I read Mayim Bialik's dissertation so you don't have to: Part 2

Read Part 1 here.

Previously:  Actor and PhD holder Mayim Bialik wrote a thesis on what's going on in the brains of people with Prader-Willi Syndrome.  It's a genetic disease that causes people to eat to the point of obesity.

Chapter 1 - Introduction:

• Bialik's opening sentence is amazing:  "In The Pickwick Papers of 1836, Charles Dickens immortalized a literary character suffering from an insatiable, voracious appetite and the striking ability to fall asleep between bites of food and in the midst of conversation."  What does Dickens have to do with anything?  She speculates the character might be suffering from Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS).
• PWS is "a neurogenetic disorder with prevalence in the range of 1 in 15,000 to 1 in 30,000 live births." It is caused by a deletion of several genes on paternal chromosome 15.
• Symptoms include" hypogonadism, growth hormone deficiency, mental retardation (with an average IQ of 65... developmental delay, and characteristic facial features: a narrow face, almond shaped eyes, an upturned nose, and a small mouth with a thin upper lip and down- turned corners."
• Best known symptoms include problems with suckling in babies, increased appetite leading to morbid obesity, and compulsive behaviors like skin picking and hoarding.

Three Important Facets of PWS

1. Genetics:  Imprinting is not just something that causes a werewolf to fall in love with the infant daughter of the vampire he previously loved (see Twilight).  Genomic imprinting refers to how genes are expressed differently depending on whether they come from the mother or father's side.  Bialik will cover this further in Chapter 2.
2. Hypothalamic Secretions and Neuroendocrine Function:  "Almost all of the physiological functions subserved by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland are aberrant in PWS."  Bialik will discuss brain circuitry in Chapter 3 and pituitary gland secretions of oxytocin (OT), vasopressin (VP), and cortisol in Chapters 4 and 5.   
3. Behavior:  Beginning at age 3, sufferers of PWS find it harder to feel full after eating, hoard food, and eat unusual flavor combinations.  There are also things like self-injury and aggression and symptoms of OCD.  Further background in Chapter 6.

What is Bialik's research going to do?

Compare hormone levels with how severe their behavioral symptoms are.  She will use blood tests for hormones and written tests for behavior.

Fact:  Genetics does play a role in obesity.  People can't just dismiss that as something fat people say.

Fact:  The word "maladaptive" is going to come up a lot.  It is going to refer to behavior that is commonly described as anti-social or "being a jerk."  (Note - I don't want to be flippant when referring to a disease symptom, but I'm trying to simplify the concepts as much as possible.)

Verdict:  This is one well-written introductory chapter.  Scientists always say to write by telling the reader what you're going to tell them, telling them what you tell them, and then telling them what you just told them.