CTE is a progressive degenerative brain disease.It has been relatively common. It is like alzheimer's it could start with memory loss, mood swings, and difficulty in concentration, developing into progressive dementia and even possible thoughts of suicide. But unlike alzheimer's CTE can also result in significant aggression and lack of impulse control. The big difference is that Symptoms tend to begin much earlier in life (closer to your 40s instead of 60s) and both diseases there’s no known cure. Researchers believe that there’s only one way to get CTE and that is repeated hits to the head. What happens is that you get a build up of an abnormal protein called tau in the brain. Scientists do know the location of the tau and how much tau of
CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is a progressive neuro- degenerative disease which had not been found in football players until recently. It was stated in the episode, “Repetitive brain trauma starts this cascade of events in the brain that changes the way tau [protein] looks and behaves. It goes awry, it starts destroying the integrity of the brain cells.” Doctor Omalu’s discovery was the first hard evidence which proved playing football could cause permanent damage. This finding was not well received by the NFL and Omalu was met with attacks by the MTBI committee and the NFL as a whole.
Tay-Sachs disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that is known to be genetically inherited. Both children and adults may suffer from this neurological disease, but it is most common in children (Percy, 1999). This disease causes abnormal brain development in individuals who are affected by this disease. This disease is known to get progressively worse, and unfortunately leads to death. Due to the rapid progression of this disease, the life expectancy is no more than five-six years of age due to complications related to the disorder (Percy, 1999).
The case studies post-mortem examinations that Dr. Omalu and his colleagues conducted exhibited chronic trauma to the brain, causing encephalopathy or brain damage (Omalu, Hamilton et al 42). Appropriately, Dr. Omalu decided that the research encompassed the pathology of Neuro-degenerative disease. Accordingly, he decided to name the research based on the findings of these case studies, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
Violence is a common cause of TBI. This is especially true for acts of intentional aggression, such as when one individual assaults or abuses another. Research has shown that TBI caused by child abuse has a high mortality rate, and even those who survive still suffer the side effects of the injuries. A study was conducted involving pediatric patients from 2001 to 2010 in order to determine if victims of nonaccidental trauma (NAT) suffered an increased risk of morbidity from TBI. According to Deans, Minneci, Lowell, and Groner (2013), NAT resulting in head trauma is generally caused by “not only deceleration injuries but also repetitive high-velocity rotational forces (shaking), resulting in a more global injury called diffuse axonal injury (DAI) or s...
Tay-Sachs disease is a genetic disorder, eventually leading to death of the inflicted. Genetic diseases have to do with mutations in one or more than one of the genes located on a person’s chromosomes. In the case of Tay-Sachs, it is a mutation of an autosomal chromosome, specifically chromosome #15 (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). The mutated gene is the Hex-A gene, which codes for the production of the enzyme beta-hexosaminidase A (see picture A) (ghr.nlm.nih.gov).
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a degenerative disease of the brain linked to symptoms of dementia and depression. Some other symptoms of CTE include: amnesia, aggression...
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease attributed to single, sporadic, or repetitive brain trauma, including concussions and subconcussive hits (Baugh et al., 2012; Wortzel et al., 2013). This disease was originally referred to as dementia pugilistica, and nicknamed “punch drunk,” because individuals suffering from this disorder would present symptoms that were similar to someone’s mannerisms while being intoxicated (Wortzel et al., 2013). This “drunken” behavior is thought to be attributed to the cognitive, mood, and behavioral alterations as a result of the repetitive hits to the brain over an extended period of time. Because individuals suffering from this disease are often exposed to conditions that allow them to sustain blows to the head multiple times, the populations most often examined in these studies are athletes (football, boxing, rugby) and/or individuals in the military (McKee et al., 2009). Individuals can be symptom free for several years (Baugh et al., 2012). The onset of symptoms are sometimes seen about eight to ten years after an individual retires from their sport, which roughly equates to someone aged thirty to fifty yeas old (Baugh et al., 2012; Wortzel et al., 2013; Karantzoulis and Randolph, 2013). As with all diseases, symptoms can range from mild to severe. Researchers have found a positive correlation between the number of brain injuries sustained during a length of time playing a sport and the severity of symptoms (McKee et al., 2009).
Tay-sachs disease is perhaps a very dramatic disease because it strikes most keenly at small children and babies. The disease is very rare and fatal. Tay-sachs is a genetic disorder in which harmful amounts of fatty lipids, known as ganglioside GM2, is built up in the nerve cells in the brain. Infants who with Tay-sachs disease, who are not carriers, appear to develop normally for the first few months since their birth, but as the nerve cells become swollen with the fatty material, a severe decline of mental and physical abilities occurs. The child then becomes deaf, blind, and unable to swallow.
