Buzzing Brain

Fluorescent lights glare, fridges hum…I’m back in the lab.

A cursory glance of my laboratory bench suggests a need for fresh reagents. New ecosystems have sprung forth, swirling around within the glass bottles that line my workstation. I have created life and it was somewhat shorter than the usual nine months gestation.

Before diluting chemicals and adjusting pH levels, I decided that I would catch up on a little news.

‘Migraine Risk Linked to Gene’

Investigation of the genetic code of migraine sufferers has identified a region located between two genes (PGCP and MTDH). These particular genes are known to regulate neighbouring gene EAAT2, which instructs cells of the brain to produce a major transporter protein responsible for regulating glutamate levels.

But why is this important?

Glutamate is an important neurotransmitter, a chemical that stimulates synapses, sending signals between the cells of our central nervous system and affecting cognition, memory and learning.

Catastrophe!

Suffer a stroke or head injury ruptures the cellular boundaries, spilling glutamate throughout the cerebral tissues. Brain cells swell and burst in response to over-stimulation by glutamate and so a potentially deadly cascade begins.

I imagine the crescendo of glutamate molecules bubbling within my brain, generating technicolour waves of light and bizarre auditory hallucinations.

Luckily the dull thud within my brain is far from the agonizingly intense storm experienced by migraine sufferers. I reach for my tepid cup of coffee, caffeine surges through my body. Dopamine floods my brain as the caffeine molecules bind to my adenosine receptors.

My brain is buzzing and I’m ready to start the day!





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