An understanding of the brain is essential to developing safe and effective treatments for disorders of the nervous system and for advancing our understanding of the human experience. Nervous system disorders cost the US more than $400 billion in medical expenses each year (1). In addition to having great clinical significance, such research offers a valuable perspective into the nature of the brain-behavior relationship. The extent to which the brain is organized in terms of overt behavior remains an open question. Because it is difficult to ethically manipulate the neural composition of humans in the laboratory setting, our understanding of the biological and neurophysiological influences on behavior is limited. In the spirit of this class, I have decided to take an alternate route to untangling the connections between brain and behavior. In this paper, I will discuss Familial Dysautonomia, a neurological disease that encapsulates the relationship between sensation, perception, emotion, physiological response and the nervous system.
Familial Dysautonomia (FD), also called Riley-Day Syndrome, is one of five hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies (HSANS) (2). FD is an autosomal recessive disease of the Ashkenazi, or European, Jewish population (3). As the name implies, this neurological disorder is characterized by the incomplete development of the autonomic nervous system. The behavioral phenomena observed in FD sufferers can be used as an instrument to gage the inner activities of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). We already know that the ANS is responsible for life-sustaining regulatory processes. The autonomic nerve fibers form a system that regulates the heart, blood vessels, glands, the digestive system and othe...
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..., a comprehensive database of FD related information, offering links to recent press releases, online information and family support networks.
http://www.familialdysautonomia.org/
4) Memorial University of Newfoundland , Autonomic Nervous System I.
http://calloso.med.mun.ca./~thoekman/autonom/ans1.htm
5) Autonomic Differential Diagnosis , a breakdown of congenital sensory neuropathologies.
http://www.neuro.wustl.edu/neuromuscular/autonomic.html
6) Newton's Apple , Tears: Why do we cry?
http://www.eecs.umich.edu/mathscience/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/newton/tear.html
7) Medical College of Wisconsin , Riley-Day Syndrome, respiratory disease and the possible role of catecholamines.
http://chorus.rad.mcw.edu/doc/00356.html
8) Pain and Sedation on the PICU , an outline of the neurophysiology of pain
http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~skhoury/PAIN.html
Now let’s break down what General Anesthesia actually is. General Anesthesia makes you both unconscious and unable to feel pain during medical procedures. A study done by a team from Harvard Medical School, Weill Cornell Medical college, and the Massachusetts Ins...
A big part of Dysautonomia is knowing what it is, its symptoms, and causes. First, Dysautonomia is an umbrella term which describes multiple problems throughout the body. Such as dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system which controls functions of the body like the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, metabolic system, endocrine system. Those who get Dysautonomia have trouble regulating these systems. Second, Dysautonomia can be life threatening and ranges from mild to disabling. Those who have Dysautonomia report increased symptoms after illness, trauma, or immunizations and children tend to struggle more than adults with basic functions of life. Dysautonomia tends to affect more females than males; it has a female to male ratio of 5-1. This disease is not very well known or heard about in society because it is such a rare disease (“What is Dysautonomia? What Causes Dysautonomia?”). Third, Dysautonomia can be diagnosed in different forms and with other diseases. Most people get diagnosed with another disease along with Dysautonomia. Some of these diseases or conditions that Dysautonomia is diagnosed with are Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease. People can also be diagnosed in different forms such as; Neurally Mediated Syncope (chronic condition where blood pools and there is a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate), Pos...
Volles, D. F. (2011, April 11). University of Virginia Health System Adult and Geriatric Sedation/Analgesia for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures. Retrieved May 12, 2011, from University of Virgina Health System: University of Virginia Health System Adult and Geriatric Sedation/Analgesia for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures
The biological perspective examines how brain processes and other bodily functions regulate behaviour. It emphasizes that the brain and nervous system are central to understanding behaviour, thought, and emotion. It is believed that thoughts and emotions have a physical basis in the brain. Electrical impulses zoom throughout the brain’s cells, releasing chemical substances that enable us to think, feel, and behave. René Descartes (1596–1650) wrote an influential book (De Homine [On Man]) in which he tried to explain how the behaviour of animals, and to some extent the behaviour of humans, could be like t...
