Encephelon #35

Do you like brains as much as we do?

Image: The Man With Two Brains
Welcome to the 35th installment of the bi-weekly neuroscience blog carnival, Encephelon. You're in for a treat as bloggers from around the globe have put on their thinking caps and related the best of the brains.

Starting us off, Mo from Neurophilosophy has a fascinating (and highly colorful) post on the new technology that allows for multicolored 'brainbows'.

Ed from Not Exactly Rocket Science explains how even crucifixion can’t undermine the neuroscience of optimism. However, broken chains and faulty mirrors cause problems for autistic children.

Robert at Brain Blogger describes a new study showing that anxiety is increased when the immune system detects infection.

Sudip at Brain Blogger shows that finishing high school can help you avoid more than a dead-end job, it can also decrease your likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Jake at Pure Pedantry shares his excitement over the new development in brain imaging technology. It involves high-tech photon microscopy with a mouse stuck to a styrofoam ball floating in the air. Following hard on the heels of one technological breakthrough, Jake is back with another in a video that shows a synapse in action.

Sandeep at The Mouse Trap discusses the new study which finds a right brain connection with creative thinking.

PsyBlog discusses the "halo effect" and how politicians and marketing hacks can manipulate you into seeing what they want you to see.

The Neurocritic has three terrific posts on how the brain effects hunger and reinforcement. He also explains how his amygdala is very optimistic but, alas, his subgenual cingulate is sad.

Alvaro at Sharp Brains details Darwin's self-reported lifelong neuroplasticity.

Isabelle at Medopedia discusses why children with Asperger's syndrome have a high incidence of certain sleep disorders.

Ben Hansen reviews the latest book on bipolar children in a piece entitled "Sick Children, or a Sick Society?"

Zachary at Distributed Neuron explains why neurons don't like sweets from the new report in Nature Neuroscience detailing the inhibition of glycogen synthesis in neurons.

Finally, I've included my own piece entitled Monkey See, Monkey Don't Remember about how neurogenesis declines in the aging primate brain.

Noam at Brain in a Vat will be hosting Encephelon #36 on November 19th. Make sure to get your posts in to encephalon{dot}host{at}gmail{dot}com as soon as possible.