Jon Lieff MD -- Searching for the Mind Blog

A honey bee colony may be more than a society of thousands of insects. the entire colony functions as a single living organism, with its own development, reproductive cycle, and biological lifespan. buff.ly/0pcGHgc

In brain affected by alcohol, microglia tear down extracellular matrix, scaffold that surrounds neurons. holds brain cells together When disrupted, neurons can't communicate, can affect ability to move, think buff.ly/Xq2ozUW

Confirmed cases in Congo's Ebola outbreak have surpassed 9,000, with more than 4,300 deaths, as health authorities struggle to contain an outbreak spreading across seven provinces buff.ly/1iad8vE

The world’s oldest land animal carries 287 unique gene variants involved in DNA repair and other defenses against aging buff.ly/3ud3NNg

Thymine tends to direct UV damage into a more reversible form, suggesting that early genetic molecules may have survived intense sunlight not by avoiding damage but by controlling it and making it easier to self-repair buff.ly/F2SdfIV

LSD microdosing shows potential sustained attention gains in women, but none in men buff.ly/WMFVCU8

The squid’s hair bundles also varied in length, finding strengthens comparison with human hearing. In the human cochlea, taller bundles occur where low pitches are detected, shorter bundles occur where high pitches are detected. buff.ly/IcYZ688

The aging brain may not simply be a younger brain in decline. healthy aging involves a shift in cognitive priorities, with less emphasis on preserving details and more extracting meaning, using accumulated knowledge, buff.ly/qcjGahS

More ubiquitin intelligence determines where garbage will be disposed of, in the cytoplasm proteosome pathway or sequestered in a special droplet. buff.ly/fOIrx4h

High-ventilation breathwork during MRI scanning reported strong altered states of consciousness, resembling that of a moderate to high dose of LSD or psilocybin, buff.ly/I2Oa1Fh

Daily peanut consumption beneficially affects brain insulin responsiveness buff.ly/svRGESq

Dance of inflammation regulator NF-kB. Another of the vital cell regulators has dancing intelligence. buff.ly/5rGpmAJ

Healthy aging involves a shift in cognitive priorities, with less emphasis on preserving precise details and more on extracting meaning, using accumulated knowledge, and integrating experience. buff.ly/qcjGahS

Eating a carbohydrate meal with a companion led to smaller blood sugar spikes and faster recovery than eating alone, suggesting a metabolic benefit to sharing the table. buff.ly/og948Up

When regions of DNA are brought into contact, they can begin to interact and influence each other's activity. Over time, these interactions can become embedded, forming increasingly interconnected regulatory networks. buff.ly/ldPXNUA

Astrocytes regulate cholesterol supply to modulate neuronal communication. Neurons produce cholesterol on their own, but not enough Astrocytes— help maintain the connections between neurons, also release cholesterol. buff.ly/xn25iqt

Traumatic brain injury affects the brain's long-term response to subsequent stressful situations. hypothalamus responds differently to stress after such an injury, triggering inflammation with avoidance behavior. buff.ly/vynReKi

Orangutan mothers seek out playmates for their young buff.ly/UTMyWwC

Modern beekeeping methods based on idea of keeping the colony young and healthy indefinitely. such interventions fundamentally conflict with the natural reproductive strategy and the ability to cope with parasites buff.ly/2cyR9q1

Ibogaine therapy short-term effects Of the 23 veterans who had a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder before treatment, 19 achieved remission within days—mno longer met the clinical criteria for the disorder. buff.ly/90mNzfl