Recently, I got a question why I don´t write about what I do for work. Actually, I have never thought about it, and it is true, I should write since life consists a lot about work. That is why I don´t write every day, simply because I don´t have time. I also like to exercise so that occupies a lot of my spare time. There should be more hours and not just 24 hours in a day. I wish I were 17 so I could re-live my life and I would choose sports.

I have worked for the University and the Industry for several years, but recent years, I have worked for different pharmacy chains. Today, I work for Lloyds pharmacies. And, it is nice, because I get to know new colleagues and friends, just like I have done before at previous work places. My life has changed a few years ago since I have rediscovered how fun it is to write. I really like to write. To read about what happens in the world. Make analyses. But it takes time. A lot of time. To be honest, I am addicted to writing and it is a huge part of my life.

I have written a book about life which really is a concentrate about life. Maybe my life. So, right now, I am working on how to get it published. I like my book a lot and it can be interpreted in many ways. There are also a few poems accompanying the book. And photos. So, I hope, whoever reads this, will get the opportunity to read my story one day.

I am continuing with my Sri Lankan voyage. So, above I show you some photos from Anuradhapura where Anu introduced me to Sri Lankan kitchen and also Sri Lankan Pharmacy.

Woman, politics, religion and discrimination. What a mess, at least when summarizing today´s news. To get older has its advantages and also disadvantages. It was a few years ago since I met Anu so we are older, and maybe see life with different eyes. My stay at Sri Lanka was very much about religion. In Asia the stars are still very important. Different constellations may predict future and also relationships. If there is a match between a couple or not. Difficult to understand different cultures. East meets west. West meets east. Every month on Sri Lanka the full moon is celebrated and it is a holiday. So, astronomy is important.

Buddism is a very beautiful religion according to me from what I saw. I feel a bit upset and sad that there always must be fight between religions. Various religions should be respected, but, with regard to history, there have always been war due to religion. It is terrible that you have to be forced to believe in something that you don´t believe in.

I like fairytales a lot and there was a legend about “The sacred relic of the tooth of Buddha”. Something very sacred and unique. Will write more about it when I will write about Kandy. I was introduced by Anu to rituals and ceremonies. We went to a sacred place (Ruwanveliseya) in Anuradhapura where we offered flowers for Buddha as you can see on the picture above. Anuradhapura is a very old town and has been a very important political and religious center in Sri Lanka.

To recall is not always easy. But, of course, I started to remember a lot when I went to Sri Lanka. How I got to know Anu and also the work at the Behavioral Pharmacology Unit at the Department of Pharmacology at Gothenburg University.

When I studied at Uppsala University I had some extra courses within neurobiology, so that is how my interest for brain research emerged. I have always been very interested in a lot of subjects, but at that time, the brain was very fascinating. And still is. I was also very interested in teaching. I liked my work. I remember all ups and downs. Getting negative results and still have to keep motivation going. But, that is good for personal development. How to face challenges and how to deal with failures. Because that is life.

I learnt a lot about the brain. Alcohol addiction was my subject with special emphasize on the role of nicotinic receptor interactions with brain dopaminergic neurons. We had support from the NIDA (national institute on drug abuse) and that gave a more clinical focus even though we performed pre-clinical research.

Alcohol (ethanol) is a very small molecule with both hydrophilic and lipophilic characteristics. That is why it so easily pass the blood brain barrier and effects many different brain areas. Of course, the effect is dose-dependent. In small doses, ethanol is exerting CNS-stimulation leading to euphoria. And in larger doses, it causes anxiolysis, sedation and muscle relaxation. This is nicely presented above as “The brain symphony orchestra”.  It should be noted that the effect of ethanol is very complex, also depending on a lot of individual factors such as genes, gender, age, hormones and environment.

To develop alcoholism takes several years, and addiction should be considered as a disease. And it is, described in eg the DSM (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders). Today, several pharmacological tools are available for assisting treatment of ethanol addiction. However, and sadly, relapse is a part of the disease. It may be triggered by many cues where memory plays a huge role. Craving. The pre-frontal cortex is very important where the inhibitory circuits of the brain are located. How to control an impulse. In addition, this is a very interesting brain region from a philosophical point of view. How to control emotions and actions. For the interesting reader the author Antonio Damasio has written some books worth reading.

Above is also a section of the human brain. Several brain areas are presented and the most important (today) brain areas are pin pointed. I like to see more focus on the “feelings”, like Motivation/Drive, Memory/learning, Inhibitory control, and not the least Reward. Just because the brain areas interacts in a very complex way.

I am actually writing from my memory, but I got a book from Professor Jörgen Engel that he has published in collaboration with Lundbeck. I have taken the images from this book. I remember that we used these images a lot when lecturing.

My stay in Sri Lanka was very intense. I got a lot of new impressions. Sri Lanka is a very interesting country as an island with thousands of years of history. Many different cultures, religions and people on a very small area. Today living in peace. The nature is astonishing.

Religon plays a very important role in the day-to-day life of Sri Lankans. Although the island is predominantly Buddhist, other religions such as Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are also present. I learnt a lot about Buddha, and it is said that the Buddha visited the island about 500 years BC. In brief, my encounter with Buddhism was very friendly and I also learnt that Sri Lanka has been under religious suppression by European countries, but other, surrounding countries have helped Sri Lanka to prevail culture and traditions. In Asia, countries collaborate and help each other, and have done so during centuries.

I will continue to write, so this was just an introduction to Sri Lankas fascinating history and culture. Sharing a photo from one of my first Buddhism encounters, introduced by my friend Anu.