Neuroscience

The idea that puppies are born functionally blind and deaf seems to make no evolutionary sense. However this condition is the result of a deliberate "choice" to improve the ability for wild canines to survive. Read More

Eye candy is, by definition, good-looking people: Sweet to stare at, they tempt us with their addictive visuals. But the term has another meaning, especially when we remember that our brain's primary fuel is sugar. Eye candy is also a special kind of mutual gaze -- one that is dense with energy, sends our pleasure chemicals surging, and looks absolutely delicious. And it's good for you. Read More

Someone, somewhere, is trying to manipulate your brain ... Read More

For the past two decades, I have been developing advanced technologies to help us understand how the brain functions and changes over time. My group at UCLA invented a brain scanning technique that can detect the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease decades before people experience obvious symptoms. Read More

Some people see in very unusual ways - like my friend Sarah. Read More

For those not familiar with the landscape of autism politics, fellow PT blogger Stanton Peele's recent post, "Why We Can't Solve Autism," provided an excellent snapshot.   The article which he references, "Growing Old With Autism," by Karl Greenfeld brings up yet another facet of the discussion - adults with autism.  Reading it drove home my own misgivings about the lack of information, programs and support for adults on the spectrum.  Read More

Where exactly does the motivation for innovation come from? Is the act of inventing buried deep within our evolutionary context? Is there an "invention gene"? How are the brain functions for creativity and procreativity similar? How can one achieve a state of mastery in innovation, so ideation becomes a meditation, like with a zen master at the archery range? A new approach might lead us to a post Theory Z view of motivation. Instead of using carrots and sticks and focusing on the extrinsic factors, perhaps management theorists and organizational psychologists should look at the intrinsic neurophysiology of invention and creativity. Read More

There seems to be an accelerating drumbeat of calls for the legalization of "cognitive-enhancement" drugs. Nature, the scientific journal, has been at the forefront, with featured articles in December 2007 and December 2008. There have been supportive articles in the New York Times and the New Yorker, with another rumored for The Atlantic this summer. Read More

Dogs learn pretty quickly not to chase skunks and children rarely put their hands into fire more than once. The brain has a special system that lets it learn from mistakes.

The only problem is it is fueled by embarrassment, especially between ages 12-22. The good news is neuroimaging has given us insight in how to turn this mistake-negativity system into a memory building tool.

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