Forget It

Do not let minor irritations, resentments and unhappiness ruin your day. Forget it. Now.

Events in the coming days, weeks and months will always seek your attention. Sooner or later you are going to forget all the petty things that annoy you. Why not do it now?

Save yourself unhappiness, forget instantaneously whatever seem to upset you. Your mind naturally does not like bad feelings and will try to get rid of it. Why not help it along?

Neurogenetics research sheds light on the causes of neurological disease

ScienceDaily (Oct. 20, 2010) — The last two decades have seen tremendous progress in understanding the genetic basis of human brain disorders. Research developments in this area have revealed fundamental insights into the genes and molecular pathways that underlie neurological and psychiatric diseases. In a new series of review articles published by Cell Press in the October 21 issue of the journal Neuron, experts in the field discuss exciting recent advances in neurogenetics research and the potential implications for the treatment of these devastating disorders.

Genetic discoveries have transformed clinical practice in neurology and psychiatry and provided new hope for many patients and their families. Recent advances in sequencing technologies coupled with improved analytical and computational approaches have led an amazing pace of discovery of genes linked to human disease. The complexity of neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders is apparent in the fast-growing list of genetic defects linked to these diseases. These genetic findings have provided key insight into underlying causes of these disorders and inspired further research aimed at prevention and therapy.

Genetic research has great potential for revolutionizing the treatment of human disease. However, the translation of genetic findings into the development of new disease therapies can take time. In an overview of the series, researchers Huda Zoghbi from Baylor College of Medicine and Stephen Warren from Emory University School of Medicine discuss recent achievements in neurogenetics research and the promise that it holds for disease treatment. They point out that gene discovery is a critical first step in the path to development of new therapies and that follow up investigations are needed to reveal disease pathways that lend themselves to therapeutic intervention. These preclinical investigations are a key step in the translation of genetic discoveries to clinical applications. Recent data from mouse disease models indicate that some developmental and degenerative diseases are reversible. These findings provide hope that genetic discoveries could potentially lead to the reversal of serious neurological and psychiatric disorders through the development of therapeutics that suppress the pathways contributing to disease.

Zoghbi and Warren make a strong case for the need for scientific collaboration and the appropriate infrastructure to support partnerships among academic research, governments, private institutions and foundations, and pharmaceutical industries. The authors argue that combining resources and expertise will help accelerate the development of therapies based on genetic discoveries.

This series of review articles covers a wide spectrum of recent research in neurogenetics, including the genetics of Parkinson and Alzheimer disease, human developmental and neurogenetics, and the genetics of child psychiatric disorders. All articles are freely available on the Neuron website (www.neuron.org) for a limited time.

Reviews:

Neurogenetics: Advancing the ''Next-Generation'' of Brain Research H.Y. Zoghbi and S.T. WarrenTangles of Neurogenetics, Neuroethics, and Culture E. Brief and J. IllesHealing Genes in the Nervous System X.O. Breakefield and M. Sena-EstevesThe Psychiatric GWAS Consortium: Big Science Comes to Psychiatry P.F. SullivanChanging the Landscape of Autism Research: The Autism Genetic Resource Exchange C.M. Lajonchere and the AGRE ConsortiumThe Simons Simplex Collection: A Resource for Identification of Autism Genetic Risk Factors G.D. Fischbach and C. LordNature versus Nurture: Death of a Dogma, and the Road Ahead B.J. Traynor and A.B. SingletonGenetic Analysis of Pathways to Parkinson Disease J. HardyFrom Single Genes to Gene Networks: High-Throughput-High-Content Screening for Neurological Disease S. Jain and P. HeutinkNeurocognitive Phenotypes and Genetic Dissection of Disorders of Brain and Behavior E. Congdon, R.A. Poldrack, and N.B. FreimerHuman Brain Evolution: Harnessing the Genomics (R)evolution to Link Genes, Cognition, and Behavior G. Konopka and D.H. GeschwindAllelic Diversity in Human Developmental Neurogenetics: Insights into Biology and Disease C.A. Walsh and E.C. EngleThe Genetics of Child Psychiatric Disorders: Focus on Autism and Tourette Syndrome M.W. StateThe Genetics of Alzheimer Disease: Back to the Future L. Bertram, C.M. Lill, and R.E. TanziEpisodic Neurological Channelopathies D.P. Ryan and L.J. PtácekHearing Impairment: A Panoply of Genes and Functions A.A. Dror and K.B. AvrahamGenetic Advances in the Study of Speech and Language Disorders D.F. Newbury and A.P. Monaco

