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LU3 Q&A
Neuroscience
Are the clinical syndromes of Bipolar and Unipolar depression the same?
No. This depression have no exact cause as there are many factors that can contribute to developing the condition such as environmental, physiological and biological factors. As for biological factors, these depression can occur because of the lack of neurotransmitter chemicals such as dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA), glutamate and acetylcholine that are present in the brain as well as the spinal cord. According to Mitchell and colleagues (2004), they found there are subtle differences between the clinical syndrome between Bipolar and Unipolar depression, which are the higher rates of psychomotor retardation, the greater difficulty in thinking, and early awakening or worsening of mood. The key point is that not all depression are the same.
How does Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) contributes to the study of the human brain? What are the advantages?
SPECT is a large machine that contains a camera that detects the radioactive tracer on the body. The tracer dose is injected through an intravenous (IV) infusion into an arm’s vein before undergoing the SPECT scan. The pictures results is based on the colors. As an example, a lighter colour shows that the brain cells are less active while active brain cells has a more darker colour. The advantages of using this method is the body’s image will be shown in 3-D and it is an unexpensive on-site cyclotron (Purves et al., 1997). Plus, it will enable us to look into the brain activity at the same time the labeled substance is detected in the body. For instance, it becomes possible to capture the blood flow on a seizure’s patient and discover the location of activity in the brain when a subject is engaged in a particular mental exercise (memory task).
Can dyslexia be cured?
Bennett (2014) stated that “Dyslexia cannot be cured; but with the right intervention it is possible to develop strategies to overcome individual difficulties” (p. 251). Some strategies include one on one training or practices with a professional tutor. This will help a person with dyslexia to organise their workload more efficiently by setting up realistic goals in improving themselves. Besides, with modern day technological advances, it is easier for one to get assistance, such as by using applications like Dictaphone or EasyReader.