FLASHBACK!!!
Five years ago you would find a 17-year-old version of myself sitting in my high school chemistry room. I felt like the king of the world, I thought I knew everything there was to know about chemistry and the world around me. In all honesty I thought the noble prize in chemistry just a reward for chemists who found some new use for chemistry. And there is no way I could have been anymore wrong. I think there is more unknown then there is known, and this weeks article on bipolar disorder brings this to light. The Article is titled “Bipolar disorder and the mechanisms of action of mood stabilizers”
This article looks at four different drugs called mood stabilizers that are used to “treat” bipolar disorder. In todays world researchers study chemical pathways of a disorder and decide where they should “attack” the disorder to stop it. They then create the medicine that does just that! Problem solved. Bipolar is different, over time we have found medication that accomplishes what we want (kind of). These drugs are termed mood stabilizers. The odd thing is we know that these drugs work, we just don’t know how. So the thought is that researchers are going to work backwards. The “cure” is known so we just need to find out what exactly it “cures”.
To quote S. Sobo “How can we argue that we are treating […bipolar disorder…] at a fundamental, etiological level of the illness when we don’t know what the chemical problem is?
So researchers have ideas on how bipolar disorder may happen, but it is still very hypothetical. A few years ago there was a hypotheses called Myo-Inositol Depletion, which was believed to explain bipolar disorder. But in just 5 years researchers have discovered that this hypothesis isn’t probable. This weeks article we read instead focused on the arachidonic acid cascade.
To go into specifics a bit more there are 4 main drugs used to null bipolar symptoms: Lithium, Carbamazepine, Valproic acid, and Lamotrigine. So when we look at a system like the arachidonic acid cascade we try to find how this causes the problem (bi-polar) and then how the drugs prevent this from happening. One way this can be done is by finding specific points in the chemical cascade and finding how drugs affect that point. After all this data is collected we can step back and try to take a holistic view of the disease.
So it can be seen that the arachidonic acid (AA) cascade can cause neuronal damage in quite a few ways. So if we can at what points the drugs stop the AA pathway from proceeding forward we can understand how bipolar disease works. The paper the class was assigned to read actually has a nice spreadsheet breaking down all of the elements of the AA pathway and how the drugs affect these specific elements. On complication to this process is that some of these drugs help some people but not others, at the same time these drugs have different effects on the specific parts to the pathway. For example all four drugs lower COX-2 levels. Whereas COX-1 levels are only lowered by Sodium valproate, the other drugs having no effect. Everything is so complicated…
Take home message the body is complicated, and it is even more complicated finding out why things go wrong. Also I think the general public should know that doctors/humans just don’t know everything.
Addiction or Pain?
Severe pain affects approximately 6% of the population at any given time. This pain can come from nearly any source and may be dealt with in various ways. One way in which severe pain is moderated is through the use of opioids. Opioids are analgesics (painkillers) which decrease the perception of pain, decrease reaction to pain and increase pain tolerance. However, opioids are also commonly taken recreationally due to their ability to produce feelings of euphoria.
Although the significant pain relieving effects, and maybe even the euphoria, sound great there are many issues with opioid use. Chronic use of opioids is associated with tolerance as well as both physical and psychological dependence. Due to this, medicinal opioid use is quite limited and much research has been conducted to explore the negative effects of the drug.
Addictive drugs, such as opioids, act via dopamine pathways and more recently have been associated with glutamate as well. Both of these neurotransmitters are found in various regions throughout the brain and play various roles in the process of addiction. Dopamine is largely related to the reward system which tells a drug user that the drug is ‘good’. Glutamate has been linked to the seeking behavior of a drug addict and withdrawal behaviors which may result in relapse. When opioids bind to receptors in the brain they activate the reward pathways and their effects as well as cause the release of glutamate and activate its receptors. This then initiates the addiction process after continuous use.
So the question is, is it really that bad to be addicted to opioids if it relieves your pain? Well, unfortunately chronic opioid use has many adverse side effects outside of addiction such as depression, confusion, hallucinations, bradycardia and tachycardia. For those who do suffer chronic, severe pain however, these side effects may seem like a simple trade off compared to what they are currently experiencing.
The Growing Spectrum: Why is Autism on the Rise?
