Critique of Optical Control of Muscle Function by Transplantation of Stem Cell- Derived Motor Neurons in Mice
Peripheral Nerves in the human body consist of nerves located outside the brain and spinal cord.1, 2
Nerve Damage can be responsible for over 100 peripheral nerve disorders, resulting in early symptoms such as, but are not limited to, burning, tingling, and other abnormal sensations in the hands, feet or legs.3
Damage to the Central nervous system, or Motor Neuron disease such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly degenerative, and often fatal neurological disease that targets nerve cells or neurons. Those affected by this disease, lose all ability to control voluntary muscles, such as skeletal muscles, due to the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons, which prior to complete loss of muscle control, the slowing and eventually ceasing of messages between the brain and muscles, muscle weakening occurs, resulting in twitching, difficulty swallowing or breathing, and difficultly with speech.4 It has been identified that early stages of nerve damage as a result of ALS, can often go unrecognised and undiagnosed, as nerve damage may be so minor.1
Damage to the central nervous system and Motor Neuron diseases have been affecting individuals for an extended period of time. Causes of such degenerative conditions vary extensively. Causes can include damage to motor neurons by injury from accident, or may also be hereditary. Individuals in the 21st Century suffering from such conditions can be subject to modern day medicine, which is advancing rapidly. As this disease affects individuals quality of life severely, it is a common trend in research to find a cure or at least provi...
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...ble from: http://www.neuropathy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=About_Symptoms
3. Mndaust.asn.au. MND Australia - What is MND? [Internet]. 2014 [23 April 2014]. Available from: http://www.mndaust.asn.au/Get-informed/What-is-MND.aspx
4. Ucl.ac.uk. Light-activated neurons from stem cells restore function to paralysed muscles [Internet]. 2014 [23 April 2014]. Available from: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0414/040414-Stem-cell-injections-restore-paralysed-muscles
5. Bryson J, Machado C, Crossley M, Stevenson D, Bros-Facer V, Burrone J et al. Optical Control of Muscle Function by Transplantation of Stem Cell--Derived Motor Neurons in Mice. Science. 2014;344(6179):94--97.
6. Cocksedge N. Motor Neurone Disease | Mamamia [Internet]. Mamamia. 2012 [23 April 2014]. Available from: http://www.mamamia.com.au/mamamia-cares/motor-neurone-disease-how-you-can-help/
Peripheral and central mechanisms involving nerve lesions and their input are substantial when perceiving phantom pain. Due to the impairment of peripheral nerves in the process of amputation, regenerative sprouting of damaged axons occurs and the activity rate of inflamed C-fibres and demyelinated A-fibres spontaneously increases (Flor, 2002). As a consequence of this nerve injury, a neuroma, which is a mass of pruned and tangled axons, may form in the residual limb producing abnormal (ectopic) activity (Katz, 1992). Flor, Nikolajsen and Jenson (2006) proposed that ectopic discharge from a neuroma in the stump illustrates abnormal afferent input to the spinal cord, which is a possible mechanism for unpro...
MS causes a degeneration of the myelin around axons due to the killing off of oligodendrocytes, which are cells that make up the myelin sheath of an axon; losing myelin decreases the neuron’s ability to propagate an action potential. Since this disease affects the central nervous system, MS can cause dysfunction of both the sensory and the motor aspects of the body. Some common sensory complaints(Lundy-Ekman, 2007) of MS are tingling, numbness, and/or paresthesia in the affected area, which is variable but typically involves one or more limbs (Palace, 2001), as well as partial blindness in one eye, a decrease in vision acuity, and double vision. Lhermitte’s sign, which is a radiating shock that travels down the back or limbs, is another common characteristic of MS that aff...
Lou Gehrig's disease is often referred to as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), this is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons come from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the entire body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS would eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is also lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, for this reason patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed (Choi, 1988).
The skin technologies that have recently been created are astonishing. The remarkable breakthrough has made a huge advance in technology happen. Muscle and nerve control operation is when electrodes are permanently implanted into the nerves and muscles allowing the amputees limb to have total direct control. With this new muscle to nerve action
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2014). NINDS amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) information page. Accessed 2014 April 8
Stem cell research began in 1956 when Dr. E Donnall Thomas performed the first bone marrow transplant (“Adult stem cells are not more promising,” 2007). Since that time, research has evolved into obtaining cells from a variety of tissues. According to stem cell research professors, Ariff Bongso and Eng Hin Lee (2005), “Stem cells are unspecialized cells in the human body that are capable of becoming cells, each with new specialized functions” (p. 2). Stem cells are in various adult tissues, such as bone marrow, the liver, the epidermis layer of skin, the central nervous system, and eyes. They are also in other sources, such as fetuses, umbilical cords, placentas, embryos, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are cells from adult tissues that have been reprogrammed to pluripotency. Most stem cells offer multipotent cells, which are sparse...
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an acquired demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that typically is diagnosed in the second or third decade of life. Normally, nerves are enclosed in myelin sheaths that help facilitate transmission of nerve impulses within the CNS and the peripheral nervous system throughout the body. In patients with MS, the myelin sheath is damaged and eventually degenerates, causing patches of scar tissue called plaques or lesions to occur anywhere randomly on the myelin sheath (Ruto, 2013). This results in impaired nerve conductivity, which interferes with message transmission between the brain and the other parts of the body. As a result, impulse transmission is altered, distorted, short-circuited, or completely absent. This interference in impulse transmission creates muscle weakness, muscle imbalance, and possibly muscle spasms with partial or complete paralysis. Multiple sclerosis also can result in visual impairment and alteration of cognitive abilities, as well as pain, numbness, or tingling sensations (Ruto, 2013).
Most signs and symptoms of Parkinson disease correspond to one of three motor deficiencies: bradykinesia, akinesia, tremor, and rigidity. The first two qualities are usually present before tremor, but often attributed to aging by the patient and even the physician, and thus the disease is rarely diagnosed until tremor becomes evident much later. An average of 80% of the nigrostriatal neurons may have already degenerated by the time Parkinsonism is diagnosed, which complicates treatment (Fitzgerald, 130). Bra...
Parkinson's Disease is a perpetual, dynamic, neurodegenerative sickness of the elderly for the most part influencing individuals at the age of 60. Nearly 5 million people are suffering from this disease all over the world and 1.2 million people are suffering in United States and Canada with approximately 480 per million people are newly diagnosed each year. This disease not only affects the patient but also it is a cause of worry among patient's loved ones and family members. Though, the news of the recent disease diagnosis haunt every individual and his nears and dears but due to several support groups and societies and several scientific breakthroughs have put a ray of hope in the life of individual living with Parkinson's disease.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement (Dugdale, Koch, and Zieve 2010). In ALS, nerve c...
The sciatic nerve supplies information about movements of the leg and sends information about sensations back to the brain. The sciatic nerve is quite large, in fact, it is the largest peripheral nerve in the body.
Sensory neurons behave to physical stimuli such as light, sound and touch and send observation to the central nervous system about the body’s surrounding environment. Motor neurons, based in the central nervous system or in peripheral ganglia, disseminate signals to mobilize the muscles or glands.
With motor neurone disease it attacks the nerves, in the brain and spinal cord. This means messages gradually stop reaching muscles, which leads to weakness and wasting. In the case study the
When a message comes to the brain from body parts such as the hand, the brain dictates the body on how to respond such as instructing muscles in the hand to pull away from a hot stove. The nerves in one’s skin send a message of pain to the brain. In response, the brain sends a message back dictating the muscles in one’s hand to pull away from the source of pain. Sensory neurons are nerve cells that carry signals from outside of the body to the central nervous system. Neurons form nerve fibers that transmit impulses throughout the body. Neurons consists of three basic parts: the cell body, axon, and dendrites. The axon carries the nerve impulse along the cell. Sensory and motor neurons are insulated by a layer of myelin sheath, the myelin helps
The nervous system plays a major role in co-ordinating and controlling the body’s activities. It is made up of billions of nerve cells. These cells are linked to form a massive communications network. Nerve cells carry messages in the form of electrical impulses. These impulses are carried at high speed around the body to keep it safe and functioning normally. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease which progressively injures the nerves of the brain and spinal cord. Injury to the nerves in multiple sclerosis may be reflected by alterations of virtually any sensory or motor (muscular) function in the body.