SvenskaDecember has arrived. A month full with obligations, but also with a lot of fun. There is so much to prepare. Decorate, preparation of “lutfisk” (it is a kind of dry fish that you put in slightly salty water on the 9th of December), saffrans bullar, ginger cookies, Lucia etc.
This weekend has been rather busy. Lots of running since I need exercise. Walking with sweeties. Lady has a little something in her paw. Maybe a thorn from one of the bushes in the garden when she is chasing the squirrel.
Last Thursday I went to a meeting in Stockholm, an alcohol dependence group for alcohol research. My previous mentor Professor Jörgen Engel is a member of the board, and it was a long time ago since I saw him. Since I have dedicated many years of my life to alcohol research I remember a lot. Brain reward systems are very interesting. Why do people consume alcohol or drugs? There are a lot of reasons, and I remember that my mentor mentioned “Jeppe på berget” when he lectured about alcohol dependence or abuse. This is a famous book and has been played at many theaters where a lot of answers can be found.
By coincidence I found this T-shirt when I rearranged some in my room. It is a photo of Professor Arvid Carlsson. He was mentor to my mentor, Professor Jörgen Engel. There is some kind of research inheritance. Integrative pharmacology. Professor Carlsson has developed and elaborated on the dopamine hypothesis over many decades. All drugs of abuse interact with the brain reward systems and dopamine seem to be a common denominator. And Professor Jörgen Engel, in his turn, has dedicated his life to study the neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol dependence.
When I worked on my thesis I studied the cholinergic interaction with dopamine pathways. Many studies have confirmed that there is a close association between alcohol consumption and smoking. It seems like the brain dopamine pathways become more sensitive if they are subjected to intermittent nicotine exposure. That is, that an abuse of a drug can lead to addiction to other drugs of abuse.
This was now a long time ago, and my life is now writing.