Feeling Stressed by Your Job? Don’t Blame Your Employer

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120914191647.htm

The article I found was very interesting. It was about stress. The article pretty much states that work stress, how satisfied you are with your job, as well as health problems because of stress have to do more with genes than the actual job itself. His study included looking at about 600 twins, with some of them being identical twins and some of them fraternal. They were all raised together, but then put apart later in life. He found that when they were raised in the same environment, it had little to no effect on personality, stress, and health. His results showed that shared genes were more strongly represented than shared environment. He stated that there is not point in changing jobs because of how stressful it is because your response to stress goes with you no matter what job you take.

So in general, the conductor of the study found that your stress at school, work, and anything that you do in life has to do with your genes. It's not that stress is made from your genes, but it is how you respond and react to stress which is determined by your genes. I'm going to say I have to agree with this article. You can see it really clearly. How come some people can do some jobs while others can't?  Though one point I have to disagree on is that I believe nurture does at least have to do a little bit of how we respond to stress. Even though genes determine most of the responses to stress, our environment and where we grew up has to play a factor in it as well. What do you guys think? Does how you handle stress relate more to your genes than to how difficult the task is itself? Have you guys ever been in a stressful situation and yet you see someone else doing the same thing with a lot less stress?

Is sex addiction legitimate?

According to an article in Medical News Today, sex addiction is indeed a legitimate mental illness. Because of today's society, the legitimacy associated with sex addiction is often questionable. Like high-profile cases, such as Tiger Woods, has caused many American's to believe that sex addiction is essentially an "excuse" or a made up medical reason for cheating. However, according to "Sex Addiction Is a Legitimate Mental Disorder", in Medical News Today, these assumptions are not true. Researchers from UCLA finally conducted research on "hypersexual disorder". The findings of this study was published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. In order to be legitimately suffering from hypersexual disorder (aka sex addiction) one must experience several fantasies, behaviors, or urges lasting upwards of 6 months. They must also show changes in moods when dealing with sexual activity because most sex "addicts" use sexual activity as a way to manage stress. To assess these standards, they studied 207 participants throughout many mental health facilities. Other findings from this study revealed that, 17% of the patients lost their jobs at least once due to sexually related issues, 28% developed a sexually transmitted disease, 39% lost a valuable relationship, and 78% had a disruption in healthy sexual activity. Many of these patients also admitted to participating in sexual activities with prostitutes, "sex workers" and partners they did not know. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251803.php

Marijuana: Beneficial to Aging Brain?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-food/201007/maintaining-memories-marijuana

I just came across an article by a professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics at Ohio State University who is doing research on marijuana's effect on the brain. In some of his recent research he has been analyzing the effects marijuana has on the brain as it ages. Although marijuana impairs our memory and cognitive functioning while under the influence, there is evidence that it may help our brains later in life. Studies have shown that stimulating marijuana receptors in the brain will decrease inflammation and neurogenesis of the brain later in life. As we age our brains naturally increase in inflammation and decrease in the production of new neurons, so maybe marijuana will be the answer to preventing this in the future. Currently this professor is also suggesting that it takes an extremely small amount of marijuana in your lifetime to reek these benefits.

I would like to see more research done on this because it seems odd to me that the immediate effects of marijuana are opposite the later effects. I also question that it only takes a small amount to reek the benefits of a better aging brain. Would too much marijuana use cause different effects, such as aging your brain faster, or would it have a greater benefit to your again brain than only a small amount? Is there an optimal period in life to use marijuana to have the best result of these benefits? This is very interesting research, but it seems like there is much more that needs to be done on it. Maybe in the future this research will lead to determining if a certain compound needs to be extracted from marijuana or its use as a whole is best; which in turn could possibly become a topic for its legalization?

