Professor Marcus Rattray: Drugs on the Brain, the Brain on Drugs

On Wednesday 31st July, Professor Marcus Rattray, a Professor of Pharmacology at Bradford University gave an in depth lecture through his world; his world of drugs and their effects on the brain. We were informed about the controversial and ethical issues surrounding both legal and illegal drugs, where there is a fine line between the two. Professor Rattray told about how many legal drugs can sometimes be more dangerous and harmful than many illegal drugs, and the importance of restricting and monitoring the use of illegal drugs. Most notably, approximately 5000 young people in the UK are admitted to hospital every year [1].

What particularly surprised me was how alcohol influenced many areas of the brain, effecting the reward pathway of the brain giving us that "feel good" factor. Not only that, Professor Rattray presented us with worrying statistics, where approximately 22% of adults have admitted to having used illegal drugs [1]. Professor Rattray then went on to end on the sombre, yet factual note that 208 million people worldwide use illegal drugs, causing countless illnesses and problems related to illegal drugs, such as crime [2].

Written by Nicholas Lucas (UK Participant of LIYSF)


sources:

[1] http://safe.met.police.uk/drugs_and_alcohol/get_the_facts.html

[2] http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/the-truth-about-drugs.html