“Hey, Curmudge, I though we had wrapped up our brain
plasticity discussions several weeks ago.
But then we had Even More Applications, and here we are back at it again
to look into the future.”
“Sorry, Julie.
My self-control must have gone kaput. I couldn’t resist looking into the
on-going and near-future research at places like the Stanford Institute
for Neuro-Innovation & Translational Neurosciences (SINTN). SINTN is divided into five interrelated, interdisciplinary
initiatives. To provide a flavor
of their work, I’ll quote a sentence about some of the initiatives from their
website.
Neuroengineering: ‘Scientists are learning how to use
technology to restore brain circuit abnormalities resulting from stroke,
degenerative disease, or even depression.’
Neurodegeneration
and Regeneration: ‘Many
terrible diseases of the nervous system involve massive neuron loss.
Researchers are discovering that there are a lot of similarities in the way
that those neurons are lost in disorders as disparate as Parkinson’s,
Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Lou Gehrig’s diseases, blindness by macular
degeneration, and even spinal cord injury.’
Neurobiology
of Cognitive and Developmental Defects: ‘The development of the brain is one of
nature’s most remarkable accomplishments, involving a complex orchestration of
genetic mechanisms and environmental influences during infancy and childhood.
When neurodevelopment goes wrong, cognitive disorders result, ranging from
problems in learning and memory to difficulties recognizing normal social cues.
The most common of these disorders are the autism spectrum disorders.’
Neural Plasticity and Repair: ‘Parkinson’s disease research is pushing
forward on many fronts. Engineering and computational neuroscience are
dovetailing with traditional and innovative models of the disease process in
Parkinson’s. Treatments on the horizon include electrical and optical
stimulation, gene therapy, and stem cell transplantation.’
Neuroscience and
Society: ‘As part of its
pursuit of advanced neuroscience research, SINTN scientists study neuroscience
in a broader social context. Such research has the power to help us understand
and harness positive qualities like the power of compassion and altruism, at
the same time as we avoid negative implications of our growing neuroscientific
understanding.’ “
“Gosh,
Professor, one would expect that in a hot, relatively new area like
neuroscience there would be research underway at universities in the East.”
“And there
is, Julie, at the McGovern Institute
for Brain Research at MIT. Their research is organized around three
broad themes: Perception,
Cognition, and Action with several
faculty members in each area.
Furthermore, to illustrate the interest in brain studies even to
undergraduates, the faculty of Lawrence University here in Appleton recently
approved creating a major and minor in neuroscience.”
“Wow,
Curmudge, those are all impressive and ambitious undertakings. And speaking of neuroscience and
society, here’s a story that one of our editors told us about. It’s based on a 2013 TED talk by Daniel Reisel. MRI scans of psychopathic murderers had
a deficient amygdala, which likely led to their lack of empathy and their
immoral behavior. Reisel’s
subsequent work with mice revealed that those kept in a shoebox lost their
ability to bond with other mice.
However, mice kept in an enriched environment showed growth of new brain
cells and connections and performed better on learning and memory tasks. Perhaps for humans, according to
Reisel, we should consider rehabilitation programs such as Restorative
Justice instead of incarceration for perpetrators.”
“Julie, I remain totally impressed by the scope of fundamental and
applied research underway on brain plasticity. A lot of this won’t help those of my generation, but it
should really pay off for our grandchildren.”
“Old Guy, I must congratulate you for tackling topics that were much
less significant 60 years ago when you were a student.”
“To set the record straight, Dear Colleague, the congrats must go to
the younger members of our editorial board. Doc Mack ignited our thinking about alternative medicine,
and Elizabeth put us on the path to neuroscience. And don’t go away; in the near future we’ll talk about some
of the more sinister applications of neuroplasticity.”
“Never fear, Quixote, Sancho Panza will be with you until the snow
melts.”
Kaizen Curmudgeon
Link to posting from blog archives: Amazing Devices 4—ultrasound, electronic stethoscope
9/09/10 http://kaizencurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2010/09/amazing-devices-4.html
No comments:
Post a Comment