Brannigan, C. Michael. Ethical Issues in Human Cloning. New York: Seven Bridges Press, Chatham House Publishers, 2001.
Postrel, Virginia. “Should Human Cloning Be Allowed? Yes, Don’t Impede Medical Progress.” In Dynamic Argument. Ed. Robert Lamm and Justin Everett. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. 420-23.
In this article, the author expresses the effects that spanking your child as a form of punishment at the age earlier ages of toddlerhood such as to the effects it has on the child when he or she becomes older. Spanking is a very common form of punishment at this age and used frequently across the United States as well as other countries. Many parents do not understand the effects that spanking has on their children now and what effect it has on their future and that there are other forms of punishment that can leave the same impact but cause less emotional and physical damage.
Sian Beilock is the author of this novel, the information written by her would be considered credible due to the fact that she is a leading expert on brain science in the psychology department at the University of Chicago. This book was also published in the year 2015 which assures readers that the information it contains is up to date and accurate. The novel is easy to understand and the author uses examples of scientific discoveries to help make the arguments more relatable. Beilock goes into depth about how love, is something more than just an emotion, it derives from the body’s anticipation. “Volunteers reported feeling
Lindley, P., Pestano, C. R., & Gargiulo, K. (2009). Comparison of postoperative pain management using two patient-controlled analgesia methods: Nursing perspective. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(7), 1370-1380. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.04991.x
Stomberg, M., Sjöström, B., & Haljamäe, H. (2003). The Role of the Nurse Anesthetist in the Planning of Postoperative Pain Management. AANA Journal, 71(3), 197.
The use of spanking is one of the most controversial parenting practices and also one of the oldest, spanning throughout many generations. Spanking is a discipline method in which a supervising adult deliberately inflicts pain upon a child in response to a child’s unacceptable behaviour. Although spanking exists in nearly every country and family, its expression is heterogeneous. First of all the act of administering a spanking varies between families and cultures. As Gershoff (2002) pointed out, some parents plan when a spanking would be the most effective discipline whereas some parents spank impulsively (Holden, 2002). Parents also differ in their moods when delivering this controversial punishment, some parents are livid and others try and be loving and reason with the child. Another source of variation is the fact that spanking is often paired with other parenting behaviours such as, scolding, yelling, or perhaps raging and subsequently reasoning. A third source of variation concerns parental characteristics. Darling and Steinberg (1993) distinguished between the content of parental acts and the style in which it was administered (Holden, 2002). With all this variation researchers cannot definitively isolate the singular effects of spanking.
This is the true start to Percy’s quest. He made a few friends in the camp and they agreed to go on this journey with him. Those accompanying him were his protector Grover and Athena’s daughter Annabeth. They also get some helpful tools fro...
The documentary, “Amazing Secrets About the Human Brain” presented by the History Channel, explains how the brain works to people with little to no academic knowledge on the subject. The brain is “the most complicated device” humans have found, so it is certainly a topic of interest to many. In the past few years, knowledge of the brain has grown significantly. The documentary’s goal is to describe the complexity of the brain and how it influences various human behaviors, such as fear, sexual arousal, sports performance, and psychic mediums. With a minor shortcoming, the documentary does a sufficient job of introducing the complexity and workings of the brain to people with little knowledge of the topic.
My love for neuroscience began long before my passion for neuroscience research. My favorite aspect of psychology since my initial encounter in Advanced Placement Psychology in high school is the nervous system and brain function in relation to behavior. It is fascinating how something so small serves such an extremely important and vital role in our body and behavior. The intriguing details of the brain fuel my desire to learn more about its functions. After completing the Biological Basis of Behavior and Neural System Courses at the University of Maryland, my knowledge as well as curiosity for the brain heightened.
One scientist, Damasio, provided an explanation how emotions can be felt in humans biologically. Damasio suggested, “Various brain structures map both the organism and external objects to create what he calls a second order representation. This mapping of the organism and the object most likely occurs in the thalamus and cingulate cortices. A sense of self in the act of knowing is created, and the individual knows “to whom this is happening.” The “seer” and the “seen,” the “thought” and the “thinker” are one in the same.” By mapping the brain scientists can have a better understandi...