Biology 202 Web Paper 3

Sandra Gandarez
May 2, 2009
Neurobiology and Behavior

Depression – What exactly is it? Why does one medication not work for everyone, if it is the same thing in everyone? What do antidepressants do?

If you were depressed, what would you do?  Talk to a friend?  Tell a therapist?  Ask a psychiatrist for medication?  Learn meditation?  Begin practicing Buddhism?

All of these are normal reasonable responses to depression.  However, there are many more potential reactions based on religion, medicine, and individual preference.  Some are better researched, cheaper, safer, more private, or more socially acceptable in a given society.  It is beyond the scope of this paper to provide a complete list of treatment options and their relative merits.  The purpose of this work is to discuss one specific alternative remedy for depression, its neurobiological and psychological mechanism of action, horseback riding. 

“The brain is capable of being trained and physically modified in ways few people can imagine”- Richard Davidson, neuroscientist

The truth is we live in a culture obsessed with self-improvement, a fact demonstrated by the immense of popularity of such things as self-help books, plastic surgery, and even, drugs, such as neuroenhancers. What if there was way to obtain heightened focus and possibly forestall aging? Would you try it? Researchers believe regular meditation can achieve these improvements by changing the structure of the brain.  

Bailey Baumann

Webpaper #3

Professor Grobstein

Cognitive Impairmentsand Frontotemporal Dementia in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis