Curated Paper 2

        There are many connections that can be made between scientific ideas and ideas from different fields of endeavor. One really interesting connection that can be made is between the brain and psychology. The brain is in charge of many important functions that can affect every part of a person’s day to day life. When we look at these many brain functions there are a lot of ways that they interact with a person’s mood and emotions and when the brain is damaged there can be long lasting and damaging effects to a person’s emotional state. Another connection that can be made is between cancer and the economy. Cancer has a big impact on national and global economies resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars being spent each year to fight cancer. The last connection that will be made is between drugs, psychology and the economy. Drugs can affect a person’s psychology in a wide variety of different ways. There is also a lot of money that is spent each year on both legal and illegal drugs which can have both negative and positive effects on the economy. 

When most people think of psychology and the brain they often think of Traumatic Brain Injuries. Many people may have even learned about how Traumatic Brain Injuries can sometimes alter a person’s personality quite drastically. One of the first case studies that was recorded was of a man named Phineas P. Gage. Phineas was born in 1823 and at the age of 25 he suffered a severe head injury, an almost 4 foot, 1.25 inch diameter rod went through his brain (left frontal lobe). In less than a year he was able to make an almost complete recovery, which is quite amazing given the severity of the injury. Following his recovery, his family was dismayed to find that Phineas’s personality had changed from easy going to quite severe/extreme. Following the accident he became very impatient, stubborn and treated others with little to no respect. It is crazy how much his accident affected his personality and as a result he became an almost completely new person in the worst way. 

The effects of Traumatic Brain Injuries can be varied in severity, no one person’s TBI is the same as another person’s. These injuries are often very difficult to understand because there is so much that we don’t know about how the brain works. The human brain is also very complex which makes it a very difficult organ to study. Often we are forced to learn about TBIs from a variety of different case studies like that of Phineas P. Gage. We know so much more about how the human brain works than we did 100 years ago because of all the advancements in the scientific and medical fields but we are still far from knowing all that we need to know. As a result scientists are constantly making new discoveries about the human brain.

 I have some experience interacting and working with people who have suffered from TBIs while I worked at Chrysalis a few years ago. Chrysalis is a company that provides many different services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and while I worked for Chrysalis I helped to provide consistent support to individuals in order for them to become as independent as possible. One of the houses that I worked at had an individual who tried to commit suicide when he was around 30 years old. He tried to take his own life with a gunshot to the headshot but miraculously he was found in time to receive life saving care and survived this traumatic wound. This individual is now around 60 years old and lives full time at one of the homes Chrysalis owns and because of his Traumatic Brain Injury he has a diminished intellectual capacity and also needs to take a wide variety of medication everyday. In my interactions with him, he went from being very calm to very aggressive in a matter of seconds, the littlest inconvenience could and would set him off. When he didn’t get what he wanted, like going for a walk, he would have fits of anger where he would swear nonstop and threaten violence. He also suffered from extreme paranoia and would constantly look out the windows and claim that there were people watching him and the house. This could be if there was a car that he didn’t recognize parked across the street or if there was someone walking past the house. Overall I learned a lot working with this individual and found that he was all bark and no bite and there were also many times where I had positive interactions with him. Almost all of these problems that this individual suffered from resulted from his TBI and many of these problems are common symptoms of those who suffer from TBIs. 

Cancer has a very big impact on the United States economy because according to the American Cancer Society in 2022 there were an estimated 1.9 million new cancer cases that were diagnosed as well as 609,360 cancer deaths in the United States alone. There are so many different types of cancer some of which include: breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer and colon/rectal cancer. Since there are so many different types of cancers there are many more people who are at risk of developing cancer at some point in their lives. The cost of cancer related research and cancer treatment is very substantial in the U.S. and continues to rise each year. According to the American Association for Cancer Research the national cancer-attributable costs in the United States are projected to increase by over 30 percent from 2015 to 2030, corresponding to a total cost of over $245 billion.

Cancer affects many more people than just the person that develops cancer such as family members because when just one person is diagnosed with cancer a whole community can suffer the consequences. In my family there have been two cases of cancers, I have an aunt who developed breast cancer and a niece who developed Leukemia. In both of these cases friends and family as well as communities banded together to raise money for cancer treatments as well as providing support to both individuals. This isn’t just unique to my two family members and when most people are diagnosed with cancer many people are affected. This is important to remember when looking at cancer statistics. The actual number of people who are directly or indirectly affected by cancer may well be in the tens of millions or hundreds of millions in the United States. 

There are thousands of different types of drugs and many different ways they are classified. The use of both legal and illegal drugs have an impact on many aspects of our society.  Drugs can alter the way a person’s brain works because they interfere with how neurons send, receive, and even process signals via neurotransmitters. This interference within a person’s brain can cause many different effects. Some of these effects make the user feel active and energetic while others cause a person to feel relaxed and calm. With all of the different effects drugs can have on a person’s brain and body there is a large need and use for prescription drugs in the medical field. According to statista the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported prescription drug expenditure in the United States came to some 378 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. This is a massive amount of money that was spent in 2021 and it is projected that the cost spent on prescription medication is expected to continue to rise. Prescription drugs play an important role in the healthcare system because of the many benefits they can have on a person’s recovery and prolongment of life. However these benefits can be reduced if people are unable to afford prescription drugs. According to the Peter G Peterson Foundation 24 percent of people taking prescription drugs noted that they had difficulty affording their medication, and this finding was more pronounced for lower-income individuals as well as for those nearing retirement age.

