After learning on the possible impacts microbes have on mental health, I’d support funding for research that involves understanding how microbes influence disorders such as depression. As mentioned in the lectures from that week, there have been some studies on mice that show depressive symptoms can be manipulated with microbes. However, these experiments are difficult to relate to humans since the subjects studied were sterile and manually inoculated with microbes. From this project, it is possible we will learn how differences in variation of microbes can affect our mental health, and how manipulating those same microbes may alleviate or completely eradicate depressive symptoms in patients. Because the stomach and brain are directly connected via the vagus nerve, it is possible that modifications to the gut microbiota can influence our mental states. With that said, would it also be possible that our diet can influence our mental states, since the foods we eat come into direct contact with the microbes in our microbiotas?
Writing Exercise #14 – Microbial Influence
Non-infectious diseases that can be influenced by microorganisms:
- Cancer
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Alzheimer’s
- Depression
- Conditions along Autism spectrum
- Crohn’s disease
- Obesity
Compared to the beginning of the term, my responses have slightly shifted while others remain the same. IBS, ASD, Crohn’s disease, and obesity were new additions. However, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and depression were recurring diseases. Though the diseases were listed both times, the difference is that at my knowledge on them has grown. I remember writing those three diseases at the beginning of the term because they were briefly mentioned in the course description video. Now that I have nearly completed the course and received a proper lecture on the topic, I feel more comfortable adding cancer and mental health disorders to my list.
As this course comes to a close, I’d like to reflect on a couple topics that stood out for me. The first is the overarching idea that microbes, though minuscule in size, have a significant impact on our health. I feel the reason our microbiotas are so overlooked is because we are so focused on refraining from contracting diseases from the external environment that we forget about the tiny guys already inside our bodies! The second topic I found particularly interesting is how our microbiotas are developed in the first place. We begin contact with microbes as soon as we are conceived. What really interested me was how we all have our own unique experiences but somehow end up with nearly identical microbiotas. What a concept!
Writing Exercise #11 – Peer Reviewing
As a peer reviewer, I felt it was my responsibility to help the author develop her writing to reach its full potential. Because we have been learning the same topics and methods of writing, it was easier for me to understand her thought process and the reason behind some of her stylistic choices. I tried to be critical yet encouraging. It is not the reviewer’s role to be condescending or hypercritical, but rather to provide suggestions on improvement. What I have learned through peer reviewing is that organization in a paper is important. Your points have to flow and all tie together for one big picture. I will work to produce an organized paper that my readers can easily follow and understand.