Your Microbes

Did you know that microbes inhabit just about every part of your body? For the first time, a consortium of researchers organized by the National Institutes of Health has mapped the normal microbial make-up of healthy humans. They now calculate that there are more than 10,000 different microbial species and estimate between 81 and 99 percent of all microorganisms have been identified in generally healthy adults. They found that the human body contains trillions of microorganisms that outnumber human cells by 10 to 1. Because of their small size, these microorganisms make up only about 1 to 3 percent of the body's mass (e.g., if you weigh 100 pounds you have 1-3 pounds of microorganisms; if you weigh 200 pounds than 2-6 pounds of microorganisms, and so on).  NHGRI's HMP program manager. "Microbes in the gut break down many of the proteins, fats, and carbohydrates into nutrients that you can then absorb; and produce beneficial compounds such as vitamins and anti-inflammatories. It appears that the distribution of microbial metabolic activities matters more than the species of microbes providing them (e.g., microbes can pinch hit for each other). The microbe composition changes when you get sick or take antibiotics.

Fun, Exercise, and the Brain

It appears that "choice," even in animals, can impact brain function. According to Steven Arnold, a professor of pschiatrhy and neurology at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Penn Memory Center, animal studies have shown that the brain makes new cells when animals exercise. However, this appears to happen only when the animals choose to exercise. For example, when a mouse is forced to run on a wheel, the effects to the brain are not as beneficial as when the mouse voluntarily chooses to run on the wheel just for fun. Find a form of physical exerecise that you enjoy and do it just for fun.

Dendrimers, BBB, and CP

Have you heard about dendrimers? These synthetic, snowflake-shaped molecules were invented in 1979 by Don Tomalia, director of the National Dendrimer Nanotechnology Center in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine recently affixed an anti-inflammatory drug to dendrimers and injected the combination into the blood stream of newborn rabbits that showed symptoms similar to those exhibited by children with cerebral palsy. The dendrimers transported the drug across the Blood Brain Barrier and targeted microglia and astrocytes. This stopped further inflammation and improved motor function. Potentially, this could be very good news for individuals with cerebral-palsy symptoms.

Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory

Did you know that only a handful of individuals have been identified as having extraordinary recall for personal life events? James McGaugh, a memory researcher at UC Irvine, reportedly invented the name hyperthymesia (from the Greek words thymesis meaning remembering and hyper meaning excessive). First described in a 2006 Neurocase article, people with hyperthymesia (who typically are not autistic) exhibit a couple of defining characteristics: they tend to spend a large amount of time thinking about their personal past coupled with an extraordinary capacity for recall. The newer label is Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory or HSAM for short.

Odors and Autobiographical Memories

Did you know that odors can trigger autobiographical memories very quickly? Researchers have used a variety of non-verbal cues in an attempt to trigger memories. Study results showed that odors are particular effective in triggering autobiographical memories, more so than other types of non-odor-related cues. Memories for specific events that were triggered by odors were more detailed and more emotionally loaded than memories triggers by verbal, visual, or non-odor-related cues.

Health-Forgiveness Connection

Do you want to be healthier? Think forgiveness. It is the ability to release past hurts, failures, sense of guilt, and loss from your mind. You accept responsibility for your own perceptions, realizing they are a choice and not an objective fact. Forgiveness does not condone negative inappropriate behavior in any person or pretend that everything is okay when it isn’t. It is a gift you give to yourself, a way to stop harboring destructive feelings that sap health and happiness. The act of forgiving allows your body to turn down the manufacture of catabolic chemicals and instructs your subconscious to banish negative feelings from your mind. When you say, “I forgive you” you’re also saying, “I choose to be healthy.” Remember, forgiveness has little to do with others and everything to do with you.

ASD and Savant Skills

Did you know that according to some reports, individuals with autism spectrum disorders or ASD are more likely than others to possess savant skills? Researchers have suggested that this may occur for a couple of reasons. First, the ASD individual typically has some type of obsessive interest in a constricted areas of interest (central coherence), coupled with a cognitive processing style that involves a focus on local features during the processing. This may aid in the development of savant skills. In the process, however, global processing tends to be sacrificed. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18164320)