Taking a Look at Prader-Willi Syndrome

Obesity within adults is a prevalent problem in the United States, with over 51% of all adults suffering from obesity by the year 2030 (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity, or the state of being excessively overweight, is sometimes a result from what is known as food addiction. Much like an addiction to a substance, to be addicted to food is to constantly crave a certain food item (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity and food addiction tend to coincide with each other. That coexistence is shown primarily in the documentary Super Size Me, in which director Morgan Spurlock focuses on the way fast food and food addiction affect the human body.

The meaning of a word portrays what it encompasses and if the phrase itself is misunderstood then defining what it’s trying to explain can be a studious task. Addiction has been defined by many and holds different meanings based on the context it’s used in. Addiction can be defined as a condition in which a person undertakes the use of substance, or engages in activities, which in turn brings pleasure, and tends to divert oneself from their day-to-day duties and responsibilities. Addiction is mostly related to drug use but it is also used to describe non-drug entities, such as gambling, and Internet addictions (Avena et al, 2008). Researchers (Herbert, J. D., Forman, E. M., 2010) have been keen on identifying the factors that lead to

Prader-Willi and Angelman Syndrome are two genetic disorders with vastly differing phenotypes linked by missing genetic imprints on the 15th chromosome’s q arm between regions 11 and 13 . While both orders result in mental deficits, their symptoms are otherwise segregated from the other in their entirety. The differences in the disorders are the result of differing DNA methylation patterns present in maternally and paternally inherited DNA. If the deletion occurs in the mother’s DNA, then Prader-Willi Syndrome appears. When the deletion occurs in the father’s DNA, Angelman Syndrome is the result.

According to “The Food Addiction,” overeating is the same as a drug addiction because as we increase our consumption rate we are increasing our desire to have more. The more we have the more we want because it is readily avaible for us. On the other, “The Food Addiction,” states that modern foods have an overwhelming affect to our biological feedback networks. This is because it disrupts our hormone regulation, such as hormones that control our appetite and weigh

Prader-Willi syndrome, (PWS) is a genetic disorder that occurs in about one in every eight thousand births in the United States. PWS occurs when there is a defect or deletion in the fifteenth chromosome from either maternal or paternal origins. Individuals diagnosed with PWS need enhanced supervision to address the constant need to over eat. Current research identifies that the paternal chromosome presents with significant maladaptive behaviors. Behavioral issues commonly known to the disorder differ dependent on the origin of the parental chromosome.

The word addiction is used in very many ways. One would be physical addiction. This is a biological state where the body adapts to a drug and that drug no longer has the same effect, this

DiGeorge Syndrome is also known as Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome and can affect many parts of the body. This occurs when small pieces of chromosome 22 is missing, resulting in the loss of many important genes. Generally, children with DiGeorge Syndrome have decreased levels of calcium in their bodies, resulting in seizures. These children also typically have underdeveloped, cystic or missing kidneys, compromising the body’s ability to filter waste materials in the blood to make urine. To add, partial immunodeficiency is a common trait of people with DiGeorge Syndrome. This means that these people’s immune systems are not as strong as they should be, making it harder for them to fight infections and disease, resulting in increased illness rates and difficult recoveries from illnesses. As this syndrome affects many parts of the body, heart defects, low platelet counts, difficulty with speech and language, learning difficulties and behavioural disorders are also fairly common in children with DiGeorge disorder. Overall, DiGeorge syndrome has many diverse effects on the human body and is detrimental to the overall wellbeing of those who must live with it.

Prader - Willi Syndrome is caused by the deletion or not getting Chromosome 15 from the dad. This disorder

a rare congenital disorder characterized by learning difficulties, growth abnormalities, and obsessive eating, caused especially by the absence of certain genes normally present on the copy of chromosome 15 inherited from the father.

Prader-Willi Syndrome is a genetic disorder that is passed down maternally. The paternal genes of the chromosome 15 in the region of q11-q13 are deleted or unexpressed. The result of these deletions carries distinct phenotypes that differentiate PWS from other disorders (Böhm, 2014). Some characteristics are a short stature, and specific facial features that tend to make the affected persons resemble one other such as seen in Down syndrome. This typically includes “almond-shaped eyes, a thin upper lip, a downturned mouth, a narrow bridge of the nose, narrow forehead, and a disproportionately long, narrow head (dolichocephaly). Distinctive facial features can be noticeable shortly after birth or may develop slowly over time,” (Cassidy,

Prader-Willi and Angelman Syndrome are two key examples of genomic imprinting of epigenetics. Epigenetics is the changes of an organism, which is changed by the gene expression, instead of the alteration of the genetic code (Butler, 2011). Genomic imprinting is subtopic among an epigenetic phenomenon in which genes are expressed based upon the parent who gives the gene. Although Prader-Willi and Angelman Syndrome are two completely different genetic disorders, they both involve the same chromosome region but each disorder is inherited by a different parent. It has been said that Prader-Willi and Angelman Syndrome are one of the first examples of error in genomic imprinting in humans (Butler, 2011).

Prader-Willi syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the deletion of part of chromosome 15. This genetic abnormality affects the hypothalamus which influences growth hormones, sex, thirst, and hunger and is contributed to developmental delay. Children with Prader-Willi syndrome will develop hyperphagia. Hyperphagia is a serious eating disorder, and is characterized by extreme overeating to the point where it becomes life-threatening. Hyperphagia is hard to treat and is the main trait of Prader-Willi syndrome. It is not clear what causes the onset of hyperphagia as it can develop at different ages. The study looks at whether the young children’s unusual eating habits are explained by changes in appetite hormones. They found that PWS has three

Based on the book, “Health the Basics”, people often mistakes addiction with habits, which is not. Habits and addictions can both be annoying and involve a repetition behavior, however habits can be broken easily and addictions can be difficult to because a person can feel hopelessness when the behavior isn't performed.

Prader-Willi syndrome is described as being caused by the function of genes in a particular region on chromosome 15 getting lost. Individuals with this syndrome will have a difficulty eating while they are in early infancy stages, however, later on in childhood over eating will cause morbid obesity. There are three main mechanisms for how this happens at the genetic level. The first one is when there is a deletion of the 5-6 Mb regions of paternal chromosome 15 (GHR 2014). Because the paternal regions were deleted and the genes on the maternal copy are inactive, this change causes people to lack important genetic information. Another mechanism the inheritance of two copies of maternal chromosome 15. This means that both members of the chromosome

All types of addictions should be looked at from a philosophical and psychological point of view. Those in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and philosophy often compare their views to show the similarities of addictions whether they be substance induced or behavioral. “Behavioral science experts believe that all entities capable of stimulating a person can be addictive; and whenever a habit changes into an obligation, it can be considered as addiction” (Alaghemandan et al 290). Some addictions can affect people physically. Caffeine and nicotine provide prime examples. The body’s physical state becomes dependent on its effects and causes withdrawal symptoms without use. One of the main differences in behavioral and substance addictions is that behavioral addictions have no apparent physiological or physical withdrawal symptoms. It is not the physical body that is addicted, but the feeling that one gets mentally. The physical body is only affected by the