Speeding up…or slowing down
edward muslak/too much for my brain/Flickr
Last Thursday an article in The Metro caught my eye. It stated that, according to a new study, taking amphetamines could help restore brain function in older people, It was a light-hearted piece, asking readers whether octogenarians would in future pull knitting all-nighters or whizz through Super Sudokus on speed.
It made me chuckle for a number of reasons. One, though not yet an octogenarian, I had been thinking of relearning how to knit. Two, I love Sudokus. And three, in my formative years, I can admit that – of the illegal substances on offer – speed would have been my first choice. Should I look in this direction again?
Obviously, more research into the topic was needed. Digging a little deeper I discovered that the study was carried out at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, where researchers claimed that their findings represent the first ‘proof of concept’ for a link between dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a part in controlling the brain’s reward and pleasure centres, and improving brain function.
Again, this piece hit home…because both my parents suffered from Parkinson’s Disease and my father trialled L-Dopa, which was used to increase dopamine concentrations by entering via the central nervous system. Sadly, one of the side effects was physical spasms, which he shrugged off with good humour. But could he (or she) have benefited from a daily tab of speed? It might have resulted in a whirling dervish, but I wonder what impact it would have had on brain activity and working memory.
In truth, it is highly unlikely that I will become a speed merchant. Yes, the idea of an energy boost on tap is pretty appealing but not so the come-down. The topic as a whole did, however, prompt some very interesting memories.
- I recall an evening in a hotel in Swiss Cottage, back in the ‘70s, where slightly under the influence, a Dame founder member was chased by a member of a well-known American pop group round and round the central bed while the rest of us looked on spellbound. Reader: she escaped.
- Or there were enchanted walks through the streets of London, well, more often than not, Ealing, when gardens appeared to contain crystallised forests.
- Or visits to the endless tunnels under High Street Kensington, where craftsmen worked on silverware for the smoking of noxious substances. It was a bit like something out of Lord of the Rings.
- Or taking a tablet of LSD in the middle of my last A Level, and admiring the snakes on the platform on the way home on the tube.
But enough of this. Who would have the time or the inclination to go down this route again? The Dames did once say that, in their dotage, they would start a commune and reminisce while indulging themselves in front of an open fire in their respective rocking chairs but I can’t see it myself. Sad to say we have outgrown drugs, or at least the illegal ones. The Sudokus and knitting sessions are just as likely to be accompanied by a cup of Earl Grey. And that’s fine by me.