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As a research scientist for the past 25 years having published only 7 papers in my lifetime, I have come to the conclusion that all this hubbub about emotions and thoughts as it relates to mental health and wellness has lacked grounding in the realm of the real-time physical. There is no DNA, RNA or protein to tell me that I am suffering from bipolar disorder II and it is not my choice to suffer, nor do I want it. My lows may be low, but my highs are in stratosphere and I do not want that either... I want "balance"... The Tantric concept of flow. The Seven African Powers of the Universal Balance of cultural asili. Balance...
Throughout all my studies, I have read that Nature attempts to keep her balance. Chemistry has balance--or equilibrium. All things have a place, a time or space. They call it the laws of thermodynamics. The irony is that entropy is leading to the balance from chaos. Well, that is getting to physics for me and I can talk maybe a tiny bit about the calculations use to Balance all these numbers, but let me get you to the genetics--functional genomics--molecular...
It is thought that inheritance is hard-wired into a gene or allele that is thought to be a piece of DNA--the genetic material... And in Mendelian genetics each allele is independently assorted and segregated into various haplotypes. In a non-Mendelian inheritance and a epigentic phenomena, certain attributes occur in an a individual unique to that individual. Some lead to evolution, some do not. I do not understand fully, but it has to do with selection. Back to hardwired DNA--making RNAs--making proteins. That is the dogma of molecular biology, that is how it works.
However, with advances in technology, we can go from there and examine these odd phenotypes out there and we have found that the "genetic soup" we are a part of is truly unique. Especially that in neuropsychiatric conditions ranging from clinical depression, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, autism and Alzheimer's. Apparently, just like a cancer cell builds up too much genetic material and divides multiple times to form a tumor, so does a neuron, but it cannot divide and the tumor symptoms come out as thoughts... In cancer, the genetic material is DNA... In neurons the genetic material is RNA (particularly micro RNAs) and proteins or short-peptides... BALANCE!!! You cannot have too much of one thing or it resets the equilibrium potential...
Erroneous thoughts occur depending on the area of the brain that is affected and also which neurons are affected. Through microarray and real-time PCR analysis, researchers have localized what kinds of genetic structures are most affected in clinical depression bipolar disorders--Calcium channels--particularly transporters and ionophores--not the stores of calcium which is a different cellular process. The researchers never stated if there was a mutation, but there could be a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) or dysregulation of the processing of calcium in the brain which inherently affects other solutes, like glucose in the brain...
Why someone with ill-charged Calcium channels would have erronenous thoughts may reflect on the action potentials or hyperpolarization. Calcium generally travels on an electric charge as a capacitor--so it holds the electric charge longer--as I understand it... Let's just say the neurons do not like doing that often. Also, calcium additions onto microRNAs or proteins fundamentally change the molecular charge, structure and isoelectric points (pKa) values as well as dipole moments on macromoleculars. Generally, you clog up your drains when you have calcium deposits. Apparently calcium lays down the foundation ground work to start that clogging. For pulling out proteins we know are calcium sensitive, we use EGTA in the the laboratory... EGTA is a calcium chelator. But I would NOT recommend EVER taking that because it also allows toxins to enter the cell. There is also thapsigargin, a calcium blocker drug, but if you take that, your heart will explode (all this as an euphemism)...
When we talk about the brain though, we are talking about something else. It is NOT the heart or the liver or kidneys or the pancreas. The brain is where we say higher thought, revelation and conceptualization occurs...
Well now, let's look at our concepts of emotions and thoughts... Emotions or emotive force as a scientific molecular term has been avoided because they are too complex to comprehend in our DNA/RNA/Protein-disneylandia... But with these recent advances in understanding mental health disorders, it seems that the organic concept of emotions, based on ancient practices, is that emotions are good for survival. Without them, humans would not survive. We have to know when we are hot, cold, hungry, taste, sound, smell, touch--we process each of those feelings that give us good or bad. For taste and touch, there are receptors that are used that are sent along the nerve conduction pathway to various brain centers to let us know good from bad--for smell, fragrant vs. putrid; for touch, gentle or pressured; for sound, soft vs. loud. Our senses as babies are keen because we are learning what to associate with good vs. bad. Midwifes have known this for years. However, we are just beginning to unlock the molecular genetic mechanisms associated with each concept of the senses...
