Spinal cord

Imagine reaching out to grab the phone but for some odd reason, it was not possible. You then realize your arm has simply become numb and that soon, it will return to normal. But what if it never did? People suffering with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, experience this everyday until the entire body has become permanently “numb”. This terminal disease affects all but one organ in the person’s body, the brain. What does affect the person’s brain however, is a different disease known as…

known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Relatively rare, between 1.5 and 2.5 people are affected out of a population of 100,000 annually [2].This disease is caused by a continuous deterioration of motor neurons that are located in the brain, brain stem, and spinal chord. This disenables signals from the brain to communicate with the muscles, disabling the extremities to function, or paralyzing them [1]. Symptoms include but are not limited to muscle tightness and weakness, slurred speech, cramps,…

Nathan King King 1 Mrs. Ward Pre-AP English II 29 October 2014 The Theory of Surviving: Stephen Hawking and his battle with ALS. Some diseases can kill you within days, some can cause pain for years. Some diseases are curable, some are not. ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a disease where it slowly melts your body muscles like a candle. ALS was widely discovered by…

Abstract: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a very traumatic incident that currently seems permanent, as there are not pharmacological therapies to reverse the primary mechanical injury. However, the secondary SCI may be reduced using the proper rehabilitation techniques. Pivotal components of the secondary injury pathway include ischemia and hypoxia, lack of blood supply and lack of oxygen, respectively, that may lead to programmed cell death, or apoptosis. Once the secondary pathway is onset, it…

Introduction Spinal stenosis is a condition which involves the narrowing of the vertebral column, either in the spinal canal, intervertebral foramina, or the intervertebral spaces. The condition is degenerative and widespread, affecting approximately five in every one thousand people (Hsiang, 2015). This report aims to describe the anatomy of the vertebral column and spinal cord, relating changes in anatomy to the development and presentation of spinal stenosis. Within this discussion, the…

This is needless to say that spinal cord injury (SCI) has some psychological effects on the individual’s emotional state. Different levels of depression, anxiety disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder has been reported in 30% of individuals from the first weeks after injury. (Migliorini, New & Tonge, 2009). More importantly, some of these symptoms remained even after a decade. In addition to the increment of health care costs, these psychological disorders have negative impacts on various…

3. A. Cranial nerve involvement can be broken down into two portions. The anterior 2/3 of the tongue are innervated by the Chorda Tympani branch of the Facial nerve which is carried by the lingual nerve which branches off the mandibular branch of the Trigeminal nerve. Sensory component of the anterior 2/3 is maintained by the lingual nerve. The posterior 1/3 of the tongue is innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve which supplies both sensory and taste. B. The human tongue contains multiple…

1. Neurons are the building blocks of the nervous system. Neurons communicate through synapses. The nervous system transmits all messages to the brain. The messaging process moves in one direction to the cell body, where the cell body transmits an electrical pulse to the neurotransmitter this creates an impulse. 2. Throughout the normal day you use multiple parts of your brain. An activity that uses more than ten parts of your brain at once is if you hold your hand over a flame. Your Frontal…

Visualize a disease that leaves its victims powerless but are completely aware of everything that is in sight and the state the body is in. With every intention to move, the victim has no control over the body’s muscles, for not a single finger is lifted nor a smile displayed. Such a disease does exist and has affected many lives worldwide. This awful illness is named ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease. With many diseases in the world, countless terrible…

Two Very Deadly Diseases Imagine waking up and wanting to stretch, but physically cannot because of the loss of movement that comes with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS is also commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ALS is a very deadly disease and so is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). ALS and CTE’s are not curable; they both lead to many people’s demise, especially athletes. Also concussions are factors that lead to brain diseases. Head trauma can also be a factor of many…