I don’t know about you, but I’ve never spent a lot of time contemplating the brain’s role in the development of obesity. I, like I’m sure many others, have always thought about obesity somewhere along these lines: “Well, people like to eat, and they just have to control themselves… Some people are just more or less motivated to do this than others.” Of course, this inner monologue usually had more context than I’ve introduced this with, and that context usually served to make the series of thoughts much more relevant and usually more serious. I never stopped to consider that perhaps obesity, like many other things, is part of a vicious cycle, where one struggles to get off the train after he or she initially gets on.
There are two main types of neurons that are important in the regulation of appetite, and that subsequently appear to be quite important in the development of obesity. POMC neurons, when activated, will essentially send the signal that you are full, and that you don’t need to eat any more. One of the main molecules that is involved in sending this signal is called CART. On the other side of things, ACMP neurons send the signal that you are hungry, and that you should eat. This is done largely through the actions of neuropeptide Y, or NPY. Maintaining the proper balance of activation of these neurons is very important in maintaining proper nutrition levels. It is very interesting to note that when you eat and what you eat can alter the signaling in these neurons. For instance, what is usually considered to be an unhealthy diet will deactivate the “don’t eat” POMC neurons and activate the “eat” ACMP neurons. As a result, when one starts to eat unhealthily, it is perpetuated by a desire to continue to overeat.
To me, this starts to raise questions about the role of free will in obesity and other diseases of the brain. We can become somewhat addicted to food in a similar manner as things we consider more to be “drugs,” and as we learn more and more about the many facets of addiction, we find that although free will is never completely absent, it may become harder and harder to summon as the hole which is dug gets deeper and deeper. It is hard to think of obesity this way, as it is something that so many people suffer with, and oftentimes it is truly difficult to get back on the right path. The problem is not helped by the fact that the cheapest food around is the most unhealthy. If a family is struggling with money, eating salads may not necessarily be at the top of their priority list. As a result, people may become trapped not only by the neurological basis of overeating or poor nutrition but also by the socio-economical trap of not being able to eat healthy foods on a regular basis, and thus the situation often quickly spirals out of control.
Lithium: Still a little sketchy…
Sometimes, it’s amazing (and a little bit terrifying) to think about how little we know about a medication before it hits the market and is given to patients. Of course, the medication has gone through rigorous trials to ensure that it is both effective in treating the targeted disease, and that it is safe to be taken, but the exact mechanism often remains a mystery for a long time, and we may still be working on figuring it out. For example, lithium has been used to effectively treat bipolar disorder for over fifty years, but we still don’t know every detail regarding how this happens.
We do know that it plays a role in providing protection for neurons, and also that it aids in providing trophic support, which means that it helps to provide the nutrients that the neuron needs to function properly. Two major mechanisms are at play in lithium’s actions. Lithium blocks the actions of glycogen synthase kinase-3 and kick-starts the actions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. It also regulates the amount of calcium which can freely enter the neuron, which is a good thing as in some cases, calcium can cause the cell to undergo apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Lastly, lithium will lower levels of something called 1,4,5-trisphosphate by blocking the thing that helps to produce these, called phosphoinositol phosphatases. This stops the cell from inducing autophagy, which is another mechanism by which the cell might destroy itself.
The applications of lithiums effects seemed nearly limitless while we were discussing this paper in class. It can help to limit the adverse effects of diseases ranging from stroke to Huntington’s disease, and everything inbetween, including amytrophic lateral sclerosis (otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), fragile X syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. In fact, as we were studying lithium, it began to seem as if there was nothing it couldn’t do. We began to ask ourselves why we weren’t taking lithium as a regular supplement, and it only became apparent after a little research that though lithium has many beneficial effects in treating disease, it also isn’t necessarily something we want floating around in our bodies at extremely high concentrations. As we reached this realization that there is certainly too much of a good thing, I began to think about how easily the public conscious is swayed by information like this in the same way that we were.