Considering the personal relationships I have with members of the educational community, I often hear teachers refer to children that are “on the spectrum”, the autism spectrum that is. However, the descriptions of difficulties teachers experience with these kids- social ineptitude, tantrums, breakdowns, and sometimes harmless quirks lead me to believe that the autism spectrum generalization perhaps sheds less light on understanding these students than if their cases were treated individually. My primary concern is the generalized comparison between students said to exhibit Asperger’s or highly functioning-autism and students exhibiting general autistic symptoms such as cognitive deficits and total communicative disconnect. My concern arose from a research article our Neurochemistry class read on autism and its likely environmental causes. After investigating the article I found among the most prominent holes exhibited in the hypothesis was whether or not the autistic group under evaluation was of the general autistic class or of an Asperger’s type.
The makes a few key observations, some social and many biological, and comes to a seemingly straightforward conclusion that heavy-metal pollution and other environmental factors have led to a drastic increase in the presence of autistic cases throughout the past few decades. Indeed, as the article states there has been a drastic increase in the number of reported autistic patients, however there are other factors surrounding the increase in autistic cases than strictly the biological repercussions of pollution. Namely, the diagnosis of mental disorders in general has greatly increased for social and biological reasons. The social rational for diagnosing mental disorders at an early age is that subjects exhibiting such a disorder may be able to receive supplemental help at an early age, which will likely increase their chances of leading a more successful and independent life in the future. Biologically, many disorders worsen if untreated with medications or other forms of treatment, thus the subject is likely to lead a more healthy life if medical intervention occurs at a young age. Lastly, psychology and psychiatry has developed extensively over the past few decades, which has lead to more extensive diagnostic recognition of disorders. So, regarding the validity of environmental factors being the primary cause of increasing autism cases is a debatable issue.
Now that a little skepticism has been offered to level the autism-causation playing field a few interesting points regarding the hypothesis offered in the article should be brought to attention.
The researchers attribute heavy metal consumption to lead to the development of autism; this however is not the whole of the story. They suggest that heavy metals interfere with biological processes, which further interfere with other biological processes, which have been shown to have a correlation with abnormal neurological development, which finally has been correlated to the types of neurological deficits exhibited by autistic subjects. Well this doesn’t exactly seem to obey the law of parsimony, but with a system as complex as the human body, perhaps this is the most logical reasoning behind the increase in autistic diagnoses.
I am curious as to whether the increase in autism diagnoses is in reference to Asperger’s syndrome subjects or general autism, and can the two types be compared. While patients suffering from general autism often exhibit significant cognitive deficits, those with Asperger’s often show normal and even high levels of cognitive function. If the mental conditions under consideration reflect such different symptoms, scientific rational would suggest that the origins/progressions concomitantly different. In addition, if we consider the use of heavy metals and the environmental policies, which have been extensively restricting their use over the past few decades, it is reasonable to believe that heavy environmental heavy metal levels have receded, thus weakening the hypothesis of the article. In order to gain further insight on this topic, extensive research needs to be done on the environmental levels of toxic heavy metals, as well as their relation to different types of autism and how these factors successfully or unsuccessfully explain current trends in the prevalence of autism.
I'm not thinking my thoughts!
I want to discuss something that does not directly deal with neuroscience, at least not immediately. It’s something that has been on my mind lately and I ask myself, “Why not blog about it?” What I’ve been thinking about is the idea of thought insertion. In psychiatry, thought insertion is a symptom where the patient reports feeling like certain thoughts are not their thoughts. For them, it feels like the thought is being inserted into their mind against their will. This is common in some cases of OCD, other mental disorders involving some sort of psychosis, and less known about disorders involving thought disturbances. These thoughts are nonvolitional and can supposedly be contrasted with the volitional thinking we do otherwise.
What is the difference between a nonvolitional and a volitional thought? The answer might at first appear obvious. Well, in the former case the thought occurs without our willing it, and in the later case the thought is willed. How do we know this? Let us take a look at what each thought consists of. Say I have the thought, “The Yankees are based out of New York City.” And then later I have the thought, “chicken, chicken, cow, disease, dirt.” I report the first thought as volitional. It arose spontaneously in my mind. It caused no anxiety or any kind of emotional response. Most importantly, although probably not as salient, I, upon thinking the thought, also had the intuition that this was my thought and I willed it. The later thought was not reported as volitional. The later thought also arose spontaneously in my mind. But this thought caused me marked anxiety (only hypothetically. I didn’t actually have either of these thoughts. Although I could easily think both right now.) It also did not come with the corresponding intuition that it was indeed my thought. Where do both of these intuitions come from? Why do I intuit the first thought as volitional and the second thought as nonvolitional?
