happening? -J

Let me explain it, don't laugh! Me penis is still arisable, but it does not have that kind of sensativity as my nipples. I mean even I touched my penis, it still stands up right away, but just that there was no sensativity there, why? My nipples, on the other hand, have stronger--and way stronger--sensitivity than penis. This is very unusual. I could tell my penis sensitivity is not as strogn as I was kid, why? Any way to make it normal?

How do you know when bad memory is no longer due to lack of concentration but to something else? Like a neurological problem?

At the moment I've got a really horrible cold and have been in bed for most of the day, however there is a plus side as I seem to be sneezing every minute which I enjoy far too much. Assuming that i'm not the only one that finds it enjoyable, do any of you know why sneezing is so good. I have often heard people say that sneezing is connected to an orgasm but I can't find anything to back it up. I'm assuming that there must be some neurological reason i.e. release of neurotransmitters but can't find any info. Anyway, any of you know why?

if a bone gets broken and isn`t set and put into a cast, but is kept broken due to use, what happens? does it heal eventualy anyway? does it stay broken forever and continue hurting? does something else happen?

(hope this doesn't sound retarded) My nerdy godfather once told me that you only get bad body odor in your armpits when you're nervous, but that sounds a bit off. Can anyone verify this (or falsify it)?

Brains and warm blood. Ever notice how the deep sea is really cold? Ever notice how warm blood is not evolved in such a hostile energy sucking medium. Most cold blooded things seem to be of lower intelligence. Do you suppose warm blood is a prerequisite to high intelligence? If so, why?...if not, why not?

I have "a" small question... Lets say a child has had several atempts of Nissen fundoplications to prevent GER (gastroesophageal refluxes), but all failed. They then use Jejunal interposition (closed of gastric cardia, and a part of jejunum was placed between esophagus and pylorus to create a secondary pathway). Why do they choose the Jejunal segment? Why not the Duodenum or Ileum? Is it because of the Payer's patches in the Ileum and the Brunner's glands in the Duondenum? Or is there an other explaination? Thankful for all help// Matilda ps. A bonus question : What part of the digestive system decides when you're not hungry? Is it the nervou…

Hi i had a little discussion i would like to have with allof you do u think that music heard before sllep, influences the type of dremas we have? does someone have some information on the topic pease let me know.

Was/is anyone on this board an anorexic? What are useful things to know about voluntary starvation? And I'm not asking for the bullshit drivel parents and school try to shovel into your head to keep you consuming. I'm considering going on starvation, because that's what all the cool raver people are doing. Like this guy -> http://superk.dj/partykid/archives/random_raver_shots_1999/ More 'thinspirations' are the anime-ish characters from the old MTV series of short movies called Aeon Flux: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeon_flux. The originals depict super-anorexic people in light of a higher culture and advanced civilization (hard to explain based on crappy…

- What books would you recommend? - What specific, special courses can I ask for? - Should I volenteer more in hospitals? Excuse me for asking, but what is the starting salary for a neurosurgeon in the United States?

Think it is possible to test for frequencies being emitted by the brain for internal processing of sound? For example, if I was thinking a sin wave at middle C (261.63 Hz) would it be possible for someone to look for that specific frequency within the brain to find out along what path, or in which general area it is being carried? It seems to me that such a low frequency should stick out like a sore thumb amongst the brain's usual high frequency activity. I also don't see how it is possible for me not to be producing that frenquency somehow when thinking/generating middle c in my brain, so why has this not been tested (or if it has... why aren't I carrying mp3…

This may be a stupid question but since I am experiencing right now why not ask? Why is it that sometimes when you are extremely tired you just can't fall asleep?

