#neurogenetics

Two people can take the same medication, at the same dose, for the same condition, and have completely different results.

Your body doesn’t process medication the same way as someone else’s.

Your genes influence:

- how fast a drug is broken down

- how much of it reaches your brain

- how your brain responds to it

Some people:

- break down medications quickly → effects may feel weaker

- break them down slowly → effects may feel stronger or last longer

This is controlled by enzymes, which are influenced by your genes.

Even if the same amount of a drug reaches the brain, it can still affect people differently.

This is because genes also influence:

- receptor sensitivity

- neurotransmitter levels

- overall brain chemistry

So the same medication can interact with two brains in different ways.

This is why:

- one medication works really well for one person

- does nothing for another

- causes side effects in someone else

It’s not just the drug—it’s the biology it’s interacting with.

The Simple Way™:

Medication = input

Your body/brain = system processing it

Different systems → different outputs

This is part of a field called pharmacogenetics, which studies how genes affect responses to drugs.

The goal is to eventually match people with treatments that fit their biology more precisely.

Your reaction to medication isn’t random.

MCRI researchers identify a previously unknown brain disorder in children where they experience developmental degradation and severe epilepsy. Thoughts health innovators?

It is known that neurodegenerative diseases cause the central nervous system to deteriorate over time, which can lead to severe disorders involving movement or cognition. Neurodegenerative diseases, which can include include Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease, cause permanent damage, so symptoms tend to worsen over time, with no cure available currently. Now, a study from…

Zoning out isn’t your brain shutting off.

It’s your brain switching modes.

When you lose focus, your brain often shifts into something called the “default mode.”

This is when it’s:

- thinking internally

- replaying memories

- imagining scenarios

- making connections

instead of focusing on what’s in front of you.

This usually happens when:

- something isn’t engaging enough

- your brain is overloaded

- you’re tired or stressed

Your brain redirects attention somewhere else.

Attention isn’t constant.

It naturally moves between:

- focused mode (external attention)

- default mode (internal thinking)

Zoning out is part of that cycle.

Genetics can influence:

- attention span

- how easily your brain shifts focus

- how active your internal thinking is

Some people’s brains switch away from tasks more easily.

Your brain is also drawn to stimulation.

If something doesn’t feel rewarding or interesting, it looks for something that is—even if that’s just your own thoughts.

Zoning out isn’t always a problem.

It can help with:

- creativity

- problem-solving

- processing experiences

The Simple Way™:

If your brain isn’t engaged

Your brain is constantly looking for patterns; It does this automatically, without you thinking about it.

Your brain uses patterns to:

- predict what will happen next

- make decisions faster

- reduce uncertainty

This helps you react quickly and function efficiently.

Pattern recognition is useful.

If something bad happens once, your brain tries to recognize it again to avoid it.

This is how learning works.

However, your brain doesn’t just find real patterns, it can also create patterns that aren’t actually there.

This can look like:

- assuming something will go wrong because it did before

- connecting unrelated events

- overgeneralizing from one experience

Your genes can influence:

- how sensitive your brain is to patterns

- how strongly you react to them

- how easily patterns become habits or beliefs

Some people are more likely to:

- detect patterns quickly

- hold onto them more strongly

But the more a thought or behavior repeats, the stronger it becomes.

Your brain starts to treat it as:

“this is how things are”

Even if it started from a single experience.

Your brain is not trying to mislead you.

It’s trying to protect you and make sense of the world as efficiently as possible.

The Simple Way™:

Your brain would rather assume a pattern exists than miss something important

Pattern recognition helps you survive.

Comparing yourself to other people isn’t just a habit.

It’s something your brain is wired to do.

Your brain uses comparison to understand where you stand.

It looks at other people to evaluate:

- ability

- success

- social position

This helps it make sense of your environment.

This comes from social survival.

Being aware of others helped humans:

- fit into groups

- avoid conflict

- improve status

Your brain still uses that system now.

The problem is that your brain doesn’t always compare fairly.

It often focuses on:

- people who seem “better”

- idealized versions of others

- visible outcomes, not full context

This creates a distorted view.

Genetics can influence:

- sensitivity to social feedback

- how strongly you react to comparison

- how much your brain focuses on status

Some people feel comparison more intensely.

Your environment matters too.

Constant exposure to other people’s lives increases how often your brain makes these comparisons.

Comparison isn’t your brain trying to make you feel worse, it’s trying to measure and understand.

The Simple Way™:

Music doesn’t just sound good.

It directly affects how your brain processes emotion.

When you listen to music, multiple brain systems activate at the same time:

- emotion

- memory

- reward

- attention

This is why it can feel so immediate.

Music can trigger the release of dopamine, the same chemical involved in reward and motivation.

That’s part of why certain songs can:

- make you feel better

- give you energy

- or hit emotionally out of nowhere

It’s also strongly connected to memory.

Your brain links music to specific moments, which is why a song can bring back:

- a person

- a place

- a feeling

almost instantly.

Genetics can influence:

- how sensitive you are to music

- how strongly your brain responds to sound

- how easily music connects to emotion

Some people feel music more intensely than others.

Your current state matters too.

The same song can feel different depending on your mood, because your brain is interpreting it through what you’re already feeling.

Music isn’t just background noise.

It’s something your brain actively processes and responds to.

The Simple Way™:

The teenage brain is not just an “immature” version of an adult brain.

It’s actively being rebuilt.

During adolescence, the brain goes through major changes:

- synaptic pruning → unused connections are removed

- myelination → frequently used pathways are strengthened and sped up

- reorganization → different brain regions develop at different rates

This makes the brain more efficient, but also more sensitive.

Not all parts of the brain mature at the same time.

- the emotional and reward systems develop earlier

- the prefrontal cortex (decision-making, impulse control) develops later

This imbalance affects:

- risk-taking

- emotional intensity

- decision-making

Your genes influence:

- how quickly these changes happen

- how sensitive your brain is to rewards or stress

- how strong certain pathways become

So different people experience adolescence differently.

Because the brain is so changeable during this time, experiences have a stronger impact.

Things like:

- habits

- stress

- relationships

- learning

can shape long-term brain patterns more deeply than at other stages.

This period is not just about “bad decisions” or “mood swings.”

It’s a critical phase where the brain is refining itself based on use.

The Simple Way™:

The teenage brain is:

- keeping what it uses

- removing what it doesn’t

- strengthening what gets repeated

Adolescence is one of the most important periods for brain development.

A habit is not just something you do a lot.

It’s something your brain has automated.

When you repeat a behavior, your brain starts to make it more efficient.

Instead of thinking through every step, it builds a shortcut.

This involves a loop:

cue (trigger) —> behavior —> reward

The more this loop repeats, the stronger it becomes.

Hour brain is trying to save energy by forming habits.

Habits allow you to:

- act faster

- think less

- use fewer mental resources

This is useful for everyday tasks.

Your genes can influence:

- how quickly habits form

- how strong reward signals are

- how easily behaviors become automatic

Some people develop habits faster or more intensely than others.

Once a habit is formed, the pathway is already strong.

Even if you stop the behavior, the pathway still exists.

That’s why:

- old habits can come back easily

- breaking them takes consistent effort

- replacing them is often more effective than removing them

The brain doesn’t erase habits quickly.

It weakens them over time by:

- not using them

- reinforcing a different behavior instead

Struggling to break a habit isn’t a lack of discipline.

It’s your brain relying on a pathway it has already built.

The Simple Way™:

Your brain keeps using the easiest path even if it’s not the best one

Habits are your brain optimizing behavior.