Well, I think I know
the area of my brain
that's behind my urge
to collect pop tarts . . .
It's a good set, but, caution,
filling might be hot . . .
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Posted on 12/18/2004 7:05:24 AM PST by MississippiMasterpiece
Attention, pack rats: science may have figured you out. Researchers say they've found an area of the brain that seems to govern the urge to collect.
For most people, collecting is a perfectly healthy behavior. It's an outlet for expressing passion for just about anything, such as stamps, wine, art, shoes, or Elvis memorabilia.
Collecting is also common among animals, and not just for food. It's been observed in creatures great and small, from mammals to insects. For instance, some birds can't resist aluminum and bright objects, while hamsters gather glass beads when given the chance.
But in rare cases, collecting gets out of hand in humans. People have been known to hoard items compulsively -- not out of necessity, appreciation, or financial investment. Abnormal collecting can even disrupt normal life, causing problems for the collector and the people they live with.
Abnormal hoarding behavior following brain injury was recently studied at the University of Iowa's medical school by researchers including Steven Anderson, PhD. All 86 participants had brain lesions. Most cases occurred in adulthood. Despite their brain lesions, participants had normal brain function with normal scores on intelligence, reasoning, and memory tests.
Participants were interviewed about their collecting behavior. To ensure accuracy, the researchers also talked to a close relative of each subject (usually a spouse).
A total of 13 people were classified as "abnormal collectors." They had excessive collections of useless items that began after the brain injury occurred, and they resisted changing their hoarding habits.
The abnormal collectors had something else in common.
"A pretty clear finding jumped out at us," says Anderson, in a news release. "Damage to a part of the frontal lobes of the [brain's] cortex, particularly on the right side, was shared by the individuals with abnormal behavior."
That part of the brain may keep collecting in check. Damage in that brain area may make people lose control over their collecting.
The finding could have wider meaning, says Anderson.
"Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and some other disorders, such as schizophrenia, Tourette's syndrome, and certain dementias can have similar pathological collecting behavior," says Anderson, in the news release.
"Our hope is that our findings … will lead to insights in these conditions, as well." The study appears in the January issue of the journal Brain.
Me, I'd rather take somethin' old (and well made) and make it new again. A lot of the new stuff is junk right off the shelf, and expensive, too.
I collect stuff. Iron for weldin', wood for nailin', craft and design books, and ANYTHING concerning Indian (Native American) arts, crafts and history. I'm still trying to find info on old Indian tattoos.
I r Wiz an' got lots a 'stuff'. It's mine an' you can't have it, unless you ask real nice.
Just ride the bike and enjoy it, and hunt for the missing parts as time and money permits.
I have house plants that I have known longer than my son. My son (only child) is 38 years old. LOL!
LOL - nice try! We're onto those tricks.
I misread the title... I thought it said:
Researchers Find Clues to 'Rat-Pack' Urge
Collect more books?!! Dear Lord, any more books and they can use me as a backup for the Library of Congress!:)
Merry Christms to you and yours, BTW.
Well, I think I know
the area of my brain
that's behind my urge
to collect pop tarts . . .
It's a good set, but, caution,
filling might be hot . . .
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Sorry for taking so long to respond: It's a 1969 Triumph Trident (T150), the debut year for that model. I've owned it since 1972.
I found a Triumph dealer/service shop in Houston that has a plethora of old Triumph parts, so I'll start there, when I'm ready to divert hip-pocket money toward its restoration. I'm not willing to ride it without turn signals, so that'll be the last thing I revert to original configuration.
That's pretty much my strategy for now. The turn signals were a safety issue, and the raised handlebars were for comfort, so those'll be the last things I restore to original.
As the former owner of a 1978 Bonneville and 1972 BSA Thunderbolt, I can tell you there are quite a few resources out there for used Brit bike parts. And you might run into a deal like my own, when I wrecked the frame on the Thunderbolt and sold the bike for parts, IIRC about $500. 100 percent original.
BSA handlebars were a nightmare. My Thunderbolt was 100 percent stock, and after a 3/4 hour cruise I could barely feel my hands or wrists.
You're dead-on right about it being like commanding a jackhammer. I did summer construction work including jackhammers, and that's the best analogy to the BSA. IIRC it would abate as you reached 70 or 75 MPH, but then you were just begging for a speeding ticket.
I only raised my bars about 10". Didn't want the "ape-hangers," just wanted enough to ease the discomfort.
BSAs were hot-looking bikes, a little more stylistic with the forward-canted cylinder blocks. In fact, when congress forced the Brits to make drastic changes for export to the USA, they used the block from the old BSA Rocket III on their post-1975 Tridents to make room for starter motors.
They were also made to swap sides with the shift and brake pedals. Mine shifts on the right and brakes on the left, and I've been on this bike so long that I don't trust myself to react properly on a non-Brit bike in an emergency situation (which is always happening in my experience). I would be jamming down on the shift pedal, trying to stop. So once I sell this bike, I'm not going to ride anymore, unless I can find a good old Sportster with a RH shift pedal.
Stuff is the junk you keep.
Junk is the stuff you throw away.
Royal Enfield?
I have quite a collection of cheap, bent, Chinese screwdrivers. Maybe that's redundant.
Did you have them appraised to ascertain their value? I have a collection (though much smaller than yours), and my insurance company demanded proof of their value before allowing me to insure them. I've yet to do it because of the time, expense and overall inconvenience of it all.
It's very simple. If I throw it away, I'll need it tomorrow, so I better just keep it. It doesn't take up too much space.
No, Triumph Trident (vintage 1969). Only bike I ever owned, bought it in 1972. Took it for a test run, saw that it was a great go-faster and I had to have it.
That was downright profound. And cute, too.
Leary was her godfather, so it makes sense her dad would have all those first edition Leary books. Lucky you!
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