The Internal Assassin

Suffering from anxiety can be described as one of the worst feelings one can experience as a human. Anxiety is what you feel when you are tossing and turning and cannot sleep at night, when your mind is racing with horrible thoughts about possible dangers. That is something I can relate to, sadly being very familiar with the feeling of anxiety.

Anxiety can be caused by many things such as mental and physical disorders, and drugs. One of the main causes of anxiety is something many of us experience daily, stress. This can range from school stress, work stress, financial problems, health problems, and a bad experience due to a traumatic event. In my case it is specifically a combination of two things the combination of being a college student and a recent family tragedy that completely changed my view of life from that point on. Well having stress as a college student is actually normal, it may be even healthy for you to worry once in a while about an upcoming test or final grades at the end of the semester.

What is not healthy is having trouble sleeping every night and having a constant feeling of impending doom in the pit of my stomach. It’s also not normal to jump every time your phone rings and automatically think it is bad news. All these actions and symptoms can lead to Post- traumatic Stress Disorder which is feeling that you are in danger at all times, in short.

There are some ways to control anxiety, for example talk therapies and medication.  For mild anxiety the best option would probably be to talk to a counselor or a therapist about your stress and problems. Taking medication for anxiety has many side effects such as memory problems and dependence so it may actually be harmful. The video below describes how one can combat anxiety with natural remedies.

 

The Worst Pain of All

All of us have some time or another have experienced pain. When the word pain is mentioned we associate it as the sensation felt in an area of your body which has felt damage. That is the sensation when your body collides with a solid structure, when someone steps on your foot, or when you prick your finger on a sharp object. So physical pain is something we are quite used to because it happens almost on a daily basis. But have you ever felt “social pain”?

You can recognize it as that tightness in the chest feeling and even as a feeling of lightness in your stomach. This type of pain occurs when someone has hurt our feelings or more commonly when we feel rejected and left out. An example would be being “heartbroken” because someone you love has hurt your feelings or maybe a friend has left you out of an important activity.

Yes social pain is a very bitter reality in fact, because there seems nothing that can be done to make it better. It’s not like you can take Tylenol to alleviate the pain as you would with a headache right? Well in fact according to the Association of Physiological Science; research has revealed that participants in an experiment reported a decrease in social pain when taking Tylenol.

Wow! Who would have thought Tylenol could also help to mend a broken heart. This research finding may be the answer for those of us who suffer frequently form social pain. It is a beam of hope that may help with a type of pain that seemed to have no remedy.

 

Memory Spice

Alzheimer’s disease today is something we have all probably heard about or even know someone who suffers from it. I for example have first-hand experience with this disease having worked with Alzheimer’s patients at a nursing home. It is a very sad disease because it affects memory to the point that the patient forgets family relatives and even everyday functions such as eating. According to Chemical & Engineering News in the United States about five million people are suffering from Alzheimer’s, and the future predicts an increase of cases.

            The disease is caused by the clumping of a peptide called amyloid-B. As the peptide clumps it creates structures called plaques that cause cell death in the area they accumulate in the brain. Cell death causes the brain to not function properly and areas that pertain to memory are extensively affected.

            There are medications to slow down Alzheimer’s disease but they have not proven to be very effective according to research. Apart from that the medications are extremely expensive sometimes costing patients tens of thousands of dollars annually. Today scientists have been performing research on a spice compound that is found on the root of a turmeric plant called Curcumin.

The spice Curcumin is used mostly in India to give the curry dish its distinct color yellow. Research on mice with Alzheimer’s has revealed that Curcumin decreases inflammation and most importantly reduces clumping of the peptide Amyloid-B. Studies are still being done to find out of this spice can also be beneficial for humans with Alzheimer’s disease. Curcumin would be a great option because besides being a natural treatment it would be a lot less expensive since the spice is derived from plants.

The natural world has so many wonderful things to offer and it would be great if many more scientists would jump on the opportunity to research Curcumin. The fact that Curcumin has a low uptake rate in the body proves as a challenge to be attractive to researchers. What counts is that there is hope that maybe soon there will be a successful and inexpensive treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Missing a Corpus Callosum

As we all know by now the Corpus Callosum is a very important brain structure that serves as a bridge between the two hemispheres. The Corpus Callosum connects both hemispheres and allows for transfer of information from one side to the other. So what happens when an individual is born without a Corpus Callosum?

 

The correct term is agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, where a person is born missing the entire structure or parts of it. It is actually a very rare occurrence and according to the Scientific American only one in four thousand babies are born with this agenesis. The lack of this brain structure can only be detected by neuroimaging such as an MRI test. During pregnancy agenesis of the Corpus Callosum can also be seen in an ultrasound. In fact most cases of agenesis of the Corpus Callosum go undetected because it is not something that can be seen. A person with this disability is more likely to be diagnosed with other brain disorders such as autism or depression. Symptoms of this condition also include poor coordination, attention deficit, and vision and hearing problems.

