Cobbers on the Brain

Good things in life often come with risks. Sports are no exception; lots of physical, social and psychological benefits can be gained from engaging in sports, but many of them come with a risk of injury to the brain. A person can get a concussion through a variety different avenues, and sports are one of the most common-  other ways include falling, vehicle accidents and military combat, or anything else that causes physical trauma to the head. Given the serious impact that concussions can have on our brain’s functioning, any steps to minimize this risk should arguably be taken. This may not only include further research and improved screening, but dietary supplements as well. 

Medically speaking, concussions are called Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and are most directly caused by biomechanical force (considered the first injury phase) that disrupts the brain’s functioning (the second injury phase). The second injury phase involves the consequences of the first injury phase, and consists of many detrimental effects. For example, TBI has the ability to cause increased axon permeability and damaged neurofilaments in the brain, both of which may lead to axon dysfunction or disconnection. Much of this dysfunction builds upon itself as a cascade of events; initial ionic flux and glutamate release caused by the biomechanical force can result in increased energy demands and a period of metabolic crisis, leading to even more dysregulation. Inflammatory changes can also be triggered by TBI, possibly resulting in cellular injury and immunoexcitotoxicity. 

The Western medical system typically revolves around a “one problem, one solution” framework, but given how many ways our brain can be affected on a cellular level by TBI, a treatment that targets multiple aspects may be necessary. This is where dietary supplements come in. Omega-3 fatty acids (also called n-3FAs) may be able to fulfill a role like this, since they have the ability to affect all major mechanisms of TBI second injury phase through neuroregeneration, neuroprotection, and neuroinflammation. 

There are three types of omega-3 fatty acids used by the human body: ALA, EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), but the majority of omega-3 fatty acids in the brain are DHA, functioning as a main ‘ingredient’ in central nervous system membranes. Increasing the amount of DHA present in membranes can promote neurite growth, branching, and synaptogenesis which support regeneration. In addition, protective molecules such as neuroprotectin D1 are derived from DHA in response to cellular stress. Since DHA is anti-inflammatory by nature, and anti-inflammatory resolvins are also derived from DHA, it may help to reduce neuroinflammation caused by TBI as well.

Surprisingly, there is currently a complete lack of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements as a treatment for TBI. Evidence is largely anecdotal so far, but a few connected case studies suggest strong treatment potential. In 2010, a teenager got into a car accident and suffered severe TBI with diffuse axonal injury that the head neurosurgeon thought would be lethal. By day 10, he was in a permanent vegetative state. Based on a previous treatment success for a man who had survived a mining explosion, the teenager was given 20g of n-3FA daily. He was weaned off the ventilator by day 21, and went home 4 months later. Then, a mother with an 8-year old daughter who had been in a comatose condition for 82 days from brain injury saw this story on TV- she asked her doctors to try the same treatment, and her daughter was discharged one month later.

Of course, a benefit vs. risk analysis should also be considered regarding the use of fatty acid supplements for treatment of TBI. Side effects, if present, are generally mild and short term, with the only other risk cited by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health being a possible association with prostate cancer (studies have had conflicting findings). The average Western diet is highly pro-inflammatory, and it is likely that many of us have a deficiency of omega- 3 fatty acids that could increase susceptibility for TBI. For this reason, supplementation may not be a bad idea for prevention as well as treatment, or even to support our brain’s functioning in general.

While there are no published RCTs that examine treatment potential of omega-3 fatty acids to date, three (1, 2, 3) new trials have been in progress since 2019! This should help clarify both the safety and efficacy of these supplements, possibly paving the way for their incorporation into treatment plans and offering added protection from damage to our brains. This, in turn, this could help reduce the risk of sports that many people love.

I decided to tack on a neuroscience minor my sophomore year here at Concordia and had always planned on taking the drugs and behavior course instead of this one as one of my electives. When senior year rolled around and I noticed that drugs and behavior was not going to be offered in the Fall of 2020 and I became nervous as I knew deep down, I was going to have to do the inevitable and earn my neuroscience minor through this course. After speaking to students who had previously taken the course, to Dr. Mach, and while I look back at this class at the end of the semester, I realize just how lucky I was to be able to be a part of this class. This course is like none other and having the opportunity to take a course that is unlike any other science class during my time at Concordia is something that I have found to be extremely valuable. Not to mention how I was able to take it my senior year, and therefore bring with all of the tools and knowledge I had acquired from previous classes that were able to be integrated together for this class alone.

