Comments on: Your genes are just the odds

By: Neuron Culture - Aglitter in the net: reading, writing, genes, and leaving your desk

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:39:34 +0000

[...] Razib says what can’t be said too often: Your genes are just the odds [...]

By: Aglitter in the net: reading, writing, genes, and leaving your desk [Neuron Culture] » iThinkEducation.net!

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:18:24 +0000

[...] Razib says what can’t be said too often: Your genes are just the odds [...]

By: Today’s ‘Family History’ News « Center for the Study of Family History

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:38:16 +0000

[...] Morning Edition on National Public Radio has an interview with a neuroscientist “uncovering a dark secret.” Someone at Discover magazine has been blogging about it. [...]

By: Elsa

Elsa — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:42:39 +0000

True, the genes are the odds, especially for behaviors… but for things like some diseases, the odds are pretty much 100%. It seems like making and understanding those kinds of distinctions would be where genetic counseling comes in. And, of course, careful presentation in the media.
This also kind of relates to a discussion of genetic testing that’s going on over at PRI’s The World Science, if anybody wants to come over and check out some very different public-radio stories on genetics. Mayana Zatz, a Brazilian geneticist and genetic counselor, is online there til July 13 taking questions and comments.
http://www.world-science.org/forum/genetic-testing-personal-genomics-ethics-mayana-zatz/

By: dan

dan — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:18:40 +0000

Razib, you got any good info or links about how changes in gene expression in *neurons* effect this type of scenario? i was intrigued by Kandel’s explanation about how learning is actually a change in the protein production in neurons and i was wondering how this relates to behavior and why it is (apparently) weaker in effect than inherited genes and the inherited epigenome. I.e. Say this person from the NPR article was a clone of one of his parents so he had a much greater chance of being a killer. How powerful of a change in neuronal gene expression would we need to overcome this tendency and is this even possible? In short: Is this why, once you’re an adult, it’s basically impossible to change your personality in any significant way? Thanks

By: znz

znz — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:08:20 +0000

I think one would totally want everyone to know if one had psychopathic killer neurology.

cf. “Mad Dog Tim” in “The Life and Times of Tim”, http://www.vureel.com/video/15186/The-Life-and-Times-of-Tim-S01E04 .

By: Rosiecee

Rosiecee — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:21:43 +0000

Yes, drugs which raise seroton, like Prozac, can cause violence.

The Physicians Desk Reference states that SSRI antidepressants and all antidepressants can cause mania, psychosis, abnormal thinking, paranoia, hostility, etc. These side effects can also appear during withdrawal. Also, these adverse reactions are not listed as Rare but are listed as either Frequent or Infrequent.

Go to http://www.SSRIstories.com where there are over 3,900 cases, with the full media article available, involving bizarre murders, suicides, school shootings/incidents [55 of these] and murder-suicides – all of which involve SSRI antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, etc, . The media article usually tells which SSRI antidepressant the perpetrator was taking or had been using.

By: Killer Insticts: How One Neuroscientist Discovered He Had the Mind of a Psychopath

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:01:32 +0000

[...] living horror?Well, that’s just what happened to a neuroscientist named Jim Fallon. According to a report in Discover magazine, based on an episode of Morning Edition, Fallon was doing research on his families [...]

By: Tweets that mention Your genes are just the odds | Gene Expression | Discover Magazine -- Topsy.com

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:37:22 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by GraceBarkwell, razib khan and Ron Simon, World Amazing Things. World Amazing Things said: Your genes are just the odds | Gene Expression: Morning Edition has a strange story today about the exploration o… http://bit.ly/bCoNBt [...]