EKG Lab

In this lab my group and I measured Alexis's heart beat. A single heart beat contains five components which are P,Q, R, S, and T. P is the start of the impulse that spreads to the sinoatrial node downward from the atria to the atrioventricular node and to the ventricles. The QRS wave occurs when the ventricles contract, then the pulse travels septum then it travels up the outer walls. The T wave is the recovery (re-polarization) of the heart and you may notice that the T wave is a little big in this graph due to our equipment. The times it took the R wave to reach it's peak in our lab is listed below. After looking at them you can come to the conclusion that Alexis's electrical pulses occurred every 0.8 or estimating 75 beats per a minute.

• Run 1- 0.682 seconds
• Run 2 - 1.454 seconds
• Run 3- 2.261 seconds

Heart Diagram

Down below are two pictures of two different examples of the heart. The first one shows parts of the heart colored a different color to help tell where they separate. The second one shows the way the blood flows. The blood flows through the superior vena cava  into the right atrium, through the A-V valve into the right ventricle, out the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary artery, through the pulmonary arteriole, through the pulmonary capillary, through the pulmonary venues , to the left atrium, flowing through the mitral valve into the left ventricle, flowing to the aorta. Also, at the very bottom is  picture of my labeling the heart quiz, which I got 20 out of 20.

Heart Dissection

In this lab three different hearts were dissected. We had a sheep heart (littles), a pig heart (middle sized), and a cow heart (biggest). While dissecting the hearts we were able to see and locate different parts of the heart that were not seen in all three. After cutting the heart open, we measured the main parts of the hearts. Down below are a few questions that I answered after completing this lab.

1. After reviewing the artery and vein prepared slide, which blood vessel has the thicker walls? is there a possible reason for this, on the basis of blood vessel function?                                                  .. The right wall is thicker in all the hearts and I think this is because it has to be bigger due to the blood flowing in through the right atrium first. The wall has to be thicker to protect the vein (bigger vein).
2. After viewing the cardiac muscle prepared slide, is cardiac muscle smooth or striated?………         ..The cardiac muscle in the heart is striated because it contracts to squeeze blood out and relaxes to let blood flow in. The heart is a muscle that never gets tired and never rests.
3. After viewing the prepared slide of a coronary artery with atherosclerosis, what is the danger of having this artherosclerotic plaque on this particular artery?                                                ………     .. The danger is that it will block the blood flow.
4. How does the basic structure of the heart compare between the three heart specimens?                      ..Our heart is more like the pig heart because its the medium sized heart. The sheep heart is more the size of an infants heart and the cow heart is way to big to compare to a humans heart.
5. a. What are some of the major differences you observed in the heart specimens?                                 .. The smaller parts are located on the left side of the heart and the bigger are located on the right. .b.Can you think of any adaptive reasons for these differences?                                                           .. The fact that the blood flows in on the right side causes it to be bigger to take the great quantity in.

Inside the pig heart 

The picture above is of a pig heart. This heart was the middle sized heart of the three dissected. These pictures also show us measuring the heart. This was the first heart dissected and I was able to locate pretty much every part of the heart.

Measurements are listed below for length otherwise stated.

• Aorta- 4cm
• Pulmonary Trunk- 3cm
• Left Atrium-4.5cm
• Left Ventricle- 5cm
• Left Outer Wall- 1.5cm
• Right Atrium- 4cm thick
• Right Ventricle- 3.5cm thick
• Right Outer Wall- 1.5cm

Inside of the sheep heart

The pictures above are of a sheep heart. The sheep heart was the littlest of all three hearts dissected. I had a little trouble trying to locate the different parts because everything was so tiny. Down below are the measurements in length otherwise stated.

• Aorta- 2.5cm
• Pulmonary Trunk- 3cm
• Left Atrium- 2cm
• Left Ventricle- 10cm
• Left Outer Wall- 1.5cm thick
• Right Atrium- 4cm
• Right Ventricle- 9cm
• Right Outer Wall- 2.0cm thick

Inside the cow heart

The pictures above are pictures of a cow heart. When dissecting the heart I found a lot of interest, considering the fact it's the biggest one to be dissected. I found it easier to locate the different parts of the heart because it was so big. Down below are measurements in length otherwise stated.

• Aorta- 7cm
• Pulmonary Trunk- 12cm
• Left Atrium- 7.5cm
• Left Ventricle- 11.5cm
• Left Outer Wall- 6.5cm thick
• Right Atrium- 7.5cm
• Right Ventricle- 11cm
• Right Outer Wall- 7.5 cm thick

The graph below shows the difference between a cow, pig, and a sheep heart's thickness of the outer wall. The bigger the heart, the thicker the outer wall. The right side as you can see will always be bigger due to thats the side the blood comes in, which makes the right atrium bigger, causing the wall to be thicker to protect it better. The bigger the animal (heart) the more blood that is flowing in, causing the wall to once again be bigger. 

