Scott Anderson, Ph.D.

This past week has been a blur of neuroscience. Sometimes a good blur, and sometimes the blur that has the soundtrack of what??? The auditory system is a marvel. In my Systems Neuroscience (Systems) course, this past week's lectures have been focused on audition. While audition may sound like a subject within the Theater Department , the Systems class has been focused on the sense of hearing version of audition. Sound refers to the vibrations that occur in the air. These vibrations surround our bodies, and we have special sensors that allow us to perceive and interpret some of these vibrations. The vibrations that fall within a specific range (~20 to 20,000 vibrations/second) are what we call audible. Within these audible vibrations is a lot of information that can be useful; the sound of a familiar voice, a warning siren, locating the position of the chirping bird, etc. Our sense of hearing allows us to decode these vibrations into information that can help us relate to

The brain has a large appetite for glucose and oxygen. This semester I'm taking a course called Systems Neuroscience. As the name implies, this course explores the various systems of the nervous system, and how they all work together. Last week marked the beginning of the course, and we began by exploring the blood supply to the brain. It probably goes without saying that adequate blood flow to the brain is important, as it is for all of the body's tissues. As it turns out, the brain has its own unique set of circulatory demands, and an uninterrupted flow of blood to the brain is even more essential than it is for many of the body's other tissues. The brain has a disproportionately hearty appetite for food (glucose) and oxygen. Unlike other tissues in the body, though, the brain does not store reserves of glucose. Because of this absence of stored energy, the brain's health is entirely dependent upon the uninterrupted flow of fresh blood. Since the flow of fresh

Last week I was visiting Eugene, Oregon on a teaching trip. Over the past few years, I've been training teachers at Eugene Yoga, and along the way, I have made some good friends out there. Over dinner one evening, the subject of luck came up. When I shared my view that I've been very lucky, a good friend turned to me with the arched-eyebrow that immediately preceded her what?? query. As some of you know, I did have kind of an odd upbringing. I was adopted at birth, and my adoptive mother struggled mightily with a potent anxiety/depression combo. My adoptive mother's mental illness primarily expressed through narcissism, which made her forays into caregiving furtive and rather incomplete. Despite my relative lack of mothering, I persist in believing that I have been very lucky in this life. In this recent article in the New York Times, the author refers to investor Warren Buffet's view on his good fortune on his winning draw in the Ovarian Lottery . Simila

As an undergrad, I was often overwhelmed by the pace and process of learning. There were many extracurricular subjects that I found interesting, though I seldom found the bandwidth to pursue these subjects. It wasn't until my formal education was squarely in the rearview mirror of life that I felt the freedom to fully delve into studies of land-use, farming, bodywork and nutrition. As I mentioned in a prior blog entry, I've become familiar with a not-insignificant tendency towards anxiety. While this recognition may seem like a bummer, the tools that I've learned in the intervening decades have freed me to multitask and juggle multiple responsibilities in ways that I didn't dream of in my youth. Yes, the anxiety is there, though I'm no longer held hostage when it pays a visit. I haven't had much bandwidth the past few months, though I've enjoyed more unstructured time these past few weeks. Before I share the specifics of what I've learned with you,

After a bit of a hiatus from the work of grad school, I've recently returned to reading and studying material related to join laxity. As is often the case (see this blog entry for a short discussion of ADHD and the Brownian motion of my mind), I've found interesting articles that divert my attention away from the task-at-hand. What are you doing to improve your odds of being a Superager? The other day I found an article in the New York Times that piqued my interest. In this article, the author discussed how important it is for aging populations to push themselves - to get out of their comfort zone. The therapeutic power of pushing beyond the comfort zone has been something of a recurring theme that I've encountered in various quarters. For example, a theory of athletic training suggests that much of the supposed age-related diminution of physical prowess is not necessarily the result of aging, but the result of how older athletes tend to stop pushing themselves