If we strip away the intuition from the content of each thought what is left? The thoughts’ spontaneity and the emotion that each involves or causes. Would it be too bold to suggest that neither thought is volitional? Would it be too audacious to suggest that the only reason we have the experience of a free thought at all is because usually, baring any psychological illness, our thoughts are not accompanied by great anxiety? I think some of the diagnostic tools we used, the concepts we use, need to be more thoroughly examined. I also think that, given the recent assault on free will by neuroscience, what we consider volitional and nonvolitional needs to be considered more carefully. Next time you think a thought, ask yourself, “Was that me thinking that or someone else?”
How Far is too Far?
Throughout the course of the semester in neurochemistry we have learned how to dissect, interpret, and form opinions on research articles dealing the neurological problems. Taking this knowledge and expanding it to broader “big picture” ideas has put both scientific and social issues into context. A common theme present in the papers we have read is the expansion of knowledge. As a society, it’s safe to say that America is a busy country; we are constantly striving for success, working more, harder and pushing the limit further. This “theme” is a general component of science and few fields have exhibited as rapid of expansion. Fifty years ago we discovered DNA, now we are manipulating it to make mice that grow in the dark. We’ve come a long ways as a scientific community in a very short amount of time. The following videos offer some perspective on how science is being applied to deep, philosophical issues.
Free Will and the Brain
Is everything determined for us?
Aliens Exist
As a scientific community we are constantly concerned with gaining more knowledge. We want to know if there are aliens, how to beat every disease, and improve the quality of life in every way possible. At what point does this become counterproductive and even destructive? I have a hard time arguing that cancer research should not take place to develop a cure for such a terrible illness. I also believe that an enjoyable part of life is not knowing everything. It would be interesting to see if there ever comes a time when we know everything. This seems like a ridiculous proposition, but think of how far we have come in the last one hundred years. The more we know, the more complicated things become, and the more complicated things become the less we seem to be able to sit back and enjoy life.
The Balance of Autism
Autism is a neurodevelopmental which presents in early in childhood. While the symptoms vary, it is characterized by a general in ability to effectively communicate and interact with other people. The causes of autism are currently unknown. Autism is diagnosed off of behavioral, communicative, and social observation. Genetics have been suggested to play a role due to the increased chances of risk when a family history of autism is present Due to the recent increases in the number of diagnosis made, it has been said that an environmental factor may be involved. The following video presents a further introduction to autism.
Introdu
The argument that an environmental factor being the cause behind autism is an interesting one because, if proven true the resolution proves difficult. The environmental hypothesis is that heavy metal exposure leads to autism. Heavy metals bind to proteins leading to their activation and disruption of key cellular pathways. The disruption of these pathways leads to autism. We are exposed to heavy metals through various sources; preservatives in foods, body cleansing products, and the crops we eat. If there is a link found between the food we eat and autism how will we deal with this problem? We can stop eating canned foods loaded with preservatives. This means living off of fresh produce. Produce that is grown in fields, which are sprayed with fertilizers and pesticides, contain heavy metals. If we stop using fertilizers and pesticides, crops are going to grow less efficiently. With the rising world population and growing hunger problem where do we find the balance? The link between heavy metals in our crops and autism has not been made, however the correlation has been suggested for other health issues outside of autism. This issue raises a general problem between science and social issues of where to find the correct “balance”.
ction to Autism
Expanding Alcohol to Addiction
Understanding the biology and chemistry of addiction is pertinent for not only health, but also social reasons. On a personal, level few people do not have friends or family who are addicted to some type of drug, even if it be nicotine. The costs of addiction are spread throughout society via crime and taxes helping cover healthcare and incarceration expenses. Being able control addiction using medical treatment will prove beneficial on an individual level and to society. The first step in this direction is uncovering a disease progression model of addiction using basic scientific research.
One protein of specific interest is cAMP response element binding protein or CREB. CREB is a transcription factor involved in multiple addictive diseases including alcoholism. The following video helps explain transcription factors.
