(no subject)
Hello and welcome to '30 Days of me', a meme stolen from yuna1881. Thought this might actually be useful for people to get to know me a bit and it could go on my profile. In that vein, I'm going to limit what personal information about myself I include.
Day 01 - Introduce Yourself
Um, hi?
Irl, they call me Kris. It is short for Kristina, or Krisztina. It means follower of Christ (female form). And the reason I prefer Kris, Krissy or any other shortened form because I don't want to be named after something I am not. I am Hungarian, hence the alternate spelling. My parents chose the name because they wanted something that was the same in both English and Hungarian. Many Hungarian names have translations for them that are completely different sounding, such István = Steven. Some are close approximations (Erzsébet = Elizabeth) and like mine, some are almost the same, minus the accent change. 'Sz' make the same sound as 's' and in hungarian 's' makes the 'sh' sound.
Well, that's just my name. I'm currently 24 years old, doing a PhD in neuroscience. The topic of my research is the neuroendocrine control of social informaiton processing in rodents. What that means is I look at what influence brain hormones, such as oxytocin and vassopressin have on various social tests in rats and mice. Two main parts of social information processing I'm investigating is social recognition, which is the ability of an animal to recognise a conspecific that it has seen before. It's a type of memory. The other part is sociability, which is how interested an animal is in investigating other conspecifics. Conspecific = member of the same species. On the side, I'm also interested in how MDMA (ecstasy) influences social processing, because the unique thing about MDMA is its ability to increase prosocial feelings in humans. It's been proposed that oxytocin, and possibly vassopressin are the mediators of that. But that's enough science for now.
I am going to talk about the most profound trait I have that has pretty much rules my life and shaped who I am. And not many people can understand it.
I have been interested in science for a very long time. The rather unique thing about me that people remember is my 'obsessions' or 'phases' as they have been called. I get absolutely obsessed with a certain topic to the point it suddenly becomes the most interesting thing in the world. My first one I remember was when I was about 6 years old, and it was rabbits. I can tell, because everything I did in my school book was to do with rabbits. Yes, I also keep my old school stuff like that. Reason being I used to be afraid of losing my memory one day and keeping all that stuff would help me remember. This was at a very young age (7 or 8). Now it's just interesting to look back on. I've had a lot of different obsessions.
My most notable obsession I've had that's impacted my life the most would be hands down, neurons. Obsessions tend to blend into one another, so the next obsession usually has something to do with the previous one. Previous to neurons, it was Japan. I loved the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. The organisation in it was called Nerv. Also, I liked this book called Shinkei, which also means nerve in japanese, from the root 'pathways of the gods' from Chinese. Also, in grade 4, we had this thing called life ed van, which is basically 'drug education'. They taught us about the nervous system, which I found so interesting. They had this nervous system with a dot that would speed up with stimulants and slow down with depressant drugs. I thought I was so cool sneaking my parent's coffee because I was doing drugs. There was also fundraising activities for MS and epilepsy, and I memorized the facts from the educational videos they gave us. The obsession did not start here, it was only the seed that was planted.
I do not know why obsessesions start, and why that particular interest. I mean I know how they start. Basically it was previously seeded as something interesting to me, but other than that, nothing too significant. One day, I just wake up, and this thing is the best thing EVAR. I am serious. There is a cerain word which evokes an emotional reaction. For example, 'ecstasy' would evoke such a reaction, but MDMA would not. So at first I'd have to use the word 'MDMA' when referring to ecstasy so I don't appear overexcited. Now it's kind of okay, because the people around me probably don't know the current phase I'm in. Well okay, maybe because it's very recently changed. But back in the highschool days, it becomes obvious to everyone, and lead to torment, by them saying the phase word and watching my reaction. "Hey, nervous nervous neuron!" (where I got my user name :P) But you cannot torment someone with something that feels good, so I kind of liked it.Well, they could because it also included being socially alienated. But I insulated myself from that with friends and the obsession itself. Ironic imo. Unfortunately not all friends were great and sometimes the pain managed to break through but I would never ever admit it.
Anyway, after the initial stage, things calm down, and then I'm onto wanting to know everything there is about it. You could probably look at my youtube and browsing history to work out my current obsession. The internet really facilitated this because one of the 'urges' is to know more. Knowing more might not mean scientific knowledge on the topic, but anything which may include what songs include the phase, or TV episodes centered around the topic. It's on my mind pretty much 24/7. As time goes on, it slows down and is no longer on my mind, and no longer causes 'over excitement'. It's still the most interesting thing and I love reading and talking about it. Eventually, it becomes a regular interest if it had a big impact, or if it was short lived, goes back to how it was. And then it's on to the next obsession. It can last for years or for months, and it can be more than one obsession at a time, but they're usually related. For example Pokemon and Japan. One could be petering out as the new one enters, eg Japan and neurons.
