Nervous System

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Nervous System
Clinical Day
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Peripheral Neuropathy

• generic phrase denoting functional disturbances
  and/or pathological changes in the peripheral
  nervous system
• in excess of one hundred different causes of
  peripheral neuropathy (diabetes medication
  infections autoimmune)
• Symptoms include tingling pain or numbness
  especially in the extremities and muscle weakness

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Epilepsy

• Affects about 1 of population
• Short recurrent periodic attacks of motor
  sensory or psychological malfunction
• Attacks celled seizures
• Initiated by abnormal synchronous electrical
  discharges from brain
• Many causes (brain damage toxins metabolic
  disturbances)

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Spinal Cord Injury

• Damaged by compression (tumor herniated disc
  blood clots penetrating wounds traumatic
  events)
• Can lead to paralysis
• Monoplegia- one extremity
• Paraplegia- both lower extremities
• Quadriplegia- both upper and lower extremities

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Infections

• Shingles- infection of peripheral nervous system
  by herpes zoster virus
• Pain skin discoloration line of skin blisters
• Poliomyelitis- poliovirus attacks neuron cell
  bodies
• Fever headaches stiff neck and back pain and
  weakness
• Can cause paralysis

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Meningitis

• Infection and swelling of the meninges (membrane
  that surrounds brain and spinal cord)
• Can be viral or bacterial

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Spina Bifida

• Congenital defect of vertebral column in which
  spinal cord protrudes through unfused vertebrae
• Can produce paralysis
• Can be tested prenatally

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Alzheimers Disease

• Afflicts about 11 of population over 65
• Deterioration of mind
• Loss of neurons in specific regions
• Abnormal plaque deposits
• Tangled protein filaments in neurons
• Diagnosis difficult

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Parkinsons Disease

• Progressive disorder of CNS
• Usually seen around age 60
• Changes in substantia nigra and basal ganglia
• Too little dopamine produced (neurotransmitter)
• Too much acetylcholine produced

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Multiple Sclerosis

• Progressive destruction of myelin sheaths of
  neurons in CNS
• Form scleroses (hardened scars or plaques)
• Slows conduction
• Average onset age 33
• Progressive loss of function interspersed with
  remission periods

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Tourette Syndrome

• neurological disorder characterized by tics --
  involuntary rapid sudden movements or
  vocalizations that occur repeatedly in the same
  way
• Onset before the age of 18

• Abnormal metabolism of neurotransmitters dopamine
  and serotonin are involved
• Genetically transmitted parents having a 50
  chance of passing gene on to their children
• Girls with the gene have a 70 chance of
  displaying symptoms boys with the gene have a
  99 chance of displaying symptoms.

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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Lou Gehrigs Disease

• Progressive neurodegenerative disease that
  attacks nerve cells in brain and spinal cord
• As neurons die body functions lost (paralysis)
• Brain usually stays intact

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Huntingtons Disease

• Devastating degenerative brain disorder for
  which there is at present no effective
  treatment or cure
• Genetic- autosomal dominant (50 chance to pass
  to children)