Image by Catherine MacBride/Getty Images
Image by Catherine MacBride/Getty Images
With a president-elect who has publicly supported the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism, suggested that climate change is a hoax dreamed up by the Chinese, and appointed to his Cabinet a retired neurosurgeon who doesn't buy the theory of evolution, things might look grim for science.
Yet watching Patti Smith sing "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" live streamed from the Nobel Prize ceremony in early December to a room full of physicists, chemists and physicians watching her twice choke up, each time stopping the song altogether, only to push on through all seven wordy minutes of one of Bob Dylan's most beloved songs left me optimistic.
Taking nothing away from the very real anxieties about future funding and support for science, neuroscience in particular has had plenty of promising leads that could help fulfill Alfred Nobel's mission to better humanity. In the spirit of optimism, and with input from the Society for Neuroscience, here are a few of the noteworthy neuroscientific achievements of 2016.
One of the more fascinating fields of neuroscience of late entails mapping the crosstalk between our biomes, brains and immune systems.
In July, a group from the University of Virginia published a study in Nature showing that the immune system, in addition to protecting us from a daily barrage of potentially infectious microbes, can also influence social behavior. The researchers had previously shown that a type of white blood cells called T cells influence learning behavior in mice by communicating with the brain. Now they've shown that blocking T cell access to the brain influences rodent social preferences.
It appears that interferon, an immune system factor released from T cells, is at least partly responsible for the findings. A single injection of interferon into the mice's cerebrospinal fluid, the clear, protective fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord, was enough to restore social behaviors. Lead author Jonathan Kipnis from the University of Virginia speculates that there might be an evolutionary linkage here one protecting us from the increased pathogen exposure that comes with socializing. He also says the findings could help improve our understanding and treatment of brain disorders.
Of course these findings were in rodents, but earlier work by Kipnis suggests that the brain and immune system communicate in similar ways in humans.
Major advances were also made this year in joining human with machine.
In October 2015, Hanneke de Bruijne, a 58-year-old Dutch woman with Lou Gehrig's disease, received a brain implant that would allow her to communicate simply by thinking.
Eighty percent of patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as the condition is also known, ultimately have trouble communicating because of muscle paralysis. At its extreme, this paralysis results in a tragic state called locked-in syndrome, in which patients remain fully aware but can't express themselves; they become locked inside their own bodies.
The new therapy, which comes on the heels of similar work out of East Tennessee State University, was developed by a team from the University Medical Center Utrecht in collaboration with Medtronic. It consists of four electrodes implanted over the motor region of the brain that connect to a wireless transmitter implanted in the chest. After 28 weeks of training, the device was able to recognize brain activity patterns that occur with thinking about typing a particular letter. Though de Bruijne's muscles still can't move, this brain-computer interface can now translate her brain waves or her "thoughts" into text.
Among the biggest neuroscience drug advances of the year was the Food and Drug Administration's Dec. 23 approval of Biogen's Spinraza, or nusinersen, the first treatment for spinal muscular atrophy.
Spinal muscular atrophy is the No. 1 genetic cause of death in infants. Those affected by the devastating disorder carry a gene mutation that renders them unable to produce a protein essential to survival of neurons in the spinal cord. Gradually stripped of their abilities to walk, eat and breathe, most children struck with the disease don't make it past 2 years old.
Spinraza is a gene therapy that boosts the production of the essential protein. Despite possible side effects, which include bleeding complications, kidney toxicity and infection, the drug appears to work so well that two recent clinical trials were stopped early, as it was deemed unethical to withhold treatment from babies assigned to placebo groups. As with many other drugs for rare diseases, the price of Spinraza is expected to be high to help recoup research costs perhaps as high as $250,000 per year.
The Alzheimer's disease community also received welcome news this year. After hundreds of failed trials of potential treatments over the past couple of decades, the experimental drug aducanumab, also produced by Biogen, was found in early trials to slow the cognitive decline that comes with Alzheimer's.
And then there was the ongoing resurgence of psychedelic medicine.
It's been pretty well established that the hallucinogenic anesthetic ketamine may be an effective antidepressant. Now we have some potentially groundbreaking findings for psilocybin, the active compound in "magic mushrooms." Two clinical trials found that just a single high dose of the drug is effective at treating symptoms of both depression and anxiety in late-stage-cancer patients.
