Psychology 3228A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Chemoreceptor Trigger Zone, Evolutionary Medicine, Medicine

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 3228A/B
• Professor: K. MacPherson

Document Summary

Pathogens that invade the body include viruses, bacteria, microbial parasites (fungi, protozoa) that make us sick. Is morning sickness an adaptation: may be an adaptation to protect the embryo from toxins and micro-organisms in food, adult body can digest them properly but fetus can"t. Problem resolved by release of pregnancy hormones that lower nausea threshold which is controlled by the brain stem"s chemoreceptor trigger zone. This in turn makes women less likely to consume foods that make them sick. Finding that women show little/no sign of morning sickness are far more likely to spontaneously abort. Fact that women are most likely to become aversive to meat during early stages of pregnancy. Bacterial infections: bacteria are single-celled microbial organisms. Could be seen as non-adaptive, but pathogen kills host so quickly it may be irrelevant. If it"s a pathogen that transmits itself very quickly, how long that host lives might be irrelevant. From there, they spread by the millions when we sneeze.