Effects of marijuana ingredients on brain functioning during visual stimuli evaluated

ScienceDaily (Jan. 2, 2012) ? Different ingredients in marijuana appear to affect regions of the brain differently during brain processing functions involving responses to certain visual stimuli and tasks, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Sagnik Bhattacharyya, M.B.B.S., M.D., Ph.D, at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College in London, and colleagues studied 15 healthy men, who were occasional marijuana users, to examine the effects of ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (?9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) on regional brain function during salience processing, which is how people perceive things around them.

The authors used functional MRI images to study each participant on three occasions after administration of ?9-THC, CBD or placebo. Study participants performed a visual oddball task of pressing buttons according to the direction arrows on a screen were pointing, as a measure of attentional salience processing.

"Pairwise comparisons revealed that ?9-THC significantly increased the severity of psychotic symptoms compared with placebo and CBD whereas there was no significant difference between the CBD and placebo conditions," the authors conclude.

?9-THC had a greater effect than placebo on reaction time to nonsalient relative to salient stimuli. This was associated with modulation of both prefrontal and striatal function by ?9-THC, augmenting (increasing) activation in the former region and attenuating (weakening) it in the latter.

"Moreover, in the present study, the magnitude of ?9-THC's effect on response times to nonsalient stimuli was correlated with its effect on activation in the right caudate, the region where the physiological effect of ?9-THC was linked to its induction of psychotic symptoms," the authors write.

They conclude that "collectively, these observations suggest that ?9-THC may increase the aberrant attribution of salience and induce psychotic symptoms through its effects on the striatum and lateral prefrontal cortex."

When the effects of CBD were contrasted with ?9-THC and placebo with respect to the visual task there was a "significant effect" in the left caudate with CBD augmenting (increasing) the response and ?9-THC attenuating (weakening) it.

"These effects suggest that CBD may also influence the effect of cannabis use on salience processing -- and hence psychotic symptoms -- by having an opposite effect, enhancing the appropriate response to salient stimuli," the authors wrote.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by JAMA and Archives Journals.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. S. Bhattacharyya, J. A. Crippa, P. Allen, R. Martin-Santos, S. Borgwardt, P. Fusar-Poli, K. Rubia, J. Kambeitz, C. O'Carroll, M. L. Seal, V. Giampietro, M. Brammer, A. W. Zuardi, Z. Atakan, P. K. McGuire. Induction of Psychosis by ?9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Reflects Modulation of Prefrontal and Striatal Function During Attentional Salience Processing. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2012; 69 (1): 27 DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.161

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/beWoQN1d5lo/120102180854.htm

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Snooki Dyes Hair Red, Flaunts Cleavage

Jersey Shore Season Five kicks off this week, and star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is marking the occasion by taking her long locks in a new, fiery direction: red.

"Sneaky peak! I went mega red! My @BradleyStyleNYC is genius!" the 24-year-old Tweeted to the 3,920,728 people who follow her for reasons unknown.

Based on the Snooki photos she and other sites posted, she appears to have lightened her all-over shade and added bold red highlights and extensions.

Hair isn't the only thing Polizzi has changed. In recent weeks, her weight loss has been well documented, with Snooks slimming down to 98 pounds.

Crazy. Anyway, what do you think of Snooki's red hair?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/snooki-dyes-hair-red-flaunts-cleavage/

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Turkish foreign minister to visit Iran (AP)

ANKARA, Turkey ? Officials say Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will visit Iran for talks on the country's nuclear program and developments in Iraq and Syria.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry says Davutoglu will pay a two-day visit to Tehran, starting on Wednesday.

It says the talks are part of regular meetings between the two countries' foreign ministers held twice a year.

The visit, however, comes amid increased friction between the two neighboring nations over Turkey's decision to host a NATO missile system designed to counter Iranian missile threats, and also over their opposing views on the Syrian uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad.

Iran is suspected of trying to produce nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120104/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_iran

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JAPAN HIT WITH 7_0 EARTHQUAKE WARNING BY CROWN MALTESE OVER U_S_ DOLLAR

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Modified: Sun, 01/01/2012 - 12:03pm

File Type: multimedia (text/plain)

Source: http://www.nowpublic.com/world/japan-hit-7-0-earthquake-warning-crown-maltese-over-u-s-dollar

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Bus Driver In China Succumbs To Bird Flu

The man, surnamed Chen, died in Shenzhen -- a boomtown that borders Hong Kong where thousands of chickens have already been culled after three birds tested positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus in mid-December.

He developed a fever on December 21 and was taken to hospital four days later, and diagnosed with severe pneumonia, said the health department in Shenzhen, a city of more than 10 million people.

