Drugs ‘n’ stuff
Cogs 174
Winter 2012
Mike Datko
“Functional connectivity”
BOLD signal
(blood flow)
???
Correlation between signal in different
brain regions?
Default Mode Network
a.k.a. Resting State Network
Anticorrelations?
Looked at interaction between MDMA and
THC in 3 measures of neurotoxicity
•Microglia activation
•Astrocyte activation
•Reduction in tyrosine hydroxylase
In room temperature vs. warm temperature
Links
Carl Sagan's pro-marijuana letter:
http://marijuana-uses.com/mr-x
Huge forum site about everything drug-related:
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/317270-Brain-Imaging-ampPsychoactives-(fMRI-PET-EEG-MRI-SPECT-DOT-fNIR-MEG-etc.)
Mouse Party:
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/index.html
Massive drug information website. Information about
pharmacological, cognitive, and behavioral effects, news articles,
experience reports, and much more:
http://www.erowid.org
Links
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/
http://stopthedrugwar.org/
ethics of cognitive stimulants:
http://thetechnologicalcitizen.com/?p=2444
Recent (March 13) debate hosted by Google on the war on drugs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSrN2zIRwN8
Bush Sr. and crack:
http://www.metafilter.com/94969/The-Kid-Who-Sold-Crack-to-the-President
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/8921-1
"Just Say No” police/DARE music video from late 80's/early 90's.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcxDPJ5a5oQ
Forum thread with links about issue of Marijuana legalization:
http://www.metafilter.com/112959/Progress-Stalled
1994 Tobacco company executive testimony before congressional committee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC4f_yfuR34
Links
Effects of MDMA:
Post in forum thread about ecstasy, from an apparent
expert in the field:
http://ask.metafilter.com/128422/I-took-MDMA-for-the-firsttime-and-have-some-questions#1835735
"Does Ecstasy cause brain damage?"
Gigantic page from Erowid with a lot of studies cited.
Dated 2001 so may need to be updated:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma_neurotoxicit
y1.shtml
Conclusions
What you should take away from this course:
Question what society and organizations tell you…know the facts.
Question your own biases…know the facts
Where do you get the facts?
Science!
Timothy Leary may have said it best:
“Think for yourself, question authority”