So, what do I mean by saying that this class is like none other? Instead of lecturing over chapter from a textbook or going into lab, I was able to read scientific journals regarding some of the most recent studies revolving around topics such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Obesity, Addiction, and more! This was a discussion-based class, so each day during the week, we would be able to discuss class-wide, one-on-one, and in groups on thoughts about the literature, questions we had, and even getting the chance to relate these issues to broader concepts for our community and the world! If that doesn’t make a case for a capstone experience, I’m not sure I’d know what does.

Having the opportunity to discuss scientific literature was both challenging and rewarding. Challenging, in a sense of how this is really the only course that I’m aware of that does anything like this, so you do not have much prior experience. Also, there is still so much future research that is needed, leading to many unanswered questions and thoughts. It is rewarding, however, even due to some of these challenges. It pushed me to not only incorporate new strategies on thinking but to also speak like a scientist and some of their possible thought processes while encountering these relevant problems we face. I was able to develop more of a voice for myself through all of the discussion that took place over the semester and this is something that I will definitely bring with me to future classes and careers as I continue to fine-tune it. Being able to take this with many familiar faces in the course also helps the discussion part of the class be so effective and enjoyable.

Having the ability to research specific questions for our Wednesday “speed-dating” sessions, group discussions on Fridays, and the blog posts all worked together and complimented one another when it came to how effective these parts of the course incorporated connections with the science of signaling all the way to the humanity and ethical concerns that all must be accounted for especially for the careers that many of us are heading into. The blog posts allowed me to grow as a writer, and also become someone who has specifically developed the skill to deduce complex concepts and ideas into a more general language and explanation that makes it easier for the majority of individuals to grasp and understand. This class encouraged me to develop a much broader thought process when it comes to problem solving and everything that goes into the continual efforts to advance the field of science.

In such a short amount of time, this class has left an impact on me that I know will exponentially increase my skills in the future as a leader through communicative interactions that establish connections with others and critical thinking towards problems we face in science that are often not just black and white answers. This course to me has been the epitome of what a capstone course at Concordia is all about. The experience this course provides through interactions with students who all have their niche in a variety of majors and lived experiences is one of the many factors that contribute to just how rich this course becomes. As I write this, I am struck with similar feelings from when I found out I would be needing to take this course, except the feelings are no longer fear and anxiety but rather one that is bittersweet because unfortunately now it is inevitably time for this course to end. Although the door for this course is closing, the memories, experience, and learning is here to stay and live on through all of my future endeavors.

While we often like to think of music as simply an art that we appreciate for its aesthetic value, most of us use music as a ‘tool’ to regulate our needs in one way or another. Despite this, we’re not always aware of the direct impact it has on us neurologically. A review article by Chanda and Levitin in 2013 describes some of the most scientifically backed benefits of music on the brain, comprising four main areas of research: reward, motivation and pleasure; stress and arousal; immunity; and social affiliation. I will also discuss another potential neurological effect that music has, as well as an intriguing musical ability that is not well understood. 

To briefly summarize these aspects of neurological impact, music has been found to trigger our reward systems through activation of dopamine and endogenous (made naturally within our bodies) opioid release. This can serve to inhibit feelings of stress or anxiety temporarily, and further motivate us to listen to music through reinforcement. Regarding stress and arousal, certain types of music- mainly slow tempo, low pitch- can reduce stress and arousal in individuals, very possibly through a reduction of cortisol levels along the hypothalamic-pituitary (HPA) axis of the brain. This effect has been indicated to help protect against neurotoxic effects of chronic stress. Both of these aspects, reward and stress/arousal, have also been suggested to be behind lowered requirements of analgesia after painful surgeries when the patient listens to music. 

Music may also impact the immune system, with studies suggesting that it could enhance our bodies’ immune functioning through increasing molecules that support the immune system and decreasing molecules that counteract it, although it’s not entirely clear what is mediating this effect. Finally, Chanda and Levitin provide an overview for the effects of music on social affiliation, asserting that music may help to establish and maintain social bonds through its impact on oxytocin, vasopressin, and endogenous opioids. 