The truth behind ADD Many people don’t even believe the disorder exists, due to the fact that everyone seems to get diagnosed with it. If you are considering what ADD has been made out to be then yes your right it is a bullshit disorder. Many people say that lazy stupid people need an excuse to justify the fact they have nothing to offer so they get diagnosed with a bullshit disorder. This is also true in many ways. ADD is so misunderstood that an ADD person could easily get diagnosed with not having it. ADD is not a personality disorder as many would think. ADD people have physically different mind chemistry. For example coffee and other things with caffeine wo…

Really wanting to learn about neuroscience. I know there are tons of material out there, but just wondering if anyone has any book recommendations for someone who is just starting out to learn about it?

Where does thinking occur? Isn't the frontal lobe the seat of cognition? I've heard stories, however, about subjects who were asked to think of particular things while their brains were being imaged, and the parts of their brains that showed more activity were those involved in the sensual/perceptive parts. For example, if one subject was asked to think of a banana, areas in the visual cortex would become active. Or if a subject was ask to think of a song, areas in their auditory cortex would become active. But then what roll does the frontal lobe play? Could it be that the sensory/perceptive areas are active when visualizing tangible objects whereas the front lobe is act…

Okay, i wasn't sure if this belonged in evolution, anatomy, or psuedo-science, and i don't expect a very thorough response, but here it goes; Say you were a geneticist in about a hundred years or so when we have a better foot-hold in recombinant engineering. How would you improve the heart? The lungs? They eyes? Digestive track? Maybe even the brain, bones, blood or musculature. Nothing major, but are there any simple fix-ups that natural evolution over-looked? Or even major ones that you might believe are feasible? I'd really appreciat3e a response.

I was wondering (for no reson other than sheer curiosity ), what function do finger nails and toe nails have in humans, and what would happen if we didn't have them (eg lost due to an accident)? Would the loss of our finger nails effect our dexterity? WOuld the loss of our toe nails effect our walking? What other effects might the loss of either our toe or finger nails have? Just out of curiosity...

This may seem odd, but whenever I eat either chocolate or cheese I get a sensation of sweating around my cheekbones and forehead. Is there any explanation for this...?

I have a theory and I want to know if you neuro-experts can confirm it. I believe that music is to our emotions as spoken language is to our thoughts. That is, spoken language is processed by our auditory cortex and translated into concepts. Music is also processed by our auditory cortex but translated into emotions. So my theory is that music and language serve the same function: communication - but one communicates concepts whereas the other communicates emotions. If this is right, there should be some kind of lateralization in the brain for such functions. That is to say, if spoken language is processed by Wernicke's area in the left hemisphere, there should be a part …

Please take a look at the article below from the BBC... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4631930.stm In Alternative Medicine: The Evidence, volunteers are subjected to deep needling, which involves needles being inserted 1cm into the back of the hand at well-known acupuncture points. A control group undergoes superficial needling with needles placed only 1mm in. The needles are then twiddled until the participants feel a dull, achy or tingling sensation. For those in the deep needling group this stimulates the nervous system. During these two procedures, the volunteers underwent brain scans to see what, if any, effect there was in the brain. T…

Okay, I'll admit right now that I'm pretty inebriated. I just got home from a social event where I had a few drinks to get me feeling REALLY happy, and was fortuneate enough to not have to drive tonight. While I was out tonight, I began talking with this one woman from work whom I've had a "attraction" to for quite some time. She was inrcredibly intoxicated tonight and offered me some things that I normally would kill for. Because of my, but mostly her, intoxication I turned down these offers. After getting home, I decided to have a few more drinks. My six Bass beers at the social event have now been topped off with about four ounce of Jack Daniels' Single Barrel Sc…

Sorry - double thread, see new research on acupunture.

I remember reading back in my student years that there are neurons in the visual system that seem to be involved in our perception of left and right, and also in our North/East/South/West orientations. For example, lesions in the left/right centers of the brain result in people neglecting the left or right side of the world (they will not eat food on the left/right side of their plates, they will not groom the left/right side of their face, etc.). Also, I've heard of a little autistic girl who would not face North (actually, I forget which orientation it was, but it was one of North, East, South, or West - but let's say it was North). You could spin in circles with her, a…