Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:
BPS Research Digest has an article on the secret to remembering material long-term.
Dennis Brain has a posse, sorry, orchestra.
Mixing Memory discusses the psychology of women in maths, science, and engineering.
A transcript of R.D. Laing interviewing Van Morrison in 1986. Personally, I’m still waiting for Thomas Szasz to interview the Spice Girls.
Why do some babies talk sooner than others? The mighty Cognitive Daily investigates.
The Washington Post reports on a US Government committee who have concluded that only exposure therapy is known to be effective in treating PTSD. Presumably the Cochrane report on psychological treatments for PTSD escaped them at the time.
Newsweek has a report and video on a case of ‘multiple personality disorder’ which is remarkable largely for the fact that it tells us our concepts about the condition have barely moved on since the famous cases in the 70s.
The ‘source of optimism’ has not been found in the brain, but two brain areas have been identified which are relatively more active when positive events are imagined.
Furious Seasons notes the curios yoga-themed advertising campaign for antipsychotic ziprasidone (aka Geodon).
Lack of sleep makes it more difficult to manage negative emotions. This story got mangled by much of the press. BBC News did the best job, but it’s probably best to read the original abstract.
PsyBlog reviews The Most Dangerous Animal, a book on war and human behaviour.
Lovely Francis Crick quote: “Any theory that fits all the facts is bound to be wrong since some of the facts will be misleading”. James Watson is probably wishing he remembered this before putting his foot in his mouth about race and intelligence and subsequently losing his job.
The Phineas Gage Fan Club discusses a wonderfully clear schematic map of the visual cortex.
Just beautiful, if not slightly surreal. Neurophilosophy finds an online exhibition of photos from an abandoned soviet brain research lab.
Mind Hacks 
And what about this for PTSD?
http://www.emofree.com/EFT-in-the-news/Hannibal-Tribune.htm
EFT for PTSD