A lesser known but notable impact that music has on the brain is the synchronization of brain stem neurons with tempo. As it turns out, humans have an innate ability to ‘entrain’, or simultaneously activate, neurons in our brainstem with those in our motor system through the tempo of music. Essentially, this means that when you hear a steady rhythm, it not only activates your auditory system, but automatically engages your motor system as well, even if you’re not physically moving. 

This function does have clinical importance, with research showing that rhythmic entrainment of motor function can significantly improve recovery of mobility in patients with neurological diseases, including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and cerebral palsy. Quite coincidentally, the movie I watched while writing this blog showed an example of this. In the 2010 film The King’s Speech, a future king with a stammer sees a speech therapist, and is without a stutter for the first time when he speaks while listening to music with headphones on. Part of this strategy was to make it so he couldn’t hear himself talk, but musical entrainment could very possibly play a role as well, smoothing out the actions of muscles necessary to control speech.

As a musician, I find the potential impacts that music can have on health or wellbeing an especially critical area of research going forward. Music may not be the cure for cancer, or for anything, but it may offer reduction of motor symptoms in certain neurological diseases, among other potential therapeutic uses. Future research will hopefully not only uncover new impacts of music on the brain, but strengthen our understanding of current findings through reducing common limitations of confounding distraction variables and locus of control issues. At the very least, listening to that song on repeat every time you’re sad or jammin to tunes while you jog won’t kill ya. 

I’ll be honest; the Neurochemistry 475 course here at Concordia College seemed to be a challenging feat for me when I first saw it on my required course list. Unlike some of my peers, I had only taken a survey of organic and biochemistry course while others had completed multiple semesters of both subjects. This fact made me question whether or not I would struggle in the course, but the course, while still challenging in some regards, helped me form and cultivate new foundational learning skills. It’s ironic in a way that the class I was most nervous for is the one I will miss the most from my semester workload.

Benefits of Taking NEU 475

I’ll use Concordia’s five goals of liberal learning to summarize my experience in the course to provide a framework for future Concordia students taking the course.

1. Instill a Love for Learning: I’ve always loved school, and that’s never changed. While I may tire of homework or studying, my desire to learn and absorb new knowledge has still been present. This course present neurochemical material in a way that relates it to the world, which helped my learning of the signaling pathways and molecular levels of the brain. The discussion aspect adds such a nice element for differing views and opinions and makes me interested to learn how neurochemistry is involved in various areas.
2. Develop Foundational Skills and Transferable Intellectual Capacities: The written and oral exams that occur within the class are extremely valuable in developing foundational skills that are necessary in many fields, but especially science. My critical thinking was put to the test by having to break down information and fit it into what knowledge I have to try and formulate a hypothesis about what signaling pathway is occurring. This critical thinking will be necessary when analyzing scientific writing and can transfer into many areas of life.
3. Develop an Understanding of Disciplinary, Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Perspectives and Their Connections: The discussions that students partake in the class truly helps you understand other perspectives. During the discussions, either personal experiences or research on them, would be brought up to relate the neurochemical research to the world in order to understand how it impacts specific people or is used in different disciplines.
4. Cultivate an Examined Cultural, Ethical, Physical and Spiritual Self-Understanding: The course helped me self-evaluate and reaffirm which areas of neuroscience I was interested in and also allowed me to reflect on the ethics of medicine on a deeper, more personal level. With our weekly discussions on course content, peers would often ask each other, what would you do in this case? It sounds like an easy question, but when you take the research into account and the neurochemical foundation behind it, it takes your self-understanding up to a new level.
5. Encourage Responsible Participation in the World: The blogs are a great resource in relaying the course material in a more generalized format so the public and whoever is interested in reading on the topic can fully understand the neurochemical functioning behind something. I believe it has already helped me greatly in my current job that I have working with neurodevelopmental disorders as it provides me with a greater background knowledge on what is physically happening in the brain to cause specific symptoms.

 Neurochemistry here at Concordia has benefitted me in a variety of ways and helped me refine a great set of foundational skills like critical thinking, communication, and empathy. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in the class, and it has helped me establish my passions in the neuroscience field. I’m thankful for Dr. Mach’s expertise on the subject matter and willingness to help students learn in any way they may need and for the insightful discussions with peers. If you’re still on the fence about taking NEU 475, TAKE IT!