There are many connections that can be made between the brain, cancer, drugs and the impact that they have on both the economy and a person’s psychology. Many of these connections have a lot of overlap when compared to one another. One example of this overlap could be a cancer patient will be prescribed medication that may alter their emotions. The majority of this paper came from my journaling of cancer, brain and drug topics. There was a lot that I added to each section as well as a lot of research that I did to support the different ideas that I discussed. There were a lot of really interesting topics from all these sections and there was a lot that I was able to learn.

Curated Paper #2

    The brain is one of the most complex organs of the entire body, driving life through electric pulses. In fact, the brain is able to outlive the body by many years but due to the nature of deterioration of the DNA and mechanisms replenishing the body, the physical form is the main issue to an increasing life span. Although the brain is evolutionarily advanced, many things can go wrong that contribute to different types of disorders forming.

    Neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s can severely affect motor function and inhibit cognitive or emotional function and growth. Storage disorders such as Tay-Sachs are very rare but destroy nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to loss of senses, seizures, and in most cases, a short life expectancy. Personality and mood disorders such as depression, OCD, and schizophrenia are becoming more common and talked about in the new generation. According to the American Psychiatric Association, about 9% of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with at least one personality disorder. Amongst the younger population who are in college and high school, an increase in depression and anxiety has been noted. Developmental disorders such as autism and spectrum disorders have also been talked about more in the newer generation and more resources have been available for the wider population. The last type of brain disease are Prion diseases such as Kuru and spongiform encephalopathy.

The brain is one of the most interesting topics to me as I’ve been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. I have also been tested for sclerosis and know someone personally who has been affected by it. Multiple sclerosis is a progressive neurological disease that causes demyelination in the brain and spinal cord and we have yet to find a cause while the course of the disease varies from case to case.

One of the most well-known and disturbing diseases is dementia. Huntington’s disease rapidly progresses into dementia by affecting changes in mood and character and creating defects in memory and attention. Strokes, Korsakoff’s syndrome and Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease are the known causes of dementia. 

Another cause of brain diseases and disorders is physical trauma. A prime example is Phineas P. Gage who was struck with a tamping iron. The tamping iron passed through his brain, mostly the left frontal lobe, and Gage was able to make a complete physical recovery; however, his personality changed and Gage became an impatient, raging, and stubborn man. TBI or traumatic brain injury usually results in a diminished state of consciousness and impairs cognitive abilities. Mood and personality can drastically change after a TBI occurs and can further develop into psychiatric disorders.

TBI can be caused by many diverse causes such as concussions, tumors, car accidents, toxics, and more. TBI has a very high prevalence rate with 5.3 million Americans being affected. The elderly, substance abusers, males in the 15 to 24 year old range, infants, and prior head injury individuals are considered to be high risk groups to the effects of TBI. There are approximately 62% to 67% of severe and 10% to 21% of mild behavioral changes and approximately 60% to 80% of personality changes after TBI. The most common shifts are liability, aggression, disinhibition, apathy, and paranoia.

The effects of TBI and treatments are still being studied today. There has been evidence for a strong linkage between early abuse and the development of borderline personality disorders. One of the main reasons treatments for brain injuries are long and slow is due to the lack of information known about the brain. For example, Henry Molaison developed seizures and a loss of consciousness after experiencing a TBI from an accident. The proposed treatment was to cut out the hippocampus from the brain. While the seizures did stop, all memory was wiped from Molaison and he could not hold any new information. Another example is Eugene Pauly who suffered an illness that destroyed a 5cm oval of tissue in the medial temporal lobe which is responsible for many cognitive tasks. Pauly could not form new memories and could not recall and draw out maps of places he knew how to transverse well. 

We know a lot about the brain and how different parts work and what they control but our knowledge on how they all function together is still low. We are unable to take major parts of the brain out without causing some unseen consequences. It is similar to why we are unable to genetically modify humans, we do not fully understand the effect of removing or adding genetic code. We may know how each part works separately, but once we change one section, a bunch of sections in other areas are affected. It is difficult to have moral and inexpensive experiments on the brain and our genetic code which inhibits our ability to fully understand ourselves.

While physical trauma like TBI can negatively affect the brain by disrupting nerves and killing tissues which can then develop into many different disorders and diseases, drugs can also play a huge role in brain health. Due to how similar drugs are to the chemicals naturally produced, they are able to bind to receptor sites. Typically, drugs bind to neurotransmitters in the brain and affect behavior and mood. Due to the addictive nature of drugs, the disease of addiction  changes the structure of the brain. This causes the cycle of addiction where users must continue to increase the dosage to feel the same effects of the first high.

In order to achieve the wanted high, some drugs abusers may begin to mix drugs. Most easily attained drugs are safe when taken as directed and one at a time. A drug antagonism is when a user takes two different drugs that cancel or reduce the effect of one another. A drug synergism is when the combined drugs generate a greater effect than on their own. Another issue with drugs is the impurities it may contain. One of the biggest epidemics currently is the use of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and morphine that have been laced with fentanyl. While it takes a lot more of the other opioids to seriously harm the user, according to the DEA, two milligrams of fentanyl is enough to be fatal. 

