Epilepsy Talk

Laughter as effective as cocaine?

January 27, 2012
9 Comments

Yup. A comic cartoon fires up the same brain centre as a shot of cocaine, researchers report.

A team at Stanford University in California asked lab mates, spouses and friends to select the wittiest newspaper cartoons from a portfolio. They showed the winning array to 16 volunteers while peering inside their heads with an MRI.

The cartoons activated the same reward circuits in the brain that are tickled by cocaine, money or a pretty face, the neuroscientists found. (Wow!)

Posted in Epilepsy, Fun, Research
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    Important Resources

    • The Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania. The EFEPA provides many important services, including a wonderful camp for kids with epilepsy…epilepsy seminars for first aid…awareness and education…and advocacy support.
    • The Epilepsy Foundation. Dedicated to improving how people with epilepsy are perceived, accepted and valued in society; and promoting research for a cure.

    About the author

    Phylis Feiner Johnson has been a professional copywriter for 30 years. She also spent 20 years with epilepsy. She writes from the heart to increase education, awareness and funding for epilepsy research. For further information, contact The Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania at http://www.efepa.org/ and please make a contribution to become an advocate, too.

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