Anatomy, Physiology and Neuroscience

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_376025.html Pretty disgusting. Poor kid..

I was taught that once past a certain point in your development, the number of your nerve cells is fixed and that they don't regenerate. If you lose any, they stay lost. But recently I heard that this is not the case and that nerve cells do regenerate, at least partially. Needless to say, I'm a bit confused now. Perhaps it's just a certain type, or depends on the type of damage to them? Could someone please shed some light on this?

I swear I can feel my cerebral cortex when I think for too long or there is a lack of stimuli in my immediate surroundings. Feels warm/tense. Is this possible, or am I special? Many people say math hurts their head. When I do complex calculations that are not strait foreward (problem solving for trig) and/or coding, I swear I can feel the inner-front part of my brain tightening (well, thats what the sensation feels like.) Again, is this possible?

I was wondering why is that objects appear to become smaller as they get farther away. No one really notices it because its always like that but I was wondering if it has to do with our eyes or something else.

Hey guys, few months back i made a mistake by taking this acne medicine called Accutane. I took it for about 2 weeks and then i stopped , i couldnt handle it anymore. After i started taking it, my vision quality has decreased. for instance, I tend to lose focus with my eyes alot. Like when watching tv or anything else. I made an appointment with an eye doctor next month, but i was curious if anybody had any insight on this. Thanks

Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids and effect on brain- Faf, I was wondering what the effects are cuz I have been hearin stuff about this. I hear its "useful" or "needed" for brain function and making this that and the other. Is any of it true, or is it all just $@!^*@**? I would really like to know considering I want to find ways to improve my intelligence with as little as possible work.

dear friends and brothers of science can you tell me how many hours in every day the human heart takes rest i mean how many hours does it work and how man it relaxes

I have a stupid question, but it needs to be asked. This(believe it or not) has relevance to me in my real life. I was wondering if you could simply generate more brain cells to inject into your brain, could you increase your intelligence dramatically?

To me this is just one of life's mysteries. Like the sock monster that lives in the tumble drier or how John Travolta ever thought Battlefield Earth would be anything other than a flop.

I've just encountered two different theories on why we age, which are as follows: (a) Our cells are programmed to make us grow, and at a certain point they are programmed to make us die. and (b) Our DNA is constantly being assaulted and damaged by reactive oxygen species. As we age, this damage reaches critical mass and our spoiled cells essentially commit suicide, taking us with them. Which do you agree with, and why?

How are reflexes and instincts theorized to have evolved? For instance, babies automatically hold their breath when they're submerge (though they still swallow). Under what circumstances could this behavior be genetically programmed and screened for? Lets assume, for instance, a race of primitive humans exists where babies don't hold their breath when submerged. The amount of babies who would fall in the water unsupervised is very very small. Now we have to assume that some genetic mutation causes babies to hold their breath under the water. Firstly, how does a genetic mutation cause changes in instinct? I assume the mutation changes the structure of the brain. This is qu…

I'm sure most of you have heard and/or read the story by now, as it's been out for several months, but I still find it intriguing. I'm wondering what you all think about this development, and its implications. Perhaps this would be better placed in the ethics forum, however. For those of you who haven't learned about the technique of controlling rats by remote, check out this article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/05/0501_020501_roborats.html

Most people are here are probably familiar with neurotransmitters and receptors. Monoamines, glutamate, hormones, etc act as inhibitors or enhancers in neuronal AP firing processes in the synaptic pathways of the brain. I have some questions about the distribution of neuroreceptors. Is it true that the dendrites of neurons have a wide variation in which receptors they possess? If so is this the mechanism that allows neurotransmitters to target specific of parts of the brain and specific synaptic connections. Is it accurate to say that any given synaptic connection is uniquely coded with a "receptor signature"? Thanks in advance.

I have had 24 experiences with sleep paralysis, and my last one was last night. The first few times it was frightening, then I slightly controled it and manged to go in and out of dreams by my own will, then I had out of body experiences or so I believed, then I learned how to become conscious if I wanted to while dreaming which completely amazed me, and now, last night I truly believe I reached the final point of control. While having sleep paralysis I gained consciousness and had an out of body experience, I made the attempt of moving without "returning to my body" and I saw my hand twitch, then with much effort I got up, took white out and placed it in the kitchen whi…

What makes us tick? I have seen a documentary where electromagnetic waves (i think) were emitted (and kept to a minimum) "into" a someone's brain. Specifiacally, in the temporal lobe. This person experienced illusions and feelings that can easily be found in dream experiences. So does our brain create electromagnetic waves that influence our behaviour?

What is ur definition of intelligence. I believe it is 1/2 logic and 1/2 retaining information

Press Release Contact: Teresa S. Thomas, Carnegie Mellon (412) 268-3580 For immediate release: August 13, 2001 The Medium and the Message: Eyes and Ears Understand Differently Carnegie Mellon Scientists Report in the Journal Human Brain Mapping PITTSBURGH–A new study by Carnegie Mellon University scientists shows that because of the way the brain works, we understand spoken and written language differently, something that has potential implications in the workplace and in education, among many other areas. In the first imaging study that directly compares reading and listening activity in the human brain, Carnegie Mellon scientists discovered tha…

Excerpts taken from thes.co.uk (requires paid subscription) " Why someone falls in love with one person rather than another from the thousands of potential partners they encounter remains a mystery of profound proportions. Chance, chemistry and the odds that two small windows of receptivity will open simultaneously at the precise moment of meeting guarantee unpredictability. Nevertheless, science has made modest inroads into understanding the ins and outs of love. " ............. " My study of the mate preferences of 10,047 individuals from 37 different cultures located on six continents and five islands also revealed the importance and universality of love. …

This forum was looking a little lonely, so I thought I would post a relevant link. Brain Stem

Why do people lie even though they know it is wrong. When you lie you sort of have a battle of emotions with your brain and heart but in most cases people lie consistently... what causes you to choose your bad side?

I noticed this morning when I was shaving, and inevitable cut myself, that it took an extreemly long period of time to clot. Is it harder to stop external blood flow from your facial region? Why is this?