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Cell Press, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

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Study confirms: Whatever doesn't kill us can make us stronger

ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2010) — We've all heard the adage that whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger, but until now the preponderance of scientific evidence has offered little support for it.

However, a new national multi-year longitudinal study of the effects of adverse life events on mental health has found that adverse experiences do, in fact, appear to foster subsequent adaptability and resilience, with resulting advantages for mental health and well being.

The study, "Whatever Does Not Kill Us: Cumulative Lifetime Adversity, Vulnerability and Resilience," to be published in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, is available on the website of the American Psychological Association.

It examined a national sample of people who reported their lifetime history of adverse experiences and several measures of current mental health and well being.

Authors are Mark Seery, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo; E. Alison Holman, PhD, assistant professor of nursing sciences, University of California, Irvine; and Roxane Cohen Silver, PhD, professor of psychology and social behavior and medicine at UC Irvine.

Seery, senior author of the study, says previous research indicates that exposure to adverse life events typically predicts negative effects on mental health and well-being, such that more adversity predicts worse outcomes.

But in this study of a national survey panel of 2,398 subjects assessed repeatedly from 2001 to 2004, Seery and co-researchers found those exposed to some adverse events reported better mental health and well-being outcomes than people with a high history of adversity or those with no history of adversity.

"We tested for quadratic relationships between lifetime adversity and a variety of longitudinal measures of mental health and well-being, including global distress, functional impairment, post-traumatic stress symptoms and life satisfaction," Seery says.

"Consistent with prior research on the impact of adversity, linear effects emerged in our results, such that more lifetime adversity was associated with higher global distress, functional impairment and PTS symptoms, as well as lower life satisfaction.

"However," says Seery, "our results also yielded quadratic, U-shaped patterns, demonstrating a critical qualification to the seemingly simple relationship between lifetime adversity and outcomes.

"Our findings revealed," he says, "that a history of some lifetime adversity -- relative to both no adversity or high adversity -- predicted lower global distress, lower functional impairment, lower PTS symptoms and higher life satisfaction."

The team also found that, across these same longitudinal outcome measures, people with a history of some lifetime adversity appeared less negatively affected by recent adverse events than other individuals.

Although these data cannot establish causation, Seery says the evidence is consistent with the proposition that in moderation, experiencing lifetime adversity can contribute to the development of resilience.

"Although we studied major lifetime adversity," he says, "there is reason to believe that other relatively mundane experiences should also contribute to resilience.

"This suggests that carefully designed psychotherapeutic interventions may be able to do so, as well, although there is much work that still needs to be done to fully understand resilience and where it comes from."

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University at Buffalo, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Journal Reference:

Mark D. Seery, E. Alison Holman, Roxane Cohen Silver. Whatever does not kill us: Cumulative lifetime adversity, vulnerability, and resilience.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2010; DOI: 10.1037/a0021344

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

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Unpacking Deepak’s quantum God | Bad Astronomy

I really dislike it when people abuse science to promote antiscientific agendas. One particularly popular violator of science is Deepak Chopra, who routinely spouts nonsense to millions of people. He uses scientific words in his sentences, but in such a way that their meaning is either lost or twisted beyond any real sense.