Scientists are unsure just how psilocybin works to relieve mental duress. But one theory holds that it disrupts self-focused thought and fixation common in those suffering from depression allowing selfless cognition and experience to occur. In both trials the intensity of the patients' "mystical experiences" correlated with the decrease in symptoms.
Both research groups strongly caution against recreational use or self-medicating with magic mushrooms, but the findings have many experts and institutions reconsidering the half-century of negative counterculture stigma surrounding psilocybin.
The list of neuroscientific advances from the past 12 months goes on: The Human Connectome Project gave us the most complete map of the cerebral cortex to date; a Canadian group revealed in part how fear memories are formed; scientists at Mount Sinai charted the neurocircuitry behind social aggression.
Still, the field of neuroscience remains, at best, in adolescence.
As British novelist Matt Haig wrote in The Telegraph in 2015, "Neuroscience is a baby science. ... We know more about the moons of Jupiter than what is inside of our skulls."
As the year's abundant advances attest, there is plenty of room left for discoveries in the coming year and beyond and plenty of creative, eager researchers to make them.
Bret Stetka is a writer based in New York and an editorial director at Medscape. His work has appeared in Wired, Scientific American and on The Atlantic.com. He graduated from University of Virginia School of Medicine in 2005. He's also on Twitter: @BretStetka
Here is the original post:
From Alzheimer's To Psychedelics, 2016 Was A Good Year For ...
- 8 Mystical Herbs and Legal Psychedelics For Lucid Dreaming - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Psychedelics: LSD, Mushrooms, Salvia | Facts | Drug Policy ... - December 10th, 2016 [December 10th, 2016]
- FS Book Company - Marijuana Books - December 12th, 2016 [December 12th, 2016]
- Psychedelic - PsychonautWiki - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- LSD - Psychedelic Effects - The Good Drugs Guide - January 5th, 2017 [January 5th, 2017]
- THC - Psychedelics - January 29th, 2017 [January 29th, 2017]
- Psychedelics | Pharmacological Reviews - January 30th, 2017 [January 30th, 2017]
- Dorian Yates reveals all on steroids, body dysmorphia, psychedelics, cannabis and yoga - Express.co.uk - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Psychedelic drug therapy including magic mushrooms, LSD and ... - CBS News - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Psychedelics Being Tested For Use In Treating Various Conditions - CBS Local - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- The psychedelic renaissance - Boulder Weekly - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Buy psychedelics online : Chinglabs.com - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms and LSD have key ... - Yahoo Finance - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Psychedelics a Viable Therapeutic Option for Depression - Psychiatry Advisor - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Is Silicon Valley Onto Something With Its LSD Microdosing? - Newsweek - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- News Releases - Noozhawk - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- A Revolution in the Science of Psychedelics is Happening in Boulder - 303 Magazine - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- When Reality Is More Intense Than Psychedelics: Strand Of Oaks ... - NPR - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Psychedelics Help Reduce Opioid Addiction, According to New Study - AlterNet - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Psychedelics May Help Reduce Opioid Addiction, According To ... - Huffington Post - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Psychedelics Help Reduce Opioid Addiction, According to New Study - eNews Park Forest - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Psychedelics Could Play A Role In Tackling The Opioid Epidemic - Huffington Post - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Meet The People's Champion of Psychedelic Drugs - Narratively - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- How psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD actually change the way ... - Yahoo Finance - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- First U. student group on studying psychedelics holds open house - The Daily Princetonian - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- How psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD actually change the way people see the world - Businessinsider India - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Psychedelics Help Reduce Opioid Addiction, According to New ... - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- WATCH: A Public Policy Expert Explains How to Safely Deregulate LSD and Other Psychedelics - AlterNet - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Quotes About Psychedelics (48 quotes) - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Inside the Psychedelic Underground - RollingStone.com - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- What Psychedelics Really Do to Your Brain - Rolling Stone - RollingStone.com - March 10th, 2017 [March 10th, 2017]
