Canadense

Esse cara e foda

Deveria ter falado que else vendiam drogas... The garanto que iriam fazer campana

Eu tomo ibuprofeno diariamente, ate msm antes de saber isso. 1600 mg.

Featured Article Preventing marijuana-induced memory problems with OTC painkillers New study in Cell suggests that use of medical marijuana could be broadened if patients take NSAIDs like ibuprofen By Mary Beth O'Leary | Posted on 21 November 2013 Share story In addition to being used as a recreational drug, marijuana has been used for centuries to treat a variety of conditions, from chronic pain to epilepsy. However, its medical value is greatly limited by debilitating side effects. A study published by Elsevier's Cell Press today in the journal Cell has revealed the molecular pathways responsible for marijuana-induced learning and memory problems. The findings suggest that preventing these side effects could be as easy as taking an over-the-counter painkiller. The signaling pathway that leads to learning and memory impairments induced by marijuana (Credit: Cell, Chen et al) "Our studies have solved the longtime mystery of how marijuana causes neuronal and memory impairments," said senior study author Dr. Chu Chen, Professor of Otorhinolaryngology and Neuroscience at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. "The results suggest that the use of medical marijuana could be broadened if patients concurrently take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen." The main active ingredient in marijuana is Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), and drugs based on this compound have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients. But these drugs have not been approved for a wider range of conditions, in part because of Δ9-THC-induced side effects. Moreover, there are no effective FDA-approved treatments for these side effects because, until now, little was known about the molecular pathways underlying these impairments. In the new study, Chen and his team discovered that Δ9-THC treatment caused an increase in levels of an enzyme called cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the mouse hippocampus, a brain region involved in learning and memory. Drugs or genetic techniques that reduced COX-2 levels in mice prevented memory problems and neuronal abnormalities caused by repeated Δ9-THC exposure. Because COX-2 is inhibited by over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen, the findings suggest an easy strategy to prevent the side effects of marijuana. Chu Chen, PhD Our studies have solved the longtime mystery of how marijuana causes neuronal and memory impairments. The researchers also discovered that Δ9-THC treatment reduced neuronal damage in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, and this beneficial effect persisted when the animals were simultaneously treated with a COX-2 inhibitor. "There are no effective medications currently available for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease or halting disease progression," Dr. Chen said. "Our results suggest that the unwanted side effects of cannabis could be eliminated or reduced, while retaining its beneficial effects, by administering a COX-2 inhibitor along with Δ9-THC for the treatment of intractable medical conditions such as Alzheimer's disease."

