Imagine this:
You are a 45 year old individual. You are married and have school-aged kids. You have a successful career in which you have found fulfillment. Overall, you’re a pretty healthy individual. Generally, you are happy. However, you’ve recently been experiencing muscle weakness and the occasional muscle spasm. After a couple of weeks you finally decide to get it checked out. With a few tests, the doctor calls to give you the news: you have been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with a prognosis of 3-5 years. In a moment your life has become infinitely more complicated. You must consider how to manage this disease as well as what steps you will need to take to provide for your family after you are gone.
While this may seem dramatized, it is likely all too true for many individuals suffering from ALS. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons. This disease is popularly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Approximately 20,000-30,000 individuals in the United States have ALS with 5,000 being diagnosed annually. The disease typically has a fast progression with a mean survival time of 3-5 years. Symptoms progress from localized muscle weakness, fatigue, slurred words, poor balance and a weak muscle group to the loss of function of most voluntary muscles, requiring assistance in breathing and the use of a feeding tube. There is currently little to be done to treat ALS. When patients are diagnosed they are encouraged to gain a reasonable amount of weight as fat reserves will be able to provide energy as the disease progresses. Currently, riluzole is the only pharmaceutical approved for the treatment of ALS. It works by decreasing calcium influx and indirectly blocks the stimulation of glutamate receptors. It has been shown to extend the life expectancy by 3-5 months and delays the need for a tracheostomy or ventilator dependence. With few treatment options, care for ALS patients is primarily aimed at providing comfort and independence.
Although we do not yet understand the mechanism behind ALS, we do know that disturbances in calcium homeostasis and protein folding are essential features of neurodegeneration. Because of this, folding proteins are a hopeful target for pharmacological treatment of ALS. The ultimate goal is to stabilize the folding of proteins and prevent their aggregation. Currently, there are two ways in which scientists hope to modulate ER stress that leads to improper folding of proteins. One approach aims to inhibit the ER stress pathway, ultimately preventing cell death. The second method aims to induce the unfolded protein response with the hope that proteins will be able to be properly folded. Although these methods work in two very different ways, both hope to correct noted problems associated with ALS. Our lack of knowledge on the pathology of ALS highlights the need for research on this disease. With a better understanding of the disease there is hope to provide better care to those who suffer from it.
What does Calcium have to do with ALS?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease that affects around nearly 22,600 Americans at any one time. Due to degeneration of motor neurons, muscle weakness is the main symptom of the disease. Motion in muscles is lost, spasms may occur, speech is affected, and eventually the respiratory system gives out. Usually with a late onset of somewhere between 55 and 65, those diagnosed with ALS have an average lifespan of 3-5 years after diagnosis. While the cause of ALS remains somewhat a mystery, it is known that there is a hereditary factor, with the disease known to run in families. Calcium has recently been found to play an important role in ALS.
The article our class focused on this week is titled “Calcium-dependent protein folding in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.” Protein misfolding in cells can lead to neurodegeneration. Calcium levels regulate folding proteins which are responsible for correct protein folding. Calcium homeostasis is disturbed in those with ALS and this causes higher levels of misfolded proteins. It is clear that disruption in calcium homeostasis is a problem, but researchers are still not positive that misfolded proteins are leading to neurodegeneration. Much research still needs to be done in this area before finding the cause or the cure for ALS.
The interesting thing about ALS is that it doesn’t affect cognitive abilities nearly as much as physical abilities. Our class had a very interesting discussion about the difference between declining physically but not mentally, versus declining more mentally than physically. This is such a difficult question that I don’t think anyone has a simple answer to. Would you rather have your body physically disabled and not be able to speak well and know what’s going on the whole time? Or would you rather lose it mentally before you can watch your body basically fall apart? Not that anyone can choose the outcome of this, it sparks interesting discussion.
In the end, this article did not come up with a cure for ALS, nor is there really anything we can do in our daily lives to prevent the disease. Of course eating healthy and getting exercise can never hurt. There is still a lot of research to be done in terms of ALS. The research presented in this article is leading researchers in a good direction and hopefully one day we will know much more on ALS and can help those who suffer.
What is occurring during in the brain during a concussion?
Many people know what a concussion is, but they don’t know what is specifically happening in the brain after the impact has occurred. After the impact has occurred there is a depolarization and action potential which causes a release of neurotransmitters in the neuron. This will then cause an influx of ions into the brain cell. The cell will then try to pump all of these ions back out of the cell. When that many are present in the cell the mitochondria becomes stressed. The mitochondria are the part of the cell that makes the energy to transport the ions out of the cell. When a concussion occurs they go into overdrive and are not able to keep up. This causes a buildup of lactic acid in the cell to occur. Another outcome from this is that the body uses a lot of energy to get rid of these ions from the cell. This is why someone feels fatigued after they have a concussion.
