23-May-2023
I came across a rather interesting book, called “A Molecule Away from Madness”, written by Sara Manning Peskin. This book is about various mental disorders that can and have messed up the human brain. I’ve just finished Part One, which is all about disorders caused by DNA Mutants.
One disease caused by these mutations is Huntington’s Disease. This is a genetically inherited condition, which can damage the brain’s nerve cells and cause them to perish over time. Some side effects of Huntington’s Disease are memory loss, unusual body movements, difficulty in concentrating, clumsiness, mood swings, etc. The segment that contains the disease is CAG. The way you know whether you’ve inherited Huntington’s Disease or not is a bit fascinating- it’s based on the number of times the sequence repeats. If the pattern shows up more than 36 times in a row, you’re likely to suffer the signs of this condition. While reading about this, I was quite intrigued, seeing as I haven’t heard much of Huntington’s Disease before. I’m curious to know whether it’s still common now or if it’s reduced in occurrence overtime.
La Bobera, otherwise known as Alzheimer’s, is a common disease that can harm one’s memory severly. Dr. Francisco Lopera entered his clinic, where a man named Hector Montoya was seated with his children. The confusion he had affected his work. Once a stable man, he’d have sudden mood changes, odd hallucinations, and was a changed person, according to his children. He couldn’t retain information like facts about his offspring, yet his reflexes were functioning ordinarily. Dr. Lopera found this strange, considering that none of the potential diagnoses were actually the cause. Lopera had one last conclusion: Hector was suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s. The profounded memory loss was a common issue in elderly people, and many diseases have symptoms that fall similarly. It’s funny how the brain is so stable, yet when one little part is messed up, it can lead to many following problems.
Another disease is a quite rare one, called FTD (Frontotemporal Dementia), also known as Pick’s Disease. The tale behind this is fairly interesting. Danny Goodman was a warm and inviting man, always expressing the gold in his heart. Excelling in his careers, he always had some joy and wisdom to share. Suddenly, all that bliss began to fade away. His golden heart turned to stone, and bad habits flooded his life. His family was unbeknownst to the cause, as they wondered what happened. Others may say it’s caused by depression or mental falls, but I feel like it’s caused by some unwanted substance laced in the genes. I don’t know for certain, but I think the risk factors are well hidden until we see it face-to-face.