Tag Archives: brain

Cocaine addiction: Not so cut and dry

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Ryan Berg | Leave a comment

Drug addiction in our society has long been associated with a lack of willpower. I am here to tell you that there is more to the story. There is an abundance of research detailing the plausibility of genetic predisposition to addiction in humans.

Photo credit: Mycroyance on Flickr creative commons. Available: http://bit.ly/15umG2O

Under the supervision of Dr. Bamji, Dr. Andrea Globa and her colleagues conducted a research experiment to determine the effects of how a sticky glue-like protein called cadherin was able to reduce the effects of addiction – in mice. In this experiment, cocaine was administered to the mice when they entered a specific chamber during the experiment to evoke a potential addiction to the drug. Cocaine was chosen as there has been extensive work done in similar fields with the same drug. Cadherin is this sticky glue-like protein that is present at connections between cells in the brain called synapses. These synapses act as the gap between nerve cells that allow electrical impulses from the brain to pass through to the body. Dr. Globa was conducting her experiment to see how these proteins would affect the mice exposed to cocaine versus those that were not. The results of Dr. Globa’s experiment were unexpected. The results showed that mice with higher levels of this protein in their brain would not allow for the connections to strengthen. This meant that the “drug memory” could not be formed and was, therefore, preventing the addiction from developing.

Photo credit: UBC – The effects of cadherin on developing cocaine addictions in mice.

We conducted our own interview with Dr. Globa and discussed her research. We developed a podcast and video to accompany this blog post in hopes that it will help better explain the importance of this research. The podcast elicits the importance of Dr. Globa’s research and how humans may benefit from further research in this field.

The following video depicts how mice with increased protein levels are impartial to which chamber they visit because the protein has not allowed their brain to create an addiction to the administered cocaine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1fi6Iwf4TU&feature=youtu.be

Although the results of the experiment are exciting and seemingly optimistic, Dr. Globa made sure to explain that it is still too early to determine what implications this will have on humans. Dr. Globa’s research was another step forward on the long road to developing an understanding genetic predisposition to addiction.

Author: Ryan Berg, Ellen Chen, Nic Wu, Celia Dossot

Leave a comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Outreach Project, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in News

Tagged addiction, biology, brain, cocaine, drug addiction, drugs, health, laboratory experiment, memory, mice, neuroscience, protein, Technology, UBC

Jumbled Letters: Can You Read This?

Posted on March 26, 2018 by yuuki shibutani | Leave a comment

“Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.”

pixabay: The Brain

I’m sure many of you have seen this meme at some point in the past years. A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and came across this. At a glance, I had no idea what it meant and thought it was just a bunch of random letters put together. But, this caught my eyes for sure.

Once I looked at it closely it was not hard to read at all. The sentence made me realized that our brains are talented. However, after researching this topic, I came across a blog-post, posted by MRC Cognition and Brain Science Unit under the University of Cambridge where the scientist, Dr. Matt Davis, said that the information in the meme is not true. He states that although Cambridge does have a Cognition and Brain Science Unit, not only did they not research this topic at the time but also did not release it. Although most of the statement in the meme is false, there are some true elements.

wikimedia: photo originally posted on Flickr by Taro Taylor

The ability to understand words when the first and last letters are stable, but the middle letters are scrambled is known as “typoglycemia”. Your brain is able to put them back in order or even recognized the word as a whole without arranging them. This explains how we can identify words in a bunch of letter pieces and how we are able to skim when reading.

So, why are we able to read this without any trouble for this meme?

There are a few reasons:

Words are short
Function words that provide grammatical structure (i.e. be, a, the, etc.) are not messed up
Letters beside each other are switched making it not much more difficult for readers to read
When scrambling the order of the letters, the sound is still preserved
The word choices are predictable

Another interesting feature about this is, is that this sentence can be recreated in many other languages, such as Spanish, Russian, German, Danish, etc. However other languages such as Chinese and Japanese will not work this way. This is because the language uses symbols/characters in their writing system. Thai would also be another example where translating and scrabbling will not work. This is because their writing system does not place any spaces between the words.

This video here give a deeper explanation how the bread is able to read scrambled letters.

