hormone student version - stem...
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Produced by Cinelive Ltd ‘What’s the Grey Matter with Gregory?’
www.cinelive.org.uk
Love in a Time of Chemistry
Key concept Humans have a dominant hormone or neurotransmitter in their neural system that will mean you fall into a ‘category’ of person (Explorer, Builder, Director, Negotiator) and match certain categories of person more than others.
Details
Key Group Discussion Questions
• Which category do you fit into? Family and friends?
• Do their characters and partners seem to match the rules above?
• What problems can you find with this theory?
• How would you adapt/improve the theory?
DOPAMINE
The NEUROTRANSMITTER that communicates excitement to the brain when we display certain behaviours
If Dopamine is dominant neural system, you may show some of these characteristics…
• enjoy new things; • adventurous; • intellectually curious, mentally flexible and creative.
The term used to describe you is…
EXPLORERS
• Most often choose other EXPLORERS • Least often choose DIRECTORS
SEROTONIN
The neurotransmitter responsible for providing a sense of well-‐being and lack of anxiety to the brain
If Serotonin is the dominant neural system, you may show some of these characteristics…
• more loyal and hard working; • more socially aware and motivated; • have a strong sense of responsibility;
The term used to describe you is …
BUILDERS
• Most often choose other BUILDERS • Least often choose NEGOTIATORS
TESTOSTERONE
The male (androgen) sex hormone that regulates changes in the body during puberty
If Testosterone is the dominant neural system, you may show some of these characteristics…
• an acute attention to detail; • less socially aware; • often more self-‐confident and assertive.
The term used to describe you is…
DIRECTORS
• Most often choose NEGOTIATORS • Least often choose BUILDERS
OESTROGEN
The female sex hormone that regulates changes in the body during puberty
If Oestrogen is the dominant neural system, you may show some of these characteristics…
• display abilities to think longer term; • greater language skills and intuition; • read others’ emotional responses better.
The term used to describe you is…
NEGOTIATORS
• Most often choose DIRECTORS • Least often choose EXPLORERS and BUILDERS
Glossary
procreation – the process of sexual intercourse that leads to reproduction
insulin – the hormone produced in the pancreas which is critical to help us break down sugar to create energy
neural system – the different systems we have operating in the brain including sensory (hearing, sight etc.), motor (governing movement) and endocrine (governing hormones).
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Produced by Cinelive Ltd ‘What’s the Grey Matter with Gregory?’
www.cinelive.org.uk
Beginnings and Beyond
Key concept Our body emits certain neurotransmitters and hormones at different stages of our relationship to encourage us to procreate and then protect the child until it reaches maturity.
INITIAL LOVE VS MATURE LOVE
Key Group Discussion Questions
• What are the effects of each of the three key hormones and neurotransmitters here?
• Do those sensations mirror feelings of being ‘in love’ or attracted to someone?
• Have you observed examples in your life or today that back up this theory?
• What problems can you find with this theory?
• How could you adapt/improve the theory?
INITIAL LOVE
Life – be it animal or plant – must constantly seek to procreate or fertilise in order to perpetuate life. Without this drive, life ceases to exist.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is part of the body’s pleasure and reward system – do something that encourages the survival of the species (e.g. eat when you’re hungry or procreate with a partner) and you receive a hit of dopamine as a reward.
ØWhen we meet someone to whom we are attracted, the body releases dopamine.
ØFurther dopamine comes with further contact and we repeatedly seek out that feeling.
Ø In the context of relationships, dopamine is most commonly delivered during ‘the chase’ which is what provides that feeling of excitement and fun.
Ø It has an addictive quality (the sensation is similar to the effect of cocaine).
MATURE LOVE
Is lust a mechanism to bring us together so we can enjoy something more significant later on?
Oxytocin is a hormone that is released when we touch another person (sexually or non-‐sexually) and is believed to create a deep bond or connection
ØWhen we hug someone it can give that sense of well-‐being thanks to the release of oxytocin.
