In the early twentieth century, during the end of the First World War, the puzzling illness of Encephalitis Lethargica (EL) swept the world. Millions of people were left to die and others less fortunate continued to live, trapped within their frozen and emotionless bodies. EL causes an inflammation of the brain, targeting the brain stem, which is home to critical motor components like the Basal Ganglia and Substantia Nigra. As it progresses, patients feel rigidity, muscle twitching and tremors similar to Parkinsonism. The current theory on the cause of EL is due to an immune reaction to a streptococcus like bacteria. The film “Awakenings” is a good representation of the physiological effects of the disorder but lacks at depicting the seriousness of psychological issues surrounding EL.
Patients who survived the acute affects of the illness, developed major chronic symptoms in there later years. Such was the case with the main patient in the film, Leonard Lowe, who had the misfortune of acquiring the illness at a young age. The symptoms progressed and left him in a catatonic state along with other survivors. Near the beginning of the film most patients including Leonard are seen motionless in their wheelchairs with a lack of expression on their faces. This accurately resembles the state in which most patients of that disorder are left under. One of the key components damaged in EL is the Basal Ganglia (BG). A major structure in the BG is the Caudate Putamen, which extends into the temporal lobe and amygdala. If the caudate putamen is damaged there is unwanted choreiform (writhing and twitching). Damage to the substantia nigra results in hyperkinetic symptoms seen with EL patients as well as Parkinsonism. Likewise a major projec...
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...could be greatly improved by depicting some patients having forgotten who they are. In one study, it suggests that “short –term memory loss is common but underestimated because psychiatric symptoms and speech problems often interfere with the assessment of memory.
Another major role of the basal ganglia as mentioned in the lecture notes is its importance in speech production. We clearly get a glimpse of this as Leonard is slowly regressing back to his previous stage, he no longer can formulate speech and has trouble clearly pronouncing each word.
Works Cited
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3930727.stm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17675021 http://courses.washington.edu/conj/bess/parkinsons/parkinsons.html http://www.encephalitis.info/files/1113/3993/2124/encephalitis_lethargica.pdf http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987703003189
Although The Terminal Man is science fiction, the science behind the fictional concepts is still presented accurately. ADL syndrome is a fictional mental disease, but the effects and symptoms are very similar to what a person with temporal lobe epilepsy would experience. For example, if Harry Benson starts to smell something bad or feel funny (Crichton, 39), this could be a sign that he will have a seizure. He also has no memory of what happens during these seizures, and sometimes doesn’t even remember having said seizures. People with tem...
Histological examination shows severe degeneration of Purkinje cells, reduction in the number of cells in the molecular and granular layers of the cerebellar cortex, severe loss of the number of cells in the pontine nuclei and olives, and demyelination of the middle cerebellar peduncle. The cerebellar nuclei are well preserved. The tegmentum of the pons, the corticospinal tracts, and the restiform body are also usually unaffected. In clinical cases involving extrapyramidal symptoms, degenerative changes in the striatum, espec...
research. All that was known is that Rasmussen’s encephalitis was a degenerative disease of the brain
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. Jean-Marie Charcot was the first to recognize ALS as a distinct neurological disease with its own unique pathology. In ALS, nerve cells degenerate and deteriorate, and are unable to transmit messages to muscles. In around 90% of the cases of ALS, the cause remains unknown. Studies have concentrated on the responsibility of glutamate in motor neuron degeneration. Glutamate is one of several neurotransmitters in the brain. While there is no known cure for ALS, strides in medicine have allowed for the development of a wide variety of medications to treat the various symptoms of ALS, as well as dietary, physical therapy, and breathing techniques, all of which can lessen symptoms and increase life expectancy.
