Stroke Symptoms
Scientists have found that the pleasurable experience of listening to music releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain important for more tangible pleasures associated with rewards such as food, drugs and sex. The new study from The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital also reveals that even the anticipation of pleasurable music induces dopamine release.
The team at The Neuro measured dopamine release in response to music that elicited “chills,” changes in skin conductance, heart rate, breathing, and temperature that were correlated with pleasurability ratings of the music. ‘Chills’ or ‘musical frisson’ is a well established marker of peak emotional responses to music. The study also showed that two different brain circuits are involved in anticipation and experience, respectively: one linking to cognitive and motor systems, and hence prediction, the other to the limbic system, and hence the emotional part of the brain. These two phases also map onto related concepts in music, such as tension and resolution.
Let’s take a look at the role that brain chemistry plays in depression.
Neurotransmitters are chemicals which are released into synaptic space whenever a neuron conducts an action potential to the axon terminals. They are naturally depleted during the course of each waking day. The brain manufactures and replenishes them while you are sleeping, thus a good night’s sleep is very important both in curing depression and preventing a relapse. If your body is stressed the brain reabsorbs the neurotransmitters it has manufactured to fight that stress. For our purposes, they are chemicals that affect your mood.Three of them are emphasized in a depression:
Serotonin - function: emotional stability, pain tolerance, self confidence. If there’s not enough: sadness, helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness, suicidal thoughts.
Dopamine - function: thinking, pleasure, reward, loving feelings. If there’s not enough: lack of concentration, memory problems, lack of joy.
Norepinephrine - function: arousal, energy, drive. If there’s not enough: lethargy, lack of motivation, inattention, low libido, lack of excitement, poor appetite.
Lung Cancer Stages
The stages show the degree to which the cancer has established itself and how it presents in a patient. Staging is frequently referred to as “TNM” by oncologists, and it refers to the three main factors used in staging:
• Primary Tumor (T) – whether there is a tumor or tumors which can be established;
• Lymph Nodes (N) – whether the cancer has occurred in the lymph nodes;
• Metastasis (M) – whether the cancer has spread to or from other parts of the body. Each of these factors is further assessed to provide more detailed clarification. For instance, where a tumor cannot be located but it is confirmed by the presence of cancer cells, the assessment will be TX. A detailed explanation follows: Primary Tumor (T) TX – no tumor is located but is confirmed by presence of cancer cells T0 – no evidence of a primary tumor T1 – primary tumor of less than 3cm and not in the main bronchus T2 – primary tumor which is any of the following: • Larger than 3cm • Is present in the main bronchus or other important parts of the lung T3 – primary tumor of any size invading surrounding tissue or chest wall T4 – as T3 but affecting the heart, trachea, great blood vessels – more serious than a T3 tumor Regional Lymph Nodes (N) Lymph nodes are small, bean shaped objects which are reservoirs of immune cells and materials vital to protect the body. Regional lymph nodes refers to those lymph nodes in the surrounding vicinity of the lungs. NX – no assessment N0 – no regional lymph node metastasis (i.e. the lung cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes) N1, N2 and N3 – metastasis has occurred to increasing severity Distant Metastasis (M) Metastasis refers to the spreading of the cancer to or from other parts of the body. This is important because primary cancer (i.e. cancer which has originated at that location in the lung) is susceptible to treatment by surgery whereas metastasized lung cancer usually is not). MX – no assessment of distant metastasis M0 – no distant metastasis has occurred M1 – distant metastasis has occurred and includes separate tumor(s) in other parts of the lung or body Allocation of a Stage: After assessment of the tumor, lymph nodes and metastases, a stage is allocated which depends on the findings of how many tumors, where they are located and how they have spread.The stages are allocated as follows: Occult carcinoma – TX, NO, MO – cancer is present because of the presence of cancer cells but it cannot be located or assessed. This is not allocated a distinct stage but is classed as an “unknown” or medical wildcard. Stage 0 – any Tumor, N0 and M0 Stage IA – T1, N0, M0 Stage IB – T2, N0, M0 Stage IIA – T1, N1, M0 Stage IIB – T2, N1, M0 or T3, N0, M0 Stage IIIA – T1-T2, N2, M0 or T3, N1-N2, M0 Stage IIIB – Any T, N3, M0 or T4, any N, M0 Stage IV – Any T, Any N, M1
Cancer drug that erases your identity
One commonly used cancer treatment drug, Capecitabine, has a side effect which can get you into trouble at customs check points – it can erase finger prints.
