Brain

Reading "The Other Brain." Still. I'm going to have to call and extend my lend. While I'm reading, there are stories related popping into view. An article on NPR about the launch of DSM IV "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." Grief has had its "bereavement exclusion" removed in this edition. The committee that chooses what's a disorder, and what's not, decided you've got two weeks to get over it, otherwise it's depression. I've written about how "disorder" got into the DSM (Dr. Robert Spitzer, singlehandedly) and how we can be medicated right out of all emotion, if we allow it.

Dr. Mark Hyman blogs about how to fix your autoimmune disorder. We're just learning about the role of white matter in the brain, glia, and the sentinel cells that, while each is scouting for invaders that are not "you" can also create issues when trying to repel boarders. Fascinating stuff! I'm glad my brain and its peripheries are working, even when I think the whole lot has gone on holiday.

This illustration was drawn for a college biology textbook. I was thumbing through the index, looking for another piece of art, and bumped into "oligodendrocytes." I drew this, not knowing anything about the subject. Knowing a little tiny bit now, I'm thrilled with how our protectors hold hands, get footholds, and quietly do what the charming book "All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten" suggested: when out in public, or on vigil in microscopic privacy, it's best to hold hands.