Credit: YouTube Channel: BrainStuff – HowStuffWorks

From this meme, I understood that social media can make something fiction a fact. I believe that this is very unfortunate, do to the fact that many people around the world are informed through social media. Once they believe in something, it is very hard to fix their beliefs and eliminated what has already said.

-Yuuki Shibutani

Leave a comment

Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in News

Tagged brain, muscle, neuroscience, psychology, Science

The Diet for “Fast” Physical and Mental Health Benefits: Intermittent Fasting

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Aron Ha | Leave a comment

You may have heard of the typical low carb or low fat diet, but have you heard of intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting (IF) is a relatively new diet that has been recently growing in popularity because of its powerful, life-changing benefits for the body and the brain.

There are many diets out there that are complex and intimidating to follow; however, IF keeps it simple.

What is intermittent fasting and how does it work?

IF is an eating pattern where an individual cycles between periods of eating and non-eating. There are many variations of IF that contain different fasting and non-fasting timeframes. Which variation an individual should use is based on their personal preference and their lifestyle/goals. Compared to other diets that require you to limit your calories, IF requires you to cut out the entire meal itself. With IF’s unconventional dieting approach, this makes IF easy to follow for the average person. This has contributed to the diet’s rise in popularity as well as its benefits in body composition and the brain.

Why should I try this diet? What are its benefits?

There are many benefits with intermittent fasting. Below are some of the most important ones that separate this diet apart from others.

Source: The Renegade Pharmacist

IF alters the function of cells, genes and hormones

When the body is in a fasted state, the body undergoes physiological changes such as changes in hormone levels. This allows the body to use stored fat as its main source of energy. Furthermore, insulin blood levels decrease which helps with fat burning. The human growth hormone (HGH) also gets elevated during fasting. Elevated levels of HGH further increase fat burning, muscle gain and other health benefits. As a result of decreased insulin levels and increased HGH, our cells undergo cellular repair processes and removes toxic waste from cells. This in turn can help prevent cancer.

IF benefits the brain

Previous studies have shown that IF improves certain metabolic features that are important for mental health. This involves lowering of blood sugar levels and insulin resistance which is important in fighting against certain diseases. Fasting up-regulates the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF), a protein that is involved in cognitive functions, memory and overall brain health. A study that experimented with rats showed that IF can elevate the production of new nerve cells which positively impacts the brain. Secretion of BDNF also contributes to lower chances of mental disorders such as depression and other brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, a study involving animals has shown that IF prevents brain damage caused by strokes.

IF can lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes

As mentioned earlier, fasting reduces insulin. The reduction of insulin levels ultimately lowers type 2 diabetes, a lifelong disease that increases the production of insulin beyond healthy levels. A study comparing IF to calorie restriction diets showed that IF has a stronger impact on lowering insulin levels and lowering blood sugar levels in the body. Collectively, studies have shown that IF can serve as an efficient protection mechanism for people at risk of type 2 diabetes.

IF can improve heart health

Today, heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. It is still not well known whether IF can improve heart health due to the limited amount of studies out there. Emerging studies on the effectiveness of IF and heart disease are slowly on the rise.

Below is a video from the Intermountain Research & Medical Foundation discussing their findings on heart disease and IF.

Source: IntermtnMedCtr/Youtube

Intermittent fasting comes with physical and many mental health benefits that sets this apart from other diets. Why diet focussing only on physical health when you can also improve mental health and focus on bettering your longevity?

Make a change where your future self will thank you.

– Aron Ha

Leave a comment

Posted in Science Communication

Tagged brain, cancer, diabetes, Disease, health, Lifestyle, Mental health, Physical health, Stroke

Caffeine and the Brain

Posted on March 22, 2018 by nic wu | 1 comment

Caffeine, for a lot of people is the start of their day. Have you ever heard that it can boost your mood though? It has been proven that caffeine affects the central nervous system and has other advantages to brain functions.

Source: Flickr by Paul Scott

When we wake up, our brain starts the production of the chemical adenosine which promotes sleep and suppresses arousal. In a nutshell, when caffeine is present in the brain, it inhibits the functionality of adenosine, therefore making you feel less drowsy. However, adenosine eventually realizes this and new receptors get produced which is why people who have long nights drink 4-5 cups of coffee to continue to block the brain’s signal telling you to sleep. During this same process, caffeine allows other promoting compounds such as dopamine and glutamine freely circulate the body. Dopamine, the “feel-good” drug and glutamine assists in the functionality of the nervous system thus results in an elevated mood.

