Iran is practicing psychological warfare when they shut down all contact with the outside world. This indirectly affects all of us. By writing, I advocate for the freedom of speech that prevails in Sweden. Free speech is worth defending. Freedom under responsibility.

In the coming weeks, there will be some redecorating on this blog. I would like to thank Philip in Malmö, who has been my data support for many years. Currently, I get help from Michael and Peter. They will rebuild some, and there will be a migration of the blog. Moreover, I will resume my Twitter account, which will be my microblog from now on. When I saw what I had tweeted on X before, I became nostalgic. It was my book `Generations` that I wrote, and I had my sweet dog Lady (see below). Now it is Molly who supports me in the years to come. She has so much energy, and it is contagious.

I have always been interested in the international world, and I like to learn from the people I meet (see below). Ending the week by sharing a picture from August 2025 of a nice evening! We need to help each other to stay together in these troubled days.

 

To move forward, I need to remember, analyze, and find a new direction. I enjoy a little uphill, which has always pushed me forward. New drugs in the pharmacological toolbox are always needed, and for that, basic research is needed. I have fond memories from the years in experimental pharmacological research. The fruitless and hard days are forgotten. Research is demanding, and a lot of time is spent in the laboratory.

At Uppsala University, Professor Jarl Wikberg lectured in pharmacology and talked about digoxin’s pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics – the fate of a drug in the body (absorption, distribution, pharmacological effect, and elimination). The cardiac glycoside (see below) digoxin has a half-life of more than 24 hours, which is relatively long for a drug. Today, it is still in the clinic, and with a small blood test, you can adjust the dose to be correct. If you take too much, it becomes toxic; if you take too little, it has no effect. So to speak, a therapeutic window. I thought it sounded exciting that a plant can strengthen the heart’s ability to contract.

 

 

Professor Wikberg’s research group had cloned and sequenced the first G-protein-coupled melanocortin (MC) receptor in the rodent brain. It seemed very interesting, and I spent a semester in his department, where I was in the lab. Eventually, I got results that the MC-3 and MC-4 receptors had relatively distinct locations in the brain. The concrete results, which no one else had seen before, spurred me to search further. It was unique to discover what no one else in the world had seen before.

I finalized my pharmacy training with an internship in Gothenburg, and I was then lucky because I found a PhD program in Gothenburg. This research group, led by Professor Jörgen Engel, was internationally recognized and had a grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the USA.  I was able to devote myself to research in drug dependence.

Everyone at the Department of Pharmacology was talking about Professor Arvid Carlsson. He may have been mentioned at Uppsala University during the pharmacology course, but I don’t remember any of that. Of course, I wondered who this researcher was. At the very beginning of my studies, I was at a meeting at the Department of Pharmacology. I listened, and completely unprepared, I was asked what my research area would be.

English was spoken, and I quickly replied something about studying the importance of nicotine receptors in alcohol addiction. My supervisor immediately corrected me and added something about being in his “research group”. The old school could be felt in the walls. A little like the wooden desk with a lid that I had in elementary school, where school chalk gathered dust in the air. I got nervous because I was new to the department of pharmacology and, therefore, quickly looked down at my notes. This is my only meeting with this pioneer in neuropharmacology. Not only monoaminergic discoveries but also the presentation of chemical transmission in the central nervous system, to mention some.

I did not understand until later the importance that Professor Carlsson´s discoveries have had for the drugs that are available today in therapy areas such as the central nervous system, stomach, and cardiovascular system. He presented his ideas to various pharmaceutical companies, which resulted in drug therapies that are now in clinical practice worldwide. How could I have missed this during my years in Uppsala? I am reminded daily of his research work in my everyday work.

During my years as a doctoral student, I was fascinated by Goodman & Gilman’s pharmacology book. What is true today may be the opposite and/or unexpectedly new tomorrow. I read literature about different nicotine receptors and their functional significance. It is well known that alcohol intake is higher in those who use nicotine, and it is this observation that was the basis for further top-down analysis. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is an ion channel that phylogenetically is very old. How was I going to study at a cellular level, which nicotine receptors are important in the rewarding properties of alcohol? From behavior to cell.

 

 

My opponent in Gothenburg 2004 was Professor Agneta Nordberg, with dual exams as both an MD and a pharmacist (see above). She devotes her life to understanding the underlying pathology by using imaging techniques to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages. Acetylcholine-containing neurons deteriorate, which leads to memory difficulties. In the fall of 2014, I listened to one of her lectures at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. She uses brain imaging (PET-positron emission tomography) to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (see below).