Neuroadaptivity, the dulling of the pleasure center, hypofrontality, interference with decision making, and memory loss can all occur due to the overuse of drugs. Typically, dopamine is the natural chemical released when a natural need like food or survival is met. In the case of drugs, there is an immediate increase in dopamine and when overused, the amount is reduced in each high. Due to the reward system, the brain then craves the amount of dopamine during a drug high, and addiction can occur. With longer term usage, the neurons change and alter their function. There can be a rearranging of synapses and connections as well as a change in the number of receptors. This can change behaviors, processing in the brain, memory, decision making, and many more crucial parts of brain function.

cancer, drugs and the brain

 Cancer, Brain and Drugs

Being such a powerful, complex disease, it is no wonder that cancer is the big bad wolf in society. Everyone has a close friend or family member who was diagnosed with cancer. Every time someone goes to the doctor or vet they hope that it is anything but cancer. How did cancer earn such a reputation? I think it is due in part to the fact that there isn’t a cure as well as no one is safe from it. While we have come a long way in our advances for treating cancer, its difficulty to cure is because “Each broad cancer type has many sub-types, and they all look and behave differently because they are different on a genetic and molecular level. This is because cancer arises from our own cells, so each cancer can be as different and diverse as people are”(https://www.worldwidecancerresearch.org/news-opinion/2021/march/why-havent-we-cured-cancer-yet/). Cancer is defined as “a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body” and has the ability to take over any part of the body (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer#definition).  Interesting to learn that antibiotics and/or intra-abdominal infections were linked to an increase in colorectal cancer. I think this really shows the importance of the gut microbiome to our overall health. Happy microbes happy life “ the pharmacological manipulation of the gut microbiota holds great promise as an adjuvant to improve the therapeutic index of anticancer therapy”. Antibiotics, probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics are the four avenues that can be taken to affect the gut microbiota during cancer treatments. The microbiota found in the gut influence oncogenesis, tumor progression and response to treatments whether beneficial or not. Seeing as cancer is an imbalance, abnormal cells who were supposed to die off doing the opposite, it would come as no surprise to any of us that it is damaging to the mind, body and spirit. We all have seen this first hand with patients diagnosed with cancer where it seems like either the disease or the treatment is draining them in every aspect.

The brain is still a great mystery to us despite being one of the most significant organs in the human body. This is even more interesting when you think about how there was a chicken named Mike that lived for a year and a half without his head, ultimately dying after choking on a piece of corn (https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34198390). He was able to stay alive due to his remaining brainstem taking care of bodily functions After a little digging I read that the reason that chickens can survive decapitation is because the important part of their brain isn’t severed, “ This means that while some of the brain may be sliced away, a very important part remains” (https://modernfarmer.com/2014/08/heres-chicken-can-live-without-head/).

The brain is divided into two halves: right and left. Majority of the brain is a wrinkly sight called the cerebrum which is divided into 4 lobes. The frontal lobe is in charge of intellect, problem solving, muscle movement, behavior, judgment and controls attention.The parietal lobe is in charge of pain, pressure, touch and visual functions. Next up is the temporal lobe, its job is visual and auditory memory. Lastly, the occipital lobe which aids in the recognition of colors, words and movement. The cerebellum is in charge of balance, posture and coordination.

The 5 types of brain diseases are neurological, storage, personality and mood, developmental and prion. Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease where there is myelin loss in the brain and spinal cord with an unknown cause. Usually onsets between 20-40 years old and is seen more in women than men. Traumatic brain injuries are considered a risk factor for psychiatric disorders and are caused by an external physical force. High risk groups are males between the ages of 15-24, substance abusers, infants, elderly and those who have had a previous brain injury. The “5 major subtypes of personality changes are affective liability, aggression, disinhibition, apathetic and paranoid” and negative emotions such as anger. There is a strong link between trauma and personality disorder. Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by difficulties communicating, social impairments and patterns of behavior. This impacts learning, processing, attention, basic social behaviors and environmental interactions. Autism is more common in boys than girls, however I have previously read that this is likely due to bias (https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/why-many-autistic-girls-go-undiagnosed/). There isn’t one cause of autism identified, mostly attributed to several genetic and environmental factors. 

Brain injuries can affect behavior, cognitive and physical abilities.These injuries are harder to understand because no two are the same and may be attributed to the complexity of the brain and how it heals. “ Environmental influences on genes make nature-nurture distinctions difficult. Psychosocial factors produce biological changes in the brain. Medication and psychotherapy work synergistically to make changes in the brain over time. The languages of “brain” and “mind” are both necessary in the treatment of personality disorders. “

Going back to ayurveda, brain injuries affect the physical, behavioral and cognitive health of the individual which also affect one another. “ Similarly, psychosocial stressors, such as interpersonal trauma, have profound effects of a biological nature by changing the functioning of the brain “. Childhood abuse is linked to many diseases of the brain. Distinction between the brain and the mind is a topic of heavy discussion, I think of it as the mind is not confined to the brain and is intangible. The brain is tangible and is the boss of our body.  “The mind uses the brain, and the brain responds to the mind. The mind also changes the brain.”(https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/difference-between-mind-and-brain-neuroscientist).

