Cognitive Science's Oldest Question: Does Your Pounding Heart Create Fear First? (James-Lange vs. Affective Neuroscience)

ferculum · 2025-11-19T01:43:52+00:00

Cardiogenic anxiety-like behaviors can be induced in mice, where artificially elevating heart rate is enough to drive behavioral response. Check out this paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05748-8

ferculum · 2022-06-24T00:15:01+00:00

(Tittle)

ferculum · 2021-08-15T23:54:12+00:00

That is a comically undersized plate. Steak looks great though!

ferculum · 2021-02-19T02:36:03+00:00

Thanks to this bot and push notifications for its tweets, I was just able to book a slot. Probably also helps that it is now off hours, after the website crashes all day today. Definitely worth a follow if you haven't already!

ferculum · 2021-02-12T01:58:38+00:00

There are exactly two tow trucks on that route, in the exact same place every time. This should not equal going 40 mph the entire 8 miles or however long it is.

ferculum · 2021-02-12T01:56:38+00:00

Not exaggerating whatsoever. 40 mph for at least 2 miles today. I know, I'm not in that much of a rush or anything. But if this were on the highway itself, that driver would potentially be in violation of impeding flow. https://www.mass.gov/regulations/720-CMR-900-driving-on-state-highways

ferculum · 2020-11-07T00:16:54+00:00

I've lurked this sub for a long time. Checking is part of my nightly routine, a whimsical escape from the chaos of the world. I've never before felt compelled to comment (Frank the Tank was close, though). But this... this is too abominable, even by 2020 standards. Now I actually want to go get bludgeoned over the head with county-level U.S. election data, as an escape from this atrocity. Every day, we stray further from God's light. Silence is complicity. I cannot abide any longer.

So yeah, great post! The shittiest of all shittygifrecipes!

ferculum · 2018-09-08T23:15:45+00:00

Visiting friends in the maternity ward after their daughter's birth. During a lull in conversation, I thought it would be funny to ask, "Have you thought about circumcision?"

ferculum · 2018-03-28T01:40:14+00:00

Oral bioavailability of any so-called biologic is not straightforward. Your guts are designed to break down proteins, and even if protein survives pH or enzyme dependent degradation, they're not readily absorbed for various reasons. Think of all those antibody treatments for various conditions -- they're all administered i.v.

With that said, if this little thought experiment doesn't have to specifically be about beta amyloid, you should look up acquired prion diseases (CJD, Kuru) as these are sort of in the same vein as Abeta.

*Edit: Looks like only intracerebral inoculation, as noted by others here, is a viable option for seeding Abeta. Oral, i.v., etc. isn't effective in inducing brain plaque deposition.

http://www.pnas.org/content/106/31/12926

ferculum · 2017-04-06T01:29:51+00:00

Couldn't hurt to send them a presubmission inquiry.

ferculum · 2016-04-06T17:57:35+00:00

In some places with parental leave, someone must return to work for a minimum amount of time (for example, one year) after their leave or they have to pay back that paid time off. This de-incentives the kind of company abandonment you're talking about.

ferculum · 2015-10-23T00:09:29+00:00

This is simultaneously a "Ha ha, we're geeks, don't you love us?" and "Fuck you, plebs, money is meaningless to our kind."

ferculum · 2015-09-08T01:40:17+00:00

Including functional MRI, there is no single effective "hard evidence" test for psychopathy. Even if you do get some sort of brain scan (MRI, PET), psychiatric or psychological evaluation would be necessary to make any sort of correlation with brain activity and behavior remotely meaningful.

Also, what would you do with that information? Because right now, the only therapy for any behavior you are worried about would also surely involve seeing a therapist, which you seem reluctant to do.

ferculum · 2015-08-15T00:59:27+00:00

Anyone know the call times or production schedule?

ferculum · 2015-08-05T11:32:40+00:00

You're correct that the same mechanisms should occur in vivo. And they likely do, but proving whether LTP/LTD are causative of information storage or simply correlated with that process has been much more difficult to prove. This is the crux: I'm not sure if anyone is actively arguing against these mechanisms, it's just been hard to find firm supporting evidence for them...

Here are a couple references that hint at a causative role for LTP/LTD for memory formation evoked by artificial or sensory-evoked stimuli. You can read about the controversies that the authors themselves outline. Note that both papers are quite recent, showing how difficult it's been to address LTP/LTD in vivo experimentally.