Transciption Factors
CREB is thought to be a major player mediating the effects of tolerance and drug addiction. The production of activated CREB is increased due to the use of many drugs including morphine, cocaine and nicotine. Although it is unknown exactly how CREB mediates the development of addiction, the link between the two is strong. Further research could elucidate pathways harboring new drug targets. Who knows, in the coming years we may be able to successfully curb our addiction with a pill.
The Hendrix Experience: “Manic depression is a frustrating mess”
Manic-depressive disorder is considered the historical name of Bipolar disorder. The two are characterized by episodes of hyperactivity and at least one period of depression. This may seem like a very general description, which is why it is difficult to diagnose such disorders because of the different levels of severity; the disorder needs to be diagnosed carefully. The disorder is complex and emotionally unstable for individuals. The negative symptoms of bipolar are the times of depression that a person is in. And positive symptoms are the periods of hyperactivity associated with the manic state. Bipolar diorder affects about 2.6% of adults in the U.S. and about 84% of those cases are severe.
There are five major types of bipolar disorder and each one has its own description and symptoms associated with it.
- Bipolar disorder I- At least one obvious episode of mania or hyperactivity and sever mood swings to depression.
- Bipolar disorder II- A milder form of Bipolar 1 but still experience mood swings.
- Cyclothymic disorder- Depression and hyperactivity periods aren’t as long or severe.
- Unspecified bipolar disorder- A mix of episodic symptoms. Depression and hyperactivity stages aren’t distinguishable.
- Rapid cycling bipolar disorder- Four or more mood out-bursts happen within a year. This type of Bipolar can worsen and is most prevalent in women causing severe depression.
As I write this blog post, the words and guitar solos James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix bring me a sense of happiness and creativity. One of Jimi’s most famous songs titled “Manic Depression” has a very melancholy feel to it. But we still happily groove to his music. Jimi Hendrix is considered one of the greatest guitarists in history, and his music is still very popular in the present day. His music brings inspiration and happiness to his listeners, but many people look past the events of his life that “inspired” his music. Jimi grew up in a home with alcoholic parents who were abusive to him and to each other. At nine years of age Jimi’s parents divorced and his mother had passed away. He was described as a quiet child that struggled with poverty and family disruption at such a young age. The instability of his life caused him to go into bouts of depression, and episodes of hyperactivity that would get him in trouble during school. The recreational drug use during the era he grew up in also afflicted his life. The events of his life give listeners some insight to his lyrics and the music he has produced. As one source described “The manic end pushed by the music that flowed from his soul and the depression that came from his life”.
Jimi Hendrix isn’t the only famous person whose life was afflicted with manic depression and known for being musically inclined. Beethoven had a form of bipolar disorder and had composed some of the greatest symphonies ever. Kurt Cobain, who is also a musical inspiration to people, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. If you have ever heard the Hendrix rendition of “ The Star Spangled Banner” you might ask yourself how one could come up with such sounds and why? What inspired Edgar Allan Poe, who also had Bipolar disorder, to come up with the most fascinating mysteries and poems in the world?
Although these people suffered from Manic Depression, a positive thing came from it. These people are remembered for their talents and not for their mental turmoil. Instead of jumping to the conclusion that all mental disorders are negative thing, we should consider the positive aspects of the negative symptoms. There is hope and treatments for those individuals who have severe cases of BP that still hold normal jobs and have families. Most treatments and medications focus on helping with the depression stages because the manic stage can be controlled with counseling instead of medications. Alternative methods include, meditation, counseling and guidance to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
http://www.survivingdepression.net/copying/jimihendrix.html
http://www.poemuseum.org/life.php
http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-disorder-forms
Blaming High Fructose Corn Syrup
There have been many harsh words said about high fructose corn syrup as of late. I can only say this from my own experience, but it seems to be the case in general as well. High fructose corn syrup, they say, makes you leptin resistant. Leptin is a protein hormone found in the body that is in charge of regulating food intake and energy expenditure. The idea is this: the amount of Leptin in your body is directly proportional to the amount of fat, or adipose tissue, in your body. So when the levels of adipose tissue rise, the levels of leptin rise causing you to eat less. You can probably guess the content of many of the insults aimed at high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup allows for us to eat more than we “naturally” would.
