Just remember that it was your choice to click the link and the only one who can compel you to continue reading is {wait for it}….you. Congrats. No really, I mean it. For whatever reason, you’re willing to give me a shot and I appreciate your trust in me. Thanks for joining me as I attempt to use my brain in its most meta capacity: explaining how the brain works. The TL;DR of this first post right here is in the “About” section. But in case you want the expanded edition of why this blog exists….have at it!
Sometimes I joke that I only majored in Neuroscience in college because it sounds impressive. That’s not really a joke. The field of neuroscience is littered with alphanumeric strings, acronyms, and technical jargon that makes even a seasoned researcher’s head spin. It is not an inherently welcoming field for the casual participant but {and I am acutely aware of my own bias here} it is hugely important to at least have some idea of how brains work. Mental illness, medication, cognition, social interaction, movement: all of these are broad topics that are not well understood by the general public. And yet…all of us have brains, all of us think, and issues in neuroscience tend to touch each of our lives daily.
We live in a terrifying world where clickbait and advertising revenue at the cost of bad science and a misinformed public reign supreme. Our society in particular likes simple explanations for complex issues and wants easily digestible information. Hell, even I get mentally lazy and really want to believe many things I read online to save myself the arduous task of sifting through dense research in pursuit of a truth I’m not particularly vested in. I’m also going to come out and say that people are idiots and claim authority, confusing subjective experience with good data. So if you’re going to proceed, learn this motto and take it to heart: the plural of data is not anecdotes. Actually, data is already plural but that’s besides the point. Just because your cousin smokes weed every day and has never had a negative side effect doesn’t automatically mean marijuana is completely harmless. Good on you for getting through your PhD in physics with severe attention issues and no medication, still doesn’t mean ADHD is just laziness disguised as a disorder. And so on.
I am not a doctor. I don’t even have my Master’s. I’m just an average graduate with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and a passion for educating people who want to learn more about the brain without a lifetime of college debt to learn how to answer questions about the brain and behavior. I cannot give you medical advice and while I’ll give sources to support claims, also keep in mind much of what I have to say comes from me doing the legwork and research and translating neuroscience into plain English. Some stuff might get lost in translation and my wording relies on my discretion. I am also human and prone to error.
If you’re knee deep in this field, please feel free to correct egregious errors but if you’re going to write me a lengthy epistle on how I should’ve also covered the impact of antacids on benzodiazepine function, think about if that’s what you want to spend your time doing. Also, if your opinion doesn’t line up with my science, cool. That’s fine. You’re entitled to your opinions, I’ll just be over here with my empirical, non-subjective numerical support for a particular hypothesis. Nothing in science is actually proven, just….strongly supported or not. I’ve no interest in fighting but I ALWAYS will be happy to answer questions, take constructive feedback, and engage in general discourse about anything I write. The purpose of all this is education and making knowledge accessible to those looking to learn.
This blog is, for the time being, entitled NeuroTopical, which is a play on word. The term “neurotypical” originally was coined to refer to those not on the autism spectrum but since has gained traction as a blanket term for people free from any or all clinically significant mental disorders. It’s actually a pretty flexible, broad term but as you’ll come to hopefully learn, there’s not really such a thing as “neurotypical.” Perhaps “neuro-middle-of-the-bell-curve” is more accurate but that doesn’t have the same ring to it. So. Y’know. NeuroTopical. On the topic of the brain. And that’s right. Sometimes, just….sometimes, I’m going to get really lazy and use Wikipedia as a source. And you’re going to like it.
Anyways, enough pfaffing {faffing? piaffing? fiffing?} about. Ready to embark?
NeuroTopical 