Imagine being stuck in a body that cannot move, or even manage to form words. People suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) deal with these debilitating symptoms every day, until they eventually pass away. ALS is a fairly common disease, with more than 12,000 people in the United States experiencing it and 15 people being diagnosed with it every day (“Fact Sheet,” 2014). Researchers are desperately searching for a cure, or even an effective treatment for the…
Sclerosis or “Lou Gehrig’s disease” is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord (What is ALS, Nov 30, 2014). Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a rapidly progressive disease that attacks neurons that are responsible for controlling voluntary muscle groups. Motor neurons are the neurons that are located in the brain (upper motor neurons), brain stem, and spinal cord (lower motor neurons). These different parts serve as communications links between the…
Chiari. She was one of the first people to have the surgery and she was highly involved with the Chiari groups. Micah walked by us. She commented, “Your son has a tethered cord.” I questioned her and she explained to me that Micah’s toe walking was a sign of a tethered spinal cord. I did not even know what a tethered cord was, but her comment made me feel…
Cerebral Palsy is a disorder of the nervous system that is caused by abnormalities and damage to one or more specific areas of the brain. This damage occurs before, during, or immediately after birth when a child’s brain is developing. Research has determined what kind of brain and central nervous system damage occurs when someone has cerebral palsy as well as the symptoms that correlate with each injury and the effective treatment options to manage this chronic condition. Muscle coordination…
environment. Neurons are known as the messengers of the body. They are the nerve cells that send messages through the nervous system, while the nerve impulses send coded electrical signals from the neuron. The motor neurons carry the brain and spinal cord impulses, to the muscles and the glands, while the sensory…
known by upper and lower motor neuron degeneration. As the upper motor neurons deteriorate, the cells “suffer from a retrograde axonal loss with secondary myelin pallor and gliosis”. While these changes are more severe at the brainstem and upper spinal cord, they…
brain is the control focal point of the human body. The human brain stores data, corresponding that data with other data to offer the body some assistance with making selections and to have the body put the decisions into actions. The brain and spinal cord are created from the neural tube. The neural tube then extends causing the tube to then makes three locales called the primary brain vesicles: prosencephalon, mesencephalon, and the rhombencephalon. The prosencephalon and rhombencephalon split…
Lou Gehrig’s disease is also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, this eventually leads to death. The patients lose the ability for the brain to control muscle movement. Since most motor neurons are lost, the patients may eventually become completely paralyzed. Motor neurons can no longer send signals or impulses to the muscle fiber resulting in no muscle…
a pathological process in which neurons are damaged or killed due to the excessive stimulation of certain neurotransmitters such as glutamate. This process of excitotoxic neuronal death is known to contribute to the pathogenesis of brain and/or spinal cord injury associated with multiple human diseases such as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). (2) ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that involves both the upper and lower motor neurons. Glutamate excitotoxicity is one of three major…
nervous system is defined as the network of nerve cells and fibers that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (AKA ALS) is a progressive disease that attack the nerve cells found within the brain and spinal cord. On average 15 people a day are diagnosed with ALS, and on average patients die two to five years after diagnoses or early symptoms appear. The ALS Foundation’s goal is to find a cure for the fatal disease and provide relief to patients…