Cognitive Restructuring though Technology to Reduce Stress

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/health/train-brain-stress-enayati/index.html?hpt=he_c1


The article starts with a pointed finger exposing the absurdity in which the general public holds on the topic of mental self-development.  Like Hadrian, she retreats behind her barrier of an obligatory presentation of pop culture and an attempt to bring the hard science of the Matrix down to the reader's level. However, she can be forgiven due to the weight of the information later presented. In her article she presents the landscape of the battle and it's combatants; our mental health is being besieged daily by the mundane stressors. Without recuperation, the taut neural fibers are being torn asunder by the internal and external stressors of our lives.  Meanwhile the general population is slowly poisoned by this perpetual state of fight or flight, our greatest minds are conducting stress research on athletes and soldiers. The research occurring in USC's Institute of Creative Technologies is conducting two major projects; STRIVE and Virtual Iraq. STRIVE is a project based on the resilience model and consists of preemptive measures for soldiers to have better coping skills for dealing with the trauma they will experience. The former project and Virtual Iraq are based off behavioral therapy and specifically exposure where they recreate such traumatic events for habituation in the client. In all therapy there must be a key element for the process to be effective. This element is sometimes referred to in the business as a therapist. Due to the decreasing number of clinicians, the technology has been evolving in the form of SimCoach. This is effectively an artificial intelligence designed for clinical interactions without any diagnostic skills. Essentially, it's an imaginary friend in a physical form for an adult without the result of going to Bedlam. This simulation will allow you to "vent", receive stress relieving techniques, and seek private mental help without the social repercussions. The second more pressing issue in the article is the immense stress exerted on professional athletes. The sheer pressure exerted by their bank account upon their fragile egos is enough to shatter most men's schemas. In all seriousness, professional athletes live with a tremendous amount of stress that they manage in various ways. In addition to the copious amounts of drugs and fornication that athletes use on a daily basis, researchers are now integrating metacognitive techniques. These range from the elder mindfulness and meditation to a newer integration with technology. A combination of qEEG and visual stimulation to have the athlete cognitively recognize his or her own brain waves is an impressive combination of clinical techniques. In being exposed to these stimulation of different types of brain wave patterns, they focused on the athlete recognizing and in the future controlling the brain waves emitted.

 The thought of  having the ability to not only recognize different forms of mental sensation, but actively direct them is a immense contribution to the clinical field. In theory, if this research could extend to different forms of mental patterns, it may be theoretically possible for an individual to be consciously aware of not only the encroachment of depressive or manic symptoms, but also the  forerunners to the symptoms.
From experience and observations there are many stress relieving techniques employed by professions and by the general public. What are your techniques fro relieving stress, and what are your thoughts on the metacognitive techniques being employed by the athletes? Do you think that such an non-quanitative methodology should be embraced for it's achievements or be written off as pseudoscience with its lack of data?
-M.A.C.

New Drug Could Cure Alcoholism

http://www.mnn.com/food/beverages/stories/new-drug-may-keep-you-sober-no-matter-how-much-youve-had-to-drink
A new drug called Dihydromyricetin or DHM could be the cure to alcoholism and hangovers alike. DHM is derived from the bark of a chinese variety of oriental raisin trees, of which, the bark has been used for over 500 years as an effective cure for hangovers in the far east.
It has been found that DHM can alleviate the effects of alcohol and reduce the desire for alcohol. A study on drunken rats found that drunk rats could be functional in five minutes as opposed to other rats that took over 70 minutes to be functional.
I also read an article which examines the rat study more in depth.


http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/1/390

I find this drug could be useful in saving lives. According to the article, it is estimated that 2.5 million people die yearly from alcoholism. It would also be beneficial socially, for those who like to drink, but don't like to be hungover. I hope this drug hits the market soon.


Patrick Ryan

Companionship Can Reduce Nerve-Related Pain

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20121016/Companionship-can-reduce-nerve-related-pain.aspx

This article suggests that companionship allows us to withstand pain better than if we are isolated or anti-social. Researchers at Ohio State University have found a link between the levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1B) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and whether or not rats had a companion when put under stress or injured. Mice that were isolated and underwent a nerve damaging procedure tended to have higher IL-1B levels than those of their counterparts. Rats who had a companion and also underwent the same nerve damaging procedure were able to tolerate pain (in this case caused by squeezing their paw) longer than those in isolation. This research suggests that social interaction plays a role in not only behavior but physiological responses as well. This information could be used to target those who deal with nerve pain known as peripheral neuropathy as a consequence of diabetes or spinal cord injury and provide new therapies and treatments.