porra, isso é noticia?? 8 pes??? VSF

mano... ineficiente, e monopolista e ultramoralista

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/11/04/morocco_s_growing_cannabis_debate Posted By James Roslington, Jason Pack Monday, November 4, 2013 - 4:11 PM Cognizant of developments in the United States in Colorado and Washington state, Moroccan social media has been abuzz this summer with a seemingly unlikely possibility: the legalization of cannabis. Activists and politicians in Morocco are close to firming up a date later this month for the parliament to host a seminar on the economic implications of legalization. The powerful Party of Authenticity and Modernity will chair the daylong seminar. This has led some commentators to speculate that the move may even have the blessing of the monarchy. Morocco regularly vies with Afghanistan for the title of the world's biggest producer of cannabis -- its output was recently estimated at nearly 40,000 tons annually -- yet open debate on the role of the plant in the country's economy remains infrequent. In recent years, despite improvements in production, both small farmers and big producers have seen their cannabis-related income plummet. Political moves to legalize cannabis are a recognition that Morocco's drug policy has failed. For decades, farmers in the Rif region in the north have been tacitly allowed to cultivate the herb as an escape from dire poverty. At the same time, occasional crackdowns and arbitrary detentions of growers ensured that the central state kept a firm grip on the region. This policy worked well for decades but is now beginning to unravel as profits fall and unrest rises. During the late 1960s, technical advances meant that farmers could transform the raw product into resin (aka "hash") for export to the European market. When inexpensive Moroccan hash began to flow northwards in ever increasing quantities, European counter-cultural movements differentiated themselves from American pot-smoking hippies by mixing hash with tobacco and rolling it into joints. The new European hash culture spread rapidly due to its bare bones simplicity -- fancy implements like pipes and bongs were not needed. In the 1980s, the Moroccan cannabis business boomed as big producers and middlemen made fortunes, pouring their profits into luxury villas and ostentatious displays of wealth. By the 1990s, northern Morocco had become the hash capital of the world. But the good times couldn't last. As part of the international war on drugs, Morocco came under pressure to crack down on cannabis cultivation. European Union coastguards stepped up their patrols looking for drug shipments from North Africa. There were even claims that Moroccan drug-money was financing terrorism, especially in response to the Madrid bombings in 2003. Once stemming the Moroccan drug trade could be rhetorically situated as part of President George W. Bush's Global War on Terror, the pressure on Morocco to eradicate the cannabis fields in the north became unbearable. Yet more crucial than geopolitics or government crackdowns, the all-important European market had begun to change. Evolving tastes played a part: in a world of designer drugs and legal highs, hash became increasingly uncool and prosaic. As cheap hash lost its cachet, sophisticated consumers switched to high-priced designer strains of pot. Rather than smelling like tar and looking like packaged mud, they had pleasing aromas, pretty buds, and catchy names like "purple haze." Even more important than all these changes in consumer taste profiles, European drug gangs have cut net costs to consumers by growing their own weed in large-scale farms. For example, it is now estimated that 80 percent of cannabis consumed in the Britain is homegrown. The decreased European demand for imported cannabis has meant trouble for farmers in Morocco. The risks and rewards of the trade were always unfairly split, with small farmers more exposed to fluctuations in price and police repression than wealthy middlemen. Complaints about the lack of state investment and systemic police corruption, combined with the zeitgeist of the "Arab Spring," led to large-scale protests in Morocco during 2011 and 2012. Although the outbursts have subsided, simmering discontent still mingles with sporadic local protests -- currently focused on the small town of Targuist in the central Rif. Falling yields and the government's unpopular eradication program formed a backdrop to the unrest as the protests spread to the heartland of cannabis country in Ketama in January. The Moroccan government has recognized that whack-a-mole policing, by itself, can no longer deal with popular discontent. As part of the Moroccan strategy to insulate itself from the unrest plaguing its neighbors, the state appears to have switched tack -- now preferring to employ carrots as well as sticks to tighten its political grip over the restive north. To buttress these efforts, the supreme political authority in Morocco is clearly exploring the possibility of legislation to legalize cannabis. Legalization would boost tax revenue and prop up the economy of the region. As early as May 2009, Fouad Ali el Himma, one of the king's closest confidants, called for a national debate on cannabis and an end to arbitrary detention of its growers. Potentially influenced by trends in places like California, Himma argued that cannabis should be rebranded as a traditional Moroccan herbal palliative rather than an illegal drug. These ideas are now gaining momentum with expressions of interest from virtually all the major Moroccan political parties. Even the Islamist Party of Justice and Development has cautiously welcomed the draft proposals -- presumably because the party is mindful that it now occupies a minority presence in the cabinet and could benefit from going with the flow. The real obstacle to implementation may lie with the policy's vulnerability to political attack. The Moroccan proposal has caused widespread derision throughout the region. Across North Africa cannabis remains criminalized. Other than a small and harassed pro-legalization movement in Tunisia, there is no trend toward legalization elsewhere in North Africa. Already, external opponents have begun using the prospect of legalization in Morocco as a stick with which to beat the monarchy, recycling well-worn stereotypes of the country as a destabilizing "haven for drug traffickers." Such accusations are unfair. In reality, the Moroccan draft proposals are modest, and reflect a growing international consensus calling for partial legalization. A Gallup poll in October