CSB #8: The Effects of Exercise on Heart Rate

CSB #8: The Effect of Different Exercise on Heart Rate

BY: ZABIN BASHAR, VIKRAM CHARI, and ERIC HOLT

How Standing, Walking, and Jogging Affects Heart Rate

Background Info: Our project tested heart beat rate after doing physical exercise. Heart beat rate was measured after standing in place for a minute, walking in place for a minute, and running in place for a minute. 

Why we chose this topic: We were curious to figure out how various daily activities affected our heart rate. In addition, after watching the video on heart attacks we were concerned about how each activity plays a role in our heart rate, and how we can take care of our hearts in the long-run. 

QUESTION: Does physical exercise increase a person's heart beat rate? Does the physical intensity of the exercise have a positive correlation with heart beat rate.

HYPOTHESIS: We think that physical exercise increases heart beat rate. The more intense the activity, the higher the heart beat rate will go.

METHODS: We first measured a person's heart rate for 1 minute using Vernier's Hand-Grip Heart Rate Monitor. During this one minute, we would either stand, walk, or run in place. Make sure to rest for a few minutes before doing another run of the experiment. After Logger Pro finished collecting data on our laptops, we examined it.

HOW TO HOLD THE HEART GRIP MONITOR

VARIABLES: The intensity of the exercise was the independent variable and the dependent variable was the heart rate.

DATA AND GRAPHS

Leo's heart rate while running

 

 Matthew's heart rate while walking

Zabin's heart rate while standing (Went from 84-94 beats per minute)

 Eric's heart rate while standing

 Vikram's heart rate while running

 Vikram's heart rate while standing

Vikram's heart rate while walking in place

 Zabin's heart rate while running

  Zabin's heart rate while walking

 Eric's heart rate while running 

  

Eric's heart rate while walking in place

Although the values on the tables are not readable, the points on the graphs show that their is an increase in heart rate when exercising. In addition, the faster we moved, the steeper the slope of the graph was. Therefore, we can conclude that the physical intensity had a positive effect on heart rate.  
    
PHYSIOLOGY ASPECT: Cells transport oxygen and energy using blood. The more intense an exercise becomes, the more oxygen and energy is necessary for your body. So, blood needs to be shipped out much faster. In order to ship blood faster, the heart must pump blood out faster. Therefore, heart rate goes up. Since running in place required the most energy, the heart rate went up the most.


FUTURE ADDITIONS: 
When planning this experiment, we also thought about testing the CO2 emissions during exercise. However, we did not have time and ended up doing only heart rate. So, if we repeat this experiment again, we will add that variable.


Thanks to Leo Yu and Matthew Huang for also contributing data sets.

CSB #7: Scientists find a novel gene associated with major depression

Scientists Identify Genetic Risk for Major Depression

Major depression is a psychiatric disorder responsible for decreased work productivity and can even lead to suicide. Dr. Martin A. Kohli from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, Germany says that "Current treatments for major depression are indispensible but their clinical efficacy is still unsatisfactory, as reflected by high rates of treatment resistance and side effects. Identification of mechanisms causing depression is pertinent for discovery of better antidepressants." Dr. Kohli and colleagues performed a study of patients diagnosed with major depression and matched control subjects with no history of psychiatric illness. They identified SLC6A15, a gene that codes for a neuronal amino acid transporter protein, as a novel susceptibility gene for major depression. Already nondepressed subjects carrying the risk-conferring genetic variants showed lower expression of SLC6A15 in the hippocampus, a brain region implicated in major depression. Finally, using human brain imaging, risk variant carriers with a positive life history of major depression showed smaller hippocampi. Lower hippocampal SLC6A15 expression was linked to the effects of chronic social stress, a proven risk factor for depression.


I believe that this a significant discovery in the field of brain science. This discovery will most likely lead to new findings in unstudied parts of the brain. The finding will also probably lead to a new anti depressant drug that is more effective that current drugs on the market. More and more teens and adults die every year from depression provoked suicide. Hopefully, a new anti depressant will help cure these severely depressed people and further reduce the amount of unnecessary deaths. Overall, this subject should be researched in more detail in order to find effective cures for serious mental conditions.


Citations:
ScienceDaily. "Scientists Identify Genetic Risk for Major Depression."
     Science Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2011.
     <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110427131816.htm>.