The one sense that older babies have the most difficulty (an possibly parents) is that of anger. Anger as a motive force is a survival tactic many species on Earth use to give them an amount short lived power to either take flight or fight. Physiologists and biobehavioral stress scientists have long known that anger is exacted by an increased rate of blood pressure, an unleashing of neuropsychiatric hormones and chemicals to immediately take action without quieted thought--or pondering. Automatically, we do something. Yes, fear plays a role, but IMHO, fear is not a sole source of anger. Anger happens in a process of rapid process of elimination--words triggered, sounds triggered--the innate source of emotion triggers the rapid process leading to anger, so that a survival tactic of fight or flight response can take place...
We think that G-protein coupled receptors system, including GAPs, cGMP, Rgs proteins are involved in at least increasing blood pressure, sending the neuropsychiatric hormones to various parts of the body, including that of the adrenals and kidneys, to the skeletal muscles... That anaerobic conditions increase the potentiation of the neuropsychiatric system--literally turning of the high brain thought processes for the autonomic nervous system to act. Emotion gives thrust and lift to Anger. What goes wrong is when the anger response is unmerited--such as a moral judgment or code or frustration with a higher level thought process or that the sensory emotions are disconnected--such as we misinterpret hot and cold substances...
Thought has always been interpreted as an "ingram" that travels around in the brain. But it appears that the molecular nature of thought is possibly microRNAs... There is DNA in neurons, but rarely is there full newly transcribed RNAs that are made in neurons from old studies using nuclear run-on assays. It was well known that neurons has micro RNAs--or microsatellite genetic markers--that scientists thought was junk. However, it has been determined that this pool is essential for health neuronal function. When the brain needs more proteins to go to the synapse, it gets them from the microRNA processing reserves and cores. I think there are about hundreds of thousands microRNAs ready for each neuron. There are about >1 billion neurons in the human brain. But remember, we have to operate in BALANCE, there is an equilibrium drawn here... The microRNA population varies from one neuron to the next, but there is a prevalence for one species of microRNA to be processed versus another. It is NOT an all or nothing deal... The right microRNA is made at the right time.
This periodic shift, related to circadian rhythms, made have to do with the innate system of emotions and survival skills and the ability to learn civilization, social conditioning we incur on all humans. Such as that of speech, localizing food sources, proper disposal of waste, etc. Humans have to be socially conditioned by humans at some point, we do not just learn it naturally or we will not survive. Such as choosing not to go outside naked when it is 20 below, etc...
And that is just thought from a 9 month old baby... Adults have ranges of thoughts due to their life experiences that shape those thoughts. Without the experience of "tying your own shoes", how will you every know that is what you do?
But this is about the molecular genetics of emotions and thoughts, I digress... In mental health conditions, we go back to those innate emotions out of fear leading to anger getting into a vicious cycle. With powerful intentions, we can process with higher level thought training to avoid that cyclical thinking. It is a powerful ally in our arsenal in fighting against our genetic inheritance. Just because an environmental stressor exacerbated your mental health system, does not mean you cannot overcome it, you may just need extra assistance to help you overcome--an that is okay. What you choose can be "forcing your thoughts" to dictate your emotions, but you must understand physically, our brain was not wired that way... Only you know all your responses to various "stimuli"... Sometimes, you need a "boost" to overcome your wiring. And if you do, then work from that vantage point. You are not better or less because you need that boost. You wouldn't say that to a cancer or heart patient--why would you say that to yourself if you suffer from a mental health condition?
