Announcements

Hi group!

We have our final NE discussion this week, and the topic is love! Watch this TED Talk by Helen Fisher on the science of love:

http://www.ted.com/talks/helen_fisher_studies_the_brain_in_love.html

The talk is pretty superficial - Fisher mostly talks about which areas she has seen "light up" in an fMRI of people who are in love, or people who have just been dumped. However, some points she brings up are great for our discussion. Consider the following questions:

If there is a scientific basis of love, does that make love less "real?" Do you believe that Fisher's methods of fMRI scanning and internet surveys are a legitimate way to study the biological basis of love? Fisher says that she put couples who claimed to have been in love for 25 years in the fMRI machine and she saw that they "were not lying" about being love. Do you think science could PROVE whether or not someone is in love? What are your thoughts on Fisher's comparison of love to a drug addiction, considering the possible increased activity in the VTA of people who are in love?

Responses due Sunday, December 4th.

Hi everyone! I hope you aren't all TOO bogged down with midterms and the presentation. It's almost break! Here's our NE #9:

Decisions surrounding life-sustaining treatments for patients during end-of-life care are usually dictated by the patient's well-communicated wishes. Often, the patient has not communicated wishes, or their wishes were not communicated clearly. In these cases, surrogates typically end up asking doctors to do everything possible to keep the patient alive. Check out this very interesting ethics article I found (on my site under Paper Links):

http://coursestreet.com/nrsc2100_greene/paperlinks.nfo

Craft a response to this article that could include answers to these questions:

What should be the role of the physician during end-of-life care decision making if the patient's wishes are unknown? Should the doctor give his or her opinion to the family/surrogate? What other resources should be available to the patient's surrogate to help them make decisions? Are there any instances you can think of when a surrogate should choose to direct treatments away from the patient's communicated wishes?

Responses due Sunday, November 13th.

Hi again,
I changed my mind - let's just meet in the room I reserved - it's the "yellow room" in Norlin... still at 7!
Lisa

Hi all,
Just a friendly reminder that we will be meeting tomorrow evening at 7:00 in Norlin to do a final run through of your presentation. Let's just meet at the Laughing Goat again to start.
See you soon!
Lisa

Government funding for state hospitals and mental health facilities has dropped significantly over the past thirty years. With this drop, a troubling trend has risen: more and more mentally ill individuals (especially patients of schizophrenia) find themselves cycling in and out the legal system for minor crimes and spending time in jail. While in jail, these individuals receive mental health care at a huge cost to the tax payer. In fact, "more Americans receive mental health treatment in prisons and jails than in hospitals or treatment centers," according to the NPR article below.

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/04/140167676/nations-jails-struggle-with-mentally-ill-prisoners

Answer some of these questions:

In your opinion, does the legal system have an obligation to provide mentally ill prisoners with mental health services? Is there a more cost-efficient way to help the mentally ill without waiting for them to wind up in the legal system? What would be the consequence of NOT treating very mentally ill individuals who find themselves in jail? In the NPR article, Judge Steve Leifman proposes one new model for preventing mentally ill people from ending up in jail for minor offenses. What do you think of this model and its possible pros/cons to the community? Can you think of another model of reform?

Responses due Sunday, October 30th.

Hi everyone!

It seems like 7 pm tonight (Monday) works for most people. Let's meet at the Laughing Goat in Norlin, and we can get a room from there to talk. Please try to read the paper and bring a copy of it so we can address any questions!

Text or email me if there are any problems.

Lisa 303-594-1389

It seems like Monday or Wednesday are the best days for most people. How would this coming Monday the 24th at 6:00 work?

If not, I can meet with everyone on Tuesday the 25th after class in MUEN.

Tweet me how you feel about it!

Lisa

Hello everyone!

It looks like most of us are feeling the NMDA paper as the most interesting. Thanks for taking the time to look through them. Here is a message from Dr. Cooper about some specifics on the project:

"Your students need to pick one of the papers you suggested and then divide up the figures/panels amongst them. They need to prepare a powerpoint presentation of the paper that lasts 45 minutes. They should prepare a 10 minute introduction and then describe the methods used in the paper and then describe the Figures. They will take turns presenting. Then they will give a summary of the paper and state its significance for the field of Neuroscience. They should touch on the strengths and limitations of the approach the authors took to answer the question. They should offer alternative approaches that could have been used. Please emphasize that each member of the group must contribute equally to the presentation. They will NOT have to submit a written document so they will be graded on the presentation quality and the clarity of how they presented the paper. They will receive both an individual score and a group score weighted equally. I have an example of a video from last year of a group presentation that they can watch for inspiration if they like."