showed for the first time that a majority of Americans favor the legalization of cannabis. Even before Washington and Colorado legalized the drug via referendum in 2012, the U.S. precedent of legalizing medicinal use and channeling supply into licensed dispensaries was beginning to change perception of the issue by various world governments. In Morocco, the discussion has focused on the possible creation of a state monopoly on the sale of cannabis for industrial and medical purposes only. The use of cannabis as hemp in textiles, oil, fuel, and food has been licensed in European countries for decades. Meanwhile, the medical use of cannabis has been legalized in several countries, including Spain, Canada, and a handful of U.S. states. The draft laws being floated in Morocco would therefore fit well within evolving international norms, by initially restricting legalization to industrial and medical uses only. Recreational users may have to wait a little longer before they can smoke in peace, but as developments in the United States have revealed, allowing legalization for medicinal use often leads to increased tolerance of recreational use and difficulties in policing non-medicinal users. With tourism and the economy in general suffering as a result of twin scourges of the Arab Spring and the global recession, the Moroccan legislators' plan may be able to kill two birds while getting stoned.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24204703 PLoS One. 2013 Oct 21;8(10):e76918. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076918. Cannabidiol, a Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoid Compound, Inhibits Proliferation and Invasion in U87-MG and T98G Glioma Cells through a Multitarget Effect. Solinas M, Massi P, Cinquina V, Valenti M, Bolognini D, Gariboldi M, Monti E, Rubino T, Parolaro D. Source Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Biomedical Research Division, Centre of Neuroscience, University of Insubria, Busto Arsizio, Varese, Italy. Abstract In the present study, we found that CBD inhibited U87-MG and T98G cell proliferation and invasiveness in vitro and caused a decrease in the expression of a set of proteins specifically involved in growth, invasion and angiogenesis. In addition, CBD treatment caused a dose-related down-regulation of ERK and Akt prosurvival signaling pathways in U87-MG and T98G cells and decreased hypoxia inducible factor HIF-1α expression in U87-MG cells. Taken together, these results provide new insights into the antitumor action of CBD, showing that this cannabinoid affects multiple tumoral features and molecular pathways. As CBD is a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid that appears to be devoid of side effects, our results support its exploitation as an effective anti-cancer drug in the management of gliomas. Effect of increasing CBD concentrations on U87-MG (A) and T98G © glioma cell invasion. U87-MG and T98G cells were treated with CBD, seeded onto a filter coated with matrigel and incubated for 24 h at 37°C. Cells that invaded the lower surface of the filter were quantified. The invasion was expressed as percentage of the untreated control. Data represent the mean ± S.E.M. of three independent experiments. **p<0.01 vs Control [C], Dunnett’s t test. Effect of increasing CBD concentrations on U87-MG ( and T98G (D) glioma cell viability. U87-MG and T98G glioma cells were cultured in serum-free medium with increasing concentrations of CBD. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay after 24 h of treatment. The viability was expressed as percentage of the untreated control. Data represent the mean ± S.E.M. of at least three independent experiments. Effect of increasing CBD concentrations on the protein expression profile of U87-MG glioma cells. U87-MG cells were treated with CBD for 24 h and supernatants were used to determine different protein levels through a human array kit/proteome profiler. (A) Representative proteomic membrane analysis with indication of the modified proteins. ( Densitometric analysis of the membrane spots reported as percentage of the untreated control. Data represent the mean ± S.E.M. of three independent experiments. **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 vs Control, Dunnett’s t test. U87-MG cells were treated with CBD for 24 h and lysates from cells were used to assess MMP-9 and TIMP-4 protein levels. © Western blot analysis of MMP-9 and TIMP-4. A representative western blot is shown. (D) Densitometric analysis of MMP-9 and TIMP-4 signal bands from three independent experiments is reported. **p<0.01 vs Control [C], Dunnett’s t test. Effect of increasing CBD concentrations on the protein expression profile of T98G glioma cells. T98G cells were treated with CBD for 24/proteome profiler. (A) Representative proteomic membrane analysis with indication of the modified proteins. ( Densitometric analysis of the membrane spots reported as percentage of the untreated control. Data represent the mean ± S.E.M. of three independent experiments. **p<0.01 vs Control, Dunnett’s t test. Effect of increasing CBD concentrations on ERK phosphorylation in U87-MG and T98G glioma cells. U87-MG and T98G cells were treated with CBD for 24 h and lysates from cells were used to assess ERK protein levels. (A,C) Western blot analysis of phospho- and total-ERK. A representative western blot is shown. (B,D) Densitometric analysis of ERK signal bands from three independent experiments is reported. *p<0.05, **p<0.01 vs Control [C], Dunnett’s t test. Effect of increasing CBD concentrations on Akt phosphorylation in U87-MG and T98G glioma cells. U87-MG and T98G cells were treated with CBD for 24 h and lysates from cells were used to assess Akt protein levels. (A,C) Western blot analysis of phospho- and pan-Akt. A representative western blot is shown. (B,D) Densitometric analysis of Akt signal bands from three independent experiments is reported. *p<0.05, **p<0.01 vs Control [C], Dunnett’s t test. Effect of CBD on HIF-1α level in glioma cells grown in normoxic and hypoxic conditions. U87-MG and T98G glioma cells were grown under normoxia and two different hypoxic conditions (see Materials and methods). Cells were treated with CBD for 24 h and lysates from the cells were used to assess HIF-1α protein levels. (A–C) Western blot analysis of HIF-1α and β-actin. A representative western blot is shown. (B–D) Densitometric analysis of HIF-1α signal bands from three independent experiments is reported. *p<0.05, **p<0.01 vs Control [C], ° p<0.05, °° p<0.01, °°° p<0.001, °°°° p<0.0001 vs normoxia Control [C], Dunnett’s t test.

seria uma boa pra copa!

malandro, fala pra ela, COM REMEDIO NUM TEM CURTIR OU NAO.... OU EH CANCER E VC MORRE OU VC FICA LOUCA POR UMAS HRS....vc escolhe eu hein...

News Most Americans live in states that have rejected the federal government's marijuana prohibition policy, and if you're not one of them you may be soon. Voters in Portland, Me., and three Michigan cities just passed measures legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana by adults — small but notable wins in a movement that has taken on the federal government at the state and local levels. In Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal, voters approved a 25 percent pot sales tax, which will generate millions of dollars to regulate marijuana sales and help build schools. And activists in Massachusetts are pushing to put a full legalization referendum on the ballot in 2016. Meanwhile, the legal marijuana industry is one of the fastest-growing in the country, poised to create a potential $10.2 billion cannabis market by 2018, according to a recent report. Here are a few other things that may happen as prohibition loses its grip on the U.S. Infographics by Jan Diehm for The Huffington Post. ·

credo... liquid cocaine: Jaeger + Goldschlager Liquor de canela com folhado de ouro.

Pirate Website Uploader Talk Turns Out To Be A Front For Gathering Data On Pirates Given that piracy of movies, games, software, and music have become the norm, sometimes we download illegal content without thinking too much of it. Granted there have been cases where people have been arrested and slapped with massive fines, but those are pretty rare giving us a sense of “safety”. Well the bad news is that if you’re the type that loves to pirate often and actually hang out in forums and chatrooms dedicated to the practice, you might want to think twice as the owner of UploaderTalk has revealed that his entire website was merely a front that was used to gather information about the people using it. Uploader Talk, for those unfamiliar, is a very popular pirate website where “professional pirates” (people who actually make money off pirating content, as opposed to offering it for altruistic reasons) hung out. According to the owner, WDF, his goodbye message reads: Hello Reader, UT is now closed. For how long: This is a permanent closure Why?: UT was set up for a number of reasons. But mostly to be a sounding board, proof of concept (Hey Hawk a Year and it could have stayed online much longer), and to collect data. That’s right the Biggest Swerve ever I, WDF, work for the Anti Piracy people! I have collected information on many of you. I collected info on file hosts, web hosts, websites. How is it I was able to protect some sites and people? Because I was working for the other side! How is it I knew so many things? Well think about it, I suckered shitloads of you. I built a history, got the trust of some very important people in the warez scene collecting information and data all the time. Look I became a WJ mod then smod rather quickly I became a influential figure there. So what happens now? I am already working with different ID, a new persona, and still collecting data. Yo u never know who I will be or where I will turn up I work for Nuke Piracy now, this is very bad for anyone profiting from piracy. It is unclear as to what WDF plans to do with the information that he has gathered. Will he be turning it over to the authorities, who might then go after these pirates? Or will he use it as blackmail, or sell the information to someone else? Either way if you’re the type that does “naughty” things on the internet, this is a nice wakeup call. Vai confiar nos federais???

oloko... direto assim, de uma g pra 1/8????

oloko... ir pra curitiba pra pegar 10g num é pra qq um nao....

cara, taca na calcinha que num tem problema...

vistoria??? nunca andou de onibus?

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Portland_could_set_precedent_with_marijuana_vote.html?pagenum=full http://www.pressherald.com/news/Portland_could_set_precedent_with_marijuana_vote.html Portland became the first city on the East Coast to legalize marijuana as voters overwhelmingly passed an ordinance Tuesday allowing adults to possess small amounts of the drug. click image to enlarge David Boyer, Maine political director of the Marijuana Policy Project, speaks at Portland’s “Yes on 1” rally as they celebrate victory at Brian Boru in Portland. John Patriquin/Staff Photographer click image to enlarge Stream Reggae band member Nyah Henderson talks with Portland city councilor David Marshall before the band played at the Yes on 1 campaign celebration at Brian Boru in Portland. John Patriquin/Staff Photographer DETAILS ABOUT THE MARIJUANA BALLOT QUESTION THE CURRENT MAINE LAW Possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana is civil, not a criminal, offense. Offenders are issued a civil citation for possessing up to 1.25 ounces of marijuana, which carries fines of $350 to $600. Possession of 1.25 ounces to 2.5 ounces is a civil violation carrying fines of $700 to $1,000. Criminal charges may be brought if that marijuana is packaged for sale or furnished to another person. Police Chief Michael Sauschuck put it this way: If you smoke a joint, it’s a civil violation; if you pass it to the person next to you, it’s a criminal violation for furnishing; and if that person pays for the joint, it’s a criminal charge for selling marijuana. THE PROPOSED PORTLAND ORDINANCE Proponents say Question 1 would enact a local ordinance that would legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana by adults age 21 and older within city limits. The initiative would not legalize the sale or purchase of marijuana, but would allow anyone 21 or older to “engage in activities for the purposes of ascertaining the possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.” It would prohibit recreational use of marijuana in public spaces, on school grounds or on transportation infrastructure, and would let landlords prohibit tenants from using marijuana on their property. THE IMPACT Marijuana would remain illegal under federal law and state law. Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck said the ordinance would not affect how police enforce state marijuana laws. Supporters see passage as a step toward legalization at the state and then national levels. Passage of Question 1 will require the mayor to report on police enforcement of marijuana laws to the City Council on an annual basis. It also would stake out Portland’s position in support of regulating and taxing marijuana like alcohol. With all 12 of the city’s precincts reporting, unofficial totals showed the proposal passing with 67 percent of the vote – 9,921 to 4,823. The ordinance allows people 21 and older to possess as much as 2.5 ounces of marijuana. It is seen by some as another step toward legalization across the country. Supporters say they will build on Portland’s vote with a statewide legalization effort in the next two years. But the immediate and practical effects of Tuesday’s vote are hazy. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, and is legal only for medical use under state law. Portland’s ordinance does not set up any legal way to obtain marijuana. Police Chief Michael Sauschuck has said that, regardless of Tuesday’s vote, officers will continue to enforce state law, which says possessing as much as 2.5 ounces of marijuana can lead to a civil summons and fines of $350 to $1,000. Furnishing, selling or packaging the drug for sale can bring criminal charges. Supporters of ballot Question 1 claimed victory after opening a huge lead in early voting results. Their campaign party Tuesday night at Brian Boru on Center Street was festive from the start. It began shortly after the polls closed at 8 p.m. with a belly dancing performance by Whitley “Nabintu” Marshall. The band Stream Reggae picked it up from there and kept the crowd afloat until the group claimed victory just before 9:30 p.m. When the announcement was made, the crowd erupted, chanting “Yes on 1” and “As Maine goes, so goes the nation.” Members of the Portland Green Independent Committee, which collected more than 2,500 signatures to put the measure on the ballot, credited their volunteers and grass-roots get-out-the-vote campaign for the win. City Councilor David Marshall said young voters turned out in force. “People were so excited to be out there voting today,” he said. David Boyer, Maine political director for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, said the city should respect the will of its voters and not arrest or fine adults for possessing marijuana. “We call on city officials to stop the bleeding,” said Boyer, who quickly turned his attention to the statewide legalization effort. “It’s time for the state of Maine to follow Portland.” Boyer said the Marijuana Policy Project will try to legalize marijuana through the Legislature. If it can’t, the group will pursue a statewide referendum in 2016, he said. State Rep. Diane Russell, who has submitted two unsuccessful bills to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol, said Portland’s vote will energize voters statewide. “Passage of Question 1 would significantly leapfrog momentum and enthusiasm for a statewide taxation and regulation model, replacing the failed Prohibition era,” she said. Before the polls closed, election officials at the Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall reported a strong turnout and more than the usual number of voter registrations. Officials also reported a pungent odor as voters came and went throughout the day. A group of five young voters said they voted solely on the marijuana question. As they left the polls, one of them shouted, “Let’s go smoke a blunt.” Tim Lippert, 62, of Anderson Street said he voted in support of legalizing marijuana, even though he doesn’t think people should use it. He holds the same view of alcohol. “We’re not voting on whether it’s smart to use (marijuana),” he said. “We’re voting on whether it should be legal.” Election Administrator Bud Philbrick said voter turnout was higher than expected. “It seems the (marijuana) question on the ballot has generated some interest,” he said. Thirty-five percent of Portland’s 52,000 registered voters cast ballots. The Marijuana Policy Project is aiming to legalize marijuana in Maine and nine other 10 states by 2016. It spent more than $10,000 on the campaign in Portland, which it views as a springboard to a statewide legalization effort. The group has drawn parallels between Portland and Maine and the legalization efforts in Colorado. The city of Denver voted to legalize recreational use of marijuana in 2005. Last year, Colorado voters legalized marijuana statewide, as did voters in Washington. The U.S. Justice Department has said it will not prevent Colorado and Washington from implementing their laws. That position has encouraged advocates for legalization around the country. Portland wasn’t the only community in U.S. that had marijuana on its ballot. Voters in Colorado were weighing in on proposed taxes for recreational marijuana, while several communities in Michigan were voting to remove penalties for marijuana possession by adults. More Americans are changing their minds about marijuana. For the first time, two national polls – Pew and Gallup – recorded a majority this year who favor legalizing marijuana. There was no organized opposition to Portland’s marijuana initiative, although some in the addiction treatment and prevention community have said the proposal would increase access and abuse and send a message to children that the drug is harmless. On Friday, the Maine Public Health Association came out against the ordinance. One Portland resident paid about $200 to put up signs in opposition. Portland’s city attorney, Danielle West-Chuhta, said the ordinance will take effect 30 days after the declaration of the official canvass of the return of the election. When asked if the city would sue to block the new ordinance, she said, “At this time, the city has not decided what next steps, if any, it will take with regard to the ordinance.” When voters in Washington state voted to legalize marijuana last year, people celebrated by smoking it in front of police officers. Chief Sauschuck said he hopes that doesn’t happen here. “I continue to understand the symbolic effort behind this referendum,” he said, “but I hope that no matter which way the vote goes, that our residents comply with state law.”

Dossie nele!

http://www.kurzweilai.net/video-game-playing-found-beneficial-for-the-brain Video game playing found beneficial for the brain November 1, 2013 (Credit: Nintendo) Playing the Super Mario 64 video game causes increased size in brain regions responsible for spatial orientation, memory formation and strategic planning as well as fine motor skills, a new study conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Charité University Medicine St. Hedwig-Krankenhaus has found. The positive effects of video gaming may also be useful in therapeutic interventions targeting psychiatric disorders. To investigate how video games affect the brain, scientists in Berlin asked 23 adults (mean age: 24) to play the video game “Super Mario 64” on a portable Nintendo XXL console over a period of two months for 30 minutes a day. A control group did not play video games. Brain regions showing a significant increase in gray-matter volume post-test (credit: S. Kühn et al./Molecular Psychiatry) In comparison to the control group, the video gaming group showed increases of gray matter in the right hippocampus, right prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum, measured using MRI. These brain regions are involved in functions such as spatial navigation, memory formation, strategic planning, and fine motor skills of the hands. These changes were more pronounced the more the participants wanted to play the video game. “While previous studies have shown differences in brain structure of video gamers, the present study can demonstrate the direct causal link between video gaming and a volumetric brain increase. “This proves that specific brain regions can be trained by means of video games”, says study leader Simone Kühn, senior scientist at the Center for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. Mental health treatments possible The researchers suggest that video games could be therapeutically useful for patients with mental disorders in which brain regions are altered or reduced in size, as in schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s dementia. “Many patients will accept video games more readily than other medical interventions,” said Jürgen Gallinat, psychiatrist and co-author of the study at Charité University Medicine St. Hedwig-Krankenhaus. A study on the effects of video gaming in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder is currently ongoing, and further studies to investigate the effects of video gaming in patients with mental health issues are planned. Is it valid to generalize from this specific video game and specific genre? — Editor Abstract of Molecular Psychiatry paper Video gaming is a highly pervasive activity, providing a multitude of complex cognitive and motor demands. Gaming can be seen as an intense training of several skills. Associated cerebral structural plasticity induced has not been investigated so far. Comparing a control with a video gaming training group that was trained for 2 months for at least 30 min per day with a platformer game, we found significant gray matter (GM) increase in right hippocampal formation (HC), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and bilateral cerebellum in the training group. The HC increase correlated with changes from egocentric to allocentric navigation strategy. GM increases in HC and DLPFC correlated with participants’ desire for video gaming, evidence suggesting a predictive role of desire in volume change. Video game training augments GM in brain areas crucial for spatial navigation, strategic planning, working memory and motor performance going along with evidence for behavioral changes of navigation strategy. The presented video game training could therefore be used to counteract known risk factors for mental disease such as smaller hippocampus and prefrontal cortex volume in, for example, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and neurodegenerative disease. References: S Kühn, T Gleich, R C Lorenz, U Lindenberger, J Gallinat, Playing Super Mario induces structural brain plasticity: gray matter changes resulting from training with a commercial video game, Molecular Psychiatry, 2013, DOI: 10.1038/mp.2013.120