Sleepover Bandits

Movie
2001
Director Barry Levinson

Sleepover Bandits

This movie is about two bank robbers, Terry and Joe, that break out of prison and start sleeping over at the bank manager's houses and making them open the safes at the bank the next morning. One of the characters, Terry, thinks at some times that he is paralyzed. He always thinks that something is wrong with him especially when he is in a personal situation.

I chose this movie because it was very funny but shows a Somatoform disorder. Terry from the film has conversion disorder, a somatoform disorder in which a person appears to be, but actually is not, blind, deaf, paralyzed, or insensitive to pain.

chapter12

pg.471

Stop-Loss

Movie
2008
Director Kimberly Peirce

Stop-Loss

This movie is about soldiers that came back from the war in Iraq. The main character goes AWOL after he tries to get out of the military and ends up being forced to go back. During the time when he was AWOL, he had many flash backs of an fire explosion that badly burned one of his men. In one scene, he is sitting by a motel pool and thinks that his friend is in the bottom of the pool. He jumps in to save him. In another particular scene, his other buddy thinks that he is on a mission in Iraq, but he is really digging a trench in his front yard. In the end the main character ends up turning himself in and is shipped back to Iraq.

This relates to the section Health, Stress, and Coping. I chose this movie because it was very meaningful and really opens your eyes to what veterans have to cope with. They suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, a pattern of severe negative reactions following a traumatic event.

Chapter 10

Ginder Mind-Binders

Reader's Digest
June 2008 Issue
Health

Gender Mind-Binders

This article is about two studies that reveal why men can be jerks and why women get a little crazy. The first study showed that men tend to be less forgiving that women. It also showed that when men envisioned their own wrongdoing, their wrongfulness decreased and their willingness to forgive increased to equal that of women. On the other hand, women didn't when reminded of their own mistakes. It just made them feel lousy. The second study from Sweden showed a gender divide in the brain mechanics of depression, anxiety, and PM DD (premenstrual phosphoric disorder, a bad PMS). Brain scans were compared with healthy men and women, and of women who have PM DD, major differences were found in the supply of serotonin, a molecule that regulator many brain functions, including sleep and mood. Women have 39% more receptors, but 55% less of a protein that transports them. And women With PM DD had lower levels of serotonin receptors than healthy women.

I chose this article because it really caught my eye. I have wondered why it is so much easier for a woman to get so emotional over things and men aren't even bothered. The book says the neurotransmitter serotonin affect both sleep and mood. It also states that some researchers suspect that malfunctions in serotonin systems can result in the mood and appetite problems seen in some types off obesity, premenstrual tension and depression. This relates to our class because we talked about how nor epinephrine, serotonin,dopamine, GA BA, and glumates affect our systems and behaviors.

Chapter 2

Being fit may slow Alzheimer brain atrophy

The Charlotte Observer
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
View Point

Being fit may slow Alzheimer Brian atrophy

By Malcolm Ritter

Study suggests getting a lot of exercise may help slow brain shrinkage in people with early Alzheimer's disease. Results showed that participants who were more physically fit had less brain shrinkage than less-fit participants, but they didn't do any better on tests for mental performance. Dr. Jeffery Burns stressed that this is only a starting point for whether exercise and fitness can slow progression of Alzheimer's. While the brain shrinks with age, with Alzheimer the rate doubles.

I chose this article because I think that Alzheimer's disease is a interesting disease. This article relates to the chapter on memory. It states that the memory problems seen in Alzeimer's patient are related to lack of neurons that use acetylcholine (neurotransmitters) and send fibers to the hippo campus and cortex. Drugs that increase the amount of acetycholine can improve memory. Where as exercise helps the blood flow which creates more acetycholine. I believe this study has a big chance of being correct.

chapter 6

Exercise your Memory

The Charlotte Observer
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Parade-HealthyBody Page 13

Exercise your Memory

By Micheal O'Shea

This article makes it clear that by the age fifty, even the healthiest people experience some decline in memory. In France, Sweden, and the United States there is a new review of studies that suggests regular aerobic exercise can increase cardiorespiratory fitness as much fourteen percent. Which may help brain function. It is believed that the increased blood flow stimulates production of neurotransmitters. Staying fit also helps to prevent certain diseases that can cause mental decline.

I chose this article because memory is a very important and useful mental ability th have and is involved in everyday activity. We studied memory. Thr book states that neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine play important roles in memory formation. The more amount of acetylcholine in the synapses can improve memory some what in aging animals and humans.

Chapter 6

"The Biochemistry of Memory"

Media Project