I found this really interesting. The idea that chronic pain could be better managed by having a companion seems promising for those who have a support system, yet equally unfortunate for those who, for whatever reason, are alone. I would be interested to see if similar results would arise in a study with humans. I'm also curious as to how much withstanding pain for longer in the presence of a companion is affected by social standing within that companionship and who much of it is purely chemical. What do you guys think about the article? Have you experienced instances where you have been injured but were able to mange it better around other people than you would if you were alone? Do you think that social stigma plays a role in the increased ability to withstand pain (ie. not wanting to look weak for stubbing your toe or getting a paper cut in front of your friends, older siblings, or significant other)?

New Drug for Alzheimer’s Disease

http://www.doctortipster.com/11700-new-alzheimers-disease-drug-capable-of-repairing-synaptic-damage.html

According to the article, researchers from the Washington State University have created a new drug that repair damaged nerve connections. Unlike previous drugs for Alzheimer’s disease that only slow down the progression of the disease, this new drug is involved in repairing damage in the synapse between neurons. The primary researchers, Harding and Wright, produced this new drug, called Dihexia, from a compound that they had worked and developed since the early 90’s. The first compound they made was unable to pass through the blood-brain barrier, so for the past five years, they worked on developing a new drug that would be small enough to pass through.

In their study, they used rats to demonstrate the effect of their drugs. Rats were given scopolamine in order to hinder their learning process. Then, they were supposed to search for the location of a submerged platform. Due to the scopolamine, they were not able to find the platform. However, when given Dihexia, rats were able to learn the location of the submerged platform, regardless of the administered scopolamine. Although the drug seems to be effective, further testing is required. In addition, the FDA needs to approve the drug.

Personally, I do not know anyone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. However, I think that Harding and Wright’s research will contribute greatly to regeneration of neurons in general. Finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease is a great step towards finding treatment for other degenerative diseases of the brain. How about you guys? How do you think this will impact drug treatment? Do you think this study has enough external validity?

Roots of Resilience

http://www.nature.com/news/stress-the-roots-of-resilience-1.11570

This article is about a woman who experience a traumatic event and recovers. It examines the differences in individuals who do, or do not, develop PTSD. People with PTSD actually have their hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex shrink, while people who experience trauma but do not develop PTSD show an increase in activity in their prefrontal cortex. The article also discussed if resilience is due to nature or the environment. It was a very interesting article that seemed very well written and researched. It is an important area to research, especially if it will later be allow more help to be available to trauma victims. I cannot imagine the strength it took for the woman in the article to both survive and resume her daily life.  

Facebook May Be More Tempting Than Sex

http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/12581/20121008/facebook-more-tempting-than-sex.htm

             In this article written by Christine Hsu, researchers at Chicago University’s Booth Business School conducted an experiment by recording participant’s willpower and desires over a weeklong period. According to this research checking Facebook or Twitter may be more tempting than sex and cigarettes. This is due to the fact that Social Media is a lot easier to access, with a quick check on the phone or laptop with Internet people can almost do this anywhere. Furthermore, it is more alluring than drugs due to it being cheaper, these sites being completely free. Lastly, the addiction to work was harder to resist than sports, sex, and spending money.

            This article is definitely interesting, however I believe this article only pertains more towards people who like the interactions on Facebook in the first place. Often times in many of my large classrooms I see a majority of people on Facebook chatting or checking their notifications. Nonetheless, I think this could also be due to boredom because I often find myself looking on Facebook to see if anything new was good enough to distract me from work.

            What do you guys think? Is social media more addicting to these other stimulants? Do you think you guys check your Facebook or Twitter more because you are bored or because you constantly want to know what’s going on in other people’s life.  

Brain Injury in Professional Football

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/opinion/head-injuries-in-football.html?_r=0 This article explores the extreme dangers of head to head contact in football. After a serious injury at Tulane University in which a student broke his neck and may or may not walk again, the NFL decided to donate $30 million to study brain injuries and brain damage at the National Institute of Health. They studied nearly 3,500 previous professional NFL players and found that NFL players are more likely to die of brain diseases including Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's disease. Helmets are proven to not be of significant help to preventing brain injuries because many brain injuries occur from the sudden stop of a body in motion. The NFL now uses cognitive tests to assess the severity of brain injuries and concussions, but how effective really are these tests?