Six

Today was the sixth anniversary of this blog. I'm not much for meta-blogging or general chattiness, but I thought I would highlight the nine posts (out of 700) with the most comments. Thank you for your support over the years, and keep the comments coming.


9. Friston Is Freudian - Friday, March 12, 2010

Neuropsychoanalysis is in the news again because of the recent publication of Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin. In 2010, first author Carhart-Harris published an expansionist mega-opus (with Karl Friston) on The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: a neurobiological account of Freudian ideas, the basis for the present post and its follow-up.


8. Is CBT Worthless? - July 03, 2009

According to a meta-analysis by Lynch, Laws and McKenna, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is not helpful for those with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and any improvements seen in major depression are rather small.


7. White Matter Differences in Pre-Op Transsexuals Should NOT be the Basis for Childhood Interventions - January 28, 2011

Contains a number of comments by transgendered individuals who took exception with various aspects of this post.


6. The Precuneus and Recovery from a Minimally Conscious State - July 05, 2006

Includes a number of comments, over a two year period, from a father caring for his son.


5. Voodoo Correlations in Social Neuroscience - January 05, 2009

On the infamous paper by Edward Vul, Christine Harris, Piotr Winkielman and Harold Pashler, ultimately retitled Puzzlingly High Correlations in fMRI Studies of Emotion, Personality, and Social Cognition.


4. Glossolalia - November 04, 2006

Includes personal statements from many individuals who feel they speak in tongues.


3. Bad News for the Genetics of Personality - August 07, 2010

A recent search for genetic variants that underlie differences in personality traits came up empty (Verweij et al., 2010).


2. The Pseudoscience of Anti-Psychiatry in PLoS Medicine - August 01, 2006

Antipsychiatry is always a hot-button topic, and this early post attracted 44 comments.


1. Airplane Headache - August 15, 2010

The winner by a mile, with 72 comments, is on a supposedly rare type of headache that occurs during take-off and landing (Atkonson & Lee, 2004). The pain appears to be unique to plane travel and not associated with other conditions. Neurological exam and brain imaging results in all published cases (n=14) have been normal. Clearly, there are more than 14 people who suffer from these excruciating headaches on airplanes. Triptan drugs (used to treat migraines and cluster headaches) may be effective in preventing airplane headaches (Ipekdal et al., 2011).

Thank you for reading!