Immediate Effects of tDCS on the μ-Opioid System of a Chronic Pain Patient. Background Pain is described as a complex experience affecting not only the sensory, but also the affective and cognitive systems (Merskey and Bogduk, 1994).
Although the central mechanisms involved in pain perception and modulation have not been completely elucidated, recent years have seen significant advances in the understanding of the anti-nociceptive mechanisms controlling the pain experience in humans. One of the most important modulatory mechanisms is the endogenous opioidergic system, which is involved in the regulation of experimental and clinical pain, as well as in the effects of analgesic opiate drugs. Therapies that directly modulate brain activity in specific neural networks might be particularly suited to relieve chronic pain. Case Presentation Subject Neuroimaging We used a radiotracer with specific affinity for μORs, [11C] carfentanil.
A T1-weighted anatomical MRI scan was acquired on a 3 T scanner (General Electric, Milwaukee, WI, USA). Quantitative Sensory Testing. Understanding Why Pornography Addiction is a Brain Disease. “One ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them.
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie.” -J.R.R. Tolkien Until the general public becomes more informed about the reality of how pornography impacts the human brain it will continue to be looked upon as a moral weakness or a form of mere entertainment. Pornography addiction is the most difficult addiction to treat because it hits at the very core of our humanity. Throughout my professional carrier I have spent countless hours treating those with chemical dependency addictions such as with alcohol, heroin/opiates, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana etc. Our brains are made up of tiny chemicals called neurotransmitters. The physical/chemical brain has a tremendous capacity to gain control of the mind. In essence, the only difference between a heroin or cocaine addict is the way the drug enters the system.
Drugs Alter the Brain's Reward Pathway. The neuroscientific study of hallucinogens. Recently, an important and landmark paper was published in PLoS ONE (hooray open access!)
Titled, "Investigating the Mechanisms of Hallucinogen-Induced Visions Using 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA): A Randomized Controlled Trial in Humans". It sounds daunting, but trust me, it's a very cool, approachable study. Now, in the spirit of full-disclosure, the lead author Dr. Matthew Baggott (hereafter referred to as "Matt"), is a friend of mine from grad school and he's been kind enough to grant me a very thorough interview for this post. The interview is quite long, so I'll give a brief overview of the research and some of Matt's comments, but I've posted the entire interview at the bottom of this post. At the bottom of this post you will also find an hour-long YouTube interview with Matt about his research as part of "Dr. That said, my real-life association with Matt is not biasing my opening statement; his paper is truly landmark for many reasons.
Falling in love is 'more scientific than you think,' according to new study by SU professor. Falling in love is 'more scientific than you think,' according to new study by SU professor October 18, 2010 Donna Adamo(315) 443-5172 A new meta-analysis study conducted by Syracuse University Professor Stephanie Ortigue is getting attention around the world.
The groundbreaking study, “The Neuroimaging of Love,” reveals falling in love can elicit not only the same euphoric feeling as using cocaine, but also affects intellectual areas of the brain. Researchers also found falling in love only takes about a fifth of a second. Ortigue is an assistant professor of psychology and an adjunct assistant professor of neurology, both in The College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University. Results from Ortigue’s team revealed when a person falls in love, 12 areas of the brain work in tandem to release euphoria-inducing chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin, adrenaline and vasopression. The findings beg the question, “Does the heart fall in love, or the brain?”