The word drug generally elicits negative feelings of addiction and going down the wrong path in life. In truth drugs simply represent chemical substances which bring about a biological effect by affecting cell pathways. They accomplish this by interfering with “ the way neurons send, receive, and process signals via neurotransmitters”. This changes the balance of the brain for better or for worse. Tying this into ayurveda may explain why people prescribed drugs end up having other issues due to the imbalance. A common example is people going off of antidepressants because of other issues experienced which they did not have prior. These include nausea, fatigue, insomnia/sleep issues, constipation, etc and may be explained by “Because serotonin regulates many adaptive processes, antidepressants could have many adverse health effects. For instance, while antidepressants are modestly effective in reducing depressive symptoms, they increase the brain’s susceptibility to future episodes after they have been discontinued.”(https://www.wellnessresources.com/news/ssri-antidepressants-do-more-harm-than-good). This seems to be a case where you pick your battles. The consequences of regularly messing with the brain's chemistry are unknown and to me this sort of feels like when people thought cigarettes were good for you. Everyone thinks “wow they were such idiots” but are we in that same position again?

Method of administration affects how quickly the drug can act, orally is the slowest and inhalation and injection are the quickest. This makes sense when you think about recreational drug administration. Blood-brain barrier separates the brain from potential danger in the nervous system. Access is modeled by a lock and key. The choice is between inhibition or excitation of the receiving neuron leading to increase of neurotransmitters. Drug is introduced, circulates bloodstream, attaches to specific receptor site, liver breaks down those in bloodstream, dissipates at receptor sites and the metabolized chemicals are excreted from the body. Multiple drugs can either cancel(antagonism) or amplify(synergism) eachother. Prior to the development of the frontal cortex, the ways in which time is spent guides the structure of the brain. Dopamine is the reward system's primary neurotransmitter. Continued drug use reduces dopamine production, does this mean that antidepressants may make matters worse? Drug misuse is any use of a drug not for its intended purpose. “Drug abuse is the excessive use of drugs”. Addiction is the reliance on a drug/produced behavior as a habit. Controlled substances are put into categories depending on their abuse potential vs. medicinal purpose. Interesting to see that ER visits due to drug abuse/misuse are highest with pharmaceutical drugs and not illicit drugs. Almost half of Americans over the age of 12 have used an illicit drug, with women less likely than men. Illegal drugs costs mount to almost $200 billion, the same amount as economic damages caused by tobacco and nine times the number of deaths. 

Plant products and their derivatives account for the majority of natural pharmaceuticals. The basis of medicine is rooted in traditional medicines and therapies, modern medicine derived from natural wisdom. Marginalization of indigenous populations breaks indigenous medicinal systems. “Great traditions have relatively organized database, and more exhaustive description of botanical material is available that can be tested using modern scientific methods. Ayurveda and Chinese medical systems thus have an important role in bioprospecting of new medicines”.Our renewed interest in natural medicine is attributed to side effects, shortcomings and drug resistance. I think that there is also a perceived safety when it comes to natural medicines compared to modern medicine which has not always been best to marginalized groups. This may be another reason individuals prefer natural remedies “ revealed that patients often feel prohibited from speaking up, even when they are extremely concerned about safety or the quality of care they are receiving” (https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3178#:~:text=There%20is%20good%20evidence%20that%20attitudinal%20barriers%20are,expect%20people%20to%20express%20their%20preferences%20about%20%E2%80%A6). However, issues do arise from herbal and naturopathic remedies. Botanical medicine is difficult to standardize and regulate given the current practice. Also the systems of development for natural and modern are different with observation coming at the beginning or end. Combining ayurvedic practices with modern technology can provide new advances in drug development and therapies. 

curated paper 2

 The principles of Ayurveda focus on the mind, the body, and the environment. For me, the mind can refer to our soul and its spiritual aspect. I believe the mind refers more to our Soul. Nevertheless, with discoveries and scientific research, scientists have observed the link between the brain and our body. We know that our brain controls our body by sending electrical messages through neurons and that drugs can inhibit or enhance these messages. Drugs are chemicals that interact with our nervous system to modify or interfere with the synaptic transmission between dendrites. This will then affect the way we feel and act. We can conclude from the definition of drugs that some ayurvedic treatments, such as herbs, could be considered drugs. For example, Azadirachta indica, or neem, is a plant recognized as a weed for its insecticide properties in Asia and the Middle East. It’s been used in traditional medicine since ancient times as an insecticide. It’s crazy to think about how human’s curiosity is responsible for our survival. Through evolution, our brain communicates with the environment and distinguishes between harmful and useful remedies.

The paper “Mind, Brain, and Personality Disorder” associates the mind and the brain with the environment, genes, and society. It defines the mind as the activity of the brain. 

