Benjamin Kay

@benjaminkay.bsky.social

393 Followers 225 Following

Neuroscientist, statistician, programmer, and dad in St. Louis, Missouri

A brain map and connectivity matrix showing enriched stimulant-related differences in salience regions.
The brain effects of not getting enough sleep (left) are negated by taking a stimulant medication (right).
The pattern of stimulant-related connectivity was similar to that of arousal-related brain maps generated from EEG, respiratory variation, and norepinephrine (PET).
Brain maps comparing stimulant-related differences in connectivity in the ABCD Study and in a replication trial with healthy adults. The maps are very similar, r = 0.32.
Maps showing brain regions whose connectivity is most affected by stimulants and by sleep duration. The maps are very similar, r = 0.58.
A diagram showing canonical brain networks and how they are affected by stimulants. Stimulants increase arousal and reward, but they don't act on attention networks. Stimulants negate the drowsiness-effect of reduced sleep on brain connectivity.
A boy doing his homework. Stimulants help him by increasing his arousal and reward, not by changing his capacity for attention.
A single participant's brain showing a somatomotor seed map transitioning between functional connectivity on and off of methylphenidate, a stimulant medication.
Illustration from the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"