> > Sadly, Michael has again tried to cut to the chase in his own inimical > way, but in the meantime, done away with some facts in the meantime. > Usually I look the other way, but I fear some TIPSters may take his posts as > fact.
The famous "Nun Study" to which M.S. refers was an amazing undertaking in which the School Sisters of Notre Dame (not the Carmelites; the Carmelites are a cloistered community of nuns, which some liken to the Trappist community of which M.S. was a part in his younger years). The sisters in the original studies lived in Mankato, Minnesota, but his later work studied Notre Dame sisters in other communities. The longitudinal study was done by David Snowdon of the University of Kentucky, and even made the cover of Time Magazine. These elderly nuns volunteered to participate in his study to examine what variables might surface in aging, Alzheimer's and other cognitive disorders. It was not, as M.S. states, a study by "brain scientists" (hey, aren't we TIPSters "brain scientists"?) solely on the brains of nuns who died of Alzheimer's. The brains of all the SSND nuns who died were autopsied. Snowdon observed the lifestyles and other findings (such as occurrence of strokes), both present and past, of the nuns, and found some interesting things about who is more likely to get Alzheimer's and who is not. The participation by the SSND was a tremendous boon to science. They opened all their records to Snowdon, agreed to participate in annual blood, physical and cognitive tests, and all agreed to autopsies upon their death. An interesting book about the work, *Aging with Grace*, was published and caught the public's interest for a time. Here's the website about the Nun Study: http://www.mc.uky.edu/nunnet/ Beth Benoit (no relation to Chris!) Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire >>> "Michael Sylvester" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 09/07/07 8:55 PM >>> > aChris Benoit-the Canadian wrestler who killed his wife,child,and then > himself- had a damaged brain and this could have accounted for his violent > behavior. > This discovery became possible because Chris' dad gave permission to brain > scientists to examine his brain. > A few years ago permission was also given for brain scientists to examine > the brains of Carmelite nuns who passed away in their 90s and did not show > signs of Alzs. > This post-morten method seem to be a growing practice as we seek to > understand the brain and behavior. > What are the chances of committing Type 1 and Type 2 errors in this type > of deductive processes? > > Michael Sylvester,PhD > Daytona Beach,Florida > --- > > --- > ---
