THE MYTH

OF DIGITAL DRUGS

AND I-DOSER

Dr. Ahmed Albehairy Psychiatry Consultant ,AFCP

WHY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS SUBJECT????

تناقلت االخبارية الجرائد و المواقع

سبق – – – الراي االن العربية اخبار

تعاطي جراء وفاة حالة أول تسجيل عن خبراً السعودية األوساط تناقلت .» الرقمية» المخدرات

. عدمه من الخبر تأكيد في االستعجال الصحة وزارة ورفضت

Talks about digital drugs are since 2006

Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Warning Parents About I-Dosing , 2010

Internet stuff about digital drugs:

Psst…hey. Want to have a really mind-blowing experience?

It’s perfect legal way to get high. And neither the wife nor the boss need know

(though if they find out, they just might ask to borrow from your stash).

 It’s a binaural beat MP-3. Reporting that binaural beats purchased, running

you from about $13 to $17 per package. 

Internet stuff about digital drugs:Packages include:

Recreational doses, including Marijuana, Cocaine, Nitrous, cocaine , heroin ,and alcohol — even an “Overdose.”

Recreational oddities (said to be for advanced users), such as Poppers and Roofie.

“Prescription” doses with such names as Oxy, Vico, Klono and DHM.

Sexual doses: First Love, Pheromone, Climax; hardcore choices like Asphyxiation and more.

Quick Hit doses, with sessions that last only 10 minutes. Fictional doses based on viewers’ favorite video games and

books. Chakra or Sacred doses — pure spiritual ecstasy.. Sports doses. Game Enhancers, to enhance video game players’ experiences. Natural doses. Sensory doses.

A Deeper Scientific Sight: The theory of digital drugs to work is through binaural

beats effect .

Binaural beats were first described in Germany by H.W.Dove in the 1830s. they were first generated by the use of tuning forks.

the human can hear the monaural beats sound that will cyclically fluctuate in volume but not in pitch. A characteristic of these monaural beats is that they can be heard with one ear occluded.

A Deeper Scientific Sight:

Binaural beats are produced in a similar way with two pure tones being produced, but each is specifically and separately delivered to a single ear.

Because the monaural beats are the physical result of pressure summation in the transmitting medium (air), there is clearly no possibility of this phenomenon being implicated in the genesis of binaural beats.

These are a brain-generated phenomenon described by Oster (1973) as being synthesized  in the auditory processing pathways inside the brain.

A Deeper Scientific Sight: It would appear that the brain computes a subjective synthetic sound

from the information that it receives from both ears, which is characteristically experienced as emanating from the centre of the subject’s head.

The frequency of the binaural beats is exactly the difference between the two frequencies,

for example if the subject is played a pure tone frequency of 500 Hz in one ear and 520 Hz in the other ear a binaural beat frequency of 20 Hz will be “heard” by the subject even though there can be no physical (non-physiological) explanation of the phenomenon.

N.B : or 250-270 or 890- 910 Hz

A Deeper Scientific Sight:

 If one receives B Bs with a frequency in the range of brain waves, the predominant brainwave frequency is said to be likely to move towards the frequency of the stimulus

(a process called entrainment).

This phenomenon is called "frequency following response". It occurs in the time of sounds and is not continuous synchronization.

A Deeper Scientific Sight:

Perceived human hearing is limited to the range of frequencies from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

The working envelope is that the sound should be of an amplitude that is capable of being heard and that it should be below about 1000Hz. 

A Deeper Scientific Sight:

The sensation of binaural beats is believed to originate in the superior olivary nucleus, a part of the brain stem. Mainly inferior colliculus.

A Deeper Scientific Sight:

Functions of inferior colliculus:

Integration station of sensory perception , mainly for startle response and vestibulo- ocular reflex.

 responsive to specific amplitude modulation frequencies and this might be responsible for detection of pitch.

 spatial localization by binaural hearing.

