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  [27]June 14, 2008

[28]Why Pretzels and Gunshot Wounds Make Us Thirsty

  [29]June 14, 2008/ [30]Neurosci

  I re-watched one of my all-time favorite movies the other night:
  [31]Unforgiven. After William Munney ([32]Clint Eastwood) shoots his
  first victim, the camera zooms in on the fallen cowboy as he begins
  complaining about how thirsty he is, begging his companions for water.
  In a moment of compassion, Munney agrees to put down his gun to allow
  the cowboy’s friends to bring him a canteen.
  You’ve probably all seen a similar scene before in another movie, if
  not this one (hopefully you’ve never seen it in person). Victims of
  gunshot wounds, or other wounds that involve a drastic loss of blood,
  are often portrayed as being very thirsty. I’m not sure if the reason
  why this occurs is common knowledge, but in case it’s not, I thought I
  would write a quick explanation.
  First, a little about water in the body. The cells in our body not only
  contain water, but also are surrounded by what is called
  [33]interstitial fluid. This fluid bathes the cells in a “seawater”
  type solution that contains water, [34]sodium (Na), amino acids,
  sugars, neurotransmitters, hormones, etc. The cell is normally in an
  [35]isotonic, or balanced, state in relation to its extracellular
  environment, meaning water doesn’t generally leave or enter the cell at
  large rates.
  Water is also an important constituent of blood. It is essential for
  keeping blood volume at a level that allows for proper functioning of
  the heart. If volume gets too low, the atria of the heart don’t fill
  completely, and the heart cannot pump properly.
  The need to keep the fluid balance in the body at a regular level
  results in the occurrence of two types of thirst that affect us when
  that equilibrium is disturbed: osmometric thirst and volumetric thirst.
  Osmometric thirst occurs when the [36]osmotic balance between the
  amount of water in the cells and the water outside the cells becomes
  disturbed. This is what happens when we eat salty pretzels. The Na is
  absorbed into the [37]blood plasma, which disrupts the osmotic balance
  between the blood plasma and the interstitial fluid. This draws water
  out of the interstitial fluid and into the plasma, now upsetting the
  balance between the cells and the interstitial fluid. The result is
  water leaving the cells to restore the balance.
  The disruption in the interstitial solution is recognized by neurons
  called [38]osmoreceptors, located in the region of the anterior
  [39]hypothalamus. They send signals that cause us to drink more water,
  in order to restore the osmotic balance between the cells and the
  surrounding fluid. In the case of pretzel eating, if we don’t drink
  more water, eventually the excess Na is simply excreted by the kidneys.
  Now, to the graver situation of a gunshot wound, and the other type of
  thirst: volumetric. Volumetric refers to the volume of the blood
  plasma, which is highly dependent upon water content of the body. As
  mentioned above, maintaining an adequate blood plasma volume is
  essential to proper functioning of the heart. If it gets too low, the
  heart can’t pump effectively.
  When someone is injured and loses a lot of blood volume (known as
  [40]hypovolaemia), less blood reaches the kidneys. This causes the
  kidneys to secrete an enzyme called [41]renin, which enters the blood
  and catalyzes a hormone called angiotensinogen to convert it into a
  hormone called [42]angiotensin. One form of angiotensin (angiotensin
  II) causes the [43]pituitary gland and [44]adrenal cortex to secrete
  hormones that prompt the kidneys to conserve water as a protective
  measure. Angiotensin II also affects the [45]subfornical organ (SFO),
  an organ that lies just outside the blood-brain barrier. Through the
  SFO angiotensin II stimulates thirst.
  There are also receptors in the heart that recognize decreases in blood
  plasma. Known as atrial [46]baroreceptors, they detect reductions in
  blood plasma volume and subsequently stimulate thirst by signaling
  neurons in the [47]medulla. So, when someone is shot and losing a lot
  of blood, it is because of the decrease in blood plasma volume that
  brain regions are stimulated through both of the above pathways to
  stimulate thirst.
  Processes that stimulate thirst are really much more complicated than
  this brief explanation. But, I thought this was enough to give a
  general idea of why salty foods and gunshot wounds have similar effects
  on our desire to drink water.

  [48]June 14, 2008/ [49]Neurosci/ [50]5 Comments
  [51]Hormones & behavior

[52]Neurosci

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