It was a great cafe last month. I always think no one will show up…boy was I wrong this month. it was a packed house at the Atlas Cafe, we had over 150 people squeeze through the doors.
We started with an interview of Adam by Jeff Miller of LBL that debunked many of the myths around memory & aging (some such as that menopause affects memory were confirmed). Adam then dove into his presentation on aging, highlighting the distinctions between attention and memory. His lab utilizes a combination of methodologies: fMRI, EEG, TCS for studies on memory. Adam discussed many of his results, indicating that as we age, we don’t lose the ability to remember as much as our ability to ignore irrelevant information goes down…meaning we can’t ignore the useless info making it harder to focus on the important info.
The audience asked scores of intriguiging questions from how diet/exercise affects memory to using games to enhance memory. For the full story, check out the videos below:
Back in March, Dr. Tyrone Hayes came to DtaS to speak about the herbicide atrazine. In his studies, he showed an effect on the endocrine system of frogs, leading to reproductive problems. This he said was a possible explanation for the decline in the frog population.
However, Syngenta and other have been unable to replicate his work. The EPA also has been unable to replicate the results. Dr. Hayes has argued these problems stem from using different sets of trial conditions that do not accurately reflect reality.
In any case, studies have been slowly leaking out indicating immuno-disruption by atrazine in various animals. NPR reports on another study just released again pointing at atrazine.
Even though atrazine has been banned in the EU, it is still the 2nd most widely used pesticide here in the US (behind only Roundup). It is mainly used on corn.
There is a new study in Nature on flatworms, called larval trematodes, that seem to show another aspect in frog decline. In a perfect storm of ecological conditions, atrazine seemed to kill off floating algae, which led to greater numbers of floor algae, which led to greater numbers of snails, which carry the flatworms, which then infect the frogs.
It seems as if atrazine has been implicated again in a way that harms frog’s immune systems. According to Dr. Hayes, atrazine only results in a 2-3% increase in corn production. If this is true, why continue atrazine’s use considering the possible negative implications?
Dr. Phillipe Goldin, a past speaker on the Neuroscience of Meditation, is looking for participants in a social anxiety study (the anxiety is mitigated through meditation) . I took part in such a study last year, you can read about my experience here. More info can be found below.
In addition, our next speaker Dr. Adam Gazzaley, runs studies on normal aging in adults. He is mainly looking for adults aged 18-35 or over 60. Most of the studies involve fMRI or EEG, check out Wired Science for a story of a guinea pig. For more info, check out Adam’s participate page.
Dr. Goldin’s Study
Treatment Study for Social Anxiety at Stanford University
We are running two studies at Stanford University where we are offering (1) 16 sessions of free state-of-the-art cognitive behavioral therapy, or (2) 9 weeks of stress reduction (either a mindfulness based stress reduction or an exercise stress reduction) to people with social anxiety. The treatment study?s goal is to better understand the mechanisms of therapeutic change and its long-term impact in individuals who suffer from social anxiety.
We are seeking people with English fluency who are right handed, age
21-55 individuals who primarily have problems with social anxiety and are able to commute to Stanford University assessments. Treatment can take place in SF or the Peninsula. We also ask that study participants be willing to discontinue use of mood or anxiety medications and concurrent therapy for the duration of their participation in the study.
If you would like more information or you have a referral, please view our website (http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~caan/) and call
(650-723-5977) or email us (caan at psych.stanford.edu)
How do you go from nature photographer to memory expert? Our next speaker holds the answer. An accomplished nature photographer, Adam Gazzaley also is fascinated with the brain. After completing his MD PhD, Adam ended up as a Professor of Neuroscience at UCSF. He studies top down modulation, essentially our ability to consciously focus on our environment. That represents selectively focusing our attention, while at the same time suppressing the distractions or other inputs.
In his studies, Adam has shown there is a large neural network at play with this basic function. His work is focused on studying the degradation of this network as we age and potential methods to restore it (medicinal, surgical, and even games/brain exercises).
When it comes to water in bottles, there are two kinds of plastic to consider: PET & Polycarbonate. We’ll handle PET first.
PET plastic has the recycle code# 1 under the bottle. Most bottled water comes in PET. There are a couple health concerns of note with PET (ranked from most serious to least):
• Bacteria - It happens when water is left stagnant. Especially when the water is dechlorinated like most bottled waters (plus the bottles are difficult to wash). Most of the health problems associated with this kind of bacteria is diarrhea, stomach upset. This is the chief reason it is not recommended to reuse the bottles.
• Antimony - A few studies have shown antimony trioxide does leach into water from PET plastic over time. The levels are below the EPA standards of antimony. Still a longer range concern.
That’s about it. Bisphenol-A is NOT present in PET. In 2003, DEHP was shown to leech into water after long term storage, but the results have not be accurately reproduced since.
At this point, PET is considered safe by many entities.
DtaS is taking December off, we'll be back in January with another great event
Science in Action Events Science in Action is a series of tours, trips, and hikes intended to put you in the middle of active science in the Bay Area.
If you're interested in attending, send me an email.
