Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

An inherited predisposition to colorectal cancer characterized by fewer than 100 adenomatous polyps in the colon and rectum. It is said to be attenuated because there are fewer polyps than in classic familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). People with attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (AFAP) also tend to be older at the diagnosis of their polyps (average age of 44 years)…

Weakened, diluted, thinned, reduced, weakened, diminished. The use of “attenuated” in medicine is not new. In the 16th century, eating dried figs was claimed to attenuate the body fluids. Now “attenuated” refers to procedures that weaken an agent of disease (a pathogen). An attenuated virus is a weakened, less vigorous virus. A vaccine against a viral disease…

To weaken, or to make or become thin.

Relating to attention. The term is used in psychology and child development as, for example, early television exposure has been found to be associated with attentional problems at age 7.

Attention getting is not a simple automatic act. It requires complex active thought processing. The types of stimuli that are attention getting depend on past experience, individual reactivity, and what a person considers to be important. A hungry commuter may pay closer attention to the smell of food than to the surrounding sights and sounds…

A disorder in which a person is unable to control behavior due to difficulty in processing neural stimuli, accompanied by an extremely high level of motor activity. Abbreviated ADHD. ADHD can affect children and adults, but it is easiest to perceive during schooling. A child with ADHD may be extremely distractible, unable to remain still, and very talkative. ADHD is…

(ADD) a developmental disorder characterized by symptoms of inattention (such as distractibility, disorganization, or forgetfulness) or by symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity (such as fidgeting, speaking out of turn, or restlessness). Also referred to as attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADD or ADHD is not caused by an underlying physical or mental disorder.

The ability to focus selectively on a selected stimulus, sustaining that focus and shifting it at will. The ability to concentrate. “Everyone knows what attention is,” wrote William James in his Principles of Psychology (1890). “It is the taking possession by the mind in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several…

A reflex of the involuntary nervous system that causes the heart to slow down (bradycardia) and that, at the same time, affects the nerves to the blood vessels in the legs permitting those vessels to dilate (widen). As a result the heart puts out less blood, the blood pressure drops, and what blood is circulating tends to go into…

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Public Health Service that works with states and other federal agencies to prevent exposure to hazardous substances from waste sites. The agency conducts public health assessments, health studies, surveillance activities, and health education training…