If I found a treatment to remove all the negative thought memories you'd ever had, would you take it? What would you become? What are the side effects? If I found a treatment that decreased the physical pain associated with a mental trauma in a negative thought memory (microRNA) to get you out of your bed and become productive to your level of happiness, would you take it? What would you become? What are the side effects?
That needs to be your approach to mental health when you speak to your provider...
Dr. G-
Throughout all my studies, I have read that Nature attempts to keep her balance. Chemistry has balance--or equilibrium. All things have a place, a time or space. They call it the laws of thermodynamics. The irony is that entropy is leading to the balance from chaos. Well, that is getting to physics for me and I can talk maybe a tiny bit about the calculations use to Balance all these numbers, but let me get you to the genetics--functional genomics--molecular...
It is thought that inheritance is hard-wired into a gene or allele that is thought to be a piece of DNA--the genetic material... And in Mendelian genetics each allele is independently assorted and segregated into various haplotypes. In a non-Mendelian inheritance and a epigentic phenomena, certain attributes occur in an a individual unique to that individual. Some lead to evolution, some do not. I do not understand fully, but it has to do with selection. Back to hardwired DNA--making RNAs--making proteins. That is the dogma of molecular biology, that is how it works.
However, with advances in technology, we can go from there and examine these odd phenotypes out there and we have found that the "genetic soup" we are a part of is truly unique. Especially that in neuropsychiatric conditions ranging from clinical depression, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, autism and Alzheimer's. Apparently, just like a cancer cell builds up too much genetic material and divides multiple times to form a tumor, so does a neuron, but it cannot divide and the tumor symptoms come out as thoughts... In cancer, the genetic material is DNA... In neurons the genetic material is RNA (particularly micro RNAs) and proteins or short-peptides... BALANCE!!! You cannot have too much of one thing or it resets the equilibrium potential...
Erroneous thoughts occur depending on the area of the brain that is affected and also which neurons are affected. Through microarray and real-time PCR analysis, researchers have localized what kinds of genetic structures are most affected in clinical depression bipolar disorders--Calcium channels--particularly transporters and ionophores--not the stores of calcium which is a different cellular process. The researchers never stated if there was a mutation, but there could be a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) or dysregulation of the processing of calcium in the brain which inherently affects other solutes, like glucose in the brain...
Why someone with ill-charged Calcium channels would have erronenous thoughts may reflect on the action potentials or hyperpolarization. Calcium generally travels on an electric charge as a capacitor--so it holds the electric charge longer--as I understand it... Let's just say the neurons do not like doing that often. Also, calcium additions onto microRNAs or proteins fundamentally change the molecular charge, structure and isoelectric points (pKa) values as well as dipole moments on macromoleculars. Generally, you clog up your drains when you have calcium deposits. Apparently calcium lays down the foundation ground work to start that clogging. For pulling out proteins we know are calcium sensitive, we use EGTA in the the laboratory... EGTA is a calcium chelator. But I would NOT recommend EVER taking that because it also allows toxins to enter the cell. There is also thapsigargin, a calcium blocker drug, but if you take that, your heart will explode (all this as an euphemism)...
When we talk about the brain though, we are talking about something else. It is NOT the heart or the liver or kidneys or the pancreas. The brain is where we say higher thought, revelation and conceptualization occurs...
Well now, let's look at our concepts of emotions and thoughts... Emotions or emotive force as a scientific molecular term has been avoided because they are too complex to comprehend in our DNA/RNA/Protein-disneylandia... But with these recent advances in understanding mental health disorders, it seems that the organic concept of emotions, based on ancient practices, is that emotions are good for survival. Without them, humans would not survive. We have to know when we are hot, cold, hungry, taste, sound, smell, touch--we process each of those feelings that give us good or bad. For taste and touch, there are receptors that are used that are sent along the nerve conduction pathway to various brain centers to let us know good from bad--for smell, fragrant vs. putrid; for touch, gentle or pressured; for sound, soft vs. loud. Our senses as babies are keen because we are learning what to associate with good vs. bad. Midwifes have known this for years. However, we are just beginning to unlock the molecular genetic mechanisms associated with each concept of the senses...
