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R. Douglas Fields, Ph.D.

Author of Why We Snap

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Recent Posts

  • Muscling Up Brain-Computer Interfaces
  • The Strange Case of the “Sonic Attack” in Havana: Cuban Scientists Narrow in on Suspect
  • Shock Therapy: New Understanding and Old Ignorance
  • Smoking Pot as a Teen a Major Risk Factor for Schizophrenia
  • The Custodian Who Left His Mark on Neuroscience

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  • Nicholas Davies on Trump’s Victory and the Neuroscience of Rage

The Absurdity of “Medical Marijuana”

December 21, 2014 by R. Douglas Fields

marijuana leafMarijuana use is legal in many states for medical purposes, most of them dealing with neurological conditions (pain, epilepsy, tremor, multiple sclerosis, and many others). From the perspective of a neuroscientist researcher, the situation with respect to “medical marijuana” is absurd.

I watched as the young woman inhaled the pungent smoke deeply into her lungs and held it for a second. Clouds of blue-gray smoke exploded from her mouth and nose in a series of short violent coughs. “Sorry, this strain is kind of harsh,” she said.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cannabinoids, drug laws, epilepsy, government regulations, marijuana, medical marijuana, multiple sclerosis, pain, seizure, weed

Take a Break–How Your Brain Decides When to “Take Five”

February 1, 2013 by R. Douglas Fields Leave a Comment

 

Climber takes a a brief break on the way to the summit.

Climber takes a a brief break on the way to the summit. Photo credit, Dylan Fields.


If you have ever been backpacking you know the problem neuroscientist Mathias Pessiglione and his colleagues are interested in solving–when to take a break.  This subtle question may seem trivial at first, until you realize that this decision-making process affects every one of us, every day, in everything we do, and yet we don’t know how we do it.  Whether you are an athlete or a desk jockey, success in your endeavor hinges on allocating your effort and rest periods optimally.  In the extreme, this decision can be perilous.  High altitude mountain climbers, who operate at the limits of human endurance and physiology in the freezing low-oxygen environment of the world’s highest mountains, manage rests rigorously (even down to taking rest intervals every few paces), but even long-haul truck drivers grapple with this decision as a potential life-or-death matter.   

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: break, climbing, exercise, lance armstrong, pain, work

New Hypothesis for Acupuncture: Interview with Prof. Geoffrey Burnstock

November 1, 2009 by R. Douglas Fields 4 Comments

Prof. Burnstock and Dr. Fields, discuss acupuncture in Fukuoka, Japan

          How can poking needles into the body soothe pain?  At an international meeting in Fukuoka, Japan this summer, Professor Geoffrey Burnstock of the University College London presented a new hypothesis, which he discussed with me in the recorded interview I invite you to hear.  The meeting was organized by Prof. Kazuhide Inoue, of the Kyushu University, Japan, a leading researcher on glia in chronic pain. 

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: acupuncture, glia, pain

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