 

 

During the years I spent working in experimental pharmacology in Gothenburg, I followed research within genetics. Receptors had been cloned and sequenced. The importance of different genes for, for example, nicotine addiction in animal models was studied. From the first cell to moreover studying changes in, for example, behavior and other measurable parameters such as motor skills and biomarkers. My supervisor, Professor Engel, recommended a book about how Watson & Crick were able to make their great discovery in 1953, which I immediately read with great interest.

All the knowledge I gathered over the years resulted in my book ‘Generations’. Interestingly, it is now generally agreed that an Arctic-occurring mutation can lead to an aggressive form of Alzheimer’s disease. It is relatively unusual for a mutation to lead to disease so clearly. Today, an antibody has been found that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. It is well-known that early intervention is important in slowing the progression of the disease.

The ability to search for literature is extremely fundamental. One of the early goals of my diary was to work for freedom on the internet. Internet freedom has now ceased in Iran. A month or so ago, I was unable to search for literature as usual (see below). President Trump had cut research funding in the USA. However, at the time of writing, everything seems to have returned to normal!

 

 

The book ‘Generations’ was a challenge to write, where I was constantly looking for words and synonyms to describe everything from the smallest molecule to function with a vocabulary that I questioned many times. I am happy to be able to write. In the coming years, my challenge is to describe the interplay of genes with surrounding environmental factors, such as relationships between people, using only the humanities. As usual, it will take many years. Hope you will continue to follow this!

 

1. 1. 1. Biology (On cholinergic mechanisms involved in ethanol reinforcement) 2004
      2. Biology + Humanities (Generationer + Tid för Frihet)) 2018
      3. Humanities (  ) ????

 

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NOTE! I have not included any scientific references, as it would take me at least a week to compile. There are so many references.

In addition to Anna’s work as a preschool teacher, she has a great hobby, as I also do, namely singing. She sings a lot of opera while I write in my spare time. I look forward to continuing to listen to more pieces of music!

I write. The book ´Generations´, with my poetry collection, was supposed to end with a trip to Israel. The unrest in Ukraine spread, and I had to regroup and travel to France (Nice) and Spain (Barcelona) instead. The unrest in the Middle East has really picked up speed, with fundamentalists resorting to weapons and death. The Iranian regime responds by silencing its population to exclude contact with the outside world. In the heat of the moment, President Trump is also informally sharing the Norwegian Peace Prize with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. This probably prevented the USA from getting militarily involved in the Middle East.

In these troubled times, a leisure occupation is needed. Since I can only watch and not help, a feeling of helplessness arises. How can we ordinary people support people in need in other countries? We need something to do. I have long prepared a box of supplies in the country house where I grew up. This house was a refugee camp for Jews during World War II.

My friend has traveled to London to maintain her clinical knowledge as an MD. I will soon be traveling back and forth. Knowledge needs to be constantly updated. She is an MD, and I am a pharmacist. To travel to the UK, an application is now required. I filled out the application, attached my passport, but then? A selfie is required. I didn’t want to be without makeup, but wait! I will try to send a selfie that I already have.

My application was accepted with the photo below. The necklace is a gift from my colleagues at the department of Pharmacology. I will also need to renew my passport before traveling to Nepal. A visa is probably required there as well. Professor Trilok Pati Thapa (Thapa) and I have been in contact at least once a year for 20 years. He visited the Department of Pharmacology in Gothenburg, and I was assigned to show him our research group’s ongoing research.

Success in today’s medical treatments in neuropharmacology is largely dependent on animal experiments. I worked with mice and used microdialysis to study the dynamics between acetylcholine and dopamine. Professor Thapa got to meet the mice that preferred alcohol solution to water, and not least the mice that only wanted to drink water. He also got to see advanced technology for detecting neurotransmitters. The balance between acetylcholine and dopamine is delicate. I will write about that with perspective at a later date.

I was touched when Professor Thapa suggested that his daughter would show me around Kathmandu. I asked if I could write about him and Nepal here, and I will! My friend told me that Buddha was born in Nepal, which I will also relate to. During these years, I have tried to understand religion, and this trip may shed even more light on the subject.

When I wrote my thesis in Gothenburg, I wished to summarize the concept of addiction in just one sentence. It became `the triumph of desire over sensibility´. In molecular biology terms, it is the serotonergic neurons that lose control over dopamine-containing neurons. I will also look for the plant that carries reserpine in India or, hopefully, Nepal. It cannot be a coincidence that there is a plant that can so powerfully block the reuptake of monoamines in the synaptic cleft.

