#studyingbrains

Goodbye: Thank you for making this so fun!

This page will no longer be active from 26th May 2017.

It has been a pleasure to meet so many like-minded individuals with similar passions toward learning, stationery and general obsessions trying to organise this mess we call life.

I am moving on to other things and feel I have outgrown this platform. A special mention to those below who have made this place extra great, (in no particular order): 

@to-work-or-not-to-work @fuckstudy @etudiance   @fromquantumfluctuations   @coffeesforstudiers@tobeagenius @getstudyblr  @succulentstudy @studylune @juniorincollege @istudytoomuch @studiyng @ballpointandfountain@arabskaya-devushka@rahaflearns@studyquill @neur0sciences @izzystudies@studyign @study-well@neuroscienxe @deep-time-studying@slowtownstudies  @emmastudies@boligraff @jhonstudies @visualyze@freudsucks@medemedemed @academla @hawkstudies @delthenerd @tea-study-sleep@elkstudies@areistotle@hayley-studies@studnt @rewritign @petiteprune@universi-tea @frostyzach @arystudies@mymidnightlatte@jung-studyblr @hannahbananastudies@intellectus @adorable-amygdala @dangostudy @magdalena93 @bionctes @aangelofthedawn@astrostudy@sophocused @raineydaystudies

Many have deactivated along the way but for those who remain thank you for providing stimulating conversations, great advice and beneficial posts. 

Remember, this is a journey and it’s the progress that matters. Thank you for supporting me and I hope you all achieve your goals and contentment one way or another.

If you need to contact me after the 26th of May 2017 please email [email protected] because this account will no longer be checked. 

7:40am // Gloomy Sunrise - Studygram: @studyingbrains 

Revising early in the morning on the train before my last statistics exam. I really struggled all throughout this module. I’ve learnt a big lesson though; if the first lecture leaves you dumbfounded then know at the end of the module you’ll definitely have learnt something. 

Assignment Checklist Free Printable (PDF in Google Drive)

Keep your assignments looking professional and academic with these checklists that are used once you have completed a piece of work.

Tick off each task to make sure your work is of a presentable standard, for example:

• Single/Double spacing.
• Hanging indent for references.
• Completing title pages; Title, student ID, module code & name. 
• Consistent font and font size. 
• …And feel free to add your own tasks specific to your course too. 
  
• Bonus: Box at the bottom has common reference styles (MLA, APA, Harvard). 

I usually print these, cut them out and keep one with each assignment. It saves me time having to Google what’s required when referencing University/College work. If you can’t print then just write it out on paper/sticky notes. Let me know if this is helpful (and where to improve!). 

More help: MLA Referencing//APA Referencing//Harvard Referencing 

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How to get links in your description (successfully!) using the tumblr mobile app. 

For those who already know what they’re doing here’s the link you need to insert with an example:

INSERT TITLE

Example:

About

In order for the tumblr mobile app to redirect to something, it has to be a post e.g. /tagged/about - It can’t be an actual page e.g. studyingbrains/about (this won’t work). 

A couple extra pointers:

• The accent colour (in the mobile app editor) is the colour of your links.
  
• Try to use obscure tags for “about” links and “my post” links. Otherwise random posts with the words will pop up. For an about page maybe tag the post as “ab0utm3″ then other posts on your tumblr with the words aboutme won’t be shown. 
• The above applies to original content too if you tag your stuff as “personal” all posts with that word will pop up (even other users that you’ve reblogged). Come up with obscure tags for mobile links (this makes it easier for followers to navigate). 
• When editing your tumblr theme, links tend to break and need to be reentered. Keep that in mind. Check your links every time, after you edit.
• You can still write in the description box, just write before and after the links. e.g. “Brains | UK |  About|”
• You can add as many links as you can fit!
• You can add links via the desktop theme editor (I prefer this way), by writing in the description box:

I hope this helped! Any questions, just ask!

