Unit 6 Reflection

Unit 6 Reflection

Unit 6 was al about the brain and how it uses the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system to be able to carry out daily functions. we began with the basic brain anatomy and physiology and how the brain is separated by the corpus callosum into the 2 hemispheres which are contralateral, meaning anything that is received by the right side goes through the left side of the brain and the left side of the brain controls the right side. Movement is controlled by the cerebellum and if the cerebellum or any part of the brain were missing, other parts of the brain would take the responsibility. Movement is a part of the somatic system because the brain can regulate it and make choices, the prefrontal cortex, whereas other parts such as the heart and smooth tissue are from the autonomic side. The brain structure was shown during the brain dissection. During the eye dissection,  we learned about the structure of the eye and how the parts work together to send messages to the brain through the optic nerve. 

Though the brain is so high tech, there are diseases that go along with it. Meningitis is the inflammation of the meninges, Encephalitic is the inflammation of the brain, epilepsy causes seizures, cerebral palsy is when there is a problem in development, ALS which is the degeneration of neurons, Perkinsons disease which is the degeneration of motor neurons, multiple sclerosis which is the degeneration of myelin, Alzheimer's which is the degeneration of the brain. But those are only CNS diseases. PNS diseases include sciatica which is a damaged nerve that sends sharp pain through the leg and lower back, Neuralgia which is pain due to damaged neurons, trigeminal neuralgia which is in the face, bells palsy which is the paralyse of a side of the face, and carpal tunnel syndrome which is the numbness due to a pinched nerve. 

In a woman perpetually falling, her cerebellum was missing so she had no sense of balance or touch of her surroundings and movement. This puts pressure on the other parts of the brain to take over the job of that missing piece. 

Some advantages were that my 20-time project helped me understand the brain better and the different parts, especially how drugs influence it but a setback would be learning all the different diseases and how they hurt the brain and what effects they would have on the body. 

What I want to learn more about is whether or not CRISPR would be able to use undifferentiated cells to replicate that of a functioning part of the brain and surgically incorporate it into the person's brain who was originally missing that specific part. 

As for my new years' goal, this semester has not been hard to stay away from senioritis but all of the preparation and visits for college has made focusing on classes much more difficult. What I am doing to help myself do better in the classes is to find interest in everything I am learning and even if I am not the most thrilled about the topic I will be willing to put in all effort.