Nervous System Disorders

Cerebral Palsy Symptoms: spastic shaking or tremors; loss of motor control Causes: damage to motor areas of the brain during fetal development, birth, or infancy Treatment: Irreversible but not progressive; surgeries & physical therapy may help

Cerebral Palsy

Epilepsy Symptoms: seizures; convulsions - different types & vary in severity Causes: sudden burst of irregular electrical activity in brain - reason this occurs not always known Treatment: medications

Epilepsy

Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms: persistent shaking or tremors at rest, shuffling gait, rigid facial muscles - progressive Causes: lack of dopamine (disorder of the basal ganglia - inhibition of motor drive) Treatment: relieve symptoms with drugs such as L-dopa

Parkinson’s Disease

Stroke (CVA) Symptoms: paralysis & loss of feeling on one side of the body Causes: disruption of blood flow to brain as a result of a blood clot OR broken blood vessels (hemorrhage) Treatment: immediate treatment to relieve pressure allows for best chance of recovery; physical therapy may help . . .

Stroke (CVA)

Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms: jerky body movements, double vision, partial paralysis of voluntary muscles, loss of motor control … Causes: autoimmune; destruction of myelin sheath & scarring in CNS leads to short circuiting of nerve pathways Treatment: incurable, varies among individuals, may undergo periods of remission

Multiple Sclerosis

Poliomyelitis Symptoms: headache, fever, sore throat, listlessness, stiffness, deep muscle pain & weakness, paralysis & death Causes: virus that destroys cell bodies of motor neurons in the CNS Rare due to immunization

Poliomyelitis

Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms: mental deterioration characterized by memory loss, short attention span, disorientation, language loss, “sundowning” - irritable, moody, confused, violent, hallucinations Causes: ? shortage of acetylcholine - structural changes in the brain: gyri shrink, ventricles enlarge, brain atrophies & contains abnormal protein deposits & neurofibrillar tangles Treatment: progressive - some medications may slow down the disease process

Alzheimer’s Disease Interactive Tour

Huntington’s Disease Symptoms: wild, jerky, flapping movements, mental deterioration, progressive Causes: genetic - dominant gene; massive degeneration of basal nuclei & cerebral cortex; overstimulation of motor drive Treatment: drugs that block dopamines effects

Huntington’s Disease

Nervous Disorders Video Clip

Developmental Aspects of the Nervous System 1. Hypothalamus Oxygen Cephalocaudal Gross Blood Pressure Circulatory problems Senility CVA

Brain Dysfunctions E - Concussion = slight & transient brain injury F - Contusion = traumatic injury that destroys brain tissue 3. D - Coma = total nonresponsiveness to stimulation

Brain Dysfunctions B - Cerebral edema & G - Intercranial hemorrhage = may cause medulla to be wedged into foramen magnum B - Cerebral edema = after head injury, retention of water by brain C - CVA = results when a brain region is deprived of blood or exposed to prolonged ishemia

Brain Dysfunctions 7. A - Alzheimer’s disease = progressive degeneration of the brain with abnormal protein deposits H - Multiple Sclerosis = autoimmune disorder with extensive demyelination I - TIA = a mini-stroke; fleeting symptoms of a CVA

The End