Book Recommendations: Books that have helped me think and write critically when it comes to scientific literature. I’ve never gotten below a 4.0/1st in a lab report.

This post will be especially helpful for those taking psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, pharmacy etc. All books are written by world leading academic researchers and are very well referenced. 

Bad SciencebyDr Ben Goldacre - 342pgs, Age 11+.

If there is a book on this list that you read, let it be this! Dr Goldacre focuses on the misuse of science by journalists, homeopaths, schools and big pharmaceutical companies. The book has a great segment on understanding “The Placebo Effect”. Other topics include; Brain Gym, misleading cosmetic adverts, issues with vitamin pills and “toxins”. He has a blog he runs Badscience.net that has great free articles! The book is beautifully referenced and really easy to read, definitely worth investing in. If you can’t spend money on the book just yet, there is a similar free talk here. 

Drugs: Without the Hot AirbyProf David Nutt- 316pgs, Age 12+.

Prof Nutt incurred the wrath of the UK government when he put forth research papers stating that alcohol and tobacco were more harmful than many illegal drugs, including LSD, ecstasy and cannabis. In “Drugs”, he talks us through the science of what drugs are and how they work, quantifying and comparing the harms caused by different drugs, as well as drug addiction. This book is a great starting point and has educated me on all major drugs better than any textbook has. It’s written in simple English with numerous references and even has a wonderful segment titled “What should I tell my kids about drugs?”. I have had the pleasure of meeting Prof Nutt multiple times and given the slander he has endured, he remains passionate and dedicated to his field. Prof Nutt runs a website aimed at the general public Drugscience.org. There is a similar free talk here.

Bad PharmabyDr Ben Goldacre - 404pgs, Age 15+.

Another gem by Dr Goldacre, this is a slightly heavier text than the above two books but is a must read for those going into pharmacy or research. Bad Pharma explains where new drugs come from and issues with missing data in clinical trials. Companies run bad trials on their own drugs, which distort and exaggerate the benefits by design. When these trials produce unflattering results, the data is simply buried. Dr Goldacre discusses the issues with design and also the harms of not making the missing trial data available. This book is not ‘anti-drug’, this book highlights issues with publication bias and how this needs to be and can be mended in order for doctors and patients to make better informed decisions on the drugs they are prescribing/prescribed.There is a similar free talk here.

The Man who Mistook his Wife for a HatbyDr Oliver Sacks - 246pgs, Age 11+.

Written by the late Dr Oliver Sacks, this was the first book I purchased at the age of 13 in the field of neurology that made me go nuts for the brain. As a huge fan of Roald Dahl’s style, this book was just perfect. Dr Sacks turned patient case studies into short stories, inviting you into the incredible world of neurological disorders. The following phenomena are covered: visual agnosias, memory loss, Parkinsonion-symptoms, hallucinations etc. Dr Oliver Sacks has multiple books that are worth investing in, have a look at  Oliversacks.com. There is a similar free talk here.

Phantoms in the BrainbyDr V. S. Ramachandran - 257pgs, Age 15+.

Ramachandran, through his research into brain damage, has discovered that the brain is continually organising itself in response to change. Phantoms in the Brain explores case studies and experiments invented by Dr Ramachandran like the Mirror Box to help understand the underlying issues. Examples of the case studies involve a woman who persists that her left arm is not paralysed (albeit her entire leftside is paralysed) and a young man loses his right arm in a motorcycle accident, yet he continues to feel a phantom arm with vivid sensation of movement. In a series of experiments using nothing more than Q-tips and dribbles of warm water the young man helped Dr Ramachandran discover how the brain is remapped after injury. This book is really enjoyable and is a slightly more in-depth read than The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. There is a similar free talk here.  

The Lucifer EffectbyDr Philip Zimbardo - 488pgs, Age 18+ (due to explicit images).

