Neurons as Will and Representation: Recordings from the Human Brain

A fascinating neuroscience talk about observations made during single cell recordings during neurosurgery, and how the brain processes conscious representation. He concludes by discussing free will – after demonstrating that decisions can be changed by a single neuron before someone is consciously aware of it, how much are we really in control?

ADHD After Anaesthesia

A doctor describes a risk analysis of ADHD following anaesthesia for surgery in young children, from an epidemiodogical, observational study. They found a correlation with two or more exposures to anaesthesia, but prudently don’t point to any one cause. Good video, with an excellent explanation for the public. Reported in the new free journal article Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder After Early Exposure to Procedures Requiring General Anesthesia, Sprung et al, Mayo Clinic Proceedings Feb. 2012.

click to view video

Big Think Interview with Helen Fisher

Neuroanthropologist Helen Fisher talks about love, human behaviour, and the brain systems behind it. In this in-depth interview, she discusses the drive to love, casual sex, cheating and recovery from cheating, what makes us attracted to someone, and the age-old question, “What is love?” Is her research unromantic? Describing the chemicals in roses doesn’t make them any less beautiful. Click image to view video.

Deep Brain Stimulation in Tourette Syndrome: A Description of 3 Patients With Excellent Outcome

A neurologist describes a new paper published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Three of his patients suffering from severe, treatment refractory Tourette syndrome received deep brain stimulation implants, and the procedures were successful. Dr. Savica talks about which areas of the brain were targeted by DBS, and the need for more research to determine the best target. For more details, read the free article here. DOI: 10.4016/38287.01.

Inspiration Through Empathy: Peer Support

A short documentary by a student filmmaker about a peer support group in Kelowna, BC, Canada. A group of mental health consumers meets weekly, views a presentation on a topic of their choice, then breaks into smaller groups to talk about their mental health issues and building wellness. Peer support is different than other support services (not a replacement, it’s complementary to professional services) because it’s a space for people to come together with others who truly understand what it’s like to live with a mental illness, providing empathy, reassurance, and connection that can’t be found any other way.

Remember

A moving story about Alzheimer’s, beautifully illustrated with charcoal drawings, set to a jazz song written and performed by a woman whose mother succumbed to the disease. An entry advocating brain research in the 2012 Neuro Film Festival sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology, this video is an early favourite (watch all the entries in this playlist). But there’s still time to enter – submit until January 31.

Come out, Come Out Wherever You Are

A call to shake off shame, come out of the closet and be open about mental health issues in order to fight social stigma. Compelling and well-written narration by Michael Kimber of the Colony of Losers blog, along with slick edited images including examples of famous people known to have psychiatric labels.

Myths of Madness: Media Representations of Mental Illness, Part 6 of 7

A clip from the Q&A after a panel presentation about mental illness in the media, discussing how people can share stories with public speaking to fight stigma. A women with bipolar disorder asks how people like her can contribute, and the reply describes a consumer who told her personal stories that were negative, and how they were resolved, and that sharing what worked for her was powerful. Another person in the audience talks about his experience with a speaker’s bureau and the importance of training and support for that work.

2011 Gloria Neidorf Memorial Lecture on Bipolar Disorder

The controversial link between sensitivities to foods including milk casein, wheat, and gluten, and effects on psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A young investigator presents her ideas in the The Gloria Neidorf Memorial Lecture for 2011 at the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Annual Symposium in New York City. Brief presentation followed by a Q&A with the public.

Greg Murray, The Quality of Life Scale

A collaboration with a psychiatry group at UBC in Vancouver and a Sydney, Australia researcher measuring quality of life in bipolar disorders, separate from its symptoms. Murray describes how they developed a scale, now available for free clinical and individual use (click here), through a series of questionnaires and analyses. They created a useful instrument for the treatment of bipolar disorder that considers important dimensions.

Michalak, E., Murray, G. (2010). Development of the QoL.BD: a disorder-specific scale to assess quality of life in bipolar disorder Bipolar Disorders, 12 (7), 727-740 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2010.00865.x