A Deeper Scientific Sight:Brain waves

Frequency range

NAME USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH

> 40 Hz Gamma waves

Higher mental activity, including perception, problem solving, fear, and consciousness

13–39 Hz Beta waves

Active, busy or anxious thinking and active concentration, arousal, cognition, and or paranoia

7–13 Hz Alpha waves

Relaxation (while awake), pre-sleep and pre-wake drowsiness, REM sleep, Dreams

8–12 Hz Mu waves Mu rhythm, Sensorimotor rhythm

4–7 Hz Theta waves Deep meditation/relaxation, NREM sleep

< 4 Hz Delta waves Deep dreamless sleep, loss of body awareness

A Deeper Scientific Sight: Applications of binaural beats There is some evidence to suggest that binaural beats can be used to not only

entrain the brain’s own frequencies, but also to enhance some mentally demanding cognitive tasks  (Hutchinson, 1994).

Atwater (FH 1991) : Binaural beating, a sensory-information stimulus, provides potential consciousness-altering information to the reticular-thalamic activating system which in turn alters arousal states, attentional focus, and level of awareness (crucial elements of consciousness itself).

Owens (1984) has reported a decrease in distractibility  and increase in academic performance when binaural beats are used in a classroom setting. While Edrington (1983)carried out rather more quantitative studies, one of which showed that students appeared to perform academically better in the presence of binaural beat augmentation

There is some evidence to suggest that the Alpha and Theta stages are the most useful in terms of learning enhancement and increasing learning capacity of children (Oertel D  2005)

Kennerly (RC  1992) were able to conclude that: Beta frequency binaural-beat audio signals are an effective method for

facilitating simple free recall memory, ability to attend, and the ability to persevere at routine motor tasks.

A Deeper Scientific Sight: Applications of binaural beats

Owen (JD et al 1998) his researches demonstrated a causal linkage between vigilance, performance and mood

Hiew (1995) produced a (non-randomised) study which links binaural beats with states of increased relaxation, meditative and creative states (not published in a peer review journal).

Waldkoetter & Sanders (1997) examined the possibility of reducing depressive symptoms in alcoholic patients and found a robust statistically significant result .

Susan Kennel,et.al ( 2010) However, there were no significant group differences on the Color Trails Test or  the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA), scores post intervention. Parents reported that the study participants had fewer homework problems post intervention.

 

Review of Literatures’ important points,

with or against the fact of that if the digital drugs are addictive or not ??!!

Against being addiction: Where are the cases???? What is the specific clinical picture of this addiction

or co morbidities. There are no evident researches in epidemiology , related

neurotransmitters ,neuroscience ,reward system , craving , relapse prevention.

No relation to dopamine action . Evidence that BBs are epileptogenic ,BBs leads to

deficit in GABA mediation , tonic inhibition ,>>>> increased firing of I.C >>> epilepsy ( audiogenic epilepsy )>>> for more investigation .

Against being addiction:

Many of the researches are not properly blinded or controlled. The researches mostly don’t stand up to the modern scientific scrutiny that we expected today.

Vague claims ……. Unlock potential , help to get rich and healthy life!!!!!!!

“brain wave engineer” is not a study or training any part of the world.

All music types can be used in relaxation , anxiety , and depression as preferred by the pt.

With being addiction: BBs have no permanent effect , affecting the

synchrony of the brain … may be an initiation for craving , cues…..

BBs leads to brain wave entrainment with desired psychological or behavior sequelae.

Sense of change of conscious level could be a part of cues in craving and usage of substance experience.

BBs induced theta waves increase hypnotizing susceptibility and decreased attention.

BBs theta waves decrement would increase attention.

With being addiction:

BBs ….. relaxation by increased alpha waves effect.

BBs …….decreased anxiety in both PTSD ( alpha -theta ), and preoperatively ( considered as good anxiolysis ).

BBs enhance human performance ( improved fatigue ) in depressed patients.

With being addiction: Alpha – theta is useful in interaction for abstinent

for alcohol and decreased craving and relapse prevention.

Alpha- theta increased circulating B- endorphin in alcoholics.

Naloxon (opiate antagonist ) increases theta power and activity .

Opiate in anesthesia slow the delta waves. I.C is anatomically related to reward system of

alcohol, hypnotics, and opiates …..not related to amphetamine or cocaine reward system.

Recommendations :

Focal point for clinical recruitment to the patients for better care and investigating them.

Researches are needed in different aspects for understanding of the problem.

Avoiding stigma and leading awareness for the families and the community according to thepresent scientific facts.

THANK YOU