The 39-year-old then tested positive for the H5N1 virus, the department said, adding he had apparently had no direct contact with poultry in the month before he was taken ill, nor had he left the city.

The H5N1 virus is fatal in humans in about 60 percent of cases.

However, it does not pass easily among humans, and the World Health Organization says it has never identified a "sustained human-to-human spread" of the virus since it re-emerged in 2003.

The health department in Guangdong province, where Shenzhen is located, announced Saturday that the bus driver died after his lung, heart and liver functions deteriorated.

"So far, 120 people who have had close contact with him have not presented abnormal symptoms," it said in a statement.

An official at the Shenzhen agriculture and fisheries bureau, surnamed Jiang, told AFP the bus driver had had no contact with birds.

"So far, we have not received any reports of any birds being infected," he said.

"It is unclear where the patient got the flu from. We will not make any plans to kill domestic birds unless we know that was the source, or if there is any sign of birds being infected."

Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have been working closely together since December 21 after live poultry supplies were suspended to the glitzy financial hub following the discovery of infected birds.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong health department said in a statement authorities would heighten their vigilance "and continue to maintain stringent port health measures in connection with this development".

Health authorities in China have also vowed to stay in "close contact and work together" with Hong Kong and "jointly step up measures in controlling the epidemic", the official Xinhua news agency said.

China is considered one of the nations most at risk of bird flu epidemics because it has the world's biggest poultry population and many chickens in rural areas are kept close to humans.

In the last reported human case in China, a young pregnant woman died of bird flu in June 2010 in the central province of Hubei.

The bus driver's death brought to 27 the number of people who have died in China since 2003, out of 41 reported human cases.

Authorities in Hong Kong have raised the bird flu alert level to "serious" since they discovered infected chickens, resulting in major disruptions to poultry supplies over the busy Christmas period.

The avian influenza virus has killed more than 330 people around the world, with Indonesia the worst-hit country. Most human infections are the result of direct contact with infected birds.

Scientists fear H5N1 could mutate into a form readily transmissible between humans, with the potential to cause millions of deaths.

Highlighting those fears, the World Health Organization said on Friday it was "deeply concerned" about research into whether H5N1 could be made more transmissible between humans after mutant strains were produced in labs.

Two separate research teams -- one in the Netherlands and the other in the United States -- separately found ways to alter the virus H5N1 so it could pass easily between mammals.

Source-AFP

Source: http://feeds.medindia.net/~r/allhealthnews/~3/0Xu54gzVTYc/Bus-Driver-In-China-Succumbs-to-Bird-Flu-95527-1.htm

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DJ Irie: My 10 Favorite Miami New Year's Eve Songs

Miami is home. Miami is work. Miami is the community that I love. The atmosphere and the people here are unlike any other, and the support I have received from the community is so surreal. My aim is to give back to Miami and all the people here that have shown me love throughout the years and helped me become the person that I am today.

2011 has come to a close and the time to ring in 2012 is NOW! I'll be doing it the ONLY way I know how, and that's BIG! Orange Drive Miami Beach Music Festival BIG! Tonight I'll be kicking off the only New Year's Eve party on our sandy beaches with the likes of Jason DeRulo, Ne-Yo, and Jermaine Dupri. That all gets started at 9 p.m. on Ocean Drive between 7th and 9th Streets. Right after the Orange Drive Festival, I'll be heading over to VICE to celebrate the the official arrival of 2012 with Ludacris... it's going to be a loooong night to say the least.

DJ Irie's 10 Favorite Miami NYE Songs:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dj-irie/new-years-eve-songs_b_1177375.html

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Willis, tough defense lift Texas Tech to 62-54 win

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Javarez Willis scored 15 points and Texas Tech used a stifling man-to-man defense to beat Southeastern Louisiana 62-54 on Friday night.

The Red Raiders (7-5) started the second half on a 10-2 run to bring a 4-point halftime lead to double digits in the first five minutes, putting the Lions (5-6) in too big of a hole to overcome.

The Lions finished 15-for 53 from the floor, and 19 for 37 from the free-throw line.

Texas Tech's man-to-man defense collapsed around the interior, forcing the Lions to take contested shots inside and eventually forcing poor shot selection from the perimeter.

Jordan Tolbert scored 11 points for Texas Tech, and Jaye Crockett and Ty Nurse each chipped in 10.

Daron Populist led Southeastern Louisiana with 10 points. The Lions were without leading scorer Brandon Fortenberry, who is sidelined with a foot injury, for the fourth consecutive game.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.kwes.com/story/16421626/willis-tough-defense-lift-texas-tech-to-62-54-win

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