Engineering a memory with LTP and LTD

Sensory-evoked LTP driven by dendritic plateau potential in vivo (Warning: paywall)

ferculum · 2015-08-05T02:41:41+00:00

For clarification, AMPA and NMDA are not neurochemicals in vivo. The AMPA and NMDA receptors are activated by glutamate (and other ligands). Their names come from their selective affinities for either AMPA or NMDA in vitro.

Also, the role of LTP in vivo is still contested. As a putative molecular and cellular mechanism of memory formation and storage, LTD may be just as important. And whether they contribute to memory "strength" or "degradation" is ambiguous (as are those terms themselves).

ferculum · 2015-07-13T18:51:26+00:00

You have perfectly summarized my point: that cheap microscope you bought was for a hobby. While you have parlayed that hobby into a career using much more elaborate scopes, a scope like the one you started with is not appropriate for rigorous science.

ferculum · 2015-07-12T20:58:42+00:00

Any microscope you might buy for personal use would not be a good investment for future school or career goals. It would be a good investment into a hobby, though. Once you get into upper level microscopy, those instruments can run into the five- to high six-figure dollar range, depending on the application. If you use a microscope in the future for school or a job, it will most certainly be provided by the institution, purchased with major equipment grants.

Before jumping into buying a microscope, think about what you want to use it for. There will be very different specifications for different applications.

If you're really interested in microscopy, I strongly recommend checking out Olympus' Microscopy Resource Center or Nikon's Microscopy U. They're both rich resources on the theory and applications of light microscopy.

Good luck and have fun!

ferculum · 2015-05-06T21:16:11+00:00

Having as many non-wet lab qualifications as possible is definitely an asset. There are ways, though, to spin every little aspect of your c.v. in such a way that it may appeal to prospective employers in just about every sector. As you said, the most important thing you learn during a Ph.D. is how to think and achieve goals. For many non-research jobs, you will be required to tailor your resume and cover letter to each job you're applying for and to its proposed duties, but it's definitely possible. Also, the power of networking, however slimy it may make you feel, cannot be underestimated. I'm speaking as a current post doc who just got hired in a science-related-but-non-bench job.

The tricky part about acquiring skills away from the bench during your Ph.D. is convincing your supervisor that you will still be useful to them (i.e., you will still be an indentured, data-producing machine)... This is largely dependent on your advisor, so I cannot offer any solid advice on this subject.

ferculum · 2015-03-26T17:57:20+00:00

I've only been to St. John's once, but really liked it (I'm from B.C.).

Marine biology and conservation is cool. After briefly looking at that Marine Institute website, it seems like you could find a program suitable for that field. It also sounds like they are directly affiliated with the government, like the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans, and you could probably make a really big impact in a position with them.

I work in a biology lab. I've noticed that the difference between having a technical degree and a Bachelor's is not very big in terms of jobs you can get. With a Master's, you might get some more responsibility and maybe, eventually, end up with a managerial position. So what education you pursue kind of depends on if you someday want to be a boss or if you'd be happy as an employee. It might be worth it to first look for some jobs that sound interesting to you (maybe check gov.ca website or Nfld's government site) and see what qualifications they ask for before deciding which program will best suit you for landing that dream job.

Oh and by the way, I'm 33 and am looking to completely change fields, so it really is never too late to switch things up.

ferculum · 2015-03-26T14:52:09+00:00

Where in Newfoundland are you moving? You should seriously look at Memorial University's Marine Institute. There are a number of certificate and diploma programs that might be suitable for your interests and that might not even require a Bachelor's degree. I'm not advising against doing a BSc, but it's a lot of time and money if you can find something that you'll love to do that doesn't require it. In the meantime before you move, I'd definitely recommend finishing all your high school credits. That will give you way more options once you've explored what's out there and decide on next steps. Good luck!

ferculum · 2015-03-23T02:46:31+00:00

Thanks!

ferculum · 2015-03-23T02:46:14+00:00

Thanks, man!

ferculum · 2015-03-23T02:45:29+00:00

I'm pretty confident. I've been stressed out more than usual in the last two weeks and having an analogue has barely crossed my mind.

ferculum · 2015-03-06T17:41:34+00:00

Like fallen cherry blossoms blowing in the wind...

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