Source: Flickr by Carolina Ponce

Personally, I do not find the effects of caffeine as strong as it is perceived to be, but I feel it differs depending on how each individual’s body deals with caffeine intake. Some drink coffee and tea to start their day or push through a stressful week or maybe simply because it tastes good.

Source: ASAPScience

It was found that in Canada and the US, people drink about 1 cup of coffee per day, the largest coffee drinking nation was found to be the Netherlands averaging about 2.5 cups per day. Too much caffeine leads to a variety of factors such as anxiety and addiction. Light caffeine intake will allow the most health benefits that come from one of the world’s most popular beverages.

-Nicholas Wu

1 Comment

Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science in News

Tagged brain, caffeine, coffee, Science

The Truth of Dressing to Impress

Posted on March 9, 2018 by aaron yen | 4 comments

In many aspects of the personal and professional world, visual impressions matter. Appearing to own expensive clothes, cars, or cellphones may seem shallow, but we are hardwired to express ourselves to signal status, group membership, individuality, or style. The expressions and responses to the way we showcase ourselves in public determine the two-fold relationship between our internal selves and our relationships with others.

Source: diylol.com via Pinterest

Barney Stinson was right to feel powerful when following the mantra to always wear a suit. Just as the show, How I Met Your Mother, displays Stinson’s personality shift from confident and ambitious while “suited up” to childish and insecure when dressed casually, real world situations are surprisingly similar. Researchers from Columbia University in New York and California State University have extensively proved that wearing formal clothing enhances abstract cognitive processing. All five studies within the paper show evidence that people feel more positive about themselves when wearing a suit or dress.

As we become more confident in how we look, we are able to transition more easily into roles that are unfamiliar by first dressing the part. Power roles known as powerful or wealthy in our modern society are perceived to be represented with people wearing suits or formal clothing. When we wear the clothes of people seen in power roles, we fit the mindset of what we see in them when in public. The theory here, known as Symbolic Interactionism, works on a subconscious level that matches our expectations of reality and success in the personal world we live in.

Source: AMC Opensource for Mad Men

Just as we judge ourselves, judging others aligns with our attention to expectations. When we are wearing formal clothing, we are more attentive to being in a cognitive position of power. Just as business people focus on connections and network value, we are more critical of the positions that other people fill when dressed in public. We are more open towards associating with people who are on a perceived equal level by the way they dress, regardless of the surroundings or occasion.

Source: Shutterstock Image Library

So is the solution for all of us to start wearing suits every time we leave the house to make ourselves feel better? The answer is not that simple. Psychology Today defines confidence as a belief in one’s ability to succeed. However, invoking confidence through symbolic measures, such as wearing a suit, can be an act of insecurity that masks the reality of incompetence.

Source: Getty Images

Especially when unsure of the ability to perform a role, appearing to be wealthy results in overcompensation that penalizes you in social situations. For instance, a trendsetting poor individual would feel the need to spend more money buying expensive accessories, where a self-confident wealthy individual would not focus on appearances and wear clothes that are more comfortable.

All in all, the clothes may make the person, but it’s the person wearing the clothes. Though there are benefits beyond how others see you, the truth of dressing to impress is that working toward your ideal role is equally important to how you appear to others. A suit and tie cannot solve all of your problems, but being honest with yourself just might.

– Aaron Yen

4 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement, Uncategorized

Tagged brain, fashion, health, Mental health, psychology, social psychology

Jogging Your Memory: Aerobic Exercise and Its Positive Implications on Memory Retention (REVISED)

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Aron Ha | Leave a comment

Own an old pair of runners that sit around and collect dust? Science suggests – you may want to put them to use again.

Emerging studies shown that aerobic exercise can slow down the aging of the brain. It was also found that aerobic exercise can have positive effects on cognitive abilities such as memory retention. Several studies shown that individuals who regularly exercise occupy larger volumes of the brain involved in memory compared to individuals that do not exercise.