One of the main problems that can occur with concussions is if there are multiple concussions in short time span. This causes too large of influx of ions into the cell and the cell cannot handle it. This is when cell death can occur. This is also when permanent damage can occur. One neurodegenerative disease that can occur from multiple concussions is Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a generally found in athletes that have played a contact sport, such as boxing and football. The symptoms of CTE include dementia type symptoms, including memory loss, personality changes, Parkinsonism, and speech abnormalities. CTE causes large scale atrophy, particularly in the cerebrum, medial temporal lobes, thalamus, mammilary bodies, and brainstem. One of the most famous cases of CTE was Junior Seau. He was a professional footballer that was with the San Diego Chargers for most of his career. He committed suicide and many people believe that he had CTE. They thought that his multiple blows to the head were the reason for his depression.
The problem is that it is hard to diagnosis a concussion medically. The problem is that many people do not go seek a physician after they get a concussion. They only talk to their trainer or coach after it occurs or a suspected concussion occurs. This is where the first problem comes about. Some athletes do not want to tell someone that they have a concussion. This is because they don’t want to sit out of the “big game” or they don’t want to let down the fans. The other issue that can occur after the concussion is reported is that the proper next step has occurred. The next step tends to be that the athlete will take the IMPACT test. The IMPACT is a good test to see a person has a concussion but they still have to go to a physician if they have a concussion. A problem with an impact test though is that some athletes will do poorly on them on purpose. This is so that if they do have a concussion it may not be noticeable. In the end, if someone thinks that they have a concussion they should always go see a physician afterwards. Proper rest is need to fully heal after a concussion.
Putting a Cap on my College Education
For my last blog of the semester I am supposed to look back on my capstone experience. In some ways it seems wrong that the “cap” to my college career comes in my first semester but maybe that is for the better. This way my inevitable “senior slump” won’t ruin this experience. Overall I think this class was unique from my time here, and definitely for the better. I have taken discussion based English or History classes, but never a science class. I think this really helped make the class better. The class was entirely seniors, so all of us had a large base of knowledge to us. This meant we had a lot of differing viewpoints, opinions, and interpretations all coming together to help us understand the articles we were reading. I have never had the experience to really dissect an academic article in a group so this was new to me. In the past I would read an article, take my understanding of it and basically run with it. But with these group discussions, I would hear how other people interpreted the article, which often added to or altered my original view of it. I think this really helped me to understand the articles better and made learning about these topics more enjoyable.
I also really liked how this class was based of real academic articles and fairly recent research. We weren’t just learning about concepts like we have been our whole academic careers; we were learning about real research that was coming out about diseases that affect the world. Almost everything was directly relatable for me in some way. I have known someone who had ALS and learning about what is actually going wrong in it was extremely interesting. Also I have seen teammates and athletes get concussions and now that I know what is actually happening in the brain, I am far more concerned about them. Also this is one of the first times I have been able to apply my chemistry knowledge. I have spent three years learning biochemistry and organic chemistry and I would like to be able to actually use it. By looking through these articles and discussing them I had to use the knowledge I have built up to really understand them. While I believe chemistry is very important in the world, I don’t get to bring it up in everyday conversation, especially to the degree that I have learned it. So this class really let me get to apply what I know in as real of a setting as I could.
On a less academic note, I really have to give credit to Dr. Mach on the teaching of this class. I always enjoy classes that are relaxed. She really allowed us to be open with discussions and real about what we think. There aren’t a lot of classes where you can openly joke with the professor one minute, and seriously discuss a disease the next and I really enjoyed that. She also really allowed the class to be flexible. When we didn’t like something she changed it and when she didn’t think we were putting in enough effort and really getting the full experience, she told us. I think it takes a lot to be willing to be open with a class, accept that you don’t know everything and ask real questions to students and that all just added to the class experience. All in all, I think this class perfectly exemplifies what a “cap” to my liberal arts education should be. I got to actively apply my knowledge from a lot of disciplines, work directly and openly with others, and truly enjoy myself doing it.