In year 1969 Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a neurologist, was accepted at the Bronx Hospital, wherein he was ask to deal with patients with mental problems. He had a problem dealing with communicating with patients, which was reprimanded by a nurse named Eleanor. He then noticed the catatonic patients, who survived the epidemic, Encephalitis Lethergica. He noticed that there were responses through their stimuli in the patients that they can still catch a ball even with no direct knowledge about it. Dr. Sayer then work intensively to accomplish the goal of waking the patients in their catatonic state. He then encountered a patient named Leonard Lowe, who was a patient who suffers the Encephalitis Lethergica at young age, who was able to communicate with
The basal ganglia are part of the extrapyramidal system and work in conjunction with the motor cortex in providing movement and serve as the relay center. Damage to this area results in Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, the second most common form of cerebral palsy. Involuntary purposeless movements, particularly in the arms, hands, and facial muscles, characterize Athetosis. In addition, the individual can become “stuck” in abnormal positions or postures and require specific positioning to maintain more normal tome and
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent and uncertain intrusions of normal brain function, called epileptic seizure (Fisher et al., 2005). The word epilepsy was derived from the Greek word “attack”. The primitive Greeks thought epilepsy was contagious, and hence people with epilepsy used to live alone (Dam, 2003). It is one of the oldest conditions known to humankind (WHO, 2001a) and still the most common neurological condition affecting individuals of all ages. At any given time, it is appraise that 50 million individuals worldwide have a detection of epilepsy (WHO, 2001b). Epilepsy is charaterised by the incident of at least two unprovoked events of recurrent disruption in neurological function. Epilepsy is not a single prognosis but is a symptom with many fundamental causes. (Nunes et al., 2012).
Walton, Sir John. Brain’s Diseases of the Nervous System. 9th ed. Oxford University Press. Oxford: 1985.
Upon concluding my neurobiology course, I spent some time reflecting on what I've learned about the nervous system and its functions. I thought about how much progress has been made in the last couple of decades alone in defining and understanding certain aspects of neuronal functions, and must admit that I am very impressed. However, there is still so much we don't know about this area, and nowhere has this notion proved more true than in my exploration of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. As will soon be clear, this disease is highly debilitating and can greatly lower the quality of an individual's life, yet to date there are no definite findings about the etiology of this illness. But even more importantly, this illness shows the importance of understanding and being able to assess the different workings of our nervous system and its complex nature. Unfortunately, the study of this same disease also shows the human inability to yet do so.
Parkinson's disease, Elderly patient, Bradykinesia, Akinesia, Substantia Nigra, Alpha-synuclein, Rest tremor, Micrographia, Levodopa, Carbidopa, Dopamine, Frozen gait, Depression, Deep Brain Stimulation, Hospice, Living will and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPHC).
Imagine if you loss control of your body but your mind stayed unaffected. You would be a prisoner in your own body, all leading up to your death sentence. That is the sad fate for the people diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). “Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder was first described by Ran in 1850. This description was then expanded in 1873 by Charcot, who emphasized the involvement of the corticospinal tracts. In the United States, ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous ball player who was stricken by the disease in the midst of his career. (Yale School of Medicine, 2014)” In this paper will go through the definition, the process, the signs, the risk factors, etiology, and discus the known people that have suffered with this terminal disease.
...ia nigra than in that of healthy brains, and the remaining class often show signs of abnormality” (Weiner et al., 2001, p. 7). This is one of the major differences from a typical functioning brain and one that is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. As said previously, those with Parkinson’s suffer from a loss of dopamine, contrasting those who are typical functioning. This disorder will impact the patient in many ways ranging from the way they walk, their voice pitch, how they swallow, and much more.
In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer discovered a “peculiar disease”. Dr. Alzheimer was an expert in linking symptoms to microscopic brain changes. Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of Auguste D., a patient who had died of an unusual mental disease. Her symptoms ranged from memory loss to unpredictable behavior. Afte...
The horrible feeling of forgetting a coworker’s or an acquaintance’s name may be one of the most frustrating things a person can experience. This is a fact that many patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s face on a reoccurring basis. Loss of memory is a common part of the aging process and is sometimes referred to as dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is not reversible in this day and age. In fact, 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s and in 2015 more than 5.1 million cases age 65 or older were reported (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). The most startling statistic is that by 2050, 14 million Americans and 81 million worldwide cases are expected (Wierenga & Bondi, 2011). While dementia is a part of Alzheimer’s it also affects an afflicted patient ability to perform day to day tasks, increased mood swings, and in the later stages, the ability to even walk or care for themselves. This horrible disease
The basal ganglia, highlighted in blue on the diagram, is responsible for movement and emotions, and integrating sensory information. Schizophrenic patients’ basal ganglia in their brains function abnormally. These defects are thought to contribute and trigger the symptoms of paranoia and hallucinations.