 

The absence of the Corpus Callosum can cause disabilities ranging from severe to mild. One disability can be a learning delay while another can be cognitive deficits caused by other malformations apart from the Corpus Callosum. The brain finds other alternatives to be able to send information between the left and right hemisphere. An example of adaptation is the enlargement of the five brain commissures. Larger brain commissure, that also connect both hemispheres allow for proper information sharing.

 

As with many brain disorders or disabilities they are no cures for agenesis of the Corpus Callosum. What do exist are treatment options such as prescribed medication and even occupational therapy. Most people who suffer only from this disorder are able to carry out a normal life with only a couple of limitations.

Pea Size

When someone thinks about the brain we visualize a grand organ that that enables us to imagine, learn, and build. We tend to think about the brain as a whole but in reality it is made up of different sections that perform different functions and usually overlap. Embedded in the brain is a small structure than one would attribute much to it because of its size. This structure is the pea shaped pituitary gland, sometimes referred to as the “master gland”. This minute structure is responsible for releasing six hormones upon receiving the correct message from the superior hypothalamus.

The hormones released by the pituitary gland are Growth hormone, Thyroid Stimulating hormone, Follicle Stimulating hormone, Luteinizing hormone, Prolactin, Adrenocorticotropic hormone, Antidiuretic hormone and Oxytocin. The amount of these hormones released is especially important because too little or too much can cause serious effects.

Growth Hormone whose function is to increase both muscle and bone size determines height and strength. If excessive amounts of Growth hormone are released by the pituitary gland the result can be Acromegaly in adults, also known as gigantism in children. This disorder involves swelling of the heart, thickness of the skin, and larger than normal body parts such as hands, legs, and face. A tumor in the pituitary gland can cause excess release of Growth hormone because it signals cells in the gland to produce more and more of the hormone. A defective pituitary gland can also be caused by head injury and disease. In contrast a decreased amount of Growth hormone can cause a higher level of fat accumulation in the body and less or weak muscles.

The pituitary gland affects many organs in our bodies and a balance of the Growth hormone is essential for our wellbeing. Who would have thought such a small structure would how so many profound effects. We cannot assume size equals importance when talking about the brain.

 

Heroin, Deadly and Addictive

The drug Heroin is classified as an Opiate meaning it comes from the poppy plant named Papaver Somniferum. The opium poppy is cultivated in the areas of the Middle East mainly in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan an also in areas of South Asia.

Heroin comes mainly in three forms white powder being the most popular, brown powder, and a new form called black tar that was created in Mexico. This drug is especially dangerous because the main mode of use is through injection. Not only is the user getting the bad side effects of the drug but is also exposed to other viruses such as HIV when sharing needles. Heroin can also be snorted and smoked, the least popular method called “chasing the dragon”.

So why is it especially addictive? Well that has to do with the speed; Heroin is quickly metabolized in the body into Morphine and produces an intense rush as it binds to opiate receptors in the brain. In fact Heroin and Morphine are very similar; the only difference is that Heroin has two acetyl groups, which is why the drug it also referred to as Diacetylmorphine. Along with the initial rush comes a euphoric feeling. Other immediate effects are constriction of the pupils, sweating, and a feeling of being alert and drowsy. Almost one fourth of Heroin users will become addicts.

 

Yes Heroin is very addictive, but what makes it so deadly? This drug is dangerous because it leads to quick tolerance. Soon the Heroin user will need to use more and more of the drug to not feel the withdrawal symptoms. Some of those symptoms are depression and intense cravings for the substance.  If more Heroin is used this could lead to a drug overdose which usually kills the person.

Neurons and their love of Glucose

As you may already know brain cells, or neurons specifically “depend almost entirely on glucose”. That desire for glucose arises from the fact that glucose is practically the only type of nutrient that is able to pass through the heavily guarded blood- brain barrier. The only other nutrient that has permission to cross the blood- brain barrier are ketones. Ketones of course are of no use to the demanding and picky neuron, because this nutrient is not nearly as plentiful as the preferred glucose.

The neurons in the brain demand more energy than any other type of cell. Neurons require the energy in the form of glucose, and the body must provide a steady supply at all times. Neurons don’t have the ability to store glucose so the bloodstream has to deliver the nutrient it acquires from carbohydrates found in food.

So the next question is, really neurons need glucose all time? The answer is yes, they need glucose twenty four hours a day seven days a week. This is due to the fact that neurons are always “in a state of metabolic activity”. Your neurons are even at work using energy while you are sleeping.

Wow! So does that mean that if I have a large supply of glucose available I will have more energy? In reality this is what happens when we ingest foods such as chocolate or sugary soft drinks. “You feel an energy boost”, but it is only for a short period of time because soon the insulin from the pancreas removes it from the bloodstream.

Hey, so maybe Neurons do have an excuse to be so demanding of glucose after all. I know I would also be demanding if I was forced to function all the time.