Exam 4 - Senescence Flashcards
What is the name of the last stage of development?
Senescence
Define senescence
Deterioration of the body leading to ‘natural’ death
List the 3 causes of senescence
- cell malfunction
- cell deterioration
- cell death
What do the cell repair/replacement VS. cell damage/death look like in children, adults, and senescence?
- children: replacement > death
- adult: replacement = death
- senescence: replacement < death
Changes that are visible on the outside of the body _________ what’s happening on the inside
mirror
What causes gray hair?
loss of stem cells -> no more melanocytes -> no more pigment
What causes skin to be leathery and cracked?
Collagen (which is like scar tissue) build up once elastin fibers are gone
What causes cataracts?
death of lens cells
What causes muscle atrophy?
The absence of myoblast and satellite cells
What causes osteoarthritis?
no more stem cells => no more chondrocytes => no more articular cartilage
What causes menopause?
no more oogonia which leads to no estrogen production
What causes atherosclerosis?
collagen replacing elastic and cholesterol replacing phospholipids. This results in oxidation which causes inflammation which causes swelling which ultimately results in a build up of scar tissue
What are two detrimental results of atherosclerosis?
- heart attack and failure due to coronary artery disease, which is caused by an increase in MAP from the reduced elasticity in the vessels as a result of scar tissue build up
- a stroke
What causes osteoporosis?
The number of osteoclasts in the body outnumbering the number of osteoblasts
What 3 things lead to hearing loss?
- “arthritis” of auditory ossicles (three middle ear bones)
- hardening of the eardrum
- graying of the hair cells in the cochlea
What is the result of slowed wound healing and immune response?
things like shingles or infections like influenza plus pneumonia
What causes type II diabetes in senescence?
Extra glucose is normally stored in adipocytes and adipocytes are created from stem cells. So once the stem cells run out you eventually run out of room for glucose storage
What type of damage occurs to the nervous system?
- decrease in fine motor skill ability
2. neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Why is cancer associated as a symptom of senescence?
Because as you age your risk for cancer increases
What is the primary reason that senescence occurs?
God’s curse to Adam and Eve. Sin => death
List three reasons WHY senescence happens
- mutation accumulation hypothesis
- antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis
- disposable soma hypothesis