The one sense that older babies have the most difficulty (an possibly parents) is that of anger. Anger as a motive force is a survival tactic many species on Earth use to give them an amount short lived power to either take flight or fight. Physiologists and biobehavioral stress scientists have long known that anger is exacted by an increased rate of blood pressure, an unleashing of neuropsychiatric hormones and chemicals to immediately take action without quieted thought--or pondering. Automatically, we do something. Yes, fear plays a role, but IMHO, fear is not a sole source of anger. Anger happens in a process of rapid process of elimination--words triggered, sounds triggered--the innate source of emotion triggers the rapid process leading to anger, so that a survival tactic of fight or flight response can take place...
We think that G-protein coupled receptors system, including GAPs, cGMP, Rgs proteins are involved in at least increasing blood pressure, sending the neuropsychiatric hormones to various parts of the body, including that of the adrenals and kidneys, to the skeletal muscles... That anaerobic conditions increase the potentiation of the neuropsychiatric system--literally turning of the high brain thought processes for the autonomic nervous system to act. Emotion gives thrust and lift to Anger. What goes wrong is when the anger response is unmerited--such as a moral judgment or code or frustration with a higher level thought process or that the sensory emotions are disconnected--such as we misinterpret hot and cold substances...
Thought has always been interpreted as an "ingram" that travels around in the brain. But it appears that the molecular nature of thought is possibly microRNAs... There is DNA in neurons, but rarely is there full newly transcribed RNAs that are made in neurons from old studies using nuclear run-on assays. It was well known that neurons has micro RNAs--or microsatellite genetic markers--that scientists thought was junk. However, it has been determined that this pool is essential for health neuronal function. When the brain needs more proteins to go to the synapse, it gets them from the microRNA processing reserves and cores. I think there are about hundreds of thousands microRNAs ready for each neuron. There are about >1 billion neurons in the human brain. But remember, we have to operate in BALANCE, there is an equilibrium drawn here... The microRNA population varies from one neuron to the next, but there is a prevalence for one species of microRNA to be processed versus another. It is NOT an all or nothing deal... The right microRNA is made at the right time.
This periodic shift, related to circadian rhythms, made have to do with the innate system of emotions and survival skills and the ability to learn civilization, social conditioning we incur on all humans. Such as that of speech, localizing food sources, proper disposal of waste, etc. Humans have to be socially conditioned by humans at some point, we do not just learn it naturally or we will not survive. Such as choosing not to go outside naked when it is 20 below, etc...
And that is just thought from a 9 month old baby... Adults have ranges of thoughts due to their life experiences that shape those thoughts. Without the experience of "tying your own shoes", how will you every know that is what you do?
But this is about the molecular genetics of emotions and thoughts, I digress... In mental health conditions, we go back to those innate emotions out of fear leading to anger getting into a vicious cycle. With powerful intentions, we can process with higher level thought training to avoid that cyclical thinking. It is a powerful ally in our arsenal in fighting against our genetic inheritance. Just because an environmental stressor exacerbated your mental health system, does not mean you cannot overcome it, you may just need extra assistance to help you overcome--an that is okay. What you choose can be "forcing your thoughts" to dictate your emotions, but you must understand physically, our brain was not wired that way... Only you know all your responses to various "stimuli"... Sometimes, you need a "boost" to overcome your wiring. And if you do, then work from that vantage point. You are not better or less because you need that boost. You wouldn't say that to a cancer or heart patient--why would you say that to yourself if you suffer from a mental health condition?
If I found a treatment to remove all the negative thought memories you'd ever had, would you take it? What would you become? What are the side effects? If I found a treatment that decreased the physical pain associated with a mental trauma in a negative thought memory (microRNA) to get you out of your bed and become productive to your level of happiness, would you take it? What would you become? What are the side effects?
That needs to be your approach to mental health when you speak to your provider...
Dr. G-