I recently saw a post by a friend on Facebook cautioning everyone against vaccines, and as I clicked on the link to see what so-called evidence lay behind this proclamation, I realized how any of us can be easily swayed by information that we are presented with, especially when we aren’t familiar enough with the content to know what the right questions to ask even are. If we take a little time to familiarize ourselves with the topic broadly, we can start to see where the holes in the logic are. I’m not saying that we have to know everything about every single topic—to say such a thing and believe that this is a real possibility seems almost ignorant—but knowing enough to figure out what questions to ask and then exploring those is certainly the first step. All those years ago when it was discovered that lithium was beneficial in treating bipolar disorder, the researchers certainly did not know everything about it. Even today, we are still discovering more every day. However, they learned enough to figure out what the right questions to ask were in both the short and long term. First, is it safe and effective to use in treating bipolar disorder, and then later, how does it work and what else might it be used for? I think this skill of learning to ask the right questions is one that we all (myself included) undervalue, but is one that can be extremely helpful in gaining a clearer picture of the topic at hand.
Liberal Arts, the Brain, and My Capstone Experience
One of the biggest reasons I chose Concordia College was the fact that it is a liberal arts college. Contrary to my stepdad’s belief that a liberal arts college turns its students into left-wingers, Concordia College prompts its students with the challenge to become responsibly engaged in the world. This is done over a period of four years where students cultivate a love for learning, develop foundational skills and transferable intellectual capacities, gain an understanding of disciplinary, interdisciplinary and intercultural perspectives, and nurture an examined cultural, ethical, physical, and spiritual self-understanding. Although students chooses a major in which they focus their studies, they must also complete the core curriculum. The core curriculum draws from diverse departments, allowing students to gain a well-rounded education. A major element of a Concordia education is the capstone course, which aims to draw together all of Concordia’s learning goals into one course. I chose Neurochemistry as my capstone course, and it did not disappoint.
As a biology major and chemistry minor, I am use to the traditional lecture-style course in which material is learned for quizzes and exams. Neurochemistry was not like this. Although there was some lecture early on in the class in order to gain the necessary knowledge for the rest of the class, the course was largely discussion based. Right off the bat we were told that we would get out of this class exactly what we put into it. We wouldn’t be tested on specific knowledge, so it would be our responsibility to be informed on each topic. Each week we would read a paper, discuss what we didn’t understand, research and present on these topics, and finally discuss the topic with a wider focus. While it was important to gain a full understanding of the paper and the disorder we were discussing, I came to understand that it was just as important to put it in a wider context and discuss the political, social, and economic implications. As a science major, I found it initially difficult to look beyond the science and consider a topic in a wider context. Throughout the course of the semester, however, this grew to be one of my favorite aspects of the class. In following the framework of a liberal arts education, neurochemistry allowed us to take an interdisciplinary approach to topics we may not have in the past.
Although the course was largely unconventional, we did still take exams. However, these exams were very different from any other I had taken. We were given a deconstructed version of a scientific paper upon which we were supposed to formulate a hypothesis. This hypothesis had to be based upon the science presented to us and explain the events that were noted. In addition, there was a take home portion of the exam in which we were given the full article and asked to critique the hypothesis we had formulated during the in class portion of the exam. I personally loved this style of exam as it forced us to not only think critically, but gave us the opportunity to learn from and correct any mistakes we had made.
Neurochemistry has proven to be one of my favorite courses I have taken while at Concordia. For me, the hallmark of a good class is one in which I am able to learn just as much about myself as I do about the material of the course. While learning about signaling of the brain, molecular pathways, and neurodegenerative diseases, I was also able to gain a greater sense of appreciation of lifelong learning, collaboration, and interdisciplinary work. More importantly, I was able to break outside of my often narrow focus of scientific topics and consider them in a broader scope. While I am thankful for the knowledge I have gained in this course, I am even more thankful for the fact that I have grown as a student and as an individual.
ALS: A Tough Disease to Swallow
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.