Skeptic Michael Shermer has written another article blasting Chopra, deservedly, IMO. Chopra routinely abuses quantum mechanics to bolster his claims about mysticism and God. To people unfamiliar with science his claims may sound deep, but in fact to those of us who do grok QM we can see right through the babble. Shermer does a great job showing that all Chopra is doing is rehashing age-old concepts with new terms, saying nothing really new.

Of course, the more you try to pin Deepak down, the more drivel he writes on HuffPo and other piffle purveyors. In that sense, at least, there’s some quantum mechanics at play.

Related posts:

- Royal Ontario Museum dip deep(ak)ly into nonsense
- Deepak impact
- Deepak Chopra redefining wrong
- Deepak Chopra followup

View the original article here

Future Power

You have heard of solar power and wind power, now get ready for solar wind power. Scientist at Washington State University have produce what could be the source of future energy source.

Read how it can be done, its advantages and disadvantages here.

Which Vitamins Practically Guarantee Faster Hair Growth?

It may come as a slight surprise but you can actually enhance the growth of your hair by focusing on certain vitamins. Now it can be quite easy to try out the latest and greatest hair loss product on the market. It seems like everyone wants that quick fix in order to regrow their hair as fast as possible.

It takes time to get your hair growing back. After all, more than likely your hair started falling out gradually right? This is something that many people fail to actually think about.

If you want to grow hair that's thicker and more vibrant, vitamin B is one of the best vitamins to get more of in your diet. There are four categories of this vitamin that are dedicated to healthy hair growth. They are B3, B5, B6 and B12. You may have heard of another one that's often classified with these vitamins called biotin. Biotin is known for triggering nail growth, skin cell development and the growth of hair cells.

3,000 mcg of biotin each day will do the trick. You also can't forget about foods containing B vitamins such as apricots, potatoes, cabbage and egg yolk.

Bald spots can occur in your scalp from a lack of sufficient circulation. This problem will certainly grow to become a larger one if left untreated. What can you do about this? You may want to get more vitamin C and E into your body. Vitamin C isn't just for maintaining and building a healthy immune system, it also helps strengthen blood vessels in your scalp. This will allow more blood to pass through and reach your follicle roots resulting in an increase of hair growth.

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Picture worth a thousand words: New research links visual cues to male sexual memory

ScienceDaily (Oct. 12, 2010) — A new study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology finds that college-aged men are very likely to remember a woman's initial sexual interest (attraction or rejection), especially when the woman in question is thought to be attractive, is dressed more provocatively, and expresses positive sexual interest.

In the study the men were shown full-body photographs of college-aged women who expressed cues of sexual interest or rejection. The participating males represented mixed sexual histories, and a capacity for varying degrees of sexually aggressive behavior.

The ability to discriminate accurately between photos that the males had and had not seen previously indicated good memory for women's sexual interest. Throughout the study they were presented with previously viewed photos and new photos of the same women in which they communicated the opposite cue (e.g., rejection instead of sexual interest). The average young man showed excellent memory for whether women initially displayed sexual interest or rejection. However, males showed better memory for the woman's sexual-interest when the woman was broadly more appealing to him: she initially expressed positive sexual interest, was dressed more provocatively, and was thought to be attractive.

College-aged men at risk of displaying sexual aggression toward female acquaintances show worse memory for college-aged women's sexual-interest and rejection cues. Lead author Teresa Treat observes, "Misremembering a woman's level of sexual interest could prompt some men to make an unwanted sexual advance and become frustrated when a woman doesn't respond as anticipated. Conversely, college-aged men who report more frequent serious romantic relationships with women show better memory for college-aged women's sexual-interest and rejection cues. This suggests that tracking and remembering a partner's emotions may play a role in the initiation and maintenance of a serious romantic relationship."

The long-term significance of the findings will depend on whether the memory of sexual interest impacts the male's subsequent behaviour, experiences, and social decisions when cues of sexual interest are presented in a more lifelike manner (i.e., in videotapes or real-life interactions). However, numerous factors other than memory for a partner's emotions play a central role in developing both positive and negative sexual experiences among young adults.

