Do you ever crave chocolate, particularly when youre sad? Feelin mad at the world? Cant figure out why you want to cry over the craziest stuff? Check it out - Dr. Janets got the answers.
"What's the matter with you?" Bet you've heard that lately from someone... your buds, your parents, your sister or brother. It's like out of the blue, you get that JUST LEAVE ME ALONE feeling. You know what, you're not alone.So before you spend hours holed up in your room blasting your sounds or stuffing your face with junkfood to feel better, here's something you should know. Be warned this is a science lesson, but it's cool.
How you feel can be traced to a molecule. That's right a molecule - the smallest part of something that can be changed without changing how it works. Got it. Molecules work with emotions or how you're feeling because molecules make up receptors. There are receptors in your body and your brain. Think of a receptor as being a lock on a door. The keys can be made of many things, but there are some that are really hype.
Brainkeys: The official names are neurotransmitters. (I know.) But maybe you've heard of some of these, acetylcholine, norepineprine (adrenaline - tuff guy stuff,) dopamine, histamine, GABA and serotonin (what chocolate releases in the brain.)
Steroids: You know those. Fact - all steroids start off as cholesterol. In boys, they are changed to testosterone in the male reproductive organs. The girl's repro organs are the ovaries and uterus. The uterus is where a baby grows, and ovaries are where cholesterol is changed to estrogen. This is one reason why girls are girls and boys are boys. Get it?
Peptides: Most of the keys are made of these. Peptides are made of strings of amino-acids which are found in foods, drugs, etc.
But we are going to focus on hormones. Hormones come from steroids which come from cholesterol. Remember. As your body is going through all of its changes, your brain and hormones are in overload. So if you're wondering why all of a sudden you're craving some food, or crying over some stupid TV show, that's why. It's like your body is a bag of microwave popcorn, with feelings exploding all over the place.
Ladies, you get your period, you may have PMS, and you definitely feel what your body is up to. But boys go through changes too. Check out this site over the next two weeks and we'll look at emotions in the ladies and the fellas. But as always... ladies first.
Since this is science, we'll review.
Molecule - smallest part of something that can be divided without changing how it works.
Steroids - made from cholesterol. In girls - estrogen, and boys - testosterone.
Great job class.