I’m skeptical. I’m so skeptical that I put “naturally” in scare quotes. I’m not skeptical that high fructose corn syrup does this, nor am I skeptical that leptin does what research suggests it does. I’m skeptical, vaguely skeptical, of the idea that there is some way leptin, and the like, ideally functions. Every individual has different amounts of body fat, and different eating habits. Every individual probably has different naturally occurring levels of leptin. There is little to no research on individual differences in leptin levels. Nature has not provided us with explicit guidelines regarding what to eat. And I think we can do a fair job coming up with these guidelines on our own.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t health risks with over consuming food. But high fructose corn syrup is the straw man everyone’s attacking. High fructose corn syrup, in so far as it allows us to eat more, can have benefits. Especially in cases where individuals are having trouble getting adequate amount of calories, ex. athletes. I don’t want to make the case that high fructose corn syrup is a good thing, but I do want to say that people need to take a responsibility for their own diet. High fructose corn syrup is not the only sweetener out there. It is all too common to blame the food around us for our poor diets, rather than ourselves. The blame game in general has become incredibly popular so it’s no wonder it finds its place in the realm of nutrition. Poor high fructose corn syrup; let’s give it a break. And besides, it just tastes so good. Can something so sweet really be so bad?
Does Sheldon Cooper Have Autism?
“Knock! Knock! Knock! Penny? Knock! Knock! Knock! Penny? Knock! Knock! Knock! Penny?” All you fans out there who watch our beloved Shelly on the CBS sit-com Big Bang Theory should know this line by heart. But why is this a reoccurring event in Sheldon’s life? He does have an IQ of 187 and a photographic memory. But seriously why does he have to have HIS spot? And what’s up with all the kooky mannerisms and rituals and rules? Well here’s one theory: Sheldon Cooper has a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome.
Image From: http://humordistrict.com/tag/leonard-hofstadter/
This week our neurochemistry class explored the possible causes of autism, which included heavy metal intake, internal methylation, and other external factors such as environment in the womb and other wise unspecified causes. Researchers don’t know what is causing this supposed spike of autism disorders that we are seeing in the younger generations. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), 9 in 1000 children are diagnosed with autism in the US. For those of you who don’t know, autism is an overused term to describe a spectrum of autistic-like illnesses under the term autism spectrum disorder. There are varying degrees of severity for autism and five categories have been created for the sake of diagnosis: autistic disorder (classic autism), Asperger’s disorder (Asperger syndrome), pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), Rett’s disorder (Rett syndrome), and childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD). Each of these disorders has its own set of symptoms. However each of the disorders include sosme sort of social disability as a symptom in which individuals demonstrate social awkwardness and abnormal social behaviors.
The reason I bring up the question about Sheldon Cooper is that he displays many of the symptoms that individuals with Asperger syndrome appear to exhibit. Unlike children with classic autism (who tend to show signs of intellectual disability), people with Asperger’s tend to have a normal or higher than normal cognitive ability. Other symptoms or tendencies of individuals with Asperger’s include obsessive or repetitive routines and rituals, motor-skill problems, such as clumsy or uncoordinated movements and delays in motor skills, social-skill problems, especially related to communicating with others, sensitivity to sensory information, such as light, sound, texture, and taste. Sheldon doesn’t demonstrate all of these severely however his serious obsessive compulsive tendencies such as sitting in HIS spot on the couch or his strict weekly schedule of events such as what he eats on each day of the week or having a different set of pajamas for each night of the week do demonstrate tendencies of a person with Asperger’s. We can also note that Sheldon struggles to pick up sarcasm in conversation and most non-verbal cues. And most importantly Sheldon has a way-above-average intelligence which is a common characteristic of individuals with Asperger’s. His capacity to hold information such as vocabulary and solve mathematical problems that a computer struggles to do, as well as his photographic memory all point to Asperger’s. It’s also important to note that Sheldon Cooper is actually a successful theoretical physicist as well. This means that many of these individuals with milder forms of autism are able to maintain jobs and live their lives as normally as possible.
It’s important that the media is incorporating characters with syndromes such as autism. It brings awareness of its prevalence in our society today.
Bazinga!
For more information about Autism or Asperger’s please visit:
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/asperger_syndrome.cfm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/autism-spectrum-disorders