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[neurontosomething]

Brane Connectome Project : tales from the Worlds Tree

[Deep breath] The first post in what I hope becomes a series, a #Neuro #Science #Fiction #WorldBuilding project #writing #blogging #scifi #space #multiverse

The bio-signs weren’t hard to find when we got serious about looking. Almost as soon as we had a presence away from Earth, “astrobiologist” became a job with fieldwork. “Paleo-xenologist”, too, naturally, given the breadth of time in the deeps of space. Expanding, gradually, in a fitful bubble around Sol we found ‘intelligence’ – it’s common, even. Just like your Earth primates, cephalopods,…

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My Brain [citation needed]

Something read and reviewed, and something reviewed and published (and read, hopefully) #books #reviews #systematicreviews #multiplesclerosis

Something I Read I recently read The Girl With All the Gifts, (2014) by Mike Carey, an author that I know better from their comics work. In particular, Lucifer, which follows the titular character after they quit their day job as Hell’s boss in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, is a series I’ve come back to time and time again. Here we have Carey’s take on the zombie apocalypse which they attack with…

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My Brain...takes a big swing

A journey to the source of #consciusness and the #hobby corner #books #bookreviews #blogging #writing #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniatures #bologna

What I read The Hidden Spring: a journey to the source of consciousness An overview of brain structure at a large scale, highlighting the midbrain. From Wikimedia. The Hidden Spring, an ambitious book by Mark Solms, wants to sell you on two things. First, that it has the outlines of a theory of consciousness. Second, that other theories – on multiple counts – are looking for it in the wrong…

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I see what you did there…a (very) brief history of imaging the brain: blood, BOLD and fMRI

A little more #neuro #science #history This time: functional magnetic resonance imaging #fMRI #BOLD #scicomm #writing #blogging #neuroscience #brain

For many patients we can discover – or discount – physical causes of neurological problems ‘in real time’ with a range of imaging and other measurement techniques. Neuroimaging techniques are mainly children of the 20th century, and their development is ongoing in the 21st, but their roots stretch back through the 19th century. For example, photography and its ability to reproduce an enduring…

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This way up: a user's guide to the blog(ger)

Neuro +/- Science +/- Fiction…is the tag-line. By way of explanation: Neuro + Science I’m a researcher in neuroscience, neurology and health. I’m (currently) interested in brains, imaging, evidence synthesis, global health and science communication. Check out My Publications for my professional work, the My Research tag for explainers. The contact page points to my presence on the…

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I see what you did there…a (very) brief history of imaging the brain: PET and SPECT

A little more #neuro #science #history on the development of #brain #imaging This time: Positron Emission Tomography (#PET) and SPECT #scicomm #writing #blogging

For many patients we can discover – or discount – physical causes of neurological problems ‘in real time’ with a range of imaging and other measurement techniques. Neuroimaging techniques are mainly children of the 20th century, and their development is ongoing in the 21st, but their roots stretch back through 19th century. For example, photography and its ability to reproduce an enduring…

[neurontosomething]

I see what you did there…a (very) brief history of imaging the brain: MRI

A little #neuro #science #history on the development of #brain #imaging This time: magnetic resonance imaging (#MRI) #scicomm #writing #blogging

For many patients we can discover – or discount – physical causes of neurological problems ‘in real time’ with a range of imaging and other measurement techniques. Though these techniques are mainly children of the 20th Century, and their development is ongoing in the 21st, their roots stretch back through 19th century. For example, photography and its ability to reproduce an enduring ‘objective’…

[neurontosomething]

I see what you did there…a (very) brief history of imaging the brain: X-rays to CT scans

A little #neuro #science #history on the development of #brain imaging# This time: #X-rays and #CT #scicomm #writing #blogging

[neurontosomething]

Brain bits and X-nuclei MRI: What I did at work today

A collaboration I’m involved in has just been published [1]. It’s about a special kind of MRI focused on the chemical element sodium, using meta-analysis to combine estimates form different studies in different brain regions. So what’s the fuss about? Sodium: Why are we interested? Sodium (23Na) is an essential mineral that has a number of important biological functions. For neurons in…

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My Brain...feeling feels for the gibbering horrors

In lieu of a more substantial post, here's a book-themed mess.

In lieu of a more substantial post, here’s a book-themed mess. Public Service Announcement: Do not adjust your twitter First though, given the continuing whatever-the-hell on twitter, while I’m maintaining my account there (@Neuron2sumthing) in lurk/broadcast only mode, I’ve broadened out a bit and you can now find me on mastodon (@neurontosomething@mas.to) and tumblr (@neurontosomething), in…

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While neuromyths derail science and fiction alike false simplicity, some things are endlessly fascinating despite their complexity:

Consciousness in 1700 words & a Joni Mitchell song...

[neurontosomething]

In the spirit of paying it forward:

During my PhD/pdoc (in France) I often proof-read for my colleagues.

At the link is a series of posts covering some of the issues I saw come up repeatedly.

My way of saying thanks for their patience as I murdered their language :-/

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When bad science and bad fiction collide, you get neuromyths.

You’ve heard it. You’ve read it. You’ve seen it. Whenever a writer thinks they need a lazy explanation for superpowers, the factoid that we only use some small percentage of our brain is trotted out. 10%, usually.

The righteous know it is to be mocked until in slinks back into the darkness whence it came.

Whence did it came? Well, thereby hangs a tale….

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What about the fiction, you say? How about this popular post:

What difference does a #mind make? Who’s a people? What’s the special sauce? Find out with a look at the minds of Old Man's War by John Scalzi

[neurontosomething]

Neuro +/- Science +/- Fiction ...is the blog's tagline, so by way of an explanation and an #intro the first of some recent/popular posts:

A little neuroscience history on the development of brain 'imaging'

I see what you did there…a (very) brief history of imaging and the brain: EEG and MEG

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Definitive (:-/) brain glossary

New page over at the blog, a Glossary/index of posts defining/covering important concepts

Head on over for definitive (um...) descriptions of...

Brain / Cochrane / Cognition / Connectivity / Consciousness / EEG / Memory / Neuroscience / Perception / Psychopomp / Soul / Vision

....so far