A Cure is Possible
Autism is a broad and complicated neurological disorder. People who suffer from autism fall somewhere on a wide spectrum, making autism difficult to diagnose and treat. Diagnosis of autism is done by an entire team of doctors. Symptoms include a wide range of issues in social skills, communication skills, and behavior. Prevalence of autism is rapidly on the rise, and while this may be due to better techniques in diagnosis, there may be some external factors that are causing a rise in this neurological disorder.
There is a strong, complicated genetic basis for autism. Though environment is also seen to have large effects on the disorder. Treatments such as improving diet, avoiding food allergies, eating gluten free, taking vitamins/minerals, getting enough essential fatty acids, social therapy in social skills, language and communication, imitation, play, daily living, and motor skills, as well as a long list of other pills and supplements. These treatments have been shown to be successful and some children with mild autism have been seen to almost recover completely. Diet may be considered the best treatment, seeing that those with autism do not have normal metabolism. Alterations in diet, and simply eating healthier foods, may have a large impact.
Something our class focused on this week were PUFAs, or polyunsaturated fatty acids. PUFAs are essential for brain growth and development and they also enhance cognitive development. They have also been seen to increase levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), something that those with autism are lacking. Because of this, PUFAs are being looked into as something that could help those with autism. It is possible that targeting this area of the disease, autism could even be cured. Studies have yet to be done regarding this area and how increasing levels of PUFAs would affect other areas of the brain.
With much research yet to be done and the broad range of this disorder, there is a great deal of room for improvement on diagnosis and treatment. Children with autism should be taken on a case by case basis and each looked at carefully. Hopes are high that in the future those with autism will suffer much less than they currently do. For now, it is important that we love and care for those with autism, especially children. Having people in a child’s life that deeply love and care for them can be truly life altering.
But, McDonald's tastes so good…
Most Americans are well aware that our country has a problem with obesity. Over one third of American adults are obese, that’s over 100 million people. Many of these people may not even consider themselves obese, denying that they have a problem at all. Obesity can lead to a long list of related conditions; high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and psychosocial effects. What most Americans don’t know is how obesity affects your brain. Overeating and poor nutrition can lead to damaging brain diseases and harsh cognitive effects.
There are neurons in our brain that are responsible for signaling that makes us “feel full,” mainly POMC and AgRP. Signals arriving at neurons such as leptin and insulin are responsible for activating or deactivating POMC and AgRP. When people overeat or eat food high in fat, this throws off leptin and insulin signaling, causing us to not feel full when we should. To make matters worse, scientists are starting to see that children may be born with an inclination to unhealthy eating. If mothers eat unhealthy and high in fat when they are pregnant, children will have a higher inclination to these same unhealthy foods. These unhealthy foods are causing problems in our brain that have recently been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. It has also been shown that obesity can lead to shrinkage of brain matter. The brains of obese people are physically smaller. By eating healthier, our country could become an overall healthier nation. Healthy foods are not only good for your body in general, but they can also help you feel more full and satisfied with less food.
The foods that America is producing are possibly the root of the issue here. We’ve become such a high speed nation that we no longer make time to take care of our bodies. Eating healthy is not easy, it takes time to prepare healthy meals, and many Americans no longer make time to do this. There are countless food products out there specifically designed to be prepared quickly, but how healthy are these products? Large companies are capitalizing on how addictive unhealthy foods are, and they are using this information to produce products such as potato chips that you physically “cannot eat just one.” If this problem is truly going to get fixed we need to fix our system deep down and make time for healthier foods. We need to get rid of our millions of unhealthy fast food chains and make America aware of how detrimental unhealthy eating can be, both physically and mentally.
Besides becoming a healthier nation both physically and mentally, by fighting obesity our country could save millions of dollars. In 2008 the estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion, with the medical costs for people who are obese being $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. By becoming healthier citizens, we could save billions on health care.
Neurochemistry Reflections and why it is a Capstone
For a class to be considered and capstone course at Concordia it must meet five qualifications. One, it must instill a love for learning. Two, the student develops foundational skills and a transferable intellectual capacity. Three, the student develops an understanding of disciplinary, interdisciplinary and intercultural perspectives and their connections. Four, they need to cultivate an examined cultural, ethical, physical and spiritual self-understanding. Last but not least, it must encourage a responsible participation in the world (BREW). What class meets all of these qualifications? The Neurochemistry course at Concordia College does. This class not only does those five things but goes beyond them.
