Exercise and Anger

Exercising people are happy people.

Nonsense. Ever see someone’s face at mile 20 of a marathon? Do they look happy to you?

OK, maybe people aren’t happy while exercising, but evidence shows they’re better off, in general, after the fact. Physical activity has a positive effect on mood, and is considered a valid treatment strategy to battle anxiety disorders and even depression. Although most explanations are somewhat wishy-washy, researchers believe that hedonistic value of exercise is important in mental health. Exercise simply makes us feel good about ourselves. And this is not only true in humans, but in animals, as well. Rats and mice that are given free access to a running wheel will use it, and lab rodents typically won’t do anything that doesn’t provide them some sort of pleasure.

Brian MossopAugust 11, 2010brain, exercise Comment

Curiosity as Vice and Virtue

Copernicus and Galileo had it easy. Those two lived during the middle of the European Renaissance, a time when creativity and curiosity were norms in society. Sure, the church came down hard on their views on where the earth stood in relation to the rest of the universe. But, basically, the church simply disagreed with the details of their argument. (Well, I guess calling someone a heretic is slightly more than disagreeing with someone, but you know what I mean...)

Brian MossopAugust 4, 2010science Comment

Should We Fear Genetic Testing?

Though the prospect of learning about our DNA might seem wrapped in mystery and intrigue, genetic information is not so different from any other metrics we know about ourselves: Our age, our weight, our blood pressure. With a little scrutiny, any of these numbers can tell us something about our health and ourselves. It’s the same with a genetic scan – it gives us some perspective on our health, though far from the complete picture. It is, in other words, a place to start thinking about how we’re living our lives. It’s important to remember, though, that genetics is a very new science, and that getting a scan today is the equivalent of buying the first generation iPod – it’s a work in progress, and will get much better as time goes on. There’s a lot that science doesn’t know yet about the exact influence of DNA on our health, and the journey is part of the ride. But it’s a rare opportunity, unprecedented, perhaps, in history, that the general public might be granted unfettered access to experience science as it happens. It’s not something that everyone will be comfortable with, but we shouldn’t underestimate how profound this opportunity is.

Thomas GoetzAugust 4, 2010Comment

Making Penicillin

In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin through an equal mix of scientific rigor and serendipity. Still, doctors spent the better part of the 1930’s one step behind infections that had no regard for human life. Penicillin was simply too expensive and difficult to produce in large quantities, and the drug was tucked away on a laboratory shelf until the outbreak of WWII in 1939. The US government used the need to treat battlefield infections to seize control of penicillin production, along with the intellectual property and patents behind the drug. But Uncle Sam’s questionable tactics paid off: from 1939 to 1944, penicillin went from an expensive laboratory experiment to a battlefield staple in every soldier’s medic kit.

Brian MossopJuly 16, 2010disease Comment

PepsiCo at ScienceBlogs

ScienceBlogs.com -- one of the most well-known and highly-cited blog sites -- caused quite the hullabaloo on Twitter and the blogosphere today when they announced their newest contributor: PepsiCo. For quite some time, SEED Media (the parent company behind ScienceBlogs.com) has sold advertising space on contributors' sites. But as PalMD describes in his post, the center panel of each site is always under the direct control of the author. With the launch of the PepsiCo blog, SEED Media is in grave danger of blurring the line between advertising and content.

Brian MossopJuly 6, 2010diet, health Comments

Time to Make a Dopamine Run

It's 6am and my alarm clock is buzzing, but I don't hear it. I don't even move. But the incessant noise wakes my wife, and her gentle nudges (read: elbows) and soft whispers (read: expletives) eventually convince me to get out of bed. It seemed like a great idea: Run in the morning before work, to free up countless evening hours. “Think of all you'll get done at night if you don't have to run after work”, I said to myself. “For once you'll actually hit your goal of blogging multiple posts per week! Maybe even finish some of those half-read books lining the shelves.” But two days into the new regime, I'm having second thoughts.

Brian MossopJune 23, 2010behavior change, brain, dopamine, exercise Comment

What Did the NIH Report on Lifestyle Modification/Alzheimer's Really Say?

My inbox flooded with links to the report released by NIH (and evangelized by TIME) stating that lifestyle interventions (diet, physical activity, mental exercises, etc.) may not be that effective in preventing Alzheimer's Disease. Before I mount my full counterattack, I need to carefully read through the studies the meta-analysis cites. Still, a quick glance at the exclusion criteria of the meta-analysis reveals the authors limited their review to studies using patients over the age of fifty. So really, these results imply that lifestyle modifications may not prevent, delay, or treat Alzheimer's Disease if you start these changes later in life.

Brian MossopJune 22, 2010Alzheimer's Disease, behavior change, brain health, dementia, exerciseComment

Internet: Good or Bad for the Brain?

I was fairly quiet on the blogs and Twitter the latter part of last week, because I spent Thursday and Friday at the Health Horizons Conference, sponsored by the Institute for the Future (IFTF). I’ll post some reflections soon, but first I want to comment on an interesting discussion that was brewing last week. Over at Neuron Culture, David Dobbs has some nice insight into the ongoing debate between renowned science/tech writers Stephen Pinker and Nicholas Carr.

Brian MossopJune 21, 2010brain health, internet Comments

Big News, Big Changes

Two-and-a-half years ago, I met Thomas as a burned-out postdoc contemplating a career change. On our first meeting, I asked him what sort of job existed for a someone who loved science but didn’t want to work in the lab, had a deep interest in writing and communication, and wanted to be a part of building tools to disseminate scientific information to the public. I finally found the answer to my question. At the end of the month, I'll be moving out of the lab (once and for all) and headed over to the Public Library of Science (PLoS) as the new Community Manager of PLoS Hubs. I am thrilled about the new opportunity, and very much looking forward to working with the super talented team at PLoS.

Brian MossopJune 17, 2010 Comment

Why The Debate Over Personal Genomics Is a False One

I appeared on KQED's Forum show this morning to discuss this whole Walgreen's/Pathway Genomics fallout. Here's a link to the show: And here are some quick thoughts:

The controversy seems to have stirred the FDA to assert its authority - and that of physicians - over any and all medical metrics. As readers of The Decision Tree know, I have little patience for the argument that we need doctors as gatekeepers of our genetic information. This isn't a drug, and this isn't a device - it's information about ourselves, as ordinary as our hair color or our waist size or our blood pressure - all things that we can measure and consider without a doctor's permission.

Thomas GoetzMay 21, 2010The Decision Tree Comments