- Hallucinogens Help, According to a Mom's Memoir and Son's Documentary - Bedford + Bowery - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Meditation and the psychedelic drug ayahuasca seem to change the brain in surprisingly similar ways - Businessinsider India - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Tripping out: the highs and lows of psychedelic therapy - Marie Claire UK - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Stop Policing Psychedelic Science - Motherboard - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- America's Trippiest Chemist: Making Psychedelics 'Was Fun' - Motherboard - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- The Three Types of Hallucinogens: Psychedelics ... - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Cary Grant was one of the first to benefit from LSD therapy - Quartz - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- What it's like to take psychedelics in small doses at breakfast - New Scientist - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- 'Changing Our Minds' explores psychedelic drugs and spiritual healing - Religion News Service - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Q&A With Psychedelic Stand-Up and LaughFest Headliner Shane Mauss - Flagpole Magazine - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Q&A: LaughFest comedian talks science and psychedelics - Red and Black - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- 'Changing Our Minds' explores psychedelic drugs and spiritual healing - The Daily Tribune - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Shane Mauss brings Good Trip Comedy Tour to town - Chattanooga Times Free Press - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- 'Changing Our Minds' explores psychedelic drugs and spiritual healing - The Oakland Press - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Director Ana Lily Amirpour on Cannibalism, Psychedelics, and 'Horrifying' Racism Allegations - Jezebel - June 23rd, 2017 [June 23rd, 2017]
- Majority of Americans ready to embrace psychedelic therapy - YouGov US - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- The Refugee Funding America's Psychedelic Renaissance - VICE - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Open Your Mind This Weekend at Europe's Largest Psychedelic Conference - VolteFace Magazine (blog) - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Psychedelics and Virtual Reality Make a Trendy but Illegal Therapy - Inverse - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- The war on drugs is back. Will psychedelic drug research survive? - The Verge - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- Tune in, Turn on, Stay in School - Study Breaks - July 2nd, 2017 [July 2nd, 2017]
- Cannabist Show: He's psychedelic comedian Shane Mauss - The Cannabist - July 2nd, 2017 [July 2nd, 2017]
- The brain on DMT: mapping the psychedelic drug's effects - Wired.co.uk - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Psychedelics Could Help Asia's Mental Health Care, But Stigma Remains Roadblock - TheFix.com - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Is LSD the new coffee? - FactorDaily - July 4th, 2017 [July 4th, 2017]
- My grandfather was a death row doctor. He tested psychedelic drugs on Texas inmates. - Texas Tribune - July 5th, 2017 [July 5th, 2017]
- About Us | Trusted News Source for Psychedelic Research ... - July 6th, 2017 [July 6th, 2017]
- Do Psychedelic Drugs Cause the 'Prophetic Effect'? - Breaking Israel News - July 11th, 2017 [July 11th, 2017]
- Are psychedelics the new medical marijuana? - WTSP 10 News - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Psychiatrists Say Cannabis Medicine Has Psychedelic Properties - The Marijuana Times - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Can Psychedelics Be Therapy? Allow Research to Find Out - New York Times - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- Countdown To (Legalized) Ecstasy! Rick Doblin, MAPS, & the Psychedelic Renaissance [Podcast] - Reason (blog) - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Should We Reclassify Marijuana as a Hallucinogen? - Big Think - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Do You Take Drugs at Festivals? This Initiative is Working on Keeping You Safe - PoliticalCritique.org - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Psychedelic drugs could tackle depression in a way that antidepressants can't - INSIDER - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- Psychedelic Shine takes a trip to the skies in Boulder - Boulder Daily Camera - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- Reasons to Consider Trying Psychedelics - FoxWeekly - July 27th, 2017 [July 27th, 2017]
- Psychedelics and Normality - HuffPost - July 27th, 2017 [July 27th, 2017]
- New book about psychedelics and weird human experiences - Boing Boing - July 27th, 2017 [July 27th, 2017]
- Scientists Want You to Give Them Money to Study ... - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]
- What Has Awe Done for Me Lately? - HuffPost - August 1st, 2017 [August 1st, 2017]
- For children, it's beyond psychedelics - The Hans India - The Hans India - August 1st, 2017 [August 1st, 2017]
- Expanding consciousness - 48 Hills - August 2nd, 2017 [August 2nd, 2017]
- THE FUTURE OF PSYCHEDELICS: Are LSD and Mushrooms The New Prozac? - Dope Magazine - August 5th, 2017 [August 5th, 2017]
- Psychedelic drugs saved my life. So why aren't they prescribed? - Wired.co.uk - August 9th, 2017 [August 9th, 2017]
- LSD as therapy: How scientists are reclaiming psychedelics ... - August 9th, 2017 [August 9th, 2017]
- The foundation of Western philosophy is probably rooted in psychedelics - Quartz - August 12th, 2017 [August 12th, 2017]
- Crazy Enough to be Correct - HuffPost - August 15th, 2017 [August 15th, 2017]
- How MDMA & Other Psychedelics Could Change Therapy | Goop - August 20th, 2017 [August 20th, 2017]