Myelin

Charcot –Marie –Tooth (CMT) Disorder is an inherited disorder affecting the peripheral nerves. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder is also named Hereditary Sensory and Motor Neuropathy (HSMN) because sensory loss is combined with leg weakness and foot deformities. This disorder is the most common inherited nerve disorder. Additionally, there are some forms of CMT that are inherited through recessive genes. Individuals who are affected, but their parents are not, mean their parents had the CMT gene…

The immune system The human body without some sort of protection system would not be able to endure the many pathogens than we come in contact with on a daily basis. That is why we have an immune system. What is the immune system and what are its functions? According to stanfordchildrens.org, the immune system is a complex network of cells and organs that protect the body from infections that may enter through what we come in contact with. This may not seem like a big role, but it is…

Important Vocabulary (highlighted in the handout): Stimulus, neurons, dendrites, neurotransmitters, axon, myelin, action potential, graded potential, transmembrane potential, neuroglia, cerebrum, spinal cord What is the central nervous system? It’s a system which consists of the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. This system only makes up about 3% of a human’s body weight but serves a vital function, gathering information about and reacting to its environment and any stimulus. Don’t Shoot the…

One of the causes is genetics. First of all, MS is an autoimmune disease; it is when the immune system of the body attacks its own tissues by attacking the myelin that protects the nerves filaments (symptoms and causes MS mayoclinic). Moreover, doctors assume that Multiple Sclerosis seems to be inherited. The risk of MS is related to genetics and to the family. Also, researchers argue that there exist many…

Optic Neuritis is a condition where the optic nerve, which carries visual information from the eye to the brain, becomes inflamed. Most of the damage is done to the protective myelin sheath that surrounds the nerve, which is vital for good vision. A few symptoms that occur to people who have Optic Neuritis are: distorted color vision, blurriness, pain, and even vision loss. During a routine eye exam, a doctor will look for signs of Optic Neuritis by checking the eye pressure. The eye will be…

Several trace elements are present in the human body; the concentrations of which are supposed to be one of the major causes for various disorders. The common sites of trace element deposits include but not limited to brain, liver, kidney, bone and skin. Measurements of trace elements in these sites are important for the diagnosis of diseases that may result due to either excess or deficiency of the elements. The Human brain is one site that demands high levels of metal concentration. These…

The human brain is unquestionably one of the greatest inventions in our history. No MacBook Pro or 100,000 dollar super customized computer that glows blue and displays holograms of your celebrity crush can stand up to the processing power of the brain. In one second it pumps blood, allows you to breathe, cleanses the blood stream, and destroys any antigens that may be in your bloodstream. It can perform all these tasks in one second without you even telling it to. Also, it allows you to have…

Let’s talk a little about how similar a tree in our backyards is to a neuron in our brain. A human brain cell has close to 100 billion neurons. If that’s not impressive, I don’t know what else is. The parts of a neuron are much like the parts of a tree in many ways. The word dendrite is a greek term meaning “tree-like.” The dendrite is much like the branches on a tree because just like branches on a tree receives nutrients through the tree to the leaves to help grow more leaves, a dendrite grows…

relies on the proper functions of the central nervous system to do everyday tasks, especially those that use muscle function. When you have MS, your immune system attacks myelin ,which is the protective coating around nerve fibers in the central nervous, and nerve fibers themselves, within the central nervous system. The damaged myelin then forms scar tissue.…

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, there are more than 600 neurologic disorders 1. Neurodegeneration is one of the main contributors to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Multiple Sclerosis. Neurodegeneration is the debilitating condition along with those diseases, which results in the healthy, functioning nerve cells to deteriorate and slowly die off. Deterioration gradually leads to the loss of cognitive skills, motor skills, and eventually death of the nerve…