Prof Zimbardo provides an in-depth analysis of his classic Stanford Prison Experiment, and his personal experiences as an expert witness for one of the Abu Ghraib prison guards, raising fundamental questions about the nature of good and evil. This book has really interesting commentaries on The Columbine Shooting, People’s Temple Mass Suicide, Prison Abuse in Afghanistan etc. I enjoyed the book but it does get really repetitive (it definitely could have been made shorter by 100 pages), the publishers also use a really small font. There is a similar free talk here. 

Ages have been mentioned not as restrictions but as guidelines in terms of the writing style and sensitivity of the literature. Every book mentioned above doesn’t need to be read chronologically, from cover-to-cover. They have been compiled in such a way that you can dip in and out of the chapters without confusion. Lovely!  All free talks are given by the authors and they cover the same topics that are mentioned in the books. 

If you ever wish to discuss the literature, do get in touch with me! Twitter|Instagram

June/July - Completed a BSc in Psychology [All Praise unto Allaah]. 

The 21 yr old young woman who completed this degree is the same 16 year old girl who just managed to scrape 5 GSCE’s. My failures are temporary and so are my successes. What matters most is recognising the growth and progress I’ve made. A few years ago I would cry when asked to do simple math and now I can carry out complex statistical tests. It’s all about progress. 

For those starting university, I leave you with three:

1. The first people you meet will not be your best friends & that’s okay. 
2. Get to know your lecturers from the very first term. Make sure they know your name or know of you at least. Talk to them about their work.
3. “Should I send that email? They might get annoyed?” Just send the email. 

University has been thebestexperience of my life thus far. I’ve loved, I’ve lost, I’ve loved again and I’ve moved on to better things. The above art is by MOBSTR in Hackney; it sums up the last three years pretty well. 

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7am // Data analysis requires patience.

Working with the eye-tracker again and I’ve been inputting data for what feels like an eternity; I have >5,000 units to input. 

Here’s something cool though: The eye-tracking camera on the right has an infrared illuminator (the square with the purple dots). I can’t actually see those dots with my naked eye (it’s pitch black, I’m looking at it right now and there’s no dots there). Turns out phone cameras are more sensitive to light than human eyes are, so it’s able to pick-up the infrared light that is ‘invisible’ to us. Am-a-zing! 

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Friday’s // London is actually really dull today and I am tired. 

We’re celebrating as two of my friends are getting married and another is pregnant. Being The Antisocial Trash™ that I am, I decided to bake cakes in lieu of my attendance. I also read some infamous Dahl and sorted out my evergrowing stamp collection in the morning. 

Before & During // 3 hours in and I took a step back to look at the mess. 

I’ve been working at a really slow pace since university finished and decided today was the day to get a move on with something (just noticed the pics are slightly blurry haaaa sorry). 

studyingbrains:

05:00 // The morning sun & a great textbook.

My lecturer gave me a great book “The Biology of Psychological Disorders” by David Linden. It covers so much and the info is easily digestible. I’m a little upset because I really flopped the exam on this topic which has put me off attempting to learn the material again. Never thought an exam would leave me triggered like this. Also, studying under the sun is nice. The warmth kisses my hands as I write and the white paper blinds me into oblivion… Lovely.   

11:00am // Work breaks.

With formal modules over, my breaks consist of reading [Phantoms in the Brain by V. S. Ramachandran] and walks around campus whilst listening to podcasts.

18:00 // Oliver Sacks on a Sunday.

We spent yesterday settling in and navigating our way from the hotel to the University of Manchester [my first time being here!]. After 52 minutes of arguing over what to have for dinner [tbh there was only one person causing issues but anyway], I thought it best to use the time at the hotel wisely and refresh myself on the introduction of L-DOPA. I’m trying to read and finish at least 1 recreational book every 2 weeks; travelling makes this a whole lot easier.  

Friday // Working against the clock.

Been working since 4am in order to complete my neuropsychopharmacology theory once and for all. Pictured above: my favourite textbook, brownies, strawberries, grapes & chocolate sauce!

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