ØDuring sex, when we orgasm there is a release of oxytocin in the body, particularly in women but also in men.
ØAs the relationship develops, male oxytocin levels catch up with female levels.
Serotonin is the final neurotransmitter and delivers a feeling of well-‐being, contentment and trust within a relationship.
ØDopamine has dropped off after 3-‐4 years in a relationship but serotonin and oxytocin levels have increased.
ØMany divorces take place after this first 3-‐4 years as the ‘excitement’ wears off.
A synapse linking two brain cells with the help of neurotransmitters
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Produced by Cinelive Ltd ‘What’s the Grey Matter with Gregory?’
www.cinelive.org.uk
An Influx of Testosterone
Key concept If a body produces increased levels of testosterone, then the individual will experience
higher energy levels, a greater sexual appetite and improved concentration.
Details Frederick Banting successfully operated on a pancreas to stop it from producing digestive enzymes and instead only produce insulin which would treat diabetics who could not break sugar into glucose to provide energy. This procedure was a success and earned Banting and his collaborator John James Rickard Macleod of Scotland a Nobel Prize.
It follows logically that if a human can be cured of an ailment through a treatment that rebalances their hormone levels, if someone received a huge boost of a hormone, that would lead to an increase in related behaviours.
Therefore, if we experience an increased level of testosterone, as it is the hormone believed to be primarily responsible for sex drive, we will experience an increase in our sexual appetites and energy.
Professor Eugen Steinach, an Austrian, developed the ”Steinach Operation” which consisted of a partial vasectomy that he believed would encourage the testes to produce more testosterone instead of sperm and increase the overall amount of testosterone in the body.
Key Group Discussion Questions
• Is testosterone the main factor in the human sex drive?
• What else is it responsible for?
• Have you heard of any other examples of humans taking hormones?
• What effects (in addition to the alleged increase in sex drive) would this have?
• What observations have you made that could show this theory to be true?
• What problems can you find with this theory?
The ceremony unveiling the Nobel Laureates.
Nobel Prizes are awarded in many
categories including Biology
Glossary
procreation – the process of sexual intercourse that leads to reproduction
insulin – the hormone produced in the pancreas which is critical to help us break down sugar to create energy
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Produced by Cinelive Ltd ‘What’s the Grey Matter with Gregory?’
www.cinelive.org.uk
Rats and the role of Oestrogen
Key concept
In rats, experiments have been carried out that show female rats to have heightened sexual appetites just before they ovulate. This is the same for women.
Details
In the period leading up to ovulation, rats have been shown to produce greater levels of oestrogen from the ovaries and this coincides with an increase in sexual displays – typically presenting their behinds to the males and raising their tales.
Therefore, as female rats approach ovulation, they display greater sexual appetites. This encourages them to mate with a male counterpart and stand the best chance of fertilisation so that the species might continue.
This translates perfectly to humans. Women tend to show an increased sexual appetite in the time leading up to ovulation which coincides perfectly with the increased levels of oestrogen in the blood. The ovaries are communicating with the brain through oestrogen and encouraging sexual activity to take place at that stage.
Key Group Discussion Questions
• Allegedly oestrogen spikes just as female rats ovulate. Is this the same of women?
• Does the behaviour of the female rats represent increased sexual appetite?
• Why do animals respond so strictly to hormonal signals?
• Can we rely on humans to respond in the same way?
• What problems can you find with this theory?
• How could you adapt/improve the theory?
Glossary
oestrogen – a hormone or group of hormones that develop female characteristics in the body
ovulation – the moment when the ovaries release an egg to the fallopian tube ready for fertilisation
estrous cycle – the cycle in which an egg is prepared for release from the ovary, released, travels down the fallopian tube to be fertilised or breaks down.
follicular phase – the stage during the estrous cycle when the follicles in the ovaries are preparing to release an egg
luteal phase – the stage after ovulation when the egg travels down the fallopian tubes and the lining of the uterus grows thicker preparing for pregnancy
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