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Wiley - Blackwell, via AlphaGalileo.

Journal Reference:

Teresa A. Treat, Richard J. Viken, John K. Kruschke, Richard M. McFall. Men's memory for women's sexual-interest and rejection cues. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2010; DOI: 10.1002/acp.1751

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

View the original article here

Mindfulness meditation may ease fatigue, depression in multiple sclerosis

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2010) — Learning mindfulness meditation may help people who have multiple sclerosis (MS) with the fatigue, depression and other life challenges that commonly accompany the disease, according to a study published in the September 28, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

In the study, people who took an eight-week class in mindfulness meditation training reduced their fatigue and depression and improved overall quality of life compared to people with MS who received only usual medical care. The positive effects continued for at least six months.

"People with MS must often confront special challenges of life related to profession, financial security, recreational and social activities, and personal relationships, not to mention the direct fears associated with current or future physical symptoms and disability. Fatigue, depression and anxiety are also common consequences of having MS." said study author Paul Grossman, PhD, of the University of Basel Hospital in Switzerland. "Unfortunately, the treatments that help slow the disease process may have little direct effect on people's overall quality of life, fatigue or depression. So any complementary treatments that can quickly and directly improve quality of life are very welcome."

For the study, 150 people with mild to moderate MS were randomly assigned to receive either the eight-week meditation training or only usual medical care for MS. The class focused on mental and physical exercises aimed at developing nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, or mindfulness. The training included weekly classes lasting two and a half hours, plus one all-day retreat and 40 minutes per day of homework assignments.

"MS is an unpredictable disease," Grossman said. "People can go for months feeling great and then have an attack that may reduce their ability to work or take care of their family. Mindfulness training can help those with MS better to cope with these changes. Increased mindfulness in daily life may also contribute to a more realistic sense of control, as well as a greater appreciation of positive experiences that continue be part of life."

Participants in the mindfulness program showed extremely good attendance rates (92%) and reported high levels of satisfaction with the training. Furthermore, very few (5%) dropped out of the course before completion. Those who went through the mindfulness program improved in nearly every measure of fatigue, depression and quality of life, while those who received usual medical care declined slightly on most of the measures. For example, those with mindfulness training reduced their depressive symptoms by over 30 percent compared to those with no training.

Improvements among mindfulness participants were particularly large for those who showed significant levels of depression or fatigue at the beginning of the study. About 65 percent of participants showed evidence of serious levels of depression, anxiety or fatigue at the start of the study, and this risk group was reduced by a third at the end of training and six months later.

The other benefits of the training were also still apparent six months after the training ended, although they were sometimes reduced compared to right after finishing the training. Reductions in fatigue, however, were stable from the end of treatment to six months later.

An accompanying editorial pointed out that because there was not an active control group (using a different type of intervention), it is unclear that the good results were specifically a result of mindfulness training. However, the editorialists noted that the present study was the largest of its type, and was well-conducted.

The study was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Stanley T. Johnson Foundation, the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Sanofi-Aventis, Merck Serono and Biogen Dompé.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by American Academy of Neurology.

Journal Reference:

Grossman, P., Kappos, L., Gensicke, H., D'Souza, M., Mohr, D.C., Penner, I.K., Steiner, C. MS quality of life, depression, and fatigue improve after mindfulness training: A randomized trial. Neurology, 2010; 75: 1141-1149 [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

View the original article here

TV viewing likely to make you feel dissatisfied and fear illness, researcher warns

ScienceDaily (Sep. 30, 2010) — Watching television and its heavy dose of medical content in news and drama can lead to more concern about personal health and reduce a person's satisfaction with life according to a new study out of the University of Rhode Island.

The study, authored by Yinjiao Ye, assistant professor of communications studies found that TV viewing affects people's awareness of health-risks and whether they believe they can protect their own health. People develop these perceptions because TV viewing leads them to believe they have a greater likelihood of being victimized by health-risks as well as a strong belief in the severity of those risks. The research was published in the September issue of the journal Mass Communication and Society.

