Johnte works in an assisted living facility. As part of a community outreach pro
ID: 193019 • Letter: J
Question
Johnte works in an assisted living facility. As part of a community outreach program a student, Chloe, has begun coming in weekly to read to John, a community member with Alzheimer’s Disease. Over the course of several months, Janna starts to notice that the rate of John’s cognitive decline has slowed. Use the scientific method to hypothesize why John’s cognitive decline has slowed and create a simple experiment that could be used to test that hypothesis. If your hypothesis is to be accepted, what would your experimental data reveal? There are multiple different hypotheses that can be drawn, what else could factor into the situation? There is more than one correct answer and many levels at which the situation can be accessed! You are welcome to talk to your classmates, however, the document submitted must be your own work. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade.
Remember to include:
Hypothesis. 3 pts Hypotheses are testable predictions. For example, in the mice camouflage example from class, the experimenters’ hypothesis was that differential pigmentation acts as a mechanism for camouflage allowing each mouse to avoid predation in their environment. Often, hypotheses are written as If, then statements. If pigmentation acts as camouflage, then predation of mice will be lower in their home environment.
A simple experiment to test the hypothesis. (7pts) Keep your experiment as simple as possible and limit the number of variables in your design. Recall from class the researchers only tested the effect of coat color on predation. One factor. One outcome.
How would your data look if your hypothesis is accepted? (7pts) You can summarize the results in a few sentences, explaining why they support your hypothesis. Feel free to be creative and make a graph or chart.
What other factors could have an effect on the John’s slowed cognitive decline? 3 pts These could include some of the other variables that you are not testing in your simple experiment.
Explanation / Answer
Hypothesis
It is noticed that the higher the circulation of the glucocorticoid hormones, the cognition is adversely affected in the patient. It is observed that if the patient receives deep brain stimulation, there is increase in the metabolism of the cerebral glucose and hence it is associated with the slowing of cognition decline.
Simple Experiment to Test the Hypothesis
The hypothesis can be tested by performing the same deep brain stimulation on number of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. There can be multi-phase studies with an intention to study the ratio of slowing of cognition decline. Let us take an example of 10 patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease all in same age group. All of them are give a deep brain stimulation the mostly involves the fornix area which is a fibre bundle associated with memory. After a certain period of time the patients are tested for the result and checked for rate of slowing or increasing cognition decline. If there is a slowing in the cognition decline, it justifies the hypothesis.
In the second study, take more patients in different age category and subject to same treatment. If it shows slowing the cognition decline for all, it means the hypothesis is right for all. If it is observed only in patients that belong to certain age limit, it means it is subjected to only a certain age group.
Data for accepted hypothesis
Let us say that from finding it is found that when fornix area of the brain undergoes a deep brain stimulation, the cognition ability improves and that is why the cognition decline is slowed down. It was found that all the patients who were given a periodic deep brain stimulation targeting the fornix area has significantly shown slow decline in the cognition.
Other factors
In case of John’s Case, it was found that he was read to every day and reading about certain things also acts a placebo or in a real way stimulate the brain. The reading and gradual understanding of things impacts the brain in the positive way which helps in getting the cognition part better and hence improves the sharpness of brain. It helps in gradual slowing of the decline in cognition. There are medicines also which might play a fair part in the process along with the hypothesis.
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