Dr. Amen's Blog

Here is an article I think you’ll find interesting.  I’m constantly being asked whether I think a glass of wine a day is a good idea and my usual answer is after looking at over 70,000 scans and I am not a fan of one or two drinks a day.  This recent study that looked brain scans of two strains of mice that drank significant quantities of alcohol reveals serious shrinkage in some brain regions — but only in mice lacking a particular type of receptor for dopamine, the brain’s “reward” chemical.

The study, conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and published in the May 2012 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, now online, provides new evidence that these dopamine receptors, known as DRD2, may play a protective role against alcohol-induced brain damage.

“This study clearly demonstrates the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in determining the damaging effects of alcohol on the brain, and builds upon our previous findings suggesting a protective role of dopamine D2 receptors against alcohol’s addictive effects,” said study author Foteini Delis, a neuroanatomist with the Behavioral Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Lab at Brookhaven, which is funded through the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).  Coauthor and Brookhaven/NIAA neuroscientist Peter Thanos stated that, “These studies should help us better understand the role of genetic variability in alcoholism and alcohol-induced brain damage in people, and point the way to more effective prevention and treatment strategies.”

The current study specifically explored how alcohol consumption affects brain volume — overall and region-by-region — in normal mice and a strain of mice that lack the gene for dopamine D2 receptors. Half of each group drank plain water while the other half drank a 20 percent ethanol solution for six months. Then scientists performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans on all the mice and compared the scans of those drinking alcohol with those from the water drinkers in each group.

The scans showed that chronic alcohol drinking induced significant overall brain atrophy and specific shrinkage of the cerebral cortex and thalamus in the mice that lacked dopamine D2 receptors, but not in mice with normal receptor levels. Mice in both groups drank the same amount of alcohol.

“This pattern of brain damage mimics a unique aspect of brain pathology observed in human alcoholics, so this research extends the validity of using these mice as a model for studying human alcoholism,” Thanos said.

In humans, these brain regions are critically important for processing speech, sensory information, and motor signals, and for forming long-term memories. So this research helps explain why alcohol damage can be so widespread and detrimental.

“The fact that only mice that lacked dopamine D2 receptors experienced brain damage in this study suggests that DRD2 may be protective against brain atrophy from chronic alcohol exposure,” Thanos said. “Conversely, the findings imply that lower-than-normal levels of DRD2 may make individuals more vulnerable to the damaging effects of alcohol.”  That would in effect deal people with low DRD2 levels a double whammy of alcohol vulnerability.

Alcohol is clearly harmful to your brain and individuals with impaired receptors for dopamine are even more susceptible to alcohol’s addictive effects.   I’ve seen it cause brain and memory problems and many people.  Bottom line, the less is better.

Source:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215190018.htm

There are two common obstacles for people who want to exercise and get in shape – one is lack of time and the other is money to join a gym. It actually takes no equipment to get in a great workout and can be performed anywhere since no equipment is required. Instead you simply exercise by using your own bodyweight to provide the necessary resistance in order to build and strengthen your muscles. Our ancestors didn’t need a gym membership or fancy equipment to stay strong, they relied on their own bodies to achieve different tasks.

You don’t need to worry about finding a gym or lugging around special equipment. All you need is you! There is no better way to achieve that physique you’re looking for than by using your own bodyweight. Whatever your training goal is, whether it be to lose weight, build muscle, improve sports performance or simply increase overall health, there are simple and effective bodyweight exercises to help you achieve your aim.

Bodyweight exercises are compound exercises; meaning more than one muscle group is involved while a single movement or exercise is being performed. You’re working with the natural movements your body engages in. They also increase functional strength without bulking up the body and are perfect for beginners. You are providing just enough resistance to start to strengthen and tone your muscles without over extending yourself. You can start out at your own pace and work up to adding additional resistance.

4 Common Bodyweight Exercises:

Push Ups – Begin in push up position on your knees or toes. Perform 5 push ups keeping your abs in and back straight. On the 6th push up, lower your body down halfway and hold for about 5-10 seconds. Push back up and repeat.

Primary Muscles Targeted – Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs

Wall Squat – Place your back up against a wall and position your feel about 2 feet away from the wall. Slide down until your knees are at a 90 degree angle. Hold the position for a minimum of 30 seconds or as long as you can.

Primary Muscles Targeted – Thighs, Quadriceps, Glutes

Plank – Get into a push up position on elbows and toes. Contract your abdominal muscles, keep your back straight and hold this position for as long as you can.

Primary Muscles Targeted – Erector Spinae, Abs

Mountain Climbers – Start on your hands and knees and get into a sprinters start position. Keep your hands on the ground and push off with your feet so you can alternate foot placement as long as you can making sure you’re back straight and not arched.

Primary Muscles Targeted – Thighs, Quadriceps, Glutes, Abs