Millions watch medical shows such as Grey's Anatomy, House, and E.R. Evidence has shown that the mass media are powerful in disseminating health knowledge and changing health attitudes and behaviors through such programming. Such knowledge, however, may lead people to think they are more likely to suffer from the maladies presented on TV.

Given that people are predisposed to seek life satisfaction and the benefits of life satisfaction on health and longevity, high doses of television viewing may prevent people from achieving that goal. Of course, life dissatisfaction may be a reason why people watch television to start with, but television is not the best solution according to this and other studies. Other leisure activities such as socializing and exercise may actually be better options.

Since most people learn important information about health risks from the mass media, there is clearly a double-edged-sword effect at work here. As people become more knowledgeable, they enjoy life less. But ignorance, at least of TV's presentations of medical information, is closer to bliss.

These findings extend previous research that TV viewing can also cause people to be less satisfied with their lives because it makes them more materialistic and causes them to overestimate other people's possessions compared to their own. Now getting sick and not being able to do much about it can be added as a second cause of life dissatisfaction.

In her study, the URI professor surveyed 274 students in the College of Communications at the University of Alabama about their TV viewing and life satisfaction. The students were not told the purpose of the survey.

The surveyed students ranged in age from 18 to 31, a youthful group associated with good health and vitality. "While this surveyed group shows dissatisfaction, I suspect that if I surveyed a more general population the dissatisfaction would be even higher," says the researcher.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Rhode Island.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

View the original article here

How to Know if Fear Has Infiltrated Your Body

Have you ever felt suddenly anxious or “on edge” and didn’t know why? There are many reasons why we might feel fearful at different times. We get scared about things like physical danger, accidents, natural disasters, and so on. These are all situations where fear can be helpful because it triggers the “fight or flight” response, which floods our bodies with adrenaline and prompts us to defend ourselves or flee the danger.

Unfortunately, there are also plenty of other situations where the fight or flight response is unnecessarily triggered and we end up feeling threatened and defensive even when there is nothing harmful about the present moment.

For example, we often fear job interviews, public speaking engagements, social gatherings, sports and other performance activities, doctor and hospital visits, and more. These situations are not physically threatening yet our bodies often react to them as if they were.

Have you ever struggled with irrational fears like these?

Even though they may seem irrational, they actually have a simple cause: your thoughts. When you are faced with a situation that you feel unprepared to handle, your thoughts begin racing with horrible possibilities. Your thoughts in this moment might sound something like this: “I can’t give a speech in front of people, what if I mess up? I’m no good at sports; I’ll only embarrass myself if I try to play. I don’t want to go to the doctor; what if he finds something awful?” As these thoughts race through your mind they trigger the fear response and your body begins reacting as if you were in actual physical danger.

Physical and Emotional Symptoms of Fear

When fear begins infiltrating your body, you will notice some unmistakable signs and symptoms. These signs include tightening of your muscles, especially in the neck, shoulder and back area; you may also feel a tightening or queasiness in your abdomen; tightness or pressure in the chest, shortness of breath, pounding heart, restlessness, and muscle weakness or shakiness in the arms and legs.

Beyond the physical sensations you may also notice negative emotions like defensiveness, irritability, frustration, anger, aggression, sadness, and helplessness. Continuously being faced with fearful situations can also lead to more serious physical and emotional problems such as insomnia, depression, appetite changes, weight loss or weight gain, and paranoia.

So, what can you do when you feel overwhelmed by fear?

Positive self-talk is one way to begin shifting your thoughts from fearful to calming. Rather than worrying about negative things that could happen, you might soothe yourself by saying things like, “There’s nothing to be afraid of; it will all work out fine; I believe I can handle anything; all is well.” Even better, intend to do everything you can to encourage a positive outcome for the fearful situation. You could practice giving a speech repeatedly until you feel more comfortable, or visualize the doctor giving you a clean bill of health.

