Using Your Brain

"If we wait for the moment when everything is ready, we shall never begin."
– Ivan Turgenev

 

Some people may assume that experimenting with drugs and/or alcohol are related to poor impulse control. Certainly, saying no, thank you for trying a drug or drinking a beer is related to successful personal self control. On the other hand, drinking a beer, or taking a  drug seems to suggest failure to inhibit that behavior. Researchers, in a study involving 1,896, 14-year-olds found that the brain networks appear to be different in self-control problems related to substance abuse teens, compared  to those brains associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD). Although both groups have difficulty with impulsiveness( a similar behavior),  there’s likely different brain regions contributing to that behavior.

The findings were published In Nature Neuroscience and are as follows: using a research protocol called the “stop-signal task,” the researchers identified  different neural networks. Even though both groups exhibited impulse control difficulties, the differences were as follows. 1. Those teenagers with a history of alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drug use had diminished activity in the brain region called the orbital frontal cortex. 2. These  researchers found an entirely separate set of impulse control networks in the brain connected with the symptoms of ADHD.  3. The researchers concluded that ADHD and substance abuse teens, although  both groups exhibit similar impulse control behavior, are linked to different neural activity in their brains.

At this point we don’t know why these teens are wired differently. However, likely at some point, much of our story, will likely be associated with all that neuron activity in the prefrontal cortex, limbic system, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, cerebral cortex another brain structures. Understanding the differences or  causes of behavior are important. But, the main task  or the ability to control the self-defeating behavior still remains. First, acknowledge there is a problem, and second, dos something about it. This article was found in the May 1, 2012 edition of the Wall Street Journal.

A cold front appeared along with rain and snow. Being in the foothills, there is still snow in and around my neighborhood. Because of the icy weather conditions, I changed my work out plan. Originally, a group of us were going to run the trails at the Cronin ranch on Sunday. Fortunately, I have an elliptical machine in my home. So for my work out, I did a short hike and spent some time on the elliptical totaling over 13 ½ miles. I must admit that it seemed easy. Until the snow melts, I’m likely to hike the trail and get on my elliptical , while watching a movie.

In the meantime, I recommend that everyone keep moving, laughing, smiling, deep breathing, bonding, and loving.