The Emotional Lives of Animals Power Hour Reading

Name of Book: The Emotional Lives of Animals
Name of Chapter: The Case for Animal Emotions and Why They Matter

     I chose to read the first chapter of The Emotional Lives of Animals by Marc Bekoff for our power hour reading session. In Bekoff's book, he entails findings and studies that animals have a case for feelings and having emotions which are similar to human beings. He states in his thesis: "Careful scientific research is validating what we intuitively understand: that animals feel, and their emotions are as important to them as ours are to us." Using anecdotes of domestic animals, and studies of the relationships of children interacting with their pets, he portrays evidence that animals contain a high level of emotional intelligence. He observes the innate patterns that mother animals display through their care for their offspring and familial togetherness, proving animals contain the cognitive and emotional ability to express emotion. The main message through each situation shows that although animals do not have the capability to display love, a purely human emotion,  animal emotions are transparently obvious through their own resources; each species find their own unique ways of showing that display of caring emotion.

   In a section entitled "Dogs are Happy, Not "Happy" the author explains that an owner's dog expressed a large amount of energetic excitement towards her even when the owner had not called out the dog's name or signaled direct attention towards it. Although the owner made no special intonation towards her pet as she was merely conversing with other humans before leaving her house, when the "master" said "I'll leave him at home," the dog [instantly] turns dejectedly away and lies down again"(9). While this situation does not prove a case that animals love, it does show that they contain the capability to recognize a change in tone that correlates to a excited or disappointing emotion. Bekoff gives readers substantial peices of evidence through his stories and the conclusions he draws from them. In another study conducted with chimpanzee orphans provided a strong similarity of children who grew up without a mother. These chimpanzees behaved with symptoms of clinical depression: "hunched posture, rocking, dull staring eyes, [and a] lack of interest in events around them." Similar to the orphan children, they were also capable of suffering form their own grief. This proved that animals were therapeutic for humans, not because they were "soft. furry, and warm" but because animals are able to empathize with humans and come along side them in grief, excitement, or joy. Children always perferred the comfort of their pets over a fluffy soft toy because animals could connect to the children and relate to their feelings. These scenarios are very realistic and prove his thesis without stretching any biased beliefs, by simply observing more closely at the natural reactions of animals with humans and form the conclusions that animals are not just responsive to triggers or signals-- but they understand emotion and comprehend complex human scenarios without initiated explanation.

   

A Woman Perpetually Falling

In the article we read, a neuroscientist named Paul Bach-y-Rita who investigated an "isolated" research on the plasticity and that neural impulses are more homogeneous that scientists had previously believed. It begins by describing Cheryl, a woman who has been suffering from a disabled connection of her vestibular apparatus sending mixed signals to her brain. Because she has lost the receptors from her spinal cord and into her brain for proper processing, Cheryl suffers from consistent balance issues and often hears ringing in her ears. Bach-y-Rita provided a solution for her by implanting a sensory controller in tongue-- using her mouth fluids to detect where she is in space. What was most surprising form the experiment was not only that the tongue implant significantly improved her sense of balance, but Cheryl's balance continued to improve to the point of normality, even when she did not have the implant inside. Additional research with blind patients, animals, and specificity of brain parts shows that our bodies are primarily controlled by the brain because of how it processes sensory neurons. Our eyes are not the ones necessarily seeing, but rather the information our brains receive through sensory and motor neurons up the spinal cord that tell the brain to see. Bach-y-Rita extended this belief by helping patients who had disabled senses by reconnecting the sensor of that part to a different part of the body that was received by the brain more efficiently. His father was also an example of the re-direction of our brain's signals, as he learned to type again eventually after suffering a stroke. Even though he had a large lesion in his brainstem, Pedro-Bach Rita was still able to regain some of the skills he had lost after his stroke. He concludes his research saying that the brain is able to develop new processing signals over a period of time, and that each part of the brain is not solely reliant of it's own responsibility. Each part has multiple roles in controlling the body and those senses can be manipulated through consistent reconnection and practice.


"These 'secondary' neural pathways are 'unmasked,' or exposed, and, with use, strengthened. This 'unmasking' is generally thought to be one of the main ways the plastic brain reorganizes itself."
    The brain is not subject to just one pathway for each sensory neuron, but the path it takes through our brains can be changed and redirected if needed. The plasticity of the neurons allows for those who have suffered form stroke and inhibited senses to regain some abilities through time and persistence.

