Drug Abuse and Addiction in Offspring may be Hereditary and have a Connection to Genetics

Drug Abuse and Addiction in Offspring may be Hereditary and have a Connection to Genetics

By Andrew Jin

Definitions:

Nucleus accumbens- A brain structure related to addiction and reward seeking behavior.

Dopamine- It is classified as a catecholamine (a class of molecules that serve as neurotransmitters and hormones).

Morphine- A narcotic pain reliever extracted from opium.

Summary:

A study at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Massachusetts found that moms who are drug addicts before pregnancy can increase the likelihood of drug abuse or other psychiatric disorders in their children and grandchildren. The research showed that drug addiction could be hereditary and have a connection to genetics. Researchers conducted an experiment using rats in which there was an exposure of morphine for 10 days to female, adolescent rats. The rats were then taken off the drugs, and were mated with healthy males three weeks later. Strikingly, it was discovered that the offspring from the mating were less sensitive to the chemical messenger dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. This same change was seen in the grandchildren of the original rats. Since previous studies show that the brain’s dopamine system has been linked to substance abuse, the change in the dopamine system in the nucleus accumbens may cause a higher probability of drug addiction in the offspring. The research is now trying to determine how the expression of genes is altered to produce this effect in the children and grandchildren of the rats exposed to morphine.

Discussion:

I chose this article because it is directly related to the topic we are learning right now in class. Just a few days ago, we had our gene pool baby project where we learned about the passing down of traits and the functions of genes and chromosomes. I remember very clearly the “Do Now: How are traits passed from parents to offspring? Make of list of your traits and identify who gave them to you.” Then, we had a long class discussion regarding which traits are hereditary and which traits are not. I thought it was quite interesting that there was a question of whether drug and alcohol addiction was passed on from mother to child. In fact, if I remember correctly, Mr. Contini said that drug abuse is passed down behaviorally, not genetically. I find it extremely surprising that almost the same day, on November 14^th, a study with new and different insights is published. Also, I chose this article because drug abuse is a large problem in our society, with 17% of all women being smokers. There are currently warning labels on cigarettes regarding smoking during pregnancy. However, after further research, should there be new labels saying that smoking and drugs will increase likelihood of drug addiction in the child, even if usage is stopped before pregnancy?

Questions:

1. In the study, the drugs were taken off the morphine for three weeks before mating. If the drug-free period were lengthened to let’s say 8 weeks, would there still be the same change in the dopamine system of the offspring?

2. What causes this change? How is the gene altered?

Citations:

Siegfried, Tom. "Mom's past drug abuse may alter brain chemistry of offspring." 

     ScienceNews 14 Nov. 2010: n. pag. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. 

     <http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65517/title/ 

     Moms_past_drug_abuse_may_alter_brain_chemistry_of_offspring>.

Link to Article: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65517/title/Moms_past_drug_abuse_may_alter_brain_chemistry_of_offspring

Picture: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6968580.stm

CSB#2: Cockroach and Locust Brains Teem with Antimicrobial Compounds

Cockroach and Locust Brains Teem with Antimicrobial Compounds

Definitions:

Antimicrobial: A general term that refers to a group of drugs that includes antibiotics, antifungals, antiprotozoals, and antivirals

Staph: Short for Staphylococcus. It is a group of bacteria that cause a multitude of diseases. They can cause illness directly by infection, or indirectly through products they make. Staphylococcus are the main culprit in hospital-acquired infections, and cause thousands of deaths every year

E. Coli- Short for Escherichia coli, a bacterium that normally resides in the human colon. Most strains of E. coli are quite harmless. However, some strains are capable of causing disease, sometimes disease of deadly proportions.

Summary:

New research shows that the brains of cockroaches and locusts teem with antimicrobial compounds that slay harmful E. coli and MRSA, the antibiotic-resistant staph bacterium. Microbiologist Simon Lee reported September 7 at the Society for General Microbiology meeting that extracts of ground-up brain and other nerve tissue from the American cockroach and the desert locust killed more than 90 percent of a type of E. coli, and also killed methicillin-resistant staph. Naveed Khan and researchers became interested when many soldiers returned from the Middle East with unusual infections, but locusts in the area were not affected. The researchers ground up various body parts from cockroaches and locusts and incubated them for two hours with different bacteria. It was revealed that the extracts from the brains and from locust thorax nerve tissue killed nearly 100 percent of the bacteria. However, the insect fat, muscle, blood did not affect the bacteria at all.

