The Weekly Dose

The Weekly Dose...

... the latest from Dr Karan

  Here is your weekly dose...  

Hi all!Here is your weekly dose of the Sunday Six! A few things I found interesting this week. If you enjoy this please feel free to forward this to friends. families and enemies alike!**You'll find more in depth analysis of some of these subjects on my social platforms in the links just below, including Dr Karan Investigates! for deep dives into interesting topics on my YouTube channel.**

Something That Will Surprise You...

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that psilocybin, the main ingredient in magic mushrooms, can be effective in treating depression. To temper expectations, the study involved only a small number of patients (233), but the results were very encouraging. 1mg, 10mg and 25mg doses were tested across 233 from 10 counties with 25mg giving the best results

After just one 25mg dose alongside psychotherapy 1 in 3 were no longer clinically depressed after 3 week and one in 5 saw significant improvements at 12 weeks.

Granted these were small numbers but this sets the ground work for larger trials to figure out dosage, timings, safety and long term follow up but either way this could revolutionise mental health treatment which has seemingly stagnated over the last few decades.Link to paper: Psilocybin for depression

What I've Been Doing To Boost My Brain...

1. Learn a new language:

Learning a new language can be difficult, but it has many benefits for the brain. Bilingualism has been shown to improve executive function, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. In addition, learning a new language can help to protect against age-related cognitive decline. These cognitive benefits are not only seen in adults, but also in children and adolescents. So, if you're looking for a way to boost your brain power, learning a new language is a great option.

1. Playing an instrument:

Recent research has shown that there are a number of brain benefits associated with playing an instrument and listening to music. It can improve memory, increase brain connectivity, and boost cognitive skills. In addition, playing an instrument or listening to music can also reduce stress and anxiety. In fact some studies have suggest people who play instruments have a thicker corpus callosum (the fibres connecting the two brain halves) in addition to a higher brain volume due to increase motor co-ordination and sensory inputs from playing music.

1. Social connectivity:Being socially connected is good for the brain. A recent study found that people who had strong social connections were more likely to have a larger hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory, learning, and emotional regulation. The study found that the participants who had larger hippocampi also performed better on tests of memory and cognitive function. In addition, social connectivity has also been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia

What I'm Listening To...

Unlocking the mysteries of our brain - David Eagleman

The brain is weird. It's the most complicated object in the known universe, according to the brain anyway..funny that. We have just scratched the surface about the brain and Eagleman's investigations into the brain take us on a wild ride through the strange and wonderful workings of the three-and-a-half-pound organ that makes us who we are even delving into new senses that could potentially transcend what it means to be human. But more practically maybe wearable technology can help to bypass sensory deficits like devices which help translate sound into patterns of vibration to help the deaf

What I'm Watching

I'm currently watching the show "Through the Wormhole" with Morgan Freeman, its an oldie but a goldie. The show explores a wide range of topics related to science and philosophy; exploring the question of whether or not time travel is possible, how did we get here? Are we alone? And how can the mysteries of the universe be explained by popping a chocolate souffle in the oven? Earth's favourite voiceover guy, Morgan Freeman, attempts to answer these questions. He also tackles the biggest question of all: will time travel ever make it possible for Freeman to see his dear old grandmother again? 

What I'm Reading

Racists by Kunal Basu

This offers an interesting perspective on racism. The book is written from the perspective of a group of racist individuals who are trying to justify their racism. for example by conducting an unethical experiment of raising a pair of infants; one black and one white on a deserted island to see what happens as they grow up

The book challenges you to think about your own attitudes towards racism and prejudice and the various rationalizations that racists use to justify their beliefs and actions. The book is also an interesting look at the psychology of racism and how racist attitudes can develop.

This Newsletter Was Partially Generated By AI...

Could you tell that some or all of this newsletter was AI generated? Except this part of course. Truth be told, all sections in this newsletter have been generated by AI but I've had to thoroughly edit and add my own "flavour" to it...so don't worry about AI just yet. This was an interesting experiment but AI has a long way to go before we can use it for creative, novel thinking tasks which can't be simply automated.Having said that Artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used in healthcare to some extent, but there is still a long way to go before it is fully integrated into the healthcare system. The next jump in AI driven healthcare will likely be in the area of clinical decision support. AI can be used to help doctors and other healthcare professionals to make better decisions about diagnosis and treatment. In addition, AI can also be used to help with disease surveillance and prediction.

An example of this would be

If a patient comes into the doctor's office with symptoms that could be caused by a number of different diseases, the doctor could use an AI system to help them make a more accurate diagnosis. The AI system would take into account the patient's symptoms, medical history, and other factors to come up with a list of possible diagnoses. The doctor would then be able to use this information to make a more informed decision about which disease is most likely causing the symptoms and offer a tailored, bespoke management approach (These last 2 paragrtaphs were completely AI generated to give a reference point)

As always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which of this weeks Sunday six is your favourite? Is there something you want more, or less of? I'm open to any suggestions so please let me know! Just send a  tweet to @drkaranrajan and use the hashtag #theweeklydose at the end so I can find it!

Have a wonderful week, all.

Much love,

Karan