28069739
Description
Flashcards by Valentín Ángel Limón, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Valentín Ángel Limón
almost 4 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Pineal Gland: a peanut in the brain | |
| The pineal gland is involved in different functions in vertebrates, but looking at the mammals' function, it is involved in ... . | (sending signals related to light) |
| There is a special hormone produced in darkness which is called ... . When light hits the photoreceptors in the retina, a signal is triggered to the ... from there to the ... and then to the pineal gland; where this hormone is inhibited in a proportional way depending on the ... . | (melatonin; suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN); superior cervical ganglia (SCG); brightness of the light) |
| Scheme about melatonin production | |
| The production of melatonin is initiated by a nightlife enzyme called ... which hunts ... to produce N-acetyl serotonin, and followed by ... which produces the hormone. | (aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT); serotonin; O-methyltransferase) |
| Which functions are carried by our friend melatonin? | - Circadian rhythms maintenance - Reproductive function - Involved in life and behaviors - Colour changes |
| Okay, you know now all its functions but... How are the colour changes produced? | Melatonin inhibits MSH in low light conditions and that implies a whitening in skin colour. |
| More things about MSH: In fish and amphibians, MSH from the pars intermedia makes ... their skin, often in response to background changes. Its size is usually related to ... and ... , increasing with the former and decreasing with the later. | (darker; ability of colour changing; environmental humidity) |
| Can you imagine which advantages would the colour changes provide to animals? | - Camouflage (cryptic coloration) - As a warning sign (aposemantic coloration) - Communication (sexual courtship or mood) - Radiation protection and thermoregulation (different absorbance of light) |
| The magical cells related to colour changes are ... and ... , changing the distribution of pigments in ... and ... . | (chromatophores; melanophores; dermis; epidermis) |
| MSH has other functions in humans. Do you remember them? | - Protection of the foetus - Behaviour (excitement, motivation, attention and memory) - Neuroplasticity |
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