Discussion:

I chose this article because I think bacteria and antibiotics are very interesting. It caught my eye because it relates to the science research topic of bacteria resistance that I am currently working on. In fact, this issue is quite relevant to the world around us. Bacteria resistance to antibiotics are becoming a rising problem, and many forms of highly resistant bacteria, such as Staphylococcus, are quickly developing resistant strains against our current medicines. Therefore, scientists are in a race to discover new substances to battle bacteria. They are even searching in the bodies of insects and animals. The researchers found that the extracts from the brain and nerve tissue killed 90 percent of a type of E. Coli causing meningitis, and also killed methicillin-resistant staph. It is interesting to think that antimicrobial compounds from cockroach brains may be a life-saving drug.

Questions:

1. How will the antimicrobials in cockroach and locust brains be processed into medicine?

2. In how long will the drug be available for use, and will it potentially be able to fight many type of bacteria?

Citations:

Ehrenberg, Rachel. "Cockroach brains, coming to a pharmacy near you."
     ScienceNews 9 Oct. 2010: 8. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
     <http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/63286/title/
     Cockroach_brains%2C_coming_to_a_pharmacy_near_you

Picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.pestgon.com/Pictures/cockroach-3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.pestgon.com/handbook/roaches.html&usg=__m-bCBin6DfIV5lzLMp45RDlhiAg=&h=439&w=585&sz=31&hl=en&start=2&zoom=1&tbnid=OtKhhOermc3kMM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcockroach%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1211%26bih%3D595%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&ei=Oui3TP3hBYq2sAO-zZSNCQ

CSB #1 The Effect of Climate Change on Plant Ecosystems

Definitions

Climate Change- It is the increase of the Earth’s temperature. Scientists say it is caused by large amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide emitted from human activity.

Ecosystem- An ecosystem is an interaction between the organisms living in a specific environment.

Summary

Charles F. Baes, Jr., a chemist at the U.S.  Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory said that the earth was going through a great “uncontrolled experiment”. He was addressing the problem of global warming and rising temperatures caused by large amounts of greenhouse gases emitted. So far, scientists are uncertain about how the climate change will affect plant and forest ecosystems. Instead of waiting and observing the effects of global warming, researchers are now conducting experiments by changing temperatures and other factors of real-life ecosystems. They artificially alter precipitation, carbon dioxide, and temperature in grasslands and forests, and monitor the changes in the eco-system. Some results are quite surprising. For example, higher carbon dioxide levels enhance yields in some crops such as wheat and rice, but also cause more pests. Also, it was found that higher carbon dioxide levels may impact public health, with plants releasing more allergy triggering pollens.

Discussion

I chose this article because global warming is a rising issue in the world today. As the world is rapidly industrializing and making advances in technology, nations are emitting more and more greenhouse gases. United States alone let out almost six billion metric tons of carbon dioxide last year. Unwanted consequences include more powerful storms, melting glaciers, and increasing sea levels. The article also shows the negative effects of higher carbon dioxide levels and temperatures on ecosystems. Since eco-systems are interactions between the numerous organisms living in a specific environment, one subtle change may throw off the system, leading to dangerous consequences. I think the world must immediately do something to slow down global warming. If nothing is done, we will be leaving much more significant problems to future generations.

Questions

1. I would like to see some data tables or graphs. How much percent will the plant yields increase with a certain increase in carbon dioxide levels?

2. How will changes affect the ecosystem? Will the changes be major and damaging?

Resources

Wullschleger, Stan D., and Maya Strahl. "Climate Change: A Controlled 
     Experiment." EBSCO Host. EBSCO, Mar. 2010. Web. 24 Sept. 2010. 
     <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/ 
     detail?vid=1&hid=107&sid=aa8b098e-dcb2-4c91-8fb4-02400e2d4827%40sessionmgr114&bda 
     ta=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=sch&AN=47893648>.

Link to article: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=107&sid=aa8b098e-dcb2-4c91-8fb4-02400e2d4827%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=sch&AN=47893648

Picture: http://picses.eu/keyword/greenhouse%20effect/