Like most classes if a love of learning is instilled then that is a successful class. Without this want to learn a student will get bored and won’t try or remember what the class was about. Neurochemistry didn’t have a problem with this. The first four weeks of the class dealt with teaching the class the basics of neurochemistry. Without this main of us wouldn’t have understood any of the articles due to the complicated material. The remainder of the semester was broken up weekly, each week dealing with one article on a different neurological disorder. Every Monday the class talked about the article we read over the weekend. The purpose of this was to get a better sense of what the article was getting at and after that the class would pick subjects about the article to taking about on Wednesday. In the days leading up to Wednesday, as individuals we did research on our topic. On that Wednesday we present the important parts of our topic in front of the class. All of this work was done to meet on Fridays for group discussions. The class would divide up into two groups each with 2-3 group leaders which would lead the groups in discussions. This is where most of the class’s capstone qualities come from.
The discussions were probably the most fun but beneficial part of the course. It allowed the class to openly talk about their ideas of the topic at hand. With many of the topics dealing with diseases and hot topic issues, like concussions, Alzheimer’s and endocannabinoids, we could make connections with the research. Some subjects were easier than others, but over all we could figure out why the research topics were important. Although a lot of things were learned from each article one question always came up. That question was “how can we prevent these conditions”? This question embodies the capstones requirements. This question allowed us to come up with ideas on how to prevent diseases by making us and then the other people more a where of what not to do.
Neurochemistry was a fun and an important experience. I personal am use to taking classes based on lecture where I sat quietly listening to the teaching talk for an hour. In neurochemistry the class taught each other with the teacher’s guidance. It allowed me to be more outgoing and talk about my ideas and personal experiences unlike any other class. The nature of the class had a relaxed laid back feel to it which helped with learning. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and although I may never look at neurochemistry again, I will never forget what the class was about.
Do we know what causes ALS?
ALS is a neurological disorder where a degradation of motor neurons occurs. This progresses over the course of 3-5 years leading to complete muscle loss in vital organs. In the early stages of the disease the patient experiences muscle weakness, stiffness, spastic and tightness, poor balance, slurred words, and can be limited to a single body region. In middle stage of the disease symptoms become more wide spread, some muscles become paralyzed, joint pain, weakness in swallowing, and weakness in breathing. The late stages of the disease present them self in the form of voluntary muscles are paralyzed, the ability to move air in and out of lungs, limited mobility, may no longer be able to speak, and eating/drinking no longer possible. With such a progressive disease one would hope that we would know what causes it.
Sadly, in short the answer is we don’t know a direct cause. 5-10% of ALS patients develop due to genetic traits that have been passed down through family lines. 90-95% has a form of ALS called sporadic ALS. This form of ALS still has no unknown direct cause or causes. The research done on this disease has fallen short of finding any link to environmental factor which could be causing it. Researchers have speculated a few ideas to what may be the cause of it though. Some believe it could be caused by heavy metals like lead and mercury which have been linked to having neurological effects. They also believe it could be organic solvents, many of which have been linked to cancers. The findings, however, are mixed which leaves us with no conclusions. They also think warfare may be the cause of it. Reports say that people who went to war are 1.5-2.0 times more likely to get ALS then those who never went to war. However, the numbers of people tested are too small which leaves most to believe that this might be just a statistical anomaly. Some think ALS could be caused by some kind of unknown virus. There is no evidence for this claim; however, they base their hypothesis off the Polo virus. Finally, and my personal favorite speculation on the cause of the disease comes from a person’s diet. They think that the combinations of foods a person specifically eats could cause it. There is a little island called Guam where the ALS population is extremely high. They think this is due to their diet of whole bats cooked in coconut milk. All in all as of right now no research has come up with any specific cause or causes that are responsible for ALS.
Small changes now… Big consequences later…
We have always been told by our parents to make sure we choose food from all of the food groups, so that we can ensure we are receiving all of the proper vitamins and minerals that we need to function. We receive iron through a variety of food sources, including red meat, leafy greens, and several other sources. The side of the story we don’t often consider, however, is what happens when we get too much of any of these nutrients, and especially what happens if it accumulates in any one spot in the body.
Recently our class discussed an article which dealt with the consequences of iron accumulation in the brain, and learned that this can contribute to the development of Parkinson’s disease. The iron accumulation will allow things called reactive oxygen species to form, and something called alpha-synuclein to conglomerate in one area. Together, these will cause the neurons in this area of the brain (the substantia nigra) to be destroyed, resulting in Parkinson’s disease. The paper discussed several ways that the iron will start to accumulate, and in doing so, pointed to different things we can try to target to prevent Parkinson’s disease. These included using iron chelators, which will remove iron from the brain, as well as antioxidants to prevent the formation of reactive oxygen species.
