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Showing posts from March, 2011

Any article by Jonah Lehrer fits in with the theme of this blog

Latest Articles Cracking the Lottery Code Wired, February 2011 A Physicist Solves The City The New York Times Magazine, December 17, 2010 The Truth Wears Off The New Yorker, December 13, 2010 Under Pressure Wired, August 2010 Clocks and Clouds Wired, May 2010 The Superstar Effect The Wall Street Journal, April 3, 2010 Depression's Upside The New York Times Magazine, February 2010 The Neuroscience of Screw-Ups Wired, January 2010 Why We Travel McSweeney's, December 2009 The Smartest Mutant Nature, October 12, 2009 The Buddy System Wired, October 2009 The Autistic Surfer Outside, September 2009 The Truth About Grit Boston Globe, August 2, 2009 The Science of Self-Control The New Yorker, May 18, 2009 What is it like to be a baby? Boston Globe, April 26, 2009 Magic and the Brain Wired, May 2009 Mapping the Brain Wired, April 2009 Making Connections Nature, January 29, 2009 The Urban Brain Boston Globe, January 2, 2009 Daydream Achiever Boston Globe, August 31,

University of Maryland School of Medicine Study Identifies Genes Associated with Binge Drinking

Discovery Could Lead to New Therapies for Alcoholism [ and why not the propensity for aggression and criminality ] BALTIMORE ,  Feb. 28, 2011  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- University of Maryland School of Medicine  researchers have identified two genes associated with binge drinking that may open doors to new, more effective treatments for excessive alcohol drinking. The scientists found that manipulating two receptors in the brain, GABA receptors and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), "caused profound reduction" of binge drinking for two weeks in rodents that had been bred and trained to drink excessively. The study was published online the week of  Feb. 28  in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .... The new study found that treatments that manipulate both the GABA receptor and toll-like receptor 4 have the potential to reduce anxiety and control cravings, with little to no risk for addiction, according to lead investigator  Harry June , Ph.D., professor