WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF

THE THYROID IN OUR

MEMORY AND LEARNING SKILLS?

Karolina I. Pellot Ortiz

INTRODUCTION

The Thyroid˃A gland is located at the

base of the neck. ˃Secretes T3 and T4˃Types of thyroid disease:

˃ Hypothyroidism˃ Hyperthyroidism

Trachea

Right Thyroid Gland

Left Thyroid Gland

CURRENT KNOWLEDGE

˃People tend to relate the thyroid only with metabolism˃20 million Americans suffer from some kind of thyroid

disease˃60% are unaware of their condition˃Every cell in our body contains a receptor for the

hormone˃Affects:

˃ Cardiovascular system ˃ Metabolism˃ Regulation of temperature

PURPOSE

˃ Inform people about what they are missing

˃After the experiment find a way to:

˃ Treat existing thyroid disease˃ Prevent the disease from

getting worse˃ Detect the symptoms faster

THE BRAIN AND THE THYROID

˃The amount of hormone secreted is controlled by the pituitary gland in the brain.

˃Part of the brain responsible for learning and memory:

˃ Declarative memory˃ Hippocampus˃ Parahippocampus˃ Areas of the cerebral cortex

HYPOTHESIS

• When having a low production of the thyroid hormone the hippocampus will shrink, making it harder for the individual to retain new memories or remember old ones. When there is a high production of the thyroid hormone the brain will speed up and eventually wear out the hippocampus itself.

METHOD

˃Step 1: Find volunteers

˃Step 2: Get the required papers to carry out the experiment

˃Step 3: Divide into groups

˃Step 4: Submit the subjects to a series of tests

˃Step 5: observe, write down the results, and repeat

EXAMPLE OF DIVIDED GROUPS Volunteers

Volunteers with thyroid

problems

Male

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

Female

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

Volunteers without thyroid

problems

Male

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

Female

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

TESTS

Written Test˃Answer a series of

questions to determine:˃ Lifestyle˃ State of the condition ˃ Eating habits

˃Problem solving to determine memory and learning skills

TESTS

Practical Exams˃Physical tasks such as:

˃ Multitasking˃ Solving non- written

problems˃ Motor responses ˃ Tests would be performed

once or twice a week for about a year.

MRIS AND FMRIS

˃ These scans use magnetic fields to map an image of the body.

˃ Can measure brain activity by the flow of oxygen- rich and oxygen- poor blood

˃ These types of blood respond differently to the magnetic field

˃ Start by taking a baseline picture (no brain activity)˃ Then compare it with a brain completing certain tasks.

EXAMPLE IMAGES

MRI IN PROGRESS

DATA ANALYSIS

˃ Evaluate the written and practical exams with points and percentages.

˃ Medical tests will be evaluated by a professional.

˃ Determine the state of the individual’s declarative memory

DISCUSSION

˃After the tests have been evaluated I will determine if, in fact, having a problem with your thyroid gland has a direct effect on an individuals learning skills and capacity to retain memory.

PROBLEMS

˃No experiment is 100% perfect or certain and this is not the exception.

˃ I may run into some problems such as:˃ 1. The thyroid diseases affect each person differently.˃ 2. I cannot control what the subject does after he/she leaves

the experimental facility. ˃ 3. Human error

CONCLUSION

˃ The purpose of the experiment is to inform and help the growing number people who have some type of thyroid disease.

˃With modern technology we can investigate how the human mind works.

˃The tiny thyroid gland in our neck is more important than we think.

˃This experiment only continues the endless search for the mysteries that are hidden in our brain.

REFERENCES

˃ Bernal, J. (2012, December 17). Thyroid Hormones in Brain Development and Function. Retrieved June 14, 2015, from http://www.thyroidmanager.org/chapter/thyroid-hormones-in-brain-development-and-function/

˃ Bucurescu, G. (n.d.). Neurological Manifestations of Thyroid Disease. Retrieved June 15, 2015, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1172273-overview

˃ About the Thyroid Gland. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2015, from http://www.lightoflifefoundation.org/About-Thyroid-Cancer/About-the-Thyroid-Gland

˃Result Filters. (2013, January 14). Retrieved July 2, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319628

˃Morin, A. (2014, March 11). Inside the Brain: What MRIs Are Teaching Us. Retrieved July 3, 2015.

˃Kresser, C. (2010, June 28). The Most Important Thing You May Not Know About Hypothyroidism. Retrieved July 3, 2015.