This paper highlights the role of the environment in altering genetics and, therefore, creating divergences in behavior between individuals. They also show that an individual's environment shapes his behavior. For example, people who have been abused at an early age have a higher risk of developing borderline personality disorder because abuse may increase the activity of their hypothalamus and therefore change the environmental response (hormone production from the hypothalamus). According to this study, chemical treatments improve the symptoms of personality disorders. They showed that serotonin inhibitors could control anger and impulsive, aggressive behavior. Also, psychotherapy is a good method for changing brain configuration. It can be considered a biological treatment, but it takes more time. I think that it is fascinating to understand how the brain works; it is one of the organs of the body that never ceases to amaze me. The brain reacts to external stimuli. I think the outside stimuli are what shape most of our behavior, except for genetic diseases such as Huntington's disease, which affect the behavior of an individual internally, leading to personality change and dementia.

Ayeruda is a good solution to ease brain disease because, as said in Mind, Brain, and Personality Disorders, chemical treatment, and psychotherapy require a long period to work. So does Ayeruda; therefore, it might be cheaper in the long run to adopt Ayeruda's method to ease brain diseases such as depression.  Ayeruda proposed herbal medications to manage his symptoms. These methods are effective. According to studies, it improves worry, a relaxed state of mind, sadness, helplessness, worthlessness, quality of sleep, tinnitus, and backache. 

A brain concussion is a common traumatic brain injury for athletes that causes symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness or balance problems, fatigue, insomnia or sleep disturbances, drowsiness, sensitivity to light or noise, blurred vision, difficulty remembering, and/or difficulty concentrating. Traumatic brain injuries occur when a force, acceleration, or impact hits the brain. It is challenging to investigate these injuries because all the knowledge we acquired was through experiments or invasive methods. Invasive methods require human or animal participants and have high risks of brain damage. Moreover, these methods are questionable in terms of ethics. 

In an article posted on Neurotray, Tuarez explains that modern technologies, such as MRI and brain imaging, are used to study the brain. These methods take more time and may not give a complete understanding of the phenomenon studied because the brain is capable of carrying out multiple tasks at the same time; therefore, it is challenging to design experiments that determine if brain activity is being observed as a result of cognition or internal metabolism.   

Brain injuries modify the hypothalamus and pituitary glands in the brain, which are responsible for metabolism processes linked with hormones in the body. For example, they control water concentration by balancing the antidiuretic hormone (ADH). This means that a brain injury could cause physiological imbalances in other organs of the body, such as the kidney. Ayurveda emphasizes the connectivity between the body and the mind. The brain is the control system of our body; an injury to the control system could shut down “the machine.”

Autism is a brain-related condition that could be managed with Ayurvedic techniques. Studies show that herbal treatments and therapy can improve the symptoms of autism to some extent. Knowing people with this condition, I can say that these treatments alone have little effect on the behavior of the kids. The most effective way to ease the symptoms of autism is through therapy. Moreover, these treatments are hard to give to children, so the posology requirements are never met. Studies show that ayurvedic treatments require a long duration to be effective. 

The study and production of drugs exist because of plants' properties. With new technologies, scientists can synthesize chemicals from plants. This led to the discovery of most drugs, including atropine, hyoscine, digoxin, and cocaine. In an attempt to modernize the field of medicine, traditional treatments like Ayurveda and others almost disappeared because, despite all of the knowledge of indigenous people, they did not, most of the time, take into consideration the toxic effects of long-term use. Nevertheless, modern drugs use these toxicities to improve natural drugs, such as chloroquine, which is much less toxic than quinine. The current scope of this article talks also about the disadvantages of medical drugs such as antibiotic resistance and numerous side effects. 

Illicit drug use is a subject I’m not familiar with because I grew up in an environment where people feared drugs or just didn't want to spend their money on them. Through research, I saw that adolescents are more likely to be addicted to drugs than adults because adolescents appeal to their amygdala (which controls reward learning and memory, conditioned reward, and emotion) when it comes to drugs, while adults use their frontal cortex.

New studies looked into the risk factors for adolescent drug abuse. They found that adolescents with certain personal or individual traits, such as signs of abuse at an early age, are prone to drug use. They use drugs to escape and forget past trauma. Also, significant negative growth exposure is another risk factor for drug addiction in adolescents because our brains develop as we age and we replicate and adopt mechanisms that we observe in our environment. Peer influence and the economic status of our neighborhood need to be taken into consideration when talking about drug use in adolescents. Statistics show that people who use drugs often have unstable economic situations. Drug dealers target adolescents as buyers because of their credulity; as said before, they can be manipulated easily. With this information, I believe that if we improve the quality of life of teenagers living in rough neighborhoods by providing extracurricular activities and doing awareness campaigns against drug use, we could decrease the number of teenage drug addicts. 

On the other hand, kids who live in an environment with high religious beliefs, school connectedness, and adult support act as protective factors against drug abuse. From a biological point of view, epigenetics can influence drug addiction. Studies on Methamphetamine addiction show that it could modify gene expression. It alters the histone acetylation and transcription of genes involved in behavioral sensitization. They found out that METH enhanced spatial memory, a type of memory involved with locating an object, a route, or an event, during drug addiction. Researchers also found that METH use decreased synapse length, downregulated DNA methyltransferase (an enzyme that transfers methyl groups to DNA), and induced DNA hypomethylation (loss of a methyl group) at the Syn promoter (a glycoprotein that is an integral part of the secretory granule membrane in synapses). The results of this study show that drug use can cause irreversible brain damage, which includes memory loss, paranoia, and hallucinations.

