VOMIT_BRAINZ

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Out of Sync: POTS as an Evolutionary Mismatch — a VOMIT_BRAINZ deep-dive into how modern life exposes a genetic susceptibility to autonomic dysfunction. This page is your visual briefing: tidy enough for class, anarchic enough for the aesthetic.

Presentation length target: ~10–12 minutes. Includes evolutionary framing, genetics, environment, maladaptation, and practical mitigation strategies.

i. Heritable Trait (POTS)

POTS = Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: abnormal heart-rate rise on standing, dizziness, fatigue, and brain-fog. Evidence shows familial clustering and multiple genetic variants associated with risk (polygenic / rare variants + gene-environment interplay).

This section meets rubric item i (5 pts).

ii. Phenotypes & Ancestral Variation

Phenotypes: orthostatic intolerance (ΔHR ≥30 bpm), syncope, fatigue, thermoregulatory and GI symptoms. Ancestral variation likely included a spectrum of orthostatic tolerance—from robust compensation to mild susceptibility—allowing selection for efficient regulators in active forager lifestyles.

(4 pts)

iii. Genetic Influences

Genetic signals include GNB3 polymorphisms, NET (norepinephrine transporter) variants, and rare variant burdens in autonomic-related pathways. Architecture appears polygenic with some rare familial mutations.

(4 pts)

iv. Environmental Contributors

Triggers & modifiers: infections, prolonged bedrest, pregnancy, puberty, heat, dehydration, and sedentary lifestyle. These exposures interact with genetics to determine whether the phenotype manifests.

(4 pts)

v. Evolutionary Selection Context

Selection likely favored robust orthostatic reflexes in mobile forager populations. Rapid position changes, predator avoidance, and energetic demands created pressure for fast cardiovascular regulation; POTS-prone alleles would have been rare or neutral in such a context.

(4 pts)

vi. When & Why the Trait Is Maladaptive (Mismatch)

Modern triggers (sedentary life, prolonged sitting, postviral conditions, heat, dehydration) expose an underlying genetic susceptibility. Manifestation reduces fitness via reduced productivity, injury from syncope, chronic illness, and potential lowered reproductive success in severe cases.

(7 pts)

vii. Evolutionary Solutions

Use evolutionary insight to guide interventions: orthostatic training, increased daily movement, hydration + salt strategies, ergonomic redesign (sit-stand), screening for family history, and targeted pharmacological approaches. Align environment with physiology.

(7 pts)

viii–x. Synthesis, Readability, & Sources

This project synthesizes primary literature and course material; scientific terminology is used and concepts are referenced below. For the slideshow, expand each card to 1–2 slides and cite inline.

  1. Lieberman, D. E. (2013). The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease.
  2. Raj, S. R. (2021). Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Nature Reviews Disease Primers.
  3. Bryarly, M., Fu, Q., Vernino, S., Levine, B. D. (2019). Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
  4. Fu, Q., et al. (2018). Exercise training and autonomic control in POTS. Circulation.

(Remember: for submission, include full APA in a bibliography slide and use inline (Author, Year) citations on each slide.)