I would like to get together with all of you sometime this week or next week to organize the project and break up the tasks. My availability:

Mondays: 11-2, 6-8
Tuesdays: 3-8
Wednesdays: 11-2, 6-8
Thursdays: 10:30-2
Fridays: 11-2, or at the Dark Horse FAC

Please use the Hootcourse to tweet what time would work for you between now and next Friday (October 28). Do this by tomorrow (October 19th) at 9:00 PM please!

Thanks all,
Lisa

Good news - there will be no NE discussion this week. Good luck on your midterms!

:) Lisa

Hello group!

It's time to choose a paper that you will present to the class as a group. I have uploaded 3 papers from NEURON which I think would be interesting papers for you to make a presentation on. Please read through them and think about which one you are most drawn to/understand the best.

http://coursestreet.com/nrsc2100_greene/Neuron.nfo

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Lisa

The study of neuroscience depends heavily on the use of animal models. Most commonly used are rodents (rats and mice). However, some labs use other mammals for studies, including non-human primates (example: rhesus monkeys). Despite heavy regulations surrounding the use of animals for science such as those imposed by IACUC (The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee), several groups exist which passionately and publicly protest the use of any animals in scientific laboratories. For example, SAEN, "Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!" is a group that organizes the "World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week" protests.

http://www.all-creatures.org/wlalw/

First, discuss the views of the two most extreme poles of the animal-use debate:

1. That ALL non-human animals could and/or should be used to expand the base of scientific knowledge
2. That NO animals should be used under any circumstances for scientific studies.

Where do you fall in between (or on) these two extreme points of view? Considering the following:

1. The fact that studies in neuroscience usually require subjects with high brain function (i.e. not drosophila)
2. The potential for unnecessary use of animal subjects
3. The power that events like "World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week" might have on influencing the opinions of the non-scientific public


Due Sunday, October 16th in your student journals and on Facebook.

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing, also known as at-home genetic testing, allows consumers to provide their genetic material to a private laboratory which screens their DNA for copies of genes that have been shown to statistically increase their chance of acquiring certain diseases. The topic is controversial both in the United States and overseas because some people believe that genetic testing should only be done by a doctor or certified genetic counselor.

Check out this short article from MarketWatch that I came across about recent studies that look into the potential emotional tole of at-home genetic testing.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/study-gauges-emotional-toll-of-direct-to-consumer-genetic-testing-2011-10-03

Also consider the fact that several organizations have produced public statements regarding direct-to-consumer genetic testing, such as the American College of Medical Genetics:

http://www.acmg.net/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Policy_Statements&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=2975

And this publication by the Federal Trade Commission:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/health/hea02.pdf

Finally, check out these examples of companies who provide at-home genetic testing services, and take some time to browse through their sites.

Navigenics: https://www.navigenics.com/visitor/what_we_offer/how_it_works/
The Genetic Testing Laboratories, Inc: http://www.gtldna.com/predisposition.html


Do you believe there are potential benefits to the use of at-home genetic testing kits? What are the potential risks? Would you as a consumer trust one of these kits to tell you your risk of developing a potentially life-threatening disease? Should it be required that consumers have their doctor or genetic counselor help them interpret the test results?

Responses due October 9th.

A controversial topic, but one that can't be resisted:

Check out this series from 2008 on NPR about gender identity. There are two installments:

Part 1: http://www.npr.org/2008/05/07/90247842/two-families-grapple-with-sons-gender-preferences
Part 2: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90273278

Read or listen to the reports. The first story is about two families seeking two very different forms of therapy for their children with gender identity issues. The second story is about a family considering hormone treatment for their per-pubescent son who identifies as a female. I definitely recommend reading both articles in full.

In a sensitive manner, address at least one of the following things in your response:

1. Considering the fact that the APA defines the psychological "treatment" of homosexuality as unethical, explore the ethical implications of psychologically treating gender identity issues or transgenderism.

