Water on the Brain

Being in my early twenties it seems like everyone around me, either slightly older, younger, or my age, is deciding to have a baby. I'm definitely not ready for that kind of responsibility right now, but somewhere along the line I would love to see a little miniature version of myself running around. With that said, I think learning bits of information pertaining to babies would be beneficial for everyone reading this. Even if you don't plan on having any children, I still think it's something worth learning about. 

So what does a baby have to do with water on the brain, you might ask?  

Water on the brain, or more commonly known as hydrocephalus, is a condition that occurs when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) becomes obstructed and accumulates within the ventricles, or subarachnoid space. This in turn increases the pressure on the brain and causes the infants skull bones to separate, leading to what appears as an overgrown head. The outcome of this condition is typically associated with mental retardation and may affect many other aspects of the body. 

Now that you know how having a baby and water on the brain correlate to each other and you know what hydrocephalus is, you might also be asking yourself how and why does CSF accumulate in an infant's head? 

The video below shows a family and the struggles they faced, when they found out their newborn, Emma, was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. It also has the answer to that question (at approximately 4:20) but before you skip ahead, I recommend watching the entire video.

Aside from telling the story of Emma, the doctor in the video also mentions the treatment and history, which was extremely interesting to learn. I had heard of hydrocephalus a couple of times in some other classes, but I never knew how and if it was even possible to treat such a condition. According to Dr.Moss, a tube must be connected to both the head and abdomen in order to drain the fluid, and that prior to this treatment, babies who were diagnosed with this condition in the early 1900's were going to pass away with no chances of survival, which is really sad and unfortunate. Thankfully though, research and technology now enables others, like Emma, to live almost nearly normal lifestyles. 

Cheers!

I just turned 21 two months ago, and aside from the expected "happy birthday," a little more than half of the responses I also got pertained to drinking, buying alcohol, and getting drunk. And although those type of comments don't bother me, hearing stories about car crashes and blacking out does. I used to be surrounded by people who would drink every weekend, for no apparent reason, wake up with hangovers, and be in some sort of dilemma (stolen or misplaced wallets/keys/cell phones, dented cars, etc). The majority of the time it was minor things like that, thankfully, but the remaining situations were both sad and troubling. There were even some instances in which people who were not drinking ended up being affected or getting injured because of somebody who consumed alcohol.

So what is it about alcohol that everyone finds so appealing? Is it the impaired coordination or slurred speech? Probably not. The answer most people would agree with is that it decreases anxiety and serves as a source for relaxation, which is perfectly fine if the person drinks responsibly and to a moderate amount. However, when someone consumes and excessive amount of alcohol, an additional answer some people might overlook actually deals with genetics.Individuals, if possible, may be categorized as having Type I (Type A) or Type II (Type B) alcoholism. Type I usually occurs after the age of 25 with the probability of having relatives who abuse alcohol as a contributing factor, while type II usually occurs at a faster rate and before the age of 25.  

How exactly does alcohol make someone more relaxed though? The answer to that should be more clear after watching this video, which explains how the glutamate receptors (the brain's main excitatory sites) become blocked while the GABA receptors (main inhibitory sites) are activated. 

This "feel less, perceive less, notice less, and remember less" attitude mentioned in the video above perfectly describes the affect alcohol has on the brain, at least in my opinion. In the end, drinking alcohol (maybe to unwind or because our genes and surroundings are telling us to) is ultimately our decision, but when you compare the pros and cons and see the short and long terms affects, it might be a wise decision to say no, and allow our little glutamate receptors to be free from obstruction. 

Attack of the Immune System (Multiple Sclerosis)

When I think of the immune system, I tend to think of little cells wearing body armor while holding some sort of weapon and fighting crime, kind of like in the picture below. 

For the most part, we can attribute our health to the immune system for protecting us from viruses, bacteria, and infectious diseases (like the flu and malaria), so if you're looking for something to be thankful for this coming Thanksgiving, well there you go. Unfortunately, not every immune system is the same. Autoimmunity, which is defined as a condition in which the body produces an immune response against its own constituents, affects a wide array of individuals all over the world. The list of disorders is somewhat lengthy, but there is one in particular that recently caught my attention, and it goes by multiple sclerosis (MS). If you're not familiar with this disorder, it essentially, is an attack of the immune system on myelin sheaths which functions to allow action potentials to quickly propagate from one neuron to another, and is an extremely important part of the central nervous system (both brain and spinal cord). This disease, if you haven't already figured out, interferes with muscle coordination, vision, and even breathing. The video bellow probably paints a  much better picture of MS though.

As the video mentioned, it appears there are no apparent cause and cure for multiple sclerosis. There are a few treatments that help with pain/discomfort, but it does not work for everyone. This whole topic really got me thinking, and maybe freaking out, but what would happen and how would I be able to live with this extremely harsh condition? How would you? Aside from right now, I hardly ever pay any attention to my movements, I'm pretty sure none of us do, but imagine not being able to go out to the store to pick up a few groceries or watch one of your favorite movies because of blurred vision. Pretty scary right?

I decided to look for recently published articles and videos to see if there was any progress in the search for better treatments. Surprisingly, this VIDEO which aired just two weeks ago gave a lot more insight than I expected. Megan Quinn, a female who developed MS at 27, will be the first to undergo a new and exciting treatment. According to Dr. Jon LaPook, stems cells taken from Megan will be morphed into stems cells that are found in the CNS, and then placed back into her body. The ultimate goal of this treatment is to re-form any missing or damaged myelin sheaths. This seems to be an outstanding new form of treatment, and a step in a good direction (I really hope everything turns out good for Megan), but I guess only time will tell if this innovative option is safe enough to undergo a widespread use.