Comment · Thu, March 19, 2015 · Ceretropic
Dendrite spine density, should it be higher or lower?
Original post in this thread
tijifuji · 2 points
So, dendrite spine density refers to the number of dendrite spines in a given area. If there are more dendrites, or a higher density, than an increase is seen also in synapses and synapse related proteins. If there are less dendrites or a lower density than less synapses are formed.
For the sake of memory and learning which is better?
If there are more synapses than there is the possibility to make more memories but they could easily be destroyed. If there are fewer dendrites and synapses than it takes less energy to convey a message and make it a permanent strong memory with high LTP(long term potentiation). Is it better to have fewer strong connections or many weaker/normal connections?
What they were answering
DeltruS · 3 points
Amazing post. If you made Khan style videos, I would probably orgasm. There's just so much information packed into understandable analogies. Of course, your post simplifies things a lot but it builds the framework for understanding many different aspects of a complicated topic.
For example, I can now visualize how short term vs long term memory works. That is just so cool. Omg.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
I taught advanced telecommunications programming, and developed a lot of the professional certification programs for companies like SAP, Avaya, Verizon, and even some basic metallurgy exams. In fact, I developed the current Verizon field technician exam that every technician in the country takes to be certified. I've worked with a lot of very bright people around the world. It's shaped how I approach teaching, and simplifying concepts enough to interest people; to give them the tools necessary to further that on their own. It's all about breaking things down to their simplest parts, discarding the erroneous information for the intended audience, and fostering an interest in the topic at hand. If you are not interested in something, it doesn't matter what is taught.
Teaching is one of my other passions, besides nootropics. It all plays into similar concepts. It's just on the delivery side of the equation. You still need to understand how people interpret and store information, so that you can deliver it to them in a fashion that will get results. Certification/testing is another aspect of that. You need to really delve into whether or not a candidate understands the topic at hand. For that we use Blooms Taxonomy, so that we can analyze whether or not questions are really determining if a candidate understands the topic. I've worked with some of the top people in the certification space, making sure that questions not only are good quality questions, but whether they differentiate the differing skill levels of candidates, and are legally defensible. We worked closely with psychometricians, to analyze all sorts of aspects of a certification program. TOP MEN. Since I was involved as a teacher, content developer, and as a certification developer, I got a very good understanding of the high-level thought processes humans use to learn, store, and ultimately understand information.