UBC Researchers: why the brain loses capacity to re-grow connections | Hacker News Reader

UBC Researchers: why the brain loses capacity to re-grow connections

brainmysteries.com

16 pointsr700016 comments

Drugs that could promote neural plasticity could potentially treat a wide range of neurological disorders, as well as boost the effects of other treatments under investigation.

Just for once, I'd like to hear one of these things say that the discovery could lead to mind blowing lifestyle drugs for everybody. Has it really become so politically incorrect to suggest that we might use science to enhance our lives instead of just helping sick people, or is it just lack of imagination?

I'd be weary of any brain drug described as "mind blowing."

I believe it's spelled 'wary'.

Good point though.

I suppose that I could use some of those drugs.

OK so you didn't mean you were 'weary' of mind blowing drugs then.

The problem with drugs are their side effects. It's not ethical to allow human experiments when the only positive of a drug is "it's fun."

Fun almost certainly isn't the only positive that comes with restoring one's neural plasticity in old age.

'It's not ethical to allow human experiments when the only positive of a drug is "it's fun."'

Not even if all parties (ha ha) involved are aware of the purpose of the drug and agree to the experiment anyway?

Fun is a legit ambition.

I highly doubt it would ever pass a medical ethics review board, and these are necessary for the FDA to approve it for commercial sale. They look at whether the pros outweigh the potential cons. If the only pro is "fun", this is unlikely to happen. But philosophically, I agree with you haha :(

Just call it an "anti-depressant".

Yes. I thought there was something in the US constitution about it.

Nope - the declaration of independence.

The DofI was part of the revolution, which led to the articles of confederacy. They were later abandoned in favor of the US constitution.

For what it's worth, pretty much every bad thing predicted by the opponents of the US constitution came true.

What about alcohol?

One thing to watch out for would be whether or not such drugs would induce mania, as some antidepressants do.

So it sounds like if you want to increase the level of growth of new neural connection you would risk losing some (many) of the old ones have have formed. That would be an interesting tradeoff. Definitely somewhere to tread lightly.

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