Curated Paper 2

Gregory Cox

Sept. 22, 2018

Biology of Disease

Curated Paper 2

Brain, Microbes, and Gene Therapy

There are many factors that contribute to the balance of the human body, but one that controls more variables than most is the brain.  The brain is the most fascinating, complex organ found in the human body. One reason that makes the brain so fascinating is how little we known about the brain, relatively speaking.  As we discussed the many psychological and brain disorders in class, the complexity of the brain became very apparent. As a future healthcare provider, the task of diagnosing the numerous mental diseases by their symptoms that are so similar can seem daunting, but as technology progresses diagnosing mental illnesses and diseases should become much easier.

One of the recently discovered brain diseases that is very interesting and is gaining some popularity is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).  CTE is thought to be caused by repeated major head injuries due to physical sports, military blasts, physical abuse, or for other reasons. These traumatic environmental factors do lead to CTE, but scientists are discovering that these head injuries don’t actually have to be very severe to cause CTE.  A major portion of individuals who have CTE haven’t ever received a concussive head injury. Researchers are discovering that CTE is being caused by minor head “injuries” especially in youth under the age of 14. Something as simple as a header in soccer or tripping over an object and hitting your head when you’re young could be the cause of CTE later in life.  When I first read these findings I was immediately terrified because I have obtained a number of minor head injuries growing up. Does this mean that I am doomed and I have no chance at escaping CTE? No, of course not. I can’t go in the past and change my head injuries, but I can live life to its’ fullest and help prevent others from the dangers of CTE.

For me, one of the scariest parts of brain injuries and disease is how an individual’s personality can change so quickly.  I have experienced this first hand in my own family. My grandpa suffered from a stroke and some other complications with his brain, and he has never been the same since.  He changed from being a bright, social, energetic guy to not having any energy at all and he rarely likes to talk to others. Sometimes I wonder if he remembers me at all. For these reasons I think it would be beneficial to research and study the brain as much as possible.  Brain injuries are something we still haven’t been able to figure out how to fix. It is incredible how a slight change in brain chemistry can have such a major effects on someone’s personality.

Another part of the body, known as the second brain, that I never knew has such an instrumental role in maintaining a balance in the body is the digestive system.  Specifically the microbiome contained in the digestive system. It’s interesting how a more diverse microbiome is shown to be beneficial for better development and overall health in an individual’s body.  These microbiomes are usually specific to a person’s environment. This phenomenon makes sense to me when considering the digestive system as an external environment, even though it is located inside our bodies.  We are constantly putting foreign materials in our body that are found in the environment around us, and who knows what effects these materials can have. These are all important things to remember especially when going into a healthcare profession.  

Just as our bodys are equipped with special features and techniques to prevent harmful substances from entering our bodies, the immune system controls and monitors the internal environment of our bodies similarly.  It’s amazing how the body is usually able to distinguish the good bacteria from the bad bacteria, keeping the good and destroying the bad to maintain order and balance in the body. Not only does the brain tell the digestive system what to do, but the digestive systems affects how the brain functions as well.  Scientists have shown in experiments with mice that the contents of the microbiome affect the stress levels of a mouse when presented with traumatic situations. It is likely that we will find similar results in humans as well. In fact, evidence shows that antibiotics can have an affect on an individual’s mood and behavior.  These findings show the importance of obtaining and maintaining a healthy microbiotic environment through diet and other factors.

A different topic that has gained much popularity in the recent years is gene therapy.  One of the hardest aspects of gene therapy are the conflicting morals and ethics associated with it.  Each person has their own set of ideas and plans of what they should and shouldn’t do with human genetic materials.  Gene therapy has the potential to change the world and benefit the lives of others, but if not used correctly, modifying genes could doom our society.  The dangerous part of this technology is that there is so much grey matter on the subject. This is all very new technology and we simply don’t know the long term effects of changing a human genome.  I think the majority of society would support using this technology to better the lives of those with genetic diseases. However, if gene therapy were legal and abundant, would gene modification only be used for curing potential diseases?  I think we should use this technology for the curing of diseases, but not for anything else until we fully understand the long term effects of gene modification.

The three main subjects just discussed are all connected with each other to create a balance for the body.  This perfect balance is what all sincere healthcare providers are striving to achieve with their patients. It is very important to realize and understand all of the various factors that contribute to maintaining the balance in the body.  Something as simple as what you eat could have major effects on an individual’s brain, mood, and internal environment. A simple change in a nucleotide sequence could have catastrophic effects on a person’s life. This balance that promotes life is so delicate but yet so interesting to study, in order to find new ways to fix balance issues or maintain an already healthy balance.