Marijuana

I have enjoyed learning about the different parts of physiology but considering my minor is addiction studies, this section of  the book was by the far the most interesting to read. Many people think that nothing really happens when you smoke marijuana but according to the book "Biological Psychology," memory is often impaired after smoking marijuana for a long duration of a time. After doing some research on why marijuana effects memory, I found this article which went into explaining how astrocytes control memory and when THC enters into the brain the astrocytes are weakened thus resulting in the brains ability to make memory weaker. This was such an interesting article to me because it brought the two fields of study together. The article tied in astrocytes which we learned in class earlier and then tied it in with marijuana and its effects.

In my opinion, I really think people should be more aware of the effects of marijuana since it can actually be harmful to your body. This drug has become a "norm" in many peoples lives.  I think many people feel that marijuana is less dangerous than drinking or smoking cigarettes. It is frightening that people continue to use it with out even giving a second thought that it can effect their memory. According to the book, they say while under the influence of marijuana "time passes more slowly." I don't know about you but I wouldn't want someone driving and on the road when everything to them seems slower than it actually is because that means their reaction times will not be on point.  Accidents happen in a split second so any delay in response can be the difference in life and death.

The Blood-Brain Barrier

The Blood-Brain Barrier is such an interesting topic to learn about. This so called barrier does a lot for our brain. It keeps out good chemicals we need for our body but it also keeps out bad ones. The blood-brain barrier keeps out a lot of different medications which makes it hard for treatment but according to this article researchers are finding a new way to let medications in. Basically, researchers are using a compound called NECA to activate molecules in the barrier and open it up. The only problem with this is the barrier is only open for a period of time so it is important for these researchers to figure out how to keep the barrier open. If this research works, it will open many opportunities to finding a treatment to different diseases. Alzheimers, different cancers, HIV, and many others may finally have a treatment that would actually get to your brain.


Down below is video about a model that researchers are working on to actually get a grasp on what the blood-brain barrier does and how it works. I find it fascinating in how all these different research methods can somehow one day maybe help find a cure or keep under control for diseases that people probably feel like they will never be able to cope with. I think I found this topic the most interesting because one day I hope to be able to do research in a field where I could help discover medications that could help people.

Introduction to Physiological Psychology

When dealing with the subject of animal testing, many people have a different opinion on whether it is right or wrong. In our book it discussed the two types of thoughts, one is the Abolition and the other is the Minimalist. Abolition believe that animals should never be used for testing and that they should have the saw rights as humans. Minimalist believe that testing should be human and that the least number of animals should be used and that their level of suffering should be kept as low as possible. I personally consider myself a Minimalist. I believe if using animals for research can help find cures for a number of devastating diseases such as AIDS, cancer, and diabetes we should use them with care and humanity. If we look back in history at different types illnesses and medical problems it is easy to see the impact that animal research has  had on finding a cure, or at least finding ways to medically treat the illness for a better quality of life. In addition to finding cures and treatments animal research has also been valuable in finding Vaccines. An example of important animal research has been the vaccine  to help prevent illnesses such as chicken pox.  I feel that I might have some bias in this as I have a personal interest in using animals to find cures.  I suffer from a pancreatic problem that one day I hope they will find a cure for or at least a greater understanding on how to treat pancreatic disorders. If they have to use animal testing to help find a cure that could help thousands or even millions of people I believe that the researchers should be supported and allowed to continue. However, as I stated earlier I consider myself a Minimalist  even though I do believe in the value of animal testing when it comes to finding a cure or a treatment for something I believe they should try to do as little harm and be as non invasive as they can to the animals. The video below is about the different medicines that have been found that help with different things. All of the medicines that are in the video were first tested on animals but eventually have helped many people in our world live healthier and more productive lifes.