"It is the recovery of the vestibular function. When she moves her head, she can keep her focus on her target-- the link between the visual and vestibular systems is also recovered."
    I had always thought that each part of the brain was responsible for very specific roles and that those neurons traveling to and from those parts could not be as easily rewired to other the parts. Cheryl is an example of the brain can adapt to faulty connections, and still function normally with assistance through her tongue implant.

"This meant that even if speech tended to be processed in the left hemisphere, (as Broca's area) claimed, the brain might be plastic enough to reorganize itself, if necessary."
      I had known of people regaining their vision through a special type of glasses or people re-learning how to walk after a serious injury, but I did not know that is was partially due to our brain's ability to redirect the signals, previously destroyed, to another part of the brain that changes to allow us to see or walk again.


   

The Clay Brain

In this lab, we use various colored play-doh to mimic and show  the different parts of the brain. We used picks and flags to label the smaller parts. Below are two different viewpoints of the brain: left hemisphere along the sagittal plane and the right cerebral hemisphere.

The Woman With a Hole in Her Brain

     The article describes a woman who has lived 24 years of her life without a large part of her brain: the cerebellum. Although she had some delays in walking and speech, her overall health was not compensated for and she lived normally for the most part. The cerebellum controls the motor function in your body, therefore, the effects on her body only resulted in those areas. Surprising doctors, this case, like a few others show the significance in the various parts of the brain controlling different aspects of function. This is evident that each part of the brain has it's own contribution to the body's function, and just because you miss one part, doesn't mean your other parts cannot compensate and remain healthy in their function. The brain is not just one central powerhouse for your body, but it is a puzzle of various parts that all control different aspects for your body and functions.

Unlike the women living without a cerebellum, we would be unable to live with our medulla oblongata, an essential part to our brains. The medulla oblongata is located in our brainstem-- in front of the cerebellum. It is considered to be one of the most crucial parts of the brain because it controls functions that are involuntary: breathing, swallowing, circulation of blood, and receiving sensory/motor neurons. Our body would be unable to perform its necessary functions without it, making it a staple to our survival. The medulla oblongata receives neurons through the spinal cord and translates it for the thalamus to process and take action. It controls the major systems in our body: circulation, digestion, and respiration. It would be highly difficult for a person to survive without their medulla olongata because we would be unable to detect certain neurons that control those involuntary functions-- making it very difficult for other parts of the brain to replicate its role.

Unit 5 Reflection

     In Unit 5 we learned about the digestive system, fuel metabolism, diabetes, endocrine system and the lymphatic system. Click here to see a lab about The Digestive System. During the digestive process, our bodies take in food in our mouths, which enters our pharynx and gets pulled down into our esophagus, moving the food to our stomach. It is then churned into chyme which chemically breaks down the food with gastric juices. Then it moves to the small intestines where most chemical digestion and absorption (taking in nutrients) occurs. Enzymes from our pancreas and bile produced in the liver are used to further break down chyme before it enters the large intestine. In the large intestine, food is dried out-- separated into disposable wastes and nutrients that the body can use. The waste then travels into our anus where it is released out of our bodies.

     In the second chapter, we focused on fuel metabolism-- how our bodies use certain molecules and biochemical pathways to maintain its energy demands. Our bodies go through 3 stages of taking in energy from the food we eat. In the first stage, large molecules are broken down into smaller ones. [Proteins> amino acids, Polysaccharides>Monosaccharides, Fats> Glycerol/ Fatty Acids] In stage 2, those smaller molecules are turned into Acetyl CoA. In the third stage, our body engages in oxidation of fuel molecules through the Krebs Cycle and ETC (Electron Transport Chain) to create ATP. In the Fed State, glucose in absorbed by intestines into the liver. Simultaneously, the pancreas releases insulin and converts it into glycogen. Excess amino acids are sent to the liver for processing while excess glucose and fatty acids are converted to triglycerides and stored as fat. In the Fasting State, insulin levels drop and glucagon levels rise. Glucogenesis occurs where the liver creates new glucose from amino acids and glycerol. Fatty acids are used by the heart and muscle tissue and glucose is saved for the brain. When carbohydtrate levels are low, the liver converts excess Acetyl CoA into ketone bodies for the Krebs Cycle. When the body reaches the starvation state, the body relies on adipose tissue for energy and the brain relies on ketone bodies for fuel. The Cori Cycle occurs during exercise when lactic acid is released into the blood and liver converts glucose into glucogenesis. Insulin signals high glucose levels and glucagon signals low glucose levels. 

