When the dying tyrant Nero proclaimed on his death bed “Oh, what an artist that perishes in me!” his remarks reveal more than just the arrogance of history’s darkest man. They also reveal the almost immutable cultural connection between art and great suffering; between the artist and the sufferer....
A lobotomy is a surgical technique that involves making an incision in the brain's frontal lobe, severing several nerve tracts. This procedure was used to pacify aggressive mental patients, as well as to treat disorders including schizophrenia and clinical depression. Between 1939 and 1951, over...
The amygdala is part of the brain. The brain has two amygdalas. Both are found in the middle of the brain, somewhere near the hypothalamus. Each measure around an inch. The amygdala is shaped like an almond (hence its name) and is composed of several nuclei. These include the basolateral complex,...
When we think of animals that will destroy us, rend us limb from limb, and leave us in a bloody mess, we usually thing of the huge and horrifying. Which means we forget about the real threats: the tiny, the cute, the gorgeous. The animals at which we ooh and aaah over, but are deadly, poisonous...
Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter, a kind of body chemical which transmits signals between different neurons or nerve cells of the brain. Like many other neurotransmitters, Dopamine is associated with many functions, some of them critical to the normal functioning of the brain and hence...
Sometimes people who take large doses of anabolic steroids go into “roid rage.” There are news reports of people suddenly becoming very hostile and difficult to control, leading to very violent attacks and even murders. Some of them turn against themselves, and commit suicide. Anabolic steroids...
Psychology as we know it is a relatively young science, but since its inception it has helped us to gain a greater understanding of ourselves and our interactions with the world. Many psychological...
A mental disorder or a mental illness is a pattern of behavior or a psychological pattern in a person which isn't considered to be normal when compared to a healthy human being. There are various forms of mental disorders which could be related to personality, mood, eating habits, anxiety and...
The internet is the great playing field leveler. On the internet, no one knows you're a dog, right? But it turns out that we have a pretty good idea if you're a paranoid schizophrenic with persecution complex — because that's what your website tells us about you. These 13 people are all crackpots...
The harmful effects of marijuana are well known, with risks to users including memory problems, lack of concentration, and even a higher incidence of lung cancer but very little information regarding the beneficial effects of marijuana. With the growing trend toward the use of medical marijuana...