In conclusion, the interconnectedness of the mind, brain, and environment is visible everywhere. Ayurvedic treatments such as herbal medications could be effective in managing brain conditions or as drugs, but their effectiveness requires time and consistency. Moreover, scientific research expands our understanding of the brain. Studies looked into the effects of brain injuries, neurobiological conditions like autism, and drug addiction on brain structure and function. These studies could be used as an opportunity to explore the potential of Ayurvedic treatments in managing brain-related conditions, particularly in cases where chemical treatments and psychotherapy may take time to show results. However, it is essential to balance the benefits of traditional medicine with modern medical technology to ensure efficacy.

Curated Paper 2

Austin Kirkby - Brain Journaling

7/31/23

BIOL 4500

Dr. Karpel

My whole life I have been a fan of football. When I was 14 years old, I experienced my first brain injury as a result of football. I was hit very hard in the back of the head. I was not originally diagnosed with a concussion, so I continued to play. On the drive home, my mom kept asking me questions about my head. I eventually burst out in anger telling her to leave me alone. I was never one to yell at my mom. She says that when I yelled at her it was the moment that she knew I was concussed. I remember the second time I had a concussion, I was pacing up and down the sidelines of the football field. Finally, the athletic trainer noticed my behavior and took my helmet from me. I became very angry with him when he took it and told me I was done for the night. Head injuries really can affect more than just the physical health of an individual. They truly can change the personality of someone. 

In reading the paper published by the American Journal of Sports Medicine, I found it very interesting that simply following a new concussion protocol (SFWP) made it less likely for an athlete to have repeat concussion events. I wonder if I needed to wait longer after my first concussion to return to school and sports. Would I have been able to avoid consecutive concussions? In this same paper, they allude to the idea that concussion awareness is spreading and most schools now take large precautionary steps to make sure athletes are safe before returning to play. These new precautions certainly have been controversial to many people. Some are skeptical of the necessary symptom free period before returning to play. This certainly has affected society and people begin to diverge on such topics. Some might express distrust in sound science and make “logical” (and valid) arguments that if I have no symptoms I must be healthy. Oftentimes the findings of science have this effect on society. Distrust in science was a large factor in different stances during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and problems that arose then still stem into our society today. 

In the powerpoint on traumatic brain injury (TBI) I was previously familiar with the story of Phineas Gage. It is abundantly clear that our brain is very much the driver of who we are as people. It drives our tendencies and even our thoughts. This is where fields like neurobiology and psychology meet. At what point does a brain anomaly need to be blamed on the structure of the brain, and at what point does it need to be blamed on what goes on inside of the brain. It is crucial for these two fields to work with and relate to one another, they are intertwined in a very intimate way. I had a friend whose father was a player in the national football league. His father suffered many traumatic brain injuries during his time playing. A few years ago, he took his own life. He was otherwise a very pleasant and happy person. It was unexpected by everyone who knew him. Many doctors concluded that it was a result of CTE  (Chronic Traumatic Encephelopaphy). He simply wasn’t himself anymore after so many brain injuries. This crosses the interesting border that exists between “brain” and “mind” as is discussed in the powerpoint. When our biological structure is affected, how can we predict what will happen to our mind? This is the big question of neurology and psychology. This is why they are separate fields. This affects ayurveda or the balance of our bodies in a big way. As previously discussed, inflammation in the body often leads to different diseases within the central nervous system. What we do and eat can affect the inflammation in our bodies. One of the first things that affect our actions is our minds. There is almost a closed circle between how our mind affects our brain and how our brain affects our mind. 

However, we still have much to discover about how and why our brains work. But we do know that our brains play an essential role in producing our thoughts and character. As in the example with Phineas Gage, we know the brain controls those things. Those results have been repeatedly seen in many subsequent lobectomy cases. People simply aren’t the same after the structure of their brain is altered. This also plays a large role in how people change as they grow old. Young brains are alive and reckless, suggesting that they may lack adequate growth in their frontal lobe. Old people are often rude and lose their manners. This may also be due to some atrophy of their frontal lobes. The bottom line is, as our brains change, so do we.

It is interesting to note that some central nervous system diseases can be a result of  external processes and some can be a result of genotypes. I never knew that Huntington’s disease was autosomal dominant, meaning that anyone with one copy of the gene will be affected by the disease. Usually, evolution has seen to it that many if not most diseases are recessive. Something as small as the change in 68 amino acids of a protein can begin the rapid degeneration of someone's central nervous system and plague them with dementia. I also learned for the first time reading this powerpoint that Alzheimer’s Disease has an unknown cause. I was under the impression that it was a result of the build up of beta amyloid plaque in the brain, but it is the cause of that plaque build-up that is not entirely known. I mentioned a book called “BrainMaker” in an earlier entry. The author of the book mentions the billions of dollars that have been poured into finding an adequate treatment for AD with nothing to show for it. He alluded to the fact that the answer may be much more simple than we might expect. He refers to the gut flora and the role it plays in our bodies and how it can control the inflammatory response. This is strong evidence for the need for balance in the body or ayurveda. This could be a difficult answer. As so many infirmities have been medicalized, society wants the answer to be medicine. They want a magical pill to fix obesity, cancer, alzheimers, and many other diseases. It is difficult for people to hear that the answer to their problem requires more work than simply taking a pill.