In correlation with our paper, we all sat down and had green tea during class one day, which as you might know, can be an antioxidant. This simple practice made me start thinking about how much of a difference simple changes like this can make in our lives. I feel like we don’t often think about it, but the little changes like having a cup of tea during the day can better our lives greatly in the long run. This isn’t to say that drinking a cup of green tea on a regular basis will completely eliminate any chance that you will ever have Parkinson’s disease, but it can definitely go a long way towards lowering your risk of developing it.
These types of changes don’t only apply to Parkinson’s disease either. Green tea can be good for you in general, as can just generally eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly. The same caveat must be stated, as there are very few behaviors that will completely eliminate any risk of developing diseases x, y, and z, but any reduction of risk must be very seriously considered. A healthy diet and habits of good and regular exercise can reduce your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and a plethora of other diseases. Even if we cannot fully prevent these, one must also consider that one lifestyle change can prevent a myriad of diseases. It seems somewhat counterintuitive that we spend so much time pursuing a “better life” with things like more success and more money, yet we don’t take the steps to enjoy a longer and fuller life to enjoy the truly valuable things like spending more time with friends and family by making simple changes like eating a salad instead of a Big Mac or going for a run instead of watching a movie, or in the case of Parkinson’s disease, taking time to enjoy a cup of green tea in the afternoon.
A Reflection on my Capstone Experience
Throughout my three and a half years at Concordia College, one aspect I have really enjoyed is the liberal learning that students are required to experience. Being a chemistry major and being required to take a set number of chemistry classes, it has been nice to take classes in other disciplines, such as religion, history, sociology, psychology, business, and math. Another aspect of Concordia’s core curriculum is the capstone course that students are required to take either their junior or senior year. The Capstone Course of the core curriculum focuses on student achievement of the goals for liberal learning, and emphasizes writing intensity and experiential learning. The Capstone Course allows students to exercise Concordia’s motto, BREW, which means to become responsibly engaged in the world.
As a senior at Concordia, I decided to take another chemistry class, neurochemistry, to fulfill my credits for the capstone course requirement. During registration, I was a little hesitant signing up for this course because I had little previous knowledge of the brain and the chemical aspects of it. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the majority of the students were experiencing this same feeling, so we all basically had the same initial understanding of the course content. I have always been interested in the chemical pathways of the brain, so I was really excited to explore a new discipline within the field of chemistry. Throughout the semester, I learned significantly more than I had expected to, despite the way in which this class was organized and facilitated.
Neurochemistry was very different from other chemistry classes and typical science classes regarding the way in which it was taught, which was a very nice change of pace. In contrast to typical science classes that are primarily lecture based, neurochemistry was discussion based where the majority of our learning came from communicating and interacting with other students in the class and also our professor. The first part of the semester consisted of learning about various different topics, such as neurotransmitter signaling, receptor types, essential ions and minerals, and many more. To learn about these topics, we primarily read literature articles and answered various questions about the article. The majority of our time was spent talking with other students about the article and trying to figure anything that we understand out.
After obtaining this basic knowledge of various neurochemical topics, we transitioned into the bulk of this class, which included an overview session, a background review session, and a discussion session. The overview session occurred on Mondays and consisted of reading an article and answering questions about the particular topic of the week. During class, we would then discuss the article and anything we didn’t understand. At the end of class, each student was assigned a topic to research and become an expert on. Wednesday was our background review session, which consisted of presenting our particular topic to students throughout the class in order to help them understand our topics better. Our discussion sessions occurred on Fridays, and throughout the semester, it became my favorite aspect of the class. Two to three students led each discussion in which we would discuss and talk about anything we felt was important in the paper. This was my favorite part of the course because it allowed everyone to bring their expertise together and contribute to the learning of others in a relaxed setting. It enabled us to get out of the classroom setting and utilize a different strategy to learning. We had the opportunity to be a discussion leader twice throughout the semester, so my leadership skills were significantly increased through our discussion sessions. These discussion questions really simulated what a science career really consists of. As a scientist, it will be essential for me to be able to communicate information effectively to my colleagues, which is essentially what was done in these discussions.
Overall, I have really enjoyed taking neurochemistry and feel that it achieved the goals of a liberal education and allowed us to become responsibly engaged in the world. It was nice to take a science class in which the learning wasn’t solely based on listening to a lecture. It was fun teaching other students in the class about various topics. Likewise, it was also fun learning from classmates about many different topics. I am glad I decided to take neurochemistry as my capstone course at Concordia.