The Use of Agonists to Relieve Symptoms of a Zombie Virus
By Celia Teague Period: 7
Abstract
A victim died of an unknown infection and the autopsy revealed several areas of the brain
that were affected. It was determined that the infection was a virus and as a result of the unusual
symptoms, the virus became known as a Zombie virus. To prevent a mass outbreak of this virus,
a group of agonists was given to people displaying symptoms consistent with abnormal function
of brain tissue found in the person the autopsy was performed on. The brain tissues that were
found to be damaged in the autopsy were the oculomotor nerve, the medulla, the brainstem, and
the hypothalamus. There was also damage found outside of the brain in the endocrine system. A
prescription, consisting of a variety of agonist drugs, was administered to patients displaying
symptoms consistent with the damaged tissues of the autopsy results. These included sensitivity
to light, tiredness, confusion, overstimulated appetite, nausea and vomiting, and an increase in
arousal.
One of the biggest conflicts in psychology is whether nature or nurture determines a person’s
traits. The conflict's nature side refers to the genetic and biological influences that make up a
person's brain structure. The nurture side of things consists of all the things that aren’t part of
nature. This means a person’s experiences, environment, and culture. For humans, our traits are
determined by both. But for zombies their traits are determined by nature because they are not
aware of their surroundings or experiences, therefore their structure is built by their genetics.
For the structure of our zombie group project, we needed to include gabapentin,
serotonin, epinephrine, and dopamine. We used six doses of gabapentin, three doses of
epinephrine, and two doses of both serotonin and dopamine. However, because we used much
more gabapentin doses, side effects can include back or chest pain, diarrhea, vomiting, changes
in mood, flu-like or cold-like symptoms, memory loss, and uncontrollable eye rolling.
The first part of the brain the zombie virus affected was the oculomotor nerve. This part
of the brain controls the pupils, it helps them contract them. Your pupils open and close to
balance the amount of light being received. The zombie in the autopsy displayed an excessive
amount of contract. This indicates that the oculomotor nerve was overstimulated. Because of
this, the zombies' vision will start to malfunction and become darker than it is.
The second part of the brain the zombie virus affected was the medulla. This part of the
brain controls vital processes such as breathing, and heartbeat. The zombie in the autopsy
displayed a heartbeat that had been slowed down. When the heartbeat is slowed down in the
blood flow. This made the zombie easily tired and confused because it wasn’t getting enough
oxygen. These drugs stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which relaxes the body,
therefore slows the heartbeat.
The third part of the brain the zombie virus affected was the brainstem. This part of the
brain controls the digestive system. The zombie in the autopsy displayed a stimulated digestive
system. Meaning the zombie’s need for food rapidly increased. This resulted in the zombie
constantly eating.
The fourth part of the body the zombie virus affected was the pituitary gland. This part of
the body controls the endocrine system. The zombie in the autopsy displayed damage to the
pituitary gland. A damaged pituitary gland could result in any number of symptoms due to its
wide-ranging function in the human body. These symptoms could include anxiety and high blood
pressure, dizziness, and nausea.
The fifth part of the body the zombie virus affected was the adrenal glands. These glands
are a part of the larger endocrine system and are located on top of your kidneys. This part of the
body is responsible for secreting hormones including cortisol, aldosterone, and most importantly
adrenaline, the main hormone used to arouse the body during stress.
Based on the damaged tissues described in the previous paragraphs, and the symptoms
that would be visible in people infected by the zombie virus, we administered a combination of
four agonists. The drugs used were dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, and gabapentin. A
full-body MRI was used to detect abnormalities in tissues all over the zombie's body.
In conclusion, we used the data taken from the full-body MRI to generate a list of
symptoms that potential victims would display. We treated people with one or more of these
symptoms with our mixture of the agonists, dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, and gabapentin.
This treatment resulted in the complete recovery of patients displaying these symptoms.
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