Reflex Lab

OBJECTIVES: 

• Graph the electrical activity of a muscle activated by a reflex are through nerves to and from the spinal cord.
• Compare the relative speeds of voluntary and reflex muscle activation.
• Associate muscle activity with involuntary activation.
• Observe the effect of central nervous system influence on reflex amplitude.
• Calculate the approximate speed of a nerve impulse.
• Compare reflex response and electrical amplitude in different subjects.

MATERIALS:

• Computer
• Vernier computer interface
• Logger Pro
• Vernier EKG Sensor
• Vernier 25-g Accelerometer
• Electrode tabs
• Reflex hammer
• Cable tie, 10cm long
• Cloth Tape measure
• Pen

PROCEDURE:

In this lab we were testing the reflexes of my knee by hitting the patellar tendon with a reflex hammer. When the muscle is stretched, it activates nerve impulses that travel to the spinal cord. The reflex we tested is mainly a spinal reflex but also signals sent from and to the brain. Down below are the results.

The graph above is reflex number one. This is a regular reflex where the hammer hit the knee. The results of the reflexes are listed below.

• 8.81-8.82= .01 difference
• 10.0-9.99= .01 difference
• 11.36-11.35= .01 difference
• 12.63-12.59= .04 difference

The graph above is reflex run number two. In this run we just hit the knee with the hammer and recorded the results. Listed below are the results.

• .33-.12= 0.21 difference
• 6.97-6.94= .03 difference
• 13.46-13.45= 0.01 difference

The graph above represents voluntary reflex number one. In this run Alexis was hitting the desk with the hammer every now and then and when I heard it hit, I would swing my leg. The results in time difference are listed below.

• 6.89-6.64= .25 difference
• 11.43-11.19= .24 difference
• 15.60-15.49= .11 difference

The graph above shows voluntary reflex number two. The blue represents when the reflex hammer hit the knee and the red represents the reflex of the knee. 

Down below are the differences in each run.

• .50-.30= .20 difference
• 10.22-10.13= .09 difference
• 12.10-11.87= .23 difference
• 15.19-12.18= .01 difference

The graph above is of the tension reflexes. I grabbed one hand with another and tried to pull in each direction. This caused my muscles to be more tense. The results of my reflexes when this happened are listed below.

• 8.85-8.82=.03 difference
• 10.02-10.01=.01 difference
• 11.39-11.38= .01 difference
• 14.01- 13.95= .06 difference

Nervous System Project

The link listed below will connect you to my group's schizophrenia and bipolar disorder presentation

https://docs.google.com/a/lajunta.k12.co.us/presentation/d/1-G49Y-FvygAn3-apMzMaCiyp0crg4Vo_NfLsGs9pamY/edit#slide=id.g6d94f72e5_31

Sheep Brain Dissection

The pictures and information you will see down below are pictures of a sheep brain dissected into three different sections. The three sections are horizontal, saggital, and coronal. Sagittal is when the brain is cut in half through the midsection. Coronal is when the brain is divided on the left and right side into two equal parts. Horizontal is when the brain is cut through the pylorus and the tips of the ninth costal cartilages. By cutting the brain into different sections, you can locate and see different parts of the brain. Also, down below are a couple notes to help you understand some words and parts better. 

 

The pictures above are pictures of a sheep brain cut sagittal.

The pictures above are of a sheeps brain cut horizontal. 

 

The pictures above are pictures of a sheep brain cut sagittal.

• Cerebrum:
• contains cerebral cortex
• contains the hippocampus 
• contains basil ganglia
• olfactory bulb
• Cerebellum:
• important role in motor control
• language
• attention
• regulating fear
• pleasure responses
• contributes to coordination
• Spinal cord:
• makes up the nervous system with the brain
• transmission of neural signals between the brain and the rest of the body
• controls numerous reflexes 
• controls central pattern generators
• Medulla:
• part of the brain stem
• Pons:
• contain nuclei 
• relays signal from the forebrain to the cerebellum
• sleep
• respiration
• swallowing
• bladder control
• hearing
• equilibrium
• taste
• eye movement
• facial expressions
• facial sensation
• posture
• Midbrain:
• vision
• hearing
• motor control
• sleep/wake
• arousal
• temperature regulations
• Hypothalamus:
• links the nervous system to the endocrine system 
• body temperature
• hunger
• behavior
• thirst
• fatigue
• sleep
• circadian rhythm 
• Thalamus:
• relaying of sensory
• motor signals
• regulation of consciousness
• sleep 
• alertness
• Corpus Callosum:
• connects the left and right cerebral hemoshpheres