Neurological Diseases/Injuries/Disorders

1. Neurological Diseases/Injuries/Disorders What can you do to protect your nervous system?

2. Epilepsy • Most common neurological disorder in US • Seizure disorder(must have 2 or more)—electrical impulses causing sometimes severe muscle contractions • Grand Mal—large and obvious • Petite Mal—small, sometimes unnoticable • Can be caused by injuries, illness, abnormal brain wiring, imbalance of chemicals

3. Meningitis • Affects the meninges and cerebrospinal fluid (shock absorber in brain) • Caused by either bacteria or virus—which is worse?? • Can lead to brain damage, hearing loss, learning disability • Accompanied by high fever, headache, stiff neck; also possibly nausea, vomiting, difficulty seeing in bright light, confusion, lethargy • The worst cases can cause death

4. Stroke aka Brain Attack • Caused by heart problems, high BP, build up of plaque in arteries that supply oxygenated blood to the brain • Specific cause—blood clot in brain or blood vessel bursts in brain • May experience numbness in face, arm, and/or leg usually focused on one side; sudden confusion, trouble talking or seeing, loss of balance, severe headache; paralysis which can be permanent; death • Treat with blood thinners and clot dissolving meds • FAST???

5. Alzheimer’s • Most common form of dementia • Changes in brain tissue; loss of nerve cells, chemical levels, not fully understood; age and family history • Causes forget- fullness and memory loss • No cure but meds to slow progression; keep brain active • Usually occurs 65+

6. Brain Tumor • Benign? • Malignant? • Which is worse? • Can they both be bad?? • Primary—start within the brain • Metastatic—start elsewhere in the body and spread to the brain • Cancer comes from changes that occur in genetic material, previous radiation exposure, exposure to chemicals, family history • May cause headaches, seizures, speech problems, impaired vision, weakness in parts of the body, problems with understanding, thinking, and memory • Treated by radiation, chemo, surgical removal when possible • Benign is more common in women

7. Poliomyelitis • No longer common in the US—epidemic in the 40s and 50s. • Caused by a virus spread through human waste—contaminated food and water • Causes fever, tiredness, vomiting, neck stiffness, leg and arm pain, and sometimes paralysis • Prevented with vaccine, no cure, treat symptoms • FDR

8. Parkinson’s • Usually an elderly disease • Unknown cause—thought to have something to do with the chemical dopamine and acetylcholine in the brain • Causes shaking or tremors in hands and arms, but can also occur in legs, feet or jaw (more prevalent at rest); muscle aches and stiffness, balance problems, “poker face,” and drooling • Surgery may help symptoms, meds to balance the chemicals within the brain, no cure • Michael J. Fox and Mohammed Ali

9. Multiple Sclerosis • Affects the myelin sheath that covers nerve cells • Remitting—comes and goes • Progressive—keeps getting worse • Unknown cause of the myelin being scarred (sclerosis), but does not allow the nerves to communicate effectively • Can cause numbness, tingling, weaknesses, fatigue, dizziness, double or blurry vision, blindness; most severe cases cause muscle spasms, bowel and bladder problems, slurred speech, sexual problems, paralysis, confusion, memory loss • No cure but meds help control (steroids and adapting lifestyle) • 400000 affected in US; affects women more than men; usually between the ages of 20 and 40

10. Paralysis • Caused by injury to brain or spinal cord; injury or illness in nerves; stroke; polio • Causes loss of muscle function in part of the body • Hemiplegia • Paraplegia • Quadraplegia • Treatments include stem cells, retraining body, and physical therapy—often irreversible

11. What can you do to protect yourself? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ?