National Consortium on Alcohol &Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA)

2019
NewsletterUC San Diego • SRI International • Duke University
Oregon Health & Science University • University of Pittsburgh

SHOUT OUT to NCANDA-Data Analysis Resource
Drs. Adolf Pfefferbaum and Kilian Pohl are the Principal Investigators of the NCANDA Data Analysis Resource located at theCenter for Health Sciences of SRI International. Dr. Pfefferbaum has been leading neuroimaging research in aging andneuropsychiatric disorders for more than 30 years. Dr. Pohl’s research has focused on using medical image analysis to improve
patient care. These two powerhouses lead NCANDA’s Data Analysis Resource, which is responsible for developing data collection
procedures for the NCANDA study. Additionally, the Data Analysis Resource performs quality control and analysis of all datacollected from 831 participants across the 5 NCANDA sites! Find out more at http://ncanda.org/data-analysis-component.php

Myths About Alcohol

Brains and Music

Despite attempts to inform the public about
the potential risks of alcohol use, incorrectand dangerous myths regarding alcohol
persist. Here are the facts:
Effects of Alcohol Begin Quickly: criticaldecision-making and driving abilities are
impaired long before a person shows physicalsigns of intoxication.
Caffeine & Getting Sober: caffeine canmake one feel less tired, but it does notincrease the rate at which the body breaks
down alcohol. Caffeine does not change theeffects of alcohol on coordination anddecision-making abilities. Only time canreduce the effects of alcohol.
When Drinking Stops, Effects of Alcohol
Do Not: Even after drinking stops, alcohol
continues to affect the brain and body. Alcoholfrom the stomach and intestine enter theblood stream that affects judgment andcoordination that can last for hours.
Alcohol Doesn't Warm Body Temperature:
Alcohol widens tiny blood vessels under theskin that quickly fill with warm blood, causing
a feeling of warmth and skin to flush andperspire. But body temperature is actually
dropping, because alcohol takes warmth fromthe body’s core to the skin surface, anddepresses the brain region that controls
temperature regulation. Drinking in very cold
weather can be dangerous.
//pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications

Have you ever wondered how musicians
play in time and stay in sync throughout theirperformances? Turns out, musicians aren’t
just really good at coordination, theirbrainwaves actually become synchronizedwhen they play together. The idea behind
this is a concept known as “phase locking,”
which allows musicians to coordinate
behavior by forming small networks that cancoordinate brain regions. One specific brain
region involved is the frontal lobe, which is
generally responsible for long-term memory,and decision making. This same
phenomenon has also been found in brains
of individuals who play team sports or evenconcertgoers who aren’t actively playing
music. This means that every time you go tosoccer practice or a concert, you’re literally
in sync with people around you!
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/12
1129093417.htm

Genes and Addiction
In human and animal models,
research has identified a numberof genes thought to play a role inaddiction. For example,
alcoholism is thought to be rarein people with two copies of theALDH*2 gene variation.
Scientists also know addiction isa complex process - multiple
genes and environmental factors
can add up to make a person
vulnerable or cancel each otherout. The take home message for‘addiction genes’:• No one is born an addict.
• Many genes likely contributeto addiction liability.
www.learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/genes/

Visit ncanda.org
to learn about
study findings!

Brain Facts
The human brain weighs about 3 pounds,
over 70% of which is water. Although it
makes up only 2% of total body weight,
the brain uses 20%of the body’senergy and oxygen.
www.sciencefirst.com

Optical Illusions
Optical illusions play with color, light, and patterns to trick our brains. Visual informationcollected by our eyes is processed in our brains, enabling our perceiving something that isdifferent from the actual image we are viewing. The optical illusion to the left is known as“Kanizsa’s triangle.” Do you see a complete triangle in the middle of the image? Although acomplete triangle does not actually exist in the image, we perceive a whole white triangle
that is brighter than the background. However, there is no difference in color or luminancebetween the perceived triangle and white background. This optical illusion works because
our brains are trained to fill in the gaps to perceive whole objects even if they do not exist!
www.verywellmind.com/optical-illusions-4020333