I have tried to get psychiatric help for this. Why? Well actually, I was getting help for my depressive episode, but this thing does not feel normal. I did discuss it with my psychiatrist. No, it's not a passion. People don't get that. They pretty much come out of no where. Could it be part of a (hypo)manic episode? That's important to know, because than depression would be the wrong diagnosis if they'd count as manic episodes. Because certainly the obsession doesn't 'work' when I'm depressed. That is actually how a friend pointed it out to me that something was wrong with me because I had zero enthusiasm for that obsession, along with other symptoms of course. But of course, this started from at least 6 years old with rabbits. And the rest doesn't add up. Okay, maybe the effect of a new obsession would match up with a manic episode, but the rest is how I have always been. More likely to be a personality thing. Asperger's Syndrome is the next closest explanation. And if my obsession turned to fire, I would be a pyromaniac going by the wikipedia page.
But it's only psychiatric if it's been causing problems. I wonder if other people have this as a personality trait. And it would be difficult, as it can cause problems but also brings along benefits. Well, that's enough about me. I'll leave you with this rewording of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyromania.
A type of impulse control disorder, neuromania is an impulse to gather knowledge about neurons to relieve tension and typically includes feelings of gratification or relief during and afterward. The term neuromania comes from the Greek word neuron (sinew,cord). Neuromania is distinct from being a neuroscientist, and neuromaniacs are also distinct from those who study neuroscience because they want a job, for personal, monetary or political gain, or for merely getting good grades. Neuromaniacs gather information and discuss neurons to induce euphoria, and often fixate on institutions of neuroscience like laboratories and hospitals.
When people at uni ask me why I became so passionate about neuroscience, I rarely ever tell the full truth which is basically "feels good, man". Or I guess "felt good, man". How could I explain this?
Day 02 - Your First Love
Day 03 - Your Parents
Day 04 - What you ate today
Day 05 - Your definition of love
Day 06 - Your day
Day 07 - Your best friend
Day 08 - A moment
Day 09 - Your beliefs
Day 10 - What you wore today
Day 11 - Your siblings
Day 12 - What’s in your bag
Day 13 - This week
Day 14 - What you wore today
Day 15 - Your dreams
Day 16 - Your first kiss
Day 17 - Your favorite memory
Day 18 - Your favorite birthday
Day 19 - Something you regret
Day 20 - This month
Day 21 - Another moment
Day 22 - Something that upsets you
Day 23 - Something that makes you feel better
Day 24 - Something that makes you cry
Day 25 - A first
Day 26 - Your fears
Day 27 - Your favorite place
Day 28 - Something that you miss
Day 29 - Your aspirations
Day 30 - One last moment
Day 01 - Introduce Yourself
Um, hi?
Irl, they call me Kris. It is short for Kristina, or Krisztina. It means follower of Christ (female form). And the reason I prefer Kris, Krissy or any other shortened form because I don't want to be named after something I am not. I am Hungarian, hence the alternate spelling. My parents chose the name because they wanted something that was the same in both English and Hungarian. Many Hungarian names have translations for them that are completely different sounding, such István = Steven. Some are close approximations (Erzsébet = Elizabeth) and like mine, some are almost the same, minus the accent change. 'Sz' make the same sound as 's' and in hungarian 's' makes the 'sh' sound.
Well, that's just my name. I'm currently 24 years old, doing a PhD in neuroscience. The topic of my research is the neuroendocrine control of social informaiton processing in rodents. What that means is I look at what influence brain hormones, such as oxytocin and vassopressin have on various social tests in rats and mice. Two main parts of social information processing I'm investigating is social recognition, which is the ability of an animal to recognise a conspecific that it has seen before. It's a type of memory. The other part is sociability, which is how interested an animal is in investigating other conspecifics. Conspecific = member of the same species. On the side, I'm also interested in how MDMA (ecstasy) influences social processing, because the unique thing about MDMA is its ability to increase prosocial feelings in humans. It's been proposed that oxytocin, and possibly vassopressin are the mediators of that. But that's enough science for now.
I am going to talk about the most profound trait I have that has pretty much rules my life and shaped who I am. And not many people can understand it.
I have been interested in science for a very long time. The rather unique thing about me that people remember is my 'obsessions' or 'phases' as they have been called. I get absolutely obsessed with a certain topic to the point it suddenly becomes the most interesting thing in the world. My first one I remember was when I was about 6 years old, and it was rabbits. I can tell, because everything I did in my school book was to do with rabbits. Yes, I also keep my old school stuff like that. Reason being I used to be afraid of losing my memory one day and keeping all that stuff would help me remember. This was at a very young age (7 or 8). Now it's just interesting to look back on. I've had a lot of different obsessions.
