Blog 1

I am very excited to start AP Psychology. I'm really looking forward to learning more about psychology in general. I haven't been able to take a psychology class until now, and the subject has always interested me. I'm particularly interested in learning more about neuroscience. I think the human brain is one of the most fascinating things in the world because it's still so much of a mystery to even the smartest people on the planet. I'm not really sure when this whole subject area started to intrigue me, but I vaguely recall watching a NOVA episode one night on PBS about something brainy and being really impressed. I can definitely see myself working in that field someday. I also think it will be interesting and/or awkward learning about twins. I feel like twins shouldn't interest me because I didn't plan on being a twin, but they do. From what I have learned already, the psychology of twins is a very interesting and creepy (for me) subject. While reading the prologue, I also found it interesting to think about psychology from an evolutionary standpoint. We talk a lot about evolution in biology and integrated science, but we never really address the psychological aspects of it. Nature vs nurture is evidently a huge debate in the psychological world and I would love to hear some of the evidence supporting both sides. I'm definitely expecting this class to be perhaps my most interesting class this year and so far I haven't been disappointed. I guess it makes a big difference when you're actually interested in what you're learning...

Speaking of interesting, I found an article today on how to "take over a brain". The article is from CNN (I love CNN?) and it focuses on a recent development in neuroscience. The article is from January 7th so it's actually pretty revelant, which I appreciate. It definitely goes to show you that new advancements in the field are occurring as we speak and that's one of the coolest things about this science. It seems as though psychology is one area where we can really see change and research happening as we learn about it. Physics and chemistry definitely have their set rules and conclusions, while psychology seems to be changing every day, but perhaps this is just due to the fact that I haven't been exposed to much "soft science" yet. Regardless, this article is interesting. It focuses on a new technology called optogenetics that allows researchers to control cells in an animal brain. Fiber-optics tools are inserted into an animal's brain, and pulses of light are used to trigger neurons. Scientists engineered a light-sensitive protein, inserted via a virus, and use the protein to control the neurons. Scientists are using it to find out more about dopamine production, Parkinson's, and schizophrenia. The technology may help scientists figure out what these conditions do and how they can be treated. My personal questions on the subject are:
1. How/where is the fiber-optics tool inserted and is it permanent?
2. How exactly are the light-sensitive proteins in the neurons affected by the light?
3. What are the side effects, if any?
4. Has this been tested on humans/ will it be tested on humans?
5. What other ways can this technology be used? (Outside the brain??)
Hopefully research pertaining to this new technology will continue to be published so we can all see the effects of this new discovery!

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/06/opinion/mlodinow-science-frontier/index.html