La Jolla News Nuggets: Junior surfing, anti-vaping contest, medical news, Spike & Mike, more

Menehune contest brings local and international surfers to La Jolla

Young La Jolla surfers took five of the top spots in the Windansea Surf Club’s Menehune Junior Surf Contest on Oct. 4 in La Jolla Shores.

The contest for boys and girls included participants from California, Texas and Hawaii, as well as Mexico and England. First-place prizes included a $250 educational scholarship in all divisions.

La Jolla winners included Grace Venierris, Emma Villani, Evan Slaughter (who placed in the longboard and shortboard categories) and Leo Wood.

“The energy of the day was off the charts,” said contest director Chip Hasley. “The surf was the biggest we’ve seen in the last 16 years, perhaps ever in contest history, and very challenging for the young surfers, [so] just getting outside the surf break was a major accomplishment. … The surfing level was outstanding.”

San Diego Unified taking entries in anti-vaping contest

For the second year, the San Diego Unified School District is encouraging students to raise awareness of the dangers of vaping and the benefits of substance-free living as part of a contest.

“Voices for Change: PSA Contest 2025 — Break Free/Breathe Free” asks young people to try to influence their peers through their own experiences and creativity. Students can enter the contest in six categories based on grade level and which medium they select — a video or poster. Up to four students can participate on one team, along with an adult sponsor.

Submissions will be judged based on creativity, content and impact. First-place winners in each category will receive an award, a certificate from the school board and recognition on district platforms. Second-place finishers will receive a certificate from the board.

Entries are being taken through Friday, Dec. 19, via a Google Form at bit.ly/46YicmB.

Free Scripps cancer support group set for Oct. 22

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Scripps Cancer Center will present a free online support group from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22.

The event is intended to provide emotional support, encouragement and coping skills for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients or people who have completed or are going through breast cancer treatment.

Registration is required. To RSVP, email vestevich.jeanne@scrippshealth.org or call 760-492-5899.

UCSD research explores genetic relationships of cannabis use

A new study from researchers at UC San Diego in La Jolla, in collaboration with genetic testing company 23andMe, indicates that new relationships among psychiatric, cognitive and physical health can be gleaned from regions of the human genome tied to cannabis use.

The study, released Oct. 13 in Molecular Psychiatry, drew from 131,895 research participants from 23AndMe and administered survey questions about cannabis use and its frequency.

Through the study, two genes were associated with lifetime cannabis use. One is involved in “cell assembly and signaling between nerve cells,” while the other is involved in “communication between neurons and long-term brain plasticity,” according to UCSD Health.

“We showed that the genetics of cannabis use — both trying it and using it more often — are tied to the genetics of other psychiatric traits, cognitive measures and even physical health problems,” Sandra Sanchez-Roige, the study’s senior author and an associate professor of psychiatry at UCSD’s School of Medicine, said in a statement.

In a secondary analysis, researchers said they found 40 genes associated with lifetime cannabis use and four tied to frequency. Of that total, 29 were not previously associated with cannabis-related traits, the study says.

The paper also analyzes health conditions that show a correlation with “a genetic predisposition for cannabis use.” Those include schizophrenia, anxiety and physical factors such as diabetes and chronic pain.

UC San Diego has published several cannabis studies of late, including one that suggested frequent use may inflate the threat of oral cancer and another that determined nearly a third of Californians reported cannabis use in the span of three months.

Salk scientists explore area of the brain in new pain study

Up to 10% of the global population is affected by a condition called mechanical allodynia, a form of chronic pain that can make even a light touch painful.

Now, neuroscientists at the La Jolla-based Salk Institute for Biological Studies say they’ve discovered that altered activity in a brain area called the dorsal column nuclei drives the condition.

The dorsal column nuclei process and categorize touch information before sending it to cortical areas that discriminate among different types of touch. For people with mechanical allodynia, the brain no longer recognizes light touch as being innocuous and instead interprets it as being painful. The brain then initiates a pain response.

“We’ve determined where the body discriminates between painful and non-painful touch, and it’s much further upstream than what was once thought,” according to senior study author Martyn Goulding.

The finding is considered an enormous step for neuroscientists working to understand mechanical allodynia and develop specific, effective medications for it. Current treatments range from antidepressants to topical ointments.

Spike & Mike film showcase to hit theaters beginning Oct. 31

The La Jolla-based Spike & Mike’s Animation Extravaganza film showcase will be in theaters nationwide Friday through Sunday, Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.

The 90-minute program of 24 short films hosted by YouTubers Jaiden Animations and Ross O’Donovan will mix 1970s- and ‘80s-style animation with quirky live-action bits and one-of-a-kind new shorts, according to Skybound Entertainment, which is presenting the showcase.

La Jolla resident Craig “Spike” Decker is half the team, along with the late Mike Gribble, that presented the Spike & Mike Festival of Animation and the Spike & Mike Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation for decades. For much of that time, the Spike & Mike festivals were held at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla.

For more information and tickets for the showcase, search for “Spike & Mike” at regmovies.com.

Application seeks to add to La Jolla Shores house

An application has been filed with the city of San Diego to remodel a one-story, 3,524-square-foot single-family home, add 35 square feet to the ground level and 1,636 square feet to the basement, and build a new lower-level basement of 1,391 square feet at 7872 Esterel Drive in La Jolla Shores.

The project is undergoing environmental review, and the decision to approve or deny the application will be made at a public hearing that has not yet been scheduled.