Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Circadian Rhythms and Memory

Circadian rhythms can be behavioral, mental, of physical changes that occur at about a 24-hour cycle and respond to a stimulus in the environment. Much of the time it is the lightness and darkness of an environment that triggers parts of a circadian rhythm. Because of this, daylight savings may have some effect on our circadian rhythm, requiring us to get used to the daylight shortage.

Scientists at Stanford University are taking a closer look at what all circadian rhythms can involve. Using Siberian hamsters, scientists were able to change circadian rhythms enough so that there was some sort of inhibition of memory. They have been able to identify the part of the brain that controls the circadian rhythm and connect it to memory and learning. They have discovered that when this clock does not work, it creates memory loss.

Patients with memory loss diseases often complain about poor sleep and other symptoms that can be related back to problems with circadian rhythms. This experiment with hamsters, has made scientists create an even stronger connection between memory and the rhythms because they have been trying to treat memory disorders by fixing circadian clocks. What is interesting is that when the scientists removed this part of the brain, the hamsters memory seemed to return fully. Because of this, these scientists are hoping to create new therapies for people with diseases like Alzheimer's, etc.

I found this article interesting because there is no cure for memory disorders. The research being done nowadays seems promising and will hopefully lead to some sort of cure and either stop or decrease memory loss in patients with diseases like Alzheimer's. If more research is done on this experiment and the same results show, I believe that it could be a good way of restoring memory in humans. However, as with anything, there would probably be other side effects from disrupting circadian rhythms that would cause some trouble.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141118110007.htm

Visual Processes Get a Little More Complicated

As we just got finished discussing in class, our visual processes are rather complicated. The pathways that information from our visual sensors take in order for us to make sense of what we are seeing can take a bit of time to grasp. In order to turn our visual senses into cognitive recognitions, many different sections of the brain are involved and work together. Recently, scientists from Stanford University say that they have found indeed another visual processing pathway beginning in the occipital lobe of all of the brains that were examined.

The large bundle of fibers that were rediscovered was done so only by using an MRI. The fibers are now known as the vertical occipital fasciculus, however it took some time and research in order to figure out what exactly it was that the scientists were looking at. The answer to their question was found in an old atlas written by Carl Wernicke. Wernicke's findings of the vertical occipital fasciculus went against another neuroanatomist, Theodore Meynert, who stated that brain connections could only travel from the front of the brain to the back--not vertical. Although this created some confusion, these scientists were able to find what they were looking at in different atlases, just under several different names.

Using diffusion-weighted imaging they were able to view the length and locations of this visual pathway. It turns out that it connects the brain regions needed for seeing different objects and other regions that deal with focusing attention on a certain object. In general, it is believed that the vertical occipital fasciculus is involved in facial recognition and other perceptual processes.

I found this article interesting because it shows that although we have been doing research on the brain for centuries, there is still more to learn. Even though the VOF was seen a while ago, the rediscovery of it may bring about new information on how we see things because of the vast amount of technology we have today that we didn't have back then. It also makes you wonder how this pathway was forgotten in the first place or why it wasn't brought to attention earlier. Is it that important if it is just now being brought to light again? We may know a lot about the brain, however I believe that there is still a lot more to be learned.





http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141118091343.htm

Sunday, November 9, 2014

More Sleep In the Mornings for High Schoolers

A team of researchers from Brown University and Lifespan health system conducted a study that monitored the sleep habits of children ages 9 to 18. They found out that children go to bed later and later as they get older, yet they continue to wake up at the same time to go to school. The result of this is a decrease in the amount of sleep every night. The Academy of Pediatrics has proposed a school starting time of 8:30 am.

As we learned in class, the amount of sleep we get is directly correlated to our cognitive performance in school and affects our mood. There have been many debates and research about how much sleep is necessary. Schools are beginning to take the results of the study into account. Fairfax Country has recommended a start time between 8-8:10 am for the next school year.

This article caught my attention because what college student doesn't love sleep?! Sleep is something that every college student values because we are up so late doing homework and studying for a big test and are very sleep deprived. All of our sleeping schedules are off and I find myself needing a nap in the middle of the day. I think that high schoolers would benefit from a later starting time because even another half hour of sleep would be beneficial. Maybe universities would even consider pushing back 8 am college classes so students can have another half hour of sleep!

Source:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/11/07/sleep-patterns-study-lends-new-support-to-proposals-for-later-school-start-times-for-teens/

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

This Is Your Brain on Drugs

This article immediately caught my eye because our class had been discussing drugs and their effects on the brain. Specifically, this article investigates the relationship between weed and the brain. Dr. Gilman from Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard concluded that weed seemed to have a significant effect on participants who only smoked once or twice a week. The brain had visible structural differences. The shape, density and volume of the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala were affected. There was a direct correlation between the amount of week smoked and the amount of change in brain structure.

People who smoked at a young age had a greater chance of having mental heath problems later in life. The amount of THC in the weed in years past was significantly less than the weed currently being sold. The amount of THC went from 3.75% to 13%. The potency is higher, which may lead to possible addiction and other adverse effects.

The researchers asked a student who smoked almost daily to take tests that were aimed at delayed gratification, cognitive abilities, memory and risk. These are things that THC would normally affect. When asked, the student stated that she only somewhat craved a joint. Weed also has long term effects that can lower I.Q points and can impact working memories that important for learning. More studies will be conducted to gain more information.

I thought this article was interesting because weed can be associated with college students. As young adults, it's important to know the effects. I don't think that students are aware of the damage that smoking causes and it's scary to know that the amount of THC has increased by about 10%. It's a significant amount . It's also interesting because it seems that people have different responses in cognitive, instant gratification, and risk factors even though there are similar effects on the brain.

Source :

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/education/edlife/this-is-your-brain-on-drugs-marijuana-adults-teens.html?src=me&module=Ribbon&version=origin&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Most%20Emailed&pgtype=article