Finally, I would like to link to today’s international militant forces. I really hope that military leaders don’t get too – what word should I use – high from power.

Stay safe 🐾

 

Yesterday was the Feast of Saint Knut, the official day when the Christmas holidays are over. Away with Christmas decorations! Now there are only a few challenging months ahead filled with darkness and snowy rain like today. If only winter could stay for a few days in peace. It would be wonderful with snow in sparkling sunshine.

A highlight during Christmas was when Anna (not me) sang Christmas carols on Christmas Day in the countryside. Traditionally, I visit the church during Christmas. She had had a bit of a cough, so she chose not to sing all the songs, but we had the privilege of listening to three Christmas carols. Fantastic voice and singing with such a wide range, well known to everyone who has listened to her. I myself remembered the times I was in the school choir in the same church. If you sang a little wrong, it didn’t matter much because we were so many people singing.

I hurry to write a few lines before it is too late to share the nice, atmospheric picture below. A new year has begun, and also a new year of training for me personally. I am looking forward to going hiking in the countryside of Nepal this fall. Not to climb, but watch the beautiful mountains. And also to get a glimpse of the school in Kathmandu.

Stay safe 🐾

 

December is always such an intense month for me. The month when I have extra care for friends and family. A big event for me in 2025 was that I changed jobs. After many years in the same company, it was a big step. My former colleagues still want to be my friends, and I am pleased about that.

When I worked in Gothenburg many years ago, I made a new friend from Sri Lanka. We left our jobs at about the same time there. She traveled to the UK, and I visited her many times. We visited the White Cliffs of Dover, among other places. Our friendship remains, and I got to meet her family on my birthday in Stockholm between Christmas and New Year. Cold and a lot of snow. The opposite of Sri Lanka.

Her sister’s children gave me such nice presents, as you can see below. They certainly understand that I like dogs! A perfect end to my year 2025, which has been in the sign of art. I wish I also had a talent for drawing. However, I compensate for this loss by using my camera instead.

I was surprised by such a nice birthday cake. While we munched on it, we discussed the pros and cons of using medicine to lower our blood fats. This day was an exception. Next year is a new year with new opportunities, we reasoned. Changing your diet for three months. It can do wonders for avoiding cholesterol-lowering medicine like statins.

Today it’s snowing heavily. Perfect day to be at home and read and write. My years in Gothenburg gave me great friends. A little bit of Gothenburg is also in Stockholm at Christmas time. I have found a shop where I can buy the coveted secret gingerbread cookies that you order already in the summer in Gothenburg. I remember that the recipe is even locked in a safe deposit box.

I hope that the unrest in the world subsides in 2026. I am looking forward to traveling to Nepal and visiting another friend that I also made in Gothenburg over the years at the Department of Pharmacology.

Wishing you a start of 2026 ✨

 

I am fascinated by time as part of my consciousness. That a year feels like a second. I am browsing through my photos from the past year. Trump’s trade tariffs have affected global trade and thus also our everyday lives. A major change is needed in Europe and we must rise up and strengthen ourselves towards the East and the West. I sincerely hope that Europe is not relegated to the waiting room when Trump negotiates with Russia and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. There must be a military-political balance for a stable peace. Intelligence services in various countries report that there is a risk of Russia attacking a NATO country within a few years. Which country?

My second destination this year after the USA was France. “We will never stop defending peace” I read in the French news. Now people have almost forgotten that the Nazis actually occupied Paris in the 1940s. Is it Vladimir Putin’s goal to write himself into history in the world’s books? I listen to the news, follow various analyses and try to understand what is happening.

It is now Christmas month December, and we are tired of wars that are far away but yet so palpably close. Christmas is here and I hope it will be a nice traditional weekend of recovery and Christmas peace. My thoughts are on 2026. I am working and getting technical help with this site. A little change is going on, and I am also looking forward to a trip to Kathmandu in the fall of 2026. In addition, I also wish that 2026 ends with more answers than questions.

The first snow came today and I really needed it. I am still in the fall, September somewhere, and I cannot understand that there are less than two weeks left until the first Advent. That means I need to get some Christmas decorations to brighten up December. I was looking for a nice Christmas song yesterday to get into the right mood, and I found this one by chance. So cozy!

Corruption here and there. Sweden has provided aid to SIDA. It has now been shown that it has directly supported Hamas. What a circus! Direct help on the spot and no intermediaries is the best way to support. I remember being appalled that Hamas had attacked an Israeli music festival (the Re’im music festival massacre) which claimed many lives in 2023. Music and sport unite people across borders. I remember it hurt my heart. It was just as if Vladmir Putin had a hand in the attack.