What exactly is it about physical exercise that has such an impact you might ask?
Upon light to intense levels of aerobic exercise, the body produces a spectrum of signalling chemicals. One of the chemicals that gets released yields the production of a very important protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which gets secreted in the brain and muscles. When produced in the body, BDNF maintains existing brain cells, promotes the growth of new blood vessels in the brain and encourages growth of the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is associated with memory.

Figure 1. Anatomy of brain. Source: Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site

Why this should concern you.
The size of the hippocampus decreases with age which often leads to memory decline and decrease in mental efficiency. In many older adults, cognitive deficits are commonly associated with old age. Researchers estimate that by 2050, there will be more than 115 million people that will suffer dementia globally. However, evidence shows that with regular exercise, memory decline and aging of the hippocampus can be reduced and ultimately lower the chances of dementia.

Source: Harvard Health Publications/YouTube

Is one form of exercise more beneficial than the other?
As of now, researchers have not yet found an answer. The reason being is that most of the studies conducted only experimented with walking and/or running. However, it is suggested from the studies available that any type of exercise that would be able to elevate the heart rate to a certain level would produce these cognitive benefits.

As someone who enjoys being physically active and mainly weight trains, I was astonished about the benefits of aerobic exercise – all of this was new information to me. Ever since I learned further about these benefits of aerobic exercise, I have incorporated running to achieve a healthier, more cognitively efficient brain.

Figure 2. Man running. Source: Kyle Cassidy

If you are physically able to exercise and do not currently do so, I hope this post encourages you to reach for your pair of runners, go out, and “jog your memory”.

It is never too late to start exercising.

– Aron Ha

Leave a comment

Posted in Science Communication, Science in News

Tagged brain, exercise, health, memory

Jogging Your Memory: Aerobic Exercise and Its Positive Implications on Memory Retention

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Aron Ha | 1 comment

Do you own a pair of runners that haven’t been worn in a while and is now collecting dust on your shoe rack? Science suggests – you may want to put them to use again.

Emerging studies shown that aerobic exercise can slow down aging of the brain and have positive implications on cognitive abilities such as memory retention. Several studies shown that individuals who regularly exercise occupy larger volumes of the brain involved in memory compared to individuals that do not exercise.

What exactly is it about physical exercise that has such an impact you might ask?
Upon light to intense levels of aerobic exercise, the body produces a spectrum of signalling chemicals. One of the chemicals that gets released yields the production of a very important protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which gets released in the brain and muscles. When produced in the body, BDNF maintains existing brain cells, promotes the growth of new blood vessels in the brain and encourages growth of the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is associated with memory.

Figure 1. Anatomy of brain. Source: Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site

Why this should concern you.
The size of the hippocampus decreases with age which often leads to memory decline and decrease in mental efficiency. In many older adults, cognitive deficits are commonly associated with old age. Researchers estimate that by 2050, there will be more than 115 million people that will suffer dementia globally. However, evidence shows that memory decline and aging of the hippocampus can be reduced and ultimately lower chances of dementia by exercising regularly.

Figure 2. Man running. Source: Kyle Cassidy

If you are physically able to exercise and do not currently do so, I hope this post encourages you to reach for your pair of runners, go out, and “jog your memory”.

It is never too late to start exercising.

– Aron Ha

1 Comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Science Communicators, Science in News

Tagged biology, brain, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, Cognitive function, dementia, health, neuroscience, physical exercise

Tag Archives: brain

Cocaine addiction: Not so cut and dry

Jumbled Letters: Can You Read This?

The Diet for “Fast” Physical and Mental Health Benefits: Intermittent Fasting

Caffeine and the Brain

Jogging Your Memory: Aerobic Exercise and Its Positive Implications on Memory Retention (REVISED)

Jogging Your Memory: Aerobic Exercise and Its Positive Implications on Memory Retention

Add Users

Recent Posts

Categories

Authors

Tag Archives: brain

Cocaine addiction: Not so cut and dry

Jumbled Letters: Can You Read This?

The Diet for “Fast” Physical and Mental Health Benefits: Intermittent Fasting

Caffeine and the Brain

The Truth of Dressing to Impress

Jogging Your Memory: Aerobic Exercise and Its Positive Implications on Memory Retention (REVISED)

Jogging Your Memory: Aerobic Exercise and Its Positive Implications on Memory Retention

Add Users

Recent Posts

Categories

Authors

Tags