Category: Neuroscience/Mental Health
Redefining Dyslexia
What, exactly, is dyslexia? What causes it, how should it be diagnosed, and stemming from that, how should it be treated? We can even ask a more fundamental question – does it actually exist as a discrete clinical entity? These questions have existed since dyslexia was first described and named in 1887, by German Opthalmologist, Rudolf Berlin. Not surprisingly, he thought the...
The Telepathy Tapes – More FC Pseudoscience
Documentaries can be powerful. They can use the mature art-form of cinema in order to convey a specific narrative. The viewer can get drawn into that narrative, unaware they are being exposed to a very one-sided or limited take on a complex topic. I recently, for example, participated in a fun review of the Earthing Movie which was basically propaganda for the...
Your Brain In Space
Amid all the shocking and depressing news regarding the future of American healthcare and medicine, at least over the next four years, I thought I would tackle something a bit lighter today. What happens to the brains of astronauts aboard the ISS? Space medicine is a field of study, if fairly niche, and will likely have increasing implications as humanity increases its...
EMDR Is Still Dubious
A recent meta-analysis of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy concludes that the evidence “confirms” EMDR is effective in treating depression. It is a great example of the limitations of meta-analysis, and how easy it is to create essentially a false narrative using poor quality research. EMDR was “developed” by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1987. It is the notion that bilateral...
Why Is ADHD On The Rise
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurodevelopment disorders and seems to be on the rise, in both children and adults. The diagnosis in children requires having various symptoms of attention deficit or hyperactivity which is functionally impairing with onset by age 12. Recognition of the disorder actually goes back farther than you might think – the observation that...
The Evidence for Rehabilitation Robots
Rehabilitation robots, first introduced in the 1990s, are just what they sound like – robotics used to aid in regaining function through rehabilitation following an injury. The idea sounds compelling, and the technology has been advancing steadily. But still we have to ask ourselves the question – do they actually help, and what is the evidence? A recent comprehensive meta-analysis and systematic...
FDA Advisory Committee Recommends approval of new Alzheimer’s drug Donanemab
If approved, donanemab would be the third FDA approved disease-modifying beta-amyloid treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Male and Female Brains are Different
Neuroanatomical research has long established that there are statistical differences at the macroscopic level in male and female brains. There are also functional differences in terms of memory and cognition. However, these differences are largely statistical, and exist in a mosaic of different traits. This means that, if we look at specific features (whether anatomical or functional) there are male-female differences, but...
How To Approach Psychogenic Symptoms
Remember back in 1997, the Pokemon seizure episode? Hundreds of children reported symptoms, including seizures, after watching a specific episode of the Pokemon cartoon that includes a sequence of flashing alternating red and blue lights. The press reported the episode at face value, attributing the reaction to a known phenomenon of photosensitive epilepsy. However, later reviews found that the majority of cases...
What Is Type 3 Diabetes?
I’m always wary of new medical terms that seem to be used and promoted prematurely, when still in the hypothesis phase. It seems like an obvious way to bias any thinking about an alleged phenomenon – just label it as the hypothesis, as if it is already a conclusion. Calling symptoms that may follow a lyme infection “chronic lyme disease” implies something...