A question that ran through my mind while reading this section was how can people always be sleepy or not have energy to stay awake during the day? Is the sleep they get at night not restful enough? I was glad to find more information about my questions which will be discussed shortly. The dangers that are involved in this sleep disorder include sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and cataplexy. Experiencing sleep paralysis is when the patient is literally paralyzed and cannot move at all. Some narcoleptic patients also claim to have auditory and visual hallucinations which vary from each patient. The symptom of cataplexy is when a patient looses all muscle control or experiences muscle weakness while awake. Imagine trying to go about your day and all of a sudden your muscles give out and you fall asleep. That is what Anthony has to go through every day of his life. This CNN video about a narcoleptic boy named Anthony tells his story and explains the symptoms of his case of narcolepsy and how he must make changes that suit his sleep disorder in order to function in daily routines. Although no medication has been found to cure this disorder, scientist have discovered other ways to control the episodes and the disorder itself.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Narcolepsy
As I was reading section 9.2, the most prominent sleep disorder that seemed most interesting to me was the section about narcolepsy. I have heard about this disorder but wanted to learn more about the way these people suffering from this disorder live. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that does not deprive the person of sleep but is the opposite. A narcoleptic experiences an enormous amount of sleepiness during the day accompanied by other dangerous characteristics or symptoms. This may sound nice to those people who have problems falling asleep or sleeping through the night, but this disorder is worse, and dangerous than it sounds.
A question that ran through my mind while reading this section was how can people always be sleepy or not have energy to stay awake during the day? Is the sleep they get at night not restful enough? I was glad to find more information about my questions which will be discussed shortly. The dangers that are involved in this sleep disorder include sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and cataplexy. Experiencing sleep paralysis is when the patient is literally paralyzed and cannot move at all. Some narcoleptic patients also claim to have auditory and visual hallucinations which vary from each patient. The symptom of cataplexy is when a patient looses all muscle control or experiences muscle weakness while awake. Imagine trying to go about your day and all of a sudden your muscles give out and you fall asleep. That is what Anthony has to go through every day of his life. This CNN video about a narcoleptic boy named Anthony tells his story and explains the symptoms of his case of narcolepsy and how he must make changes that suit his sleep disorder in order to function in daily routines. Although no medication has been found to cure this disorder, scientist have discovered other ways to control the episodes and the disorder itself.
A question that ran through my mind while reading this section was how can people always be sleepy or not have energy to stay awake during the day? Is the sleep they get at night not restful enough? I was glad to find more information about my questions which will be discussed shortly. The dangers that are involved in this sleep disorder include sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and cataplexy. Experiencing sleep paralysis is when the patient is literally paralyzed and cannot move at all. Some narcoleptic patients also claim to have auditory and visual hallucinations which vary from each patient. The symptom of cataplexy is when a patient looses all muscle control or experiences muscle weakness while awake. Imagine trying to go about your day and all of a sudden your muscles give out and you fall asleep. That is what Anthony has to go through every day of his life. This CNN video about a narcoleptic boy named Anthony tells his story and explains the symptoms of his case of narcolepsy and how he must make changes that suit his sleep disorder in order to function in daily routines. Although no medication has been found to cure this disorder, scientist have discovered other ways to control the episodes and the disorder itself.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Genetics & Prenatal Influences on Sexual Orientation
As I was reading the section on sexual orientation I was intrigued to learn more because I know many people I can relate this to, including myself. I'm sure everyone has pondered on how people can have a different sexual orientation than the majority of their peers. Is it a choice to be homosexual? What went on during our embryonic development that causes us to be so different from others? I know questions like these have crossed my mind and I was happy to run into more information that clarified some of these unanswered questions. The text gives several different aspects that could have an impact on sexual orientation, however, the two aspects that stood out to me were genetics and the prenatal influences. Is there really a genetic predisposition to homosexuality? I've always heard that stress during pregnancy is in fact a contributor to homosexuality. How true is that statement?
Studies were performed on twins to find out if there was a correlation between genetics and sexual orientation. Researchers found that if one twin was a homosexual and had an identical or monozygotic twin, there is definitely a higher concordance rate than fraternal or dizygotic twins. That seems to be valid since identical twins share the same genetic makeup and same placenta than fraternal twins. Other studies which surprised me were the findings of the men on the maternal side of the family to have a higher incidence of homosexuality than the paternal side.
I found a simple and sweet video which helps support the research conducted on genetics and homosexuality.
To answer my next question about prenatal influences on sexual orientation, the evidence to support that prenatal stress does have an effect on homosexuality in humans is not substantial. Studies have been done on rats where pregnant rats where placed in a stressful situation for a certain amount of time and indeed a male rat that was born to the stressful mother presented homosexual behavior towards other male rats.
I have provided an abstract from a scholarly article supporting the same evidence found in rats and the negative correlation between prenatal stress and homosexuality in humans.
Studies were performed on twins to find out if there was a correlation between genetics and sexual orientation. Researchers found that if one twin was a homosexual and had an identical or monozygotic twin, there is definitely a higher concordance rate than fraternal or dizygotic twins. That seems to be valid since identical twins share the same genetic makeup and same placenta than fraternal twins. Other studies which surprised me were the findings of the men on the maternal side of the family to have a higher incidence of homosexuality than the paternal side.