In relation to my previous entry, I found it intriguing that the paper on personality disorders did mention the “mind theory”. Everyone sees the world differently. I remember a thought experiment I often discussed with my brother about our different perceptions of the world. What if when I saw “red” you saw “yellow”? But your whole life you have been taught that “yellow” was indeed “red”? Obviously there are some serious holes in the thought experiment, and sound physical science has shown us that we perceive different wavelengths of light in the same general sense (“red” is “red” for all of us). But, it is important to note that there are indeed different perceptions of the world around us. Oftentimes there may not be a definite right or wrong. This is where biological sciences do tend to fail humans and a more philosophical or “unseen” approach would be required. Indeed, this is where religion becomes an essential pillar for so many people. Religion may help explain the unexplainable. 

The first thought that comes to mind when discussing the growing problem of drugs is “say no to drugs”. I remember hearing the command several times from my youth. While the instruction is effective in teaching kids that “drugs” are “bad”, we come at a crossroads when a dentist prescribes a narcotic for a patient who just underwent extraction of their wisdom teeth. I have often felt that the saying “controlled substance” was equivalent with “we have a fire, let’s get everyone very close to it so they can be warm. But, we need to make sure no one falls in”. In short, it is very risky when controlled substances are prescribed. But the fire is indeed warm, and many people are helped by these prescriptions. How can one be sure to maintain ayurveda when taking narcotics for pain?

As mentioned in the slideshow, drugs are taking advantage of the body's natural mechanisms. Addictive substances do indeed throw off the balance of the reward system in the brain. I have long been a believer in “opposition in all things”. When we experience a low, we can be sure that a high is on the way (a natural one). But, when the equilibrium of lows and highs is tampered with, there is no promise in a remaining balance. If a high was given everytime a low was felt, there would eventually be no high, but our brain would not be able to handle the low. 

Listening to a podcast, I learned that most drug overdose related deaths are caused by an accidental ingestion of fentanyl. Synthetic opioids are laced with fentanyl very often because of the cheap methods for production involving this lethal and powerful drug. Drug trade, especially illicit drug trade, has an unimaginable impact on society. Too many families lose their loved ones. Drug addiction throws off the balance in one person's mind, but a drug addiction throws off the balance of relationships with co-workers, family, and friends. The amount of overdose deaths has skyrocketed since around 2015. Drug abuse is not always illicit. Many drug problems come from prescribed medications. A doctor’s poor decision in prescribing a controlled substance can lead to devastation for a patient and their family. This is a large issue when professionals study the interactions among our towns and societies. 

Drugs don’t always need to be the source of an imbalance. Oftentimes, people who have overloaded schedules and too many commitments turn to drugs as a result of the stress they experience. I feel it is important to address that we must maintain balance in the mind and in the body in order to decrease the risk of drug abuse and addiction. Prevention of fatal addictions is necessary. Balance of the mind rules over all. Depressants, stimulants, opioids, and other drugs may give a brief hope of short circuiting balance, but synthetic neurotransmitter use is often not the answer for finding balance. There are cases, as aforementioned, where these drugs do help people with chronic pain, anxiety, and depression, among other infirmities. However, we should look to other methods whenever possible for finding balance and restoring internal peace. This will heal people, but it will also heal families and communities. 

Curated Paper 2

Personal relation to Psychology and Neurology:

Ever since I was in elementary school, I have been very interested in learning about the brain and behavior. Neurology really enticed me, and all of my career goals have always surrounded the concept of the brain/mind. Currently, I am aiming at entering the workforce as a Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. I strongly believe that a strong mind translates into a strong body. As someone who has worked with patients with various brain diseases, both neurological and mental, I understand the consequences that these diseases can have on people’s everyday lives; it is a very difficult thing to witness. But I enjoy figuring out how to help people who suffer with these problems.

Frequency and Outcomes of a Symptom-Free Waiting Period After Sport-Related Concussion:

As someone who has experienced multiple concussions due to a sport, this article was enlightening. Even during the four years I did college gymnastics, the concussion protocols had changed a lot. I had noticed that this led to better and better ways to deal with sports-related concessions. The return to play time used to be very short, with some athletic trainers even letting athletes return to play the day of their concussion injury (which was very deranged, in my opinion). Now, there are very strict guidelines that must be followed to ensure the safety of the athlete both right after the SRC and in the future as well. Mental baseline testing is recorded at the beginning of each sport season just in case an athlete encounters concussions during the season. This way, if an SRC does occur, it will be easier to tell how much brain damage was caused. Although the guidelines that are now in place are much more catered towards looking after the brain health of athletes, there will most likely be more effective ways to test for brain injury due to SRC in the future.

Psychological brain diseases:

Mental disorders can range from mild to detrimental. Like I said previously, I am fascinated by how mental functioning influences our overall health, especially because there is so much we still need to learn about this topic. In order to begin to understand mental disorders, it is imperative to understand that while a person’s mindset does play a big role in the extent of a mental illness, an even larger part of it is due to actual biological implications. This is why therapy alone can help in mild cases, but for more extreme illnesses, medication is usually required to see physical changes in the manifestation of behaviors. I would say that ayurveda plays into this because if there are psychological (whether biological, mental, or both) imbalances, this very much so leads to negative physical responses, which in turn heavily impacts overall health.