Exercise is a good way to get rid of frustration. I have tried to exercise moderately for a few weeks. Allowed myself to watch TV and not have a bad conscience about that I should be jogging. Professor Fredrik Nyström in Linköping has made me think about the word “moderation”. That tough training causes injuries. After reflecting, I would like to learn the opinion of Professor Markus Heilig, who is an authority in addiction research in Linköping. Nyström does not take into account the potentially serious development of addiction to, for example, wine consumption. There is a lot going on in Linköping. Moreover on the military-political level. After Volodymyr Zelensky was in Norway, he stopped by in Linköping and met Ulf Christersson. An agreement on the JAS plane was the result of their meeting.

After these weeks I will return to my usual training. It is my life. I gain joy, strength and do not crave chocolate as much. My eating habits are becoming healthier. My reward systems are in balance. I have participated in the Stockholm Marathon twice and remember them with pleasure. Running is addictive and can cause injuries.

Winter time is here and dark evenings. Normal time. I will continue to read and share some music from time to time. Here Clocks with Coldplay. Last time´s writing was six months of thinking, I have had a little break. Take care of yourself.

 

 

When I wrote my previous book “Generations”, I had read a lot of literature and up-to-date in biology in many areas, not just neuroscience. My knowledge in science was combined with my humanistic interest. When I finished my thesis in 2004, I needed a few years to gain perspective. I have experienced the same when I finished “Generations” in 2018.

Today, there are a few diseases where you find specific mutations associated with the disease. Alzheimer’s disease (An overview of the genes and biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease) and also breast cancer (Understanding genetic variations associated with familial breast cancer) are examples where underlying mutations have been identified that are linked to the development of the disease. This is a complex area where interaction with environmental factors also plays a role. The theme of my next book is therefore epigenetics.

Here, I thought, artificial intelligence (AI) must play a major role in understanding the interaction of genes with environmental factors. After mail correspondence with Dr Lidströmer, a prominent medical doctor and researcher in AI, I realized that we have already come a long way (see eg https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-3-030-64573-1#overview Thanks for new inspiration. With this insight, I understood that my future book will entirely be a novel.

 

 

It also made sense when I visited the Henri Matisse exhibition in Nice, France. Everything fell into place. I was reminded of Aristotle (4th century BCE), whose ideas later were expanded upon by the English philosopher John Locke in the 1700s. Locke believed that one is born as a blank slate, a tabula rasa. Human common sense is empty when one is born but is filled through experience and knowledge, among other things.

In the 17th century, people had little or no knowledge about genes. Perhaps they understood that diseases could be inherited within families. At least in the 19th century, it was  understood that hemophilia could be inherited because it was spread within the royal houses of Europe (see eg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemophilia_in_European_royalty). Today, we know that there is a hereditary component in Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer. Average life expectancy has increased dramatically, which has certainly affected epidemiology.

To return to AI, it will certainly help  processing the large amount of information about genes and mutations that we have today. Interestingly, questions also arise about what is human because a computer can be trained to solve a task through machine learning. A computer is in a sense a blank slate but can be can be trained over time.

Well, I still write everything myself. There will probably be some reading in philosophy for me after delving into my own memory. It is difficult not to write something that someone else has already written. Painters Matisse, Chagall and Picasso have given me new impressions and led me on a new path.

I feel grateful that I can still write and want to write.

My friend, who had also registered for the Tjejmilen 2025, had unfortunately gotten an injury when she was about to increase her training. Injuries happen, and that is absolutely not fun. In that case, it is better to refrain from participating. Usually, it takes time to heal.

The day before the race, I resumed a habit from previously. I visited a spa and received a facial treatment. It is important to take care of yourself and at the same time find I found some peace before the race. In addition, the past week I had trained extra and I felt that my legs needed rest.

As usual, I prepared my training clothes the night before so that I was all set for the start day. The weather was good. No rain. Once at the start, I realized that I had forgotten the wonderful feeling when you wait for your turn to jogging and then have sights set on the finish line. The tingling and eager feeling was there, and I had the opportunity to take some selfies.

A few weeks before, I had found a good way to train intervals that is very hard but so effective. I already know core and strength training. Today I have a little soreness, but above all, I have tools to continue in the same spirit in September. I feel like I have taken a little step, but it is still a long way from the fitness I had in 2020.

Yesterday, there were also music along the course. Music and cheers gave more energy. Music ensembles along the way lightened the mood. Something like this below: It ain´t over 🎶 🎶