Little things, big impact.

I got a bit caught up in the school work since classes started that I hadn't posted for a while. But today is Research Day and that means no class! And here I am writing away. Finally I am back in my study groove, full on. It did take me a little more than a week to shake off the vacation laziness. Semester 2 is so far so good, much more interesting than Semester 1 yet the load is heavy. Neuroscience is the new challenge this semester - we have to know the brain and spinal cord inside out, wet and dry. It is amazing how such little structures control EVERYTHING we do. The spinal cord itself is about the diameter of your fingers, give or take. I held the human brain to study it and was amazed by its solid texture. It did feel like hard tofu - maybe slightly on the softer side. All the gyri and sulci are beautifully carved in. The cranial nerves were a bit of a pain at the beginning, as it was almost pure memorization of their origin, the foramina they pass through, their route, and what they innervate. But then it became sorta fun to trace them (or I am MAKING it fun so I could focus and learn). I have most of the stuff down. Just gotta repeat repeat and repeat more. My favourite cranial nerve right now is CN VII - facial n. It has several functions, including innervation of muscles of facial expression, salivary glands, lacrimal (tear) glands, and detect taste from anterior 2/3 of the tongue. Oh and what is more interesting is learning the muscles that control all the facial expressions! For example, orbicularis oris is your 'pucker' muscles and together with buccinator they allow you to make the 'blow-fish' face. I could go on and on about this...

We also had a dissection of the orbit, which contains the eyeball. It was neat. We got to take the eyeball out of the socket and look at the socket from the front and fromt the top. We also learned about the 6 muscles that control the movement of the eyeball. It was so interesting! I wish I could take the eyeball out and show you guys how each of the muscle acts. You would be impressed by the intricate organization of our bodies! The stalk behind the eyeball that connects it to the brain is the optic nerve. And the 6 muscles are: superior/inferior oblique, superior/infereior/medial/lateral rectus.

Earlier this week we also had a lot of endocrinology lectures and those were interesting as well. We focussed on hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, stress hormone cortisol, and epinephrine (adrenaline). I am so excited for the rest of the semester! Anyway I should get back to studying as there is a LOT to study.

Guess what I am holding in my hands in the photo? AVOCADO! Yes they are as big as my hands/face and so delicious! I remember how small the avocados looked back home. So pathetic compared to the Dominican ones! Right now it is avocado and orange/tangerine/grapefruit season. I am going to gorge myself with those before the season ends! Have a good weekend everyone :)