I found a simple and sweet video which helps support the research conducted on genetics and homosexuality.
To answer my next question about prenatal influences on sexual orientation, the evidence to support that prenatal stress does have an effect on homosexuality in humans is not substantial. Studies have been done on rats where pregnant rats where placed in a stressful situation for a certain amount of time and indeed a male rat that was born to the stressful mother presented homosexual behavior towards other male rats.
I have provided an abstract from a scholarly article supporting the same evidence found in rats and the negative correlation between prenatal stress and homosexuality in humans.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Pain and the Brain
I've always wondered exactly how medications worked to relieve pain. How can taking a pill reduce the pain on my big toe, my head, or my lower stomach during menses? How does the medication know where the pain is coming from and how does it stop from hurting? In order to understand how medications work, we need to understand how pain works and how it correlates to the brain.
Just like the transportation of other messages up to the brain, pain is also taken through axons in order to alert the brain that there is an unpleasant, harmful stimulus somewhere on or in the body. The parts of the brain associated with pain include the thalamus, somatosensory cortex, hypothalamus, amygdala, and the cingulate cortex. These particular parts convey the sensory and emotional aspects of pain.
Here is a great video explaining the physiological process of pain and the phases the pain goes through to get to the brain.
Another interesting fact I found during the reading was that our very own brain has a particular transmitter to relieve pain naturally. Our brains contain a transmitter known as endorphins, which attach to the same receptors as morphine does. The different types of endorphins help relieve different types of pain naturally. This is a five minute video explaining how drugs were used during combat to reduce stress and pain and later showing how endorphins were founded. The animation of endorphins and drugs in the synapse clarifies the amazing similarity between the two.
Lastly, to answer my questions that I had always pondered on, how do medications work? Now that I know how pain is perceived in the brain and the electrical and chemical processes, I know that the medication must bind to the receptor where pain is being transmitted and blocking the synapse from further pain signals.
Just like the transportation of other messages up to the brain, pain is also taken through axons in order to alert the brain that there is an unpleasant, harmful stimulus somewhere on or in the body. The parts of the brain associated with pain include the thalamus, somatosensory cortex, hypothalamus, amygdala, and the cingulate cortex. These particular parts convey the sensory and emotional aspects of pain.
Another interesting fact I found during the reading was that our very own brain has a particular transmitter to relieve pain naturally. Our brains contain a transmitter known as endorphins, which attach to the same receptors as morphine does. The different types of endorphins help relieve different types of pain naturally. This is a five minute video explaining how drugs were used during combat to reduce stress and pain and later showing how endorphins were founded. The animation of endorphins and drugs in the synapse clarifies the amazing similarity between the two.
Lastly, to answer my questions that I had always pondered on, how do medications work? Now that I know how pain is perceived in the brain and the electrical and chemical processes, I know that the medication must bind to the receptor where pain is being transmitted and blocking the synapse from further pain signals.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Emotional Difference Between Men and Women
As I was reading page 361, I was fascinated by the finding that the right hemisphere is more responsive to emotional stimuli than the left brain. I was also interested in the changes that happen to someone after damage to the right temporal cortex such as unable to identify emotional expressions. Damage to this part of the brain sounds devastating not being able to feel different emotions or to differentiate between emotions. Reading this information made me think out of the box a bit. Everyone knows that women are more emotional than men, so I decided to look into that and see what are some of the differences that support the fact that there is indeed an emotional difference between men and women. Are women's right brains bigger than that of men? Is there a chemical difference between the brains of men and women? Or do they use different parts of the brain to help establish a variety of emotions? I searched through several different articles to gather information on the many differences between the gender brains.
Since there is a difference between male and female brains chemically, hormonally, and physiologically, this will determine why men and women think, behave, and feel differently. Men do have a larger brain mass than women considering their difference in body structures. Men also have more grey matter than women and women have more white matter than men. This means that since women's brains are smaller and use more white matter, the cells are much closer together and are able to make faster connections compared to the grey matter used in the larger male brain. This is important in determining facial expressions. Women are better and differentiating the difference between a mad and sad face rather than men having a little more trouble separating the two facial emotions. Another important difference I found was that the limbic system, associated with feeling emotions, is smaller in males and larger in females. This would have a lot to do with the difference in emotions between the genders.
I found an interesting article explaining five differences between male and female emotional brains. Although the article makes reference to buying a house, you are able to get the gist of how the gender brains differ from one another in a variety of aspects of life emotionally.
Since there is a difference between male and female brains chemically, hormonally, and physiologically, this will determine why men and women think, behave, and feel differently. Men do have a larger brain mass than women considering their difference in body structures. Men also have more grey matter than women and women have more white matter than men. This means that since women's brains are smaller and use more white matter, the cells are much closer together and are able to make faster connections compared to the grey matter used in the larger male brain. This is important in determining facial expressions. Women are better and differentiating the difference between a mad and sad face rather than men having a little more trouble separating the two facial emotions. Another important difference I found was that the limbic system, associated with feeling emotions, is smaller in males and larger in females. This would have a lot to do with the difference in emotions between the genders.
I found an interesting article explaining five differences between male and female emotional brains. Although the article makes reference to buying a house, you are able to get the gist of how the gender brains differ from one another in a variety of aspects of life emotionally.
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