My most notable obsession I've had that's impacted my life the most would be hands down, neurons. Obsessions tend to blend into one another, so the next obsession usually has something to do with the previous one. Previous to neurons, it was Japan. I loved the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. The organisation in it was called Nerv. Also, I liked this book called Shinkei, which also means nerve in japanese, from the root 'pathways of the gods' from Chinese. Also, in grade 4, we had this thing called life ed van, which is basically 'drug education'. They taught us about the nervous system, which I found so interesting. They had this nervous system with a dot that would speed up with stimulants and slow down with depressant drugs. I thought I was so cool sneaking my parent's coffee because I was doing drugs. There was also fundraising activities for MS and epilepsy, and I memorized the facts from the educational videos they gave us. The obsession did not start here, it was only the seed that was planted.
I do not know why obsessesions start, and why that particular interest. I mean I know how they start. Basically it was previously seeded as something interesting to me, but other than that, nothing too significant. One day, I just wake up, and this thing is the best thing EVAR. I am serious. There is a cerain word which evokes an emotional reaction. For example, 'ecstasy' would evoke such a reaction, but MDMA would not. So at first I'd have to use the word 'MDMA' when referring to ecstasy so I don't appear overexcited. Now it's kind of okay, because the people around me probably don't know the current phase I'm in. Well okay, maybe because it's very recently changed. But back in the highschool days, it becomes obvious to everyone, and lead to torment, by them saying the phase word and watching my reaction. "Hey, nervous nervous neuron!" (where I got my user name :P) But you cannot torment someone with something that feels good, so I kind of liked it.Well, they could because it also included being socially alienated. But I insulated myself from that with friends and the obsession itself. Ironic imo. Unfortunately not all friends were great and sometimes the pain managed to break through but I would never ever admit it.
Anyway, after the initial stage, things calm down, and then I'm onto wanting to know everything there is about it. You could probably look at my youtube and browsing history to work out my current obsession. The internet really facilitated this because one of the 'urges' is to know more. Knowing more might not mean scientific knowledge on the topic, but anything which may include what songs include the phase, or TV episodes centered around the topic. It's on my mind pretty much 24/7. As time goes on, it slows down and is no longer on my mind, and no longer causes 'over excitement'. It's still the most interesting thing and I love reading and talking about it. Eventually, it becomes a regular interest if it had a big impact, or if it was short lived, goes back to how it was. And then it's on to the next obsession. It can last for years or for months, and it can be more than one obsession at a time, but they're usually related. For example Pokemon and Japan. One could be petering out as the new one enters, eg Japan and neurons.
I have tried to get psychiatric help for this. Why? Well actually, I was getting help for my depressive episode, but this thing does not feel normal. I did discuss it with my psychiatrist. No, it's not a passion. People don't get that. They pretty much come out of no where. Could it be part of a (hypo)manic episode? That's important to know, because than depression would be the wrong diagnosis if they'd count as manic episodes. Because certainly the obsession doesn't 'work' when I'm depressed. That is actually how a friend pointed it out to me that something was wrong with me because I had zero enthusiasm for that obsession, along with other symptoms of course. But of course, this started from at least 6 years old with rabbits. And the rest doesn't add up. Okay, maybe the effect of a new obsession would match up with a manic episode, but the rest is how I have always been. More likely to be a personality thing. Asperger's Syndrome is the next closest explanation. And if my obsession turned to fire, I would be a pyromaniac going by the wikipedia page.
But it's only psychiatric if it's been causing problems. I wonder if other people have this as a personality trait. And it would be difficult, as it can cause problems but also brings along benefits. Well, that's enough about me. I'll leave you with this rewording of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyromania.
A type of impulse control disorder, neuromania is an impulse to gather knowledge about neurons to relieve tension and typically includes feelings of gratification or relief during and afterward. The term neuromania comes from the Greek word neuron (sinew,cord). Neuromania is distinct from being a neuroscientist, and neuromaniacs are also distinct from those who study neuroscience because they want a job, for personal, monetary or political gain, or for merely getting good grades. Neuromaniacs gather information and discuss neurons to induce euphoria, and often fixate on institutions of neuroscience like laboratories and hospitals.
When people at uni ask me why I became so passionate about neuroscience, I rarely ever tell the full truth which is basically "feels good, man". Or I guess "felt good, man". How could I explain this?
Day 02 - Your First Love
Day 03 - Your Parents
Day 04 - What you ate today
Day 05 - Your definition of love
Day 06 - Your day
Day 07 - Your best friend
Day 08 - A moment
Day 09 - Your beliefs
Day 10 - What you wore today
Day 11 - Your siblings
Day 12 - What’s in your bag
Day 13 - This week
Day 14 - What you wore today
Day 15 - Your dreams
Day 16 - Your first kiss
Day 17 - Your favorite memory
Day 18 - Your favorite birthday
Day 19 - Something you regret
Day 20 - This month
Day 21 - Another moment
Day 22 - Something that upsets you
Day 23 - Something that makes you feel better
Day 24 - Something that makes you cry
Day 25 - A first
Day 26 - Your fears
Day 27 - Your favorite place
Day 28 - Something that you miss
Day 29 - Your aspirations
Day 30 - One last moment