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

First of all,sleep is divided into two categories based on our eye movement: 1. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) 2. Non - REM During REM,your eye tends to move around in all directions and brain activity is very much similar to when you are awake. At this stage only,dreams tend to occur the most. This sleeping phase is usually encountered 90 min after our sleep and stays maximum for an hour. During the REM cycle,our heart rate increases,breathing becomes irregular and most significantly,our skeletal muscles get paralysed. Waking up before the completion of REM cycle can lead to sleep paralysis. Now,coming to the point,why do we dream? Well,I'm actually not sure. But these may be some possible reasons for dreams: 1. Dreaming helps us form memories. In the sense,we have more dreams when we learn something new. Also,according to this theory,dreams helps convert short - term memories into long - term ones. 2. When we are awake,our brain is busy in dealing with many activities and the

Many say mobile phones cause cancer. But they do not. If mobile phones increase the risk of brain tumors,then more and more people would not be developing them. In 2011,the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified mobile phones as a possible cause of cancer. Some studies have shown some links between usage of mobile phones and brain cancer. But larger studies have shown no links between mobile phones and cancer. The radio frequency electromagnetic radiation that mobiles receive is very weak. This radiation does not have much energy to damage the DNA,and definitely cannot directly cause cancer. There's no good evidence that WiFi causes cancer. Just like mobile phones,even WiFi uses radio waves to send information. The radio waves produced by WiFi have much lower power,lesser than that of mobile phones too. Well,some studies say that there is a link between magnetic fields given off by power lines and childhood leukaemia,but there won't be a strong evidence. Powe

Well,there is something called Adderall. It is the brand name for a mixture of amphetamine salts that was developed for treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Many use Adderall even without the doctor prescribing it. Since it is closely related to amphetamine salts,therefore it is a close relative of methamphetamine also,commonly known as meth!  When Adderall is ingested,it takes effect on the brain within an hour. Adderall affects neuroreceptors in the central nervous system,increasing the levels of dopamine and serotonin. In patients suffering from ADHD,genetic studies have indicated that these individuals may have dysfunctional dopamine release. Because of lack of dopamine,the brain will constantly seek out stimulants,resulting in getting distracted often,commonly seen in ADHD patients. The Adderall releases the dopamine and serotonin that overcomes this deficit in ADHD patients,causing increased focus and making them feel less distracted. Adderall also causes th

Alpha - 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is basically a rare hereditary condition which often leads to a decrease in the circulating AAT levels,which leads to an increase in the risk of a liver disease in adults and even children,but some aspects have still remained unresolved. The main problem is that AATD is underdiagnosed. The symptoms of AATD deficiency can range from a small scale to a large scale such as: 1. Weight loss 2. Tiredness 3. Wheezing and shortness of breath 4. Rapid heartbeat upon standing 5. Vision problems 6. Repeated lung infections Some people do not have any symptoms. Genetic tests and blood tests can tell if you have it. If you experience repeated lung infections,you must probably take lung tests too. Extra oxygen and medicines can be used for treating this. Sometimes,the severe causes may even cause a lung transplant. And smoking and drinking alcohol must come to an end if you do not want such things in your body.