When you change the thoughts that are triggering your fear response, the fearful feelings subside.

Source: 22 Powerful Tools To Transform Your Fear Into Happiness, Peace and Inspiration

Top 10 Best Novels of the Last 20 Years from The List Universe

This is from the The List Universe.

The ten novels on this list all substantiate the belief that books are the most elastic, introspective, human and entertaining form of media that exist. Not movies, not music, not art, not the theatre. A famous author once said that novels are the best way for two human beings to connect with each other. I believe this, and I believe that people who do not find pleasure in words have never had the opportunity to read one of the great novels. The first introductions students often have to literature are stale century-old books that do not translate well to this new modern era. Frankly they are boring, and a lot of kids drift into the living room and turn on the television and stay glued for the rest of their lives. So, here I will present the ten greatest novels of the last twenty years, without apologies.

Read on for the top 10 best novels of the last 20 years

How to be Assertive

Here are 9 ways you can be assertive and put you in a position of control.

1. Make your statements brief and to the point. And also make it crystal clear.

2. Indicate in a plain clear manner that you are not hiding behind someone or something.

3. Go easy on the advice. People usually don’t like it too much to be told that they are wrong.

4. Use questions to seek the views of others and also to gauge their reactions to your behavior

5. Always, yes always distinguish between facts and opinions.

6. Don’t be dogmatic when expressing something. Be positive.

7. Point out that you are aware that others have their point of view

8. If necessary, express without emotion, the negative feeling about the effects of other people’s behavior on you. Be factual.

9. Indicate to people politely the repercussion of their behavior.

A Better Life in 100 Ways

While searching for some meaningful thing to read the other day, I came across this wonderful article by Dragos Roua.

This is a must read. Click here to read the article

Early life experience modifies gene vital to normal brain function

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2010) — Early life stress, such as an extreme lack of parental affection, has lasting effects on a gene important to normal brain processes and also tied to mental disorders, according to a new animal study in the Sept. 29 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

In the last decade, researchers have found evidence that experiences can alter the form and structure of DNA, an effect known as epigenetics. Because these changes affect genes, events early in life have the potential to make a lasting impact on behavior and health. Recent studies focused on cancer and obesity have already shown the power of epigenetics.

In a study led by Tie-Yuan Zhang, PhD, of McGill University, researchers investigated whether these changes might apply to the activity of genes in brain regions that control neural function and mental health. The authors explored how differences in a mother's attention affect the GAD1 gene, which controls the production of a chemical vital to brain cell communication called GABA. Research indicates that GABA helps to regulate emotion, and that people with schizophrenia may have GABA deficits.

The authors studied the maternal behavior of rats specifically bred to be either extremely caring or rarely affectionate. They found when the baby rats that were seldom touched grew up, specific regions of the DNA that controls the GAD1 gene were obstructed, likely leading to smaller amounts of GABA. On the other hand, adult rats coddled in the extreme as pups showed increased GAD1 gene production.

"A critical feature for the effect on gene GAD1 is that the immediate influence of maternal care is limited to a short period following birth, but the resulting changes are long-lasting, even into adulthood," Zhang said.

These findings suggest that the early life environment can drive molecular changes that affect brain function and might determine a child's predisposition to mental illness.

"We already knew that maternal care determined the stress responses of an offspring through a similar process, but this is the first time maternal care has been shown to link, via epigenetics, with a key enzyme that causes a major human disorder," said Jonathan Seckl, MD, PhD, of The University of Edinburgh, and an expert on the molecular process of hormones.

The research was supported by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders and by funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the National Institute of Child Health and Development.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Society for Neuroscience, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Journal Reference:

T.-Y. Zhang, I. C. Hellstrom, R. C. Bagot, X. Wen, J. Diorio, M. J. Meaney. Maternal Care and DNA Methylation of a Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase 1 Promoter in Rat Hippocampus. Journal of Neuroscience, 2010; 30 (39): 13130 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1039-10.2010

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

View the original article here