The drug, which is prescribed fairly regularly to prevent cancer from returning, is known to cause inflammation and blistering of the palms and soles of the feet. After prolonged use, the repeated swelling and blistering can leave patients without finger prints. Where things get complicated is that sometimes the swelling isn’t pronounced enough to affect patients and cause doctors to remove capecitabine from their drug regimens.
The pineal gland and the third eye
The pineal gland is situated between the right and left hemispheres of the brain and has long thought to have been a vestigial remnant of a once larger section of the brain. A hormone called Melatonin is created within the pineal gland and it only synthesized when no light passes through the retina, through the optical nerve and into the pineal gland. Melatonin is essential for our sleep-wake cycle and peaks in the middle of the night when we are in our deepest stages of REM sleep. It has long since been thought that the pineal gland is the seat of the soul. This gland is also sensitive to electromagnetic energy, so maybe, a huge change in the earths natural electromagnetic field could either have the effect of awakening the gland and it’s higher functions, or have the opposite effect and close it down altogether. Another thing that can have a detrimental effect on the pineal gland is calcification; and guess what is in our drinking water, fluoride! Which further calcifies the gland.
French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) emphasized the pineal gland in his writings, calling it the seat of the soul and “The part of the body in which the soul directly exercises its functions.”
My view is that this gland is the principal seat of the soul, and the place in which all our thoughts are formed. The reason I believe this is that I cannot find any part of the brain, except this, which is not double. Since we see only one thing with two eyes, and hear only one voice with two ears, and in short have never more than one thought at a time, it must necessarily be the case that the impressions which enter by the two eyes or by the two ears, and so on, unite with each other in some part of the body before being considered by the soul. Now it is impossible to find any such place in the whole head except this gland; moreover it is situated in the most suitable possible place for this purpose, in the middle of all the concavities; and it is supported and surrounded by the little branches of the carotid arteries which bring the spirits into the brain.
Ketamine and depression
Used frequently as an animal sedative, ketamine can also be used to sedate humans and is also taken recreationally because of its hallucinogenic and euphoric effects. Molecular psychiatrist Nanxin Li and colleagues dosed rats with modest amounts of ketamine, and observed that the drug boosted signaling between neurons in the brain, and even led to healthy growth of synapses (Chronic depression can be linked to inhibited synaptic growth.) Ultimately, they concluded that ketamine might be useful in treating depression because it increases brain activity instantly - so there is no need to wait weeks or months for the drug to take effect.
(Dopamine under a microscope)
Dopamine is created in various parts of the brain and is critical in all sorts of brain functions, including thinking, moving, sleeping, mood, attention, and motivation, seeking and reward. You may have heard that dopamine controls the “pleasure” systems of the brain: that dopamine makes you feel enjoyment, pleasure, and therefore motivates you to seek out certain behaviors, such as food, sex, and drugs.
The latest research, though is changing this view. Instead of dopamine causing us to experience pleasure, the latest research shows that dopamine causes seeking behavior. Dopamine causes us to want, desire, seek out, and search. It increases our general level of arousal and our goal-directed behavior; it makes us curious about ideas and fuels our searching for information. The latest research shows that it is the opoid system (separate from dopamine) that makes us feel pleasure.
Even though, this constant stimulation of the dopamine system can be exhausting. We are getting caught in an endless dopamine loop.
Brain scan research shows that our brains show more stimulation and activity when we ANTICIPATE a reward than when we get one. Research on rats shows that if you destroy dopamine neurons, rats can walk, chew, and swallow, but will starve to death even when food is right next to them. They have lost the desire to go get the food.
Did you know that lack of exposure to sunlight is responsible for the secretion of the hormone called Melatonin, which could trigger a dispirited mood and/or a lethargic condition? Melatonin is only produced in the dark. What it does is it lowers the body temperature and makes you feel sluggish. So, if you are always cooped up in your room (with the curtains closed), it would be difficult to restrain yourself from staying in bed. This is the reason why many people suffer from depression much more often in winter than in the other seasons; it’s simply because the nights are longer.
Morphine Sulfate is an opioid. It acts upon specific receptors in the brain and spinal cord to decrease the feeling of pain and to reduce the emotional response to pain. It is used to relieve severe pain caused by surgery, accident or injury, or chronic illness such as cancer. For a heart attack, morphine is used in the emergency setting to lower pain and the workload on the heart. Morphine is available in oral preparations and as rectal suppositories. It may also be given as subcutaneous injections (SQ), intramuscular injections (MI), or intravenous injections (IV).