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Traumatic brain injuries are a very unique type of injury. They never truly heal due to the peculiar nature of nerve cells. Once a nerve cell is destroyed, it never grows back, therefore, you can never regain its original function. The brain can, however, somewhat regain general functioning as a whole by forming new brain cells to replace old ones. In this case, new connections between neurons are being formed in order to make up for the connections that were lost. This is one way that personality changes occur from brain injuries. Personality changes also occur if certain parts of the brain are damaged. Various cognitive skills are affected with neurological injuries, too. This also includes emotional changes in some people. Ayurveda relates to brain injuries because they are physical imbalances at play. Not only are there repercussions that the body faces, but the mind also experiences turmoil from physical harm to the brain.

What are drugs?:

Research centered around drugs has always fascinated me because their effects, while witnessed through various behaviors and physical symptoms, vary greatly depending on what exactly the substance is. There are so many different types of drugs, from prescription medications that are meant to better your health, to recreational drugs that can damage the brain and body long-term. Drugs are broken down in the body and processed, resulting in changes to the way that neurotransmitters are released and used within the body. Dopamine is usually the neurotransmitter that is affected. Drugs like opioids, cocaine, and nicotine work by flooding synapses with dopamine. The excess dopamine triggers reward centers in the brain that make the user feel good, leading to the desire for more of the drug. After using a substance like this, the brain begins to crave it more and more, which ultimately leads to addiction and dependence. While short-term use of drugs changes the chemistry of the brain temporarily, long-term drug use can lead to permanent damage to neurons and neurological pathways. This occurs because the brain is trying to acclimate to the constant modifications that take place. Sometimes the brain can revert back to its normal functioning after drug usage if the substance was not being used for long periods of time (but it still takes a while for psychological, biological, and physical effects to return to previous health). Other times, full recovery is not possible because too much damage has been done. 

Drugs pose a huge threat to the wellbeing of many individuals. There are regular people who become victims of drug addiction every day. It can develop extremely quickly due to how fast it begins changing the chemistry of the brain, and therefore, initiating the desire for more of the drug. When an addiction becomes substantial, loss of overall motivation, productivity, and personality changes sometimes leads to detrimental social consequences. Interpersonal relationships are commonly affected in negative ways when an individual is experiencing substance abuse. This becomes one of the most difficult parts of addiction because it can decrease a person’s support system. Drugs can also create various social ramifications. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are arrested for drug related crimes each year (however, less and less people are getting put in jail each year, probably due to relaxations of drug laws).

Drugs and ayurveda:

Most of the time, drugs do pose a challenge for balance in the body. Recall that ayurvedic medicine is all about fixing imbalances and restoring the body. Because drugs can create changes to the brain and therefore aggravate the doshas, the body will undergo the ramifications. However, drugs such as prescription medicines actually help restore other issues within the body. For example, epinephrine can be used as a drug in order to get rid of imbalances from the aggravation of a dosha due to an allergen. In this case, the drug is returning the body’s balance to its usual state. I think it is very important that drugs be evaluated for their advantages and disadvantages so that we may understand what drugs may be beneficial and which ones will result in ramifications.

Connection to cancer:

Psychology, neurology, drugs, and ayurveda all play a role in someone’s life when they have cancer (or even when someone close to them has the illness). Firstly, it should not have to be said that dealing with cancer leaves an enormous impact on the mental well-being of the patient. It is beneficial to have support from loved ones; however, not everyone is fortunate enough to have this kind of mental and physical support. Luckily, there are support groups for those that need extra psychological help from others. It is especially helpful to hear stories from those that are going through the same thing as you. Taking care of your mental health while having cancer looks different for everyone, but it is crucial for everyone.

Many drugs have substantial use when it comes to trying to get rid of cancer. As a first resort, there are drugs that can be used to target PD-1 proteins that reside on certain immune cells. By blocking PD-1, these drugs aim to boost immune responses against cancer cells in order to stop progression and to ultimately rid a person of all cancer-spreading cells. Along with immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are also used to target cancer cells. While chemotherapy utilizes powerful drugs that target cells that are in the process of dividing, radiation therapy uses high energy particles to destroy and/or damage cancer cells to stop them from multiplying. There is also a type of radiation therapy, called systemic radiation therapy, which uses liquid drugs made of radioactive substances that travel throughout the body. Ultimately, the best cancer treatment route depends on what type of cancer the patient has, but overall, a combination of surgical removal, radiation, and chemotherapy have been suggested to provide the best results.

Because of the need to go through treatments for the prevention and destruction of cancer forming cells such as the ones previously mentioned, patients are likely presented with economic devastations. For example, the average cancer patient ends up spending 150,000 dollars for treatments. It can be terrifying to have to put out so much money, especially if someone is not seeing progress with what they are doing. Of course, patients could end up spending more or less than the average based on multiple factors such as type of insurance, which doctor they visit, what type of cancer they have, and what external resources are available. Cancer is known to be a devastating disease, but you never know exactly what to expect until you are put in that situation yourself. Luckily, there are a wide array of resources that are available to cancer patients. But everything is contingent on how aware the patient is about their options. This is why it is so important to be informed about the mental and physical help that is offered, not just when it comes to cancer, but any disease that someone is dealing with.