Plastic Brain

I just read an article in "Science" magazine about adult brain plasticity. Now this is probably not DIRECTLY applicable to humans because the research was done on rats, but the results were very interesting. Exposure to antidepressants increased brain plasticity in these rats in regard to their visual systems. Chronic administration of antidepressants increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the visual cortex and reduced intracortical inhibition and promoted recovery of vision (the mean scientists had caused long-term monocular deprivation).
Since the mechanism of action of antidepressent drug is not clear, this may help explain it through neuronal plasticity.
What a great idea...Prozac (and Zoloft and Celexa and Lexapro and.....) make the brain more plastic and could promote brain growth and change.
I have an image of my brain made of different colors of Playdough and being squashed and rearranged. Or maybe it is more like Silly Putty.
And why is this important to me? The study of rat brains? Well, it is because in the Chinese system I AM A RAT. So it has to apply to me.
Whoops, I forgot to take my fluoxetine, better go take it now. I might even double my dosage.

Inheritance?

A word about my lovely grandchild, Jordan. I think it may be possible to inherit acquired skills. How else can you explain an 8 month old baby crawling across the den floor, bypassing all of her educational toys, finding the X-Box controller, turning ON the X-Box and happily sitting in front of the TV pushing the controller buttons? I think video game ability must be in her DNA! And that DNA came directly from her game-playing parents! I couldn't be prouder.

My very first time!

I have finally done it...set up a blog site. I noticed that when I read other's blogs, my fingers would start twitching and I had all kinds of exciting, insightful, and, well, brilliant things to say. Now that I have those twitchy fingers on my own keyboard, my neurons have stopped firing and my brain hurts.
With all the interesting things going on in my life, I should be able to write inspiring prose for the benefit of all humankind, but I find it is much more difficult than I thought.
I think I'll start posting some pictures. Everyone is interested in pictures.
Later