HOMEOSTATIC MED4U

Science is all about questioning the simplest of things. Now what will happen if we actually stopped eating? In the first 6 hours,all will fairly be normal. Our body will start to break it down to glycogen which stores energy in our body, and then to glucose which our cells use as fuel. Around 25% of the energy thus generated is used by our brain alone while the rest goes to muscle tissues and red blood cells. But,after six hours,this method of energy production will slowly come to a halt because the glycogen will start depleting ,which can lead to the notorious 'hungry' and a feeling of anger. From 6-72 hours,our body will enter a state called ketosis as it begins to starve. Because of very less glucose in our blood,our body must begin to break down fat for energy. This fat will in turn be broken into fatty acids. However,our brain cannot use long chain fatty acids! Oh no,this is a problem! Wait,since there is no more glucose and the fats are too large to cross the brain-bl...

Depression is commonly faced by many people worldwide today. Is there a biological basis for these intense feelings of sadness? Depression is often described as a 'chemical imbalance' in the brain. Specifically, scientists believed that the neurotransmitter,serotonin which is often referred to as the 'feel good' chemical is to be blamed. The brain cell growth and neuro connections may actually play a larger role in causing depression. The hippocampus in the brain of a depressed person may tend to be much smaller than the average. Other regions of the brain may also be affected but hippocampus,in particular,controls memory and emotions,the longer the person has been depressed,the smaller the hippocampus may become. The neurons may literally deteriorate.  Stress may actually be a main trigger in the decrease of neurons. When the hippocampus is regenerated and new neurons are stimulated,the mood improves. Many modern drugs,including those which affect serotonin leve...

Some of us prefer to stay at home with a book in hand while some prefer a day out with family or friends. But,scientifically,is there an advantage to be an introvert or an extrovert? Which is better? Extroverts,with their lower level of arousal would need to do more exciting things that would mentally and physically exhaust an introvert in order to be satisfied. When an introvert might be content with a leisurely bicycle ride through a quiet park,an extrovert might need to hit the roads in order to feel mentally satisfied. There is a thicker prefontal cortex in the brains of introverts compared to extroverts,which is associated with deeper planning and thoughts,suggesting that extroverts may be more impulsive than introverts,who prefer to mull things over instead of directly springing into action. But because of this rumination of introverts,they're also more susceptible to developing depression and anxiety. Extroverts also respond more strongly to rewards because of a more sig...