     In our third chapter, we learned about diabetes and how it is a disruption to fuel metabolism. Our bodies have insulin to unlock our cells and allowing glucose to enter. When this cycle is disrupted, our bodies become insulin dependent, GLUT-4 transportation is transported into muscle and fat cells. Exercise increases the production of GLUT-4 without having to increase insulin levels, which is why diabetics are encouraged to exercise more since their bodies don have normal levels of insulin. Diabetes occurs when our body cannot properly regulate blood glucose levels. Type 1 Diabetes is hereditary, meaning it is inherited by family members and the body is unable to produce insulin, often requiring patients to take insulin shots. Type 2 Diabetes occurs when our cells no longer listen"to the insulin message and produces too much insulin. It can be prevented by frequent exercise and a healthy lifestyle. 

     In the fourth chapter, we learned about the Endocrine System and how the glands use hormones to control various activities in our body. We have two different types of hormones: steroid hormones and nonsteroid hormones. Steriod hormones are lip soluble and diffuse through cell membranes, while nonsteroid hormones are not lipid soluble and receive receptors externally through the cell membrane. The steroid hormones do this by entering the nucleus to bind the DNA-- activating certain genes. When nonsteroid hormones react with receptors externally, an enzyme reaction occurs that triggers the development of cAMP. Negative feedback is a mechanism our body uses to maintain homeostasis. Our posterior lobe contains ADH which is in charge of fluid retention, while the anterior lobe is a growth hormone that signals puberty. The thyroid gland regulates metabolism and increases protein synthesis, and the parathyroid glands secrete hormones for plasma calcium and phosphate levels regulation. Our fight or flight respose is initiated by epinephrine, while norepinephrine is our "house keeping system." The adrenal cortex is reponsible for secreting 30 different steroids hormones like aldosterone and cortisol. Our pancreas regulates glucose transport, the gonads are our sex hormones, and the kidneys regulate the production of red blood cells. 

  

     In the last chapter we focused on the lymphatic system and how the lymphatic structures defend and circulate the body. It's 3 major functions are immunity, lipid absorption, and fluid recovery. The flow begins in the lymphatic capillaries>lymph vessels>lymph nodes. When the "gut wall" is damaged due to inflammation, stress, bacteria, malnutrition, or even food additives-- the bonds weaken and bacteria and partially digested food can enter the blood stream. This can cause autism, Type 1 Diabetes, allergies, and skin inflammations. The lymphatic vessels are like veins and they're moved along my rhythmic contractions of our skeletal muscle pump. Lymphocytes consist of T cell, B cells, and NK cells: all of which identify and inactivate pathogens. Our lymph nodes filters lymph, trapping and destroyed foreign cells with immune cells. Our tonsils act as a trap to foreign particles that are inhaled or ingested. The spleen begins immune response and removes outdated RBCs.

     What I found most successful for me was the supplemental articles we read that went along with our unit. They helped me gain a deeper understanding of the topics through the lens of an author who had their own personal research and discoveries. I found the "Does your Metabolism Need an Overhaul" to be most interesting as it addressed the problem of unused muscle fivers that will negatively affect you health in the future. I learned that it is important to engage in resistance training because sugar is burned in muscle tissue. Resistance training allows your muscles to create a perma-burn which consumes sugar whether you are exercising or just sitting on your couch. 

     The most challenging aspect of this unit was fully understanding the specific cycles and roles of organs within each chapter. I will need to review fuel metabolism and the chemical sequences behind each state. Although I grasp the big picture of each chapter, I need to refine my understanding of the details of each section and make sure I am certain about that information when entering the test. One of my main goals set in this new year was to be 110% ready going into an exam. I do not want to feel stressed because I did not study, but rather know that I had exerted my fullest potential before and after the exam. Click here to read more about my New Year Goals. I want to learn more about the specific ways people can prevent getting Type 2 Diabetes. Since many cases begin with pre-diabetic patients, what kinds of lifestyles will help to avoid contracting diabetes for those who have a family history or are considered pre-diabetic. Are there specific diets/exercise methods people have tried that successfully prevented diabetes?