Ep. #18 The Neuroscience of Meditation & Cannabis w/ Dr Hilary Marusak

Underground Antics with Shane Pokroy

Dr. Hilary Marusak is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine and directs the THINK lab (www.wsuthinklab.com) . She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child and Family Development, a Scientific Member of the Karmanos Cancer Institute and the CURES Center, and a Science Advisor for the nonprofit organization Kids Kicking Cancer. She hosts her own podcast about the brain and brain disorders, called BrainSTEM (www.brainstempodcast.com).

In this episode, Dr. Hilary Marusak and I discuss some of the latest neuroscientific research on how meditation affects various brain systems. Meditation has been used by humans for thousands of years as a tool for self-regulation, healing, strengthening, and resilience development. And recently, the modern scientific community has begun to investigate how meditation works, which brain systems are involved, and how it can be used therapeutically. The practice of meditation comes in many different forms, and can be applied to many different areas of a person’s life. Hilary’s research focuses primarily on how meditation affects kids, and how it can be used as a therapeutic tool for kids who are dealing with pain, illness, and emotional dysregulation.

We also discuss some of the latest science of cannabis and how the scientific community are working towards gaining a better understanding of the relationship and interaction between cannabis and the endocannabinoid system. Just as meditation has been used by humans for thousands of years, so too has cannabis played a role in many healing traditions in human history. The exact nature of how cannabis affects the body and brain is still largely unstudied and is an exciting field of research. While using cannabis for medicinal purposes has started to rise in society (with the recent legalization), there are also some risks. As the body of scientific literature develops over time, our ability to make educated and informed decisions regarding cannabis use will also increase. Hilary and I also explore some of her research into how cannabis affects the developing brain (i.e. in fetuses, children, and teenagers). While these areas of study are still relatively new, it’s an exciting time to be in this field and studying the potential benefits and risks of cannabis.

More of Hilary:

BrainSTEM Podcast: http://www.brainstempodcast.com

Hilary's Research: http://www.wsuthinklab.com

More of Shane: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-pokroy/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/shanepokroy/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/UndergroundAnticsPodcast/

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