Imagine that there is a disease that is terrible and causes trouble for you every day, there is no cure, there is only the dragging on of day after day. This is Tay Sachs Disease, it is a disease that is lifelong, that is, unless it kills you early on in life. This disease has lots of symptoms. These symptoms are a result of how the disease affects the brain and its functionality. This disease is an inherited disease, and is known as a serious genetic disease.(“Health and Wellness Resource center and Alternative Health Module”). This disease is a autosomally recessive disease that is caused by a defect in the HEXA gene which provides instructions for making part of an enzyme called beta hexosaminidase A, which is critical in the brain and spinal cord. (“Health and Wellness Resource center and Alternative Health Module”). This enzyme helps to break down GM2 or ganglioside, which without the enzyme to break it down, accumulates to toxic levels in the brain causing serious, life-threatening complications.(“Student Resources in Context Tay-Sachs “World of Health.Gale,2007.Student Resources in context.Web.22 May 2014”). Three type of this disease are Infant and Juvenile Tay Sachs, Chronic Tay Sachs, and L.O.T.S which is similar to chronic, but occurs later in life.(“Student Resources in Context Tay-Sachs “World of Health.Gale,2007.Student Resources in context.Web.22 May 2014”). Infant and Juvenile result in death while Chronic and L.O.T.S result in a life filled with muscular weakness, and trouble doing everyday activities.(“Health and Wellness Resource center and Alternative Health Module”). Tay Sachs can be spotted before the parents have children by either both admitting to a blood test or if they have a CVS, or Chorionic Villus ...
High impact sport injuries are really dangerous. If you get hit hard the results could be bad. The long term negative health effects of high impact sports injuries are concussions and CTEs. The first reason why I think high impact sport injuries are dangerous is concussions. Getting hit in the head hard causes one. Concussions make you see blurry, you can forget things, and you can get a lot of headaches.
In this day and age, it seems as though almost everyone has experience a loved one taken away form a very serious disease known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is unbelievably devastating for everyone affected by it. This disease is causing major economical problems such as less occupancy in the nursing homes, and hospitals due to the rising population of elderly men and women being diagnosed with it everyday. Because there is not yet a cure for this disease and the percent of the population being diagnosed keeps rapidly rising, more time and money needs to go towards Alzheimer’s research.
Alzheimer's Disease Introduction to Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain. It was first described by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915). in 1905. This disease worsens with advancing age, although there is no evidence. that it is caused by the aging process.
Because CJD is such a rapid progressing disease most patients die within one year of onset. Some of the symptoms associated with CJD are much like Alzheimer’s. “Some common symptoms include depression, agitation, apathy and mood swings, rapidly worsening confusion, disorientation and problems with memory, thinking, planning and judgement, difficulty walking, and muscle stiffness, twitches, and involuntary movements.” (Alzheimer's Association, 2016). Diagnosis of CJD is a controversial issue. The only way to diagnose CJD is by brain biopsy or autopsy. In a brain biopsy, a small piece of tissue is removed and examined by a neuropathologist. This is of course dangerous and not always effective because it is hard to know if the tissue obtained is from the affected part of the brain. Biopsies are usually not recommended, not only because of the risk, but because there is no treatment available that will cure CJD. “There is no treatment that can slow or stop the underlying brain cell destruction caused by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other prion diseases. Various drugs have been tested but have not shown any benefit. Clinical studies of potential CJD treatments are complicated by the rarity of the disease and its rapid progression.” (Alzheimer's Association, 2016). Treatment for CJD is aimed at alleviating symptoms and making the patient as comfortable as possible. “Doctors may prescribe painkillers such as opiates to treat pain if it occurs. Muscle stiffness and twitching may be treated with muscle-relaxing medications or antiseizure drugs. In the later stages of the disease, individuals with CJD become completely dependent on others for their daily needs and comfort.” (Alzheimer's Association,
Since the gene for HD is dominant, there is a 50% chance of a sufferer's
According to Elias, Binit, and Shah (2014) it is estimated the 10 million to 20 million Americans suffers from ET and 6.3 % of the population is affected worldwide. The average age of onset is 52, but can present at ages greater than 60 and as young as 8 years old. Males are minimally affected more than women and there is no discrimination related to the patients’ race. ETs is a progressive disease that can negatively impact patients’ gross motor skill such as writing, getting dressed, cooking meals, fine motor skills such as writing thus causing distress at home and in the work environment. This disease can have a great impact on the patient mental health resulting from co...