Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences Summer Program Author: Riyaa Sri Ramanathan Addiction is a chronic brain disorder that affects the body through physical and psychological dependence. One factor fueling addiction is “tolerance” which is a “used to” condition of a person’s body to a drug and requires more of it…

Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences Summer Program Author: Riyaa Sri Ramanathan Neurodegenerative diseases occur due to the progressive destruction of nerve cells, and most commonly affect older people. Many of these diseases occur due to the involvement of misfolded proteins, proteins that have an abnormal 3D structure, called Prions. ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE (AD) Alzheimer’s…

Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences Summer Program Author: Riyaa Sri Ramanathan Anxiety Disorders and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Uncontrollable, unhealthy anxiety leads to psychiatric disorders such as Post — Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive compulsive Disorder (OCD) and panic attacks. Medications used to treat most anxiety disorders work by altering the levels of neurotransmitters that carry signals…

Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences Summer Program Author: Riyaa Sri Ramanathan Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Autism is often considered a childhood condition, although many symptoms persist lifelong. Some people with autism also have mood and anxiety disorders, seizures, intellectual disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, more than 40 percent…

Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences Summer Program Author: Riyaa Sri Ramanathan Cells of our body keep changing as metabolic processes occur. With every meal, nutrients rise and fall. Solutes flow back and forth between cells and blood. Chemicals bind to cells and trigger the building and release of proteins. Cells…

Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences Summer Program Author: Riyaa Sri Ramanathan An adult brain differs from an adolescent brain in many ways. Between childhood and adulthood, a human brain loses gray matter as excess neurons and synapses are pruned away, although the rate of loss slows down by a person’s…

Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences Summer Program Author: Riyaa Sri Ramanathan Three layers formed during the early stages of embryonic development include the outer layer — ectoderm, middle layer — mesoderm, and inner layer — endoderm. Although the cells in each layer contain identical DNA instructions for development, these layers…

Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences Summer Program Author: Riyaa Sri Ramanathan Case of Henry Molaison exhibits the effect of the brain in the different functions underlying memory. Following a childhood blow to the head, Henry Molaison developed several seizures. Eighteen years later, due to debilitating symptoms, he underwent an experimental…

Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences Summer Program Author: Riyaa Sri Ramanathan Sense organs turn stimuli into electrical signals through a process called transduction. These electrical messages are carried through a network of cells and fibers to specialized areas of the brain. …