2. Given the side effects of the hormone treatments (namely, infertility after "Step 2"), do you feel that a family can ethically make the decision to begin treatment for a child as young as 10 years old? At what age would you consider a child/teen able to say with certainty that they identify with one gender over another?

3. Choose one of the families from the articles and write a response that discusses the struggles that they experience, the options before them, and any opinions you may have about the particular therapies the family is using/considering.

Responses due Sunday, October 2nd.

Hey everyone,

Check out this news article from Nature:

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110914/full/news.2011.536.html

"Scientists are failing to make raw data publicly available, even when prompted to do so by journals."

Consider the following:

Why might scientists feel deterred from publishing their work if they are required to publish the entirety of their raw data? Do you think it is important that the raw data from published papers is available to the public? What role does competition play in the widespread reluctance to fully publish data? If a scientist plans to continue using his or her collected data for further studies, does he or she have the right to withhold certain things from publication?

Remember to post your responses on the CU Neuroscience Facebook page as well as in your student journals.

Hello everyone,

Just a reminder that recitations start this Friday. The pre-lab worksheet is posted online at this link: http://coursestreet.com/nrsc2100/Recitation.nfo

On the link, you can download the worksheet. You can also watch videos that Brian and I made that walk you through the Membrane tutorials (Brian's is a little more in-depth than mine, but they're very similar). Make sure to upload your filled out pre-labs to your dropboxes on my site sometime before your recitation.

The best way to go about answering the pre-lab questions is to use your NIA manual (either on the computer or in a spiral book that you purchased). The manual has a lot of great descriptions of the different things we'll be learning about. I used the manual to create the pre-lab questions, so you should be able to figure out the answers by looking through it. I also tried to touch on a lot of the questions during my video.

If you have any questions about the pre-lab, let me know! I am more than happy to explain the questions and help you discover the answers. As always, facebook, email, hootcourse, or texting are all great ways to get a hold of me.

I'll be at the 4:00 recitation on Friday. See you soon!
Lisa
(303)594-1389

Hi All,

Check out this recent article on CNN about college students' abuse of drugs meant to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/01/health/drugs-adderall-concentration/

The article reports that 30% of college students at the University of Kentucky have used ADHD medications that they did not have a prescription for. It also reports that as many as 80% of upperclassmen involved in greek life have used these drugs.

Compare these numbers to those found in this paper from 2005:

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74786/1/j.1360-0443.2005.00944.x.pdf

This paper reports a finding that 6.9% of college students were illegally using medications like Adderall.

Consider the ethical implications of using medications such as Adderall for studying purposes. Answer some of these questions:

Is it cheating to use these drugs in order to get a better grade on a test? Should these drugs be made available to all students, in order to level the playing field? Do you feel that it is possible to compete in college without using prescription stimulants? Do students who actually have a prescription for Adderall have an advantage over students who do not? Considering the increase in ADHD drug abuse over the last several years, what do you think is the future of "study drug" use on college campuses?

Remember to post your responses on the CU Neuroscience Facebook page and copy-paste them into your student journals.

I look forward to seeing what you think!
Lisa

Hi all, sorry to flood your in-boxes:

If any of you are planning on using TeamViewer to take quizzes or tests, notify me ASAP so that we can test our webcams together before the 8th! Email me, message me on FB, or text me with a time that works for you and I will work around your schedules.

My number: (303)594-1389

Thanks!
Lisa

Hi Everyone!

A few orders of business:

Firstly, the 3rd Neuro Ethics discussion will be posted on my CourseStreet site tonight. From now on, all of the students will be responding to discussion questions that their TA posts. You will need to post your responses on the CU Neuroscience FB page (200 words or less please) AND in your student journals on my CourseStreet site so that I can grade them. I'm looking for relevant and thoughtful responses. You should all get full points if you do the assignments :)

Secondly, student participation in the course via social networking sites is vital for the class's progress. So, I'm asking all of you to please post any interesting things you find on the web about neuroscience or biology to CU Neuroscience's FB page and to your student journals! When you guys post the links to your student journals, I will be able to track your participation. The more the better!

Finally, I have created a HootCourse that is specific to our group. Please join in by going to this link:

http://hootcourse.com/course/1695/www25bw/

That way, you guys can ask me questions more privately and I can send out announcements that are specific to our group. Please join my HootCourse by tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5.

Thanks everyone!
Lisa