Nervous System Unit Lesson 5: Nervous Disorders Flashcards
What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Abnormal neurons become present in significant amounts throughout the brain
affects the brain
What is the result of Alzheimer’s Disease?
Neurons are misshapen due to the presence of abnormal proteins leading to the tangling of axons.
Individuals with AD have difficulty performing basic daily activities and loss of memory
What are the causes of Alzheimer’s Disease?
Causes are not well understood but have been linked to specific genes.
Age is a large factor with most individuals with AD developing the condition after 65 years of age
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
A gradual loss of motor control occurring in the body over time
affects the central nervous system
What is the result of Parkinson’s?
Movement and speaking become difficult and the body experiences tremors
What is the cause of Parkinson’s?
Neurons that supply dopamine to the basal nuclei in the cerebrum function degenerate. Without the dopamine, the basal nuclei are poorly regulated and send excessive excitatory signals to the motor neurons
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Myelinated neurons in the white matter of the brain become damaged and can no longer conduct nerve impulses properly.
aka. encephalomyelitis disseminata
affects the myelinated neurons
What is the result of Multiple Sclerosis?
Individuals experience numbing, tingling, vision problems, and limb weakness
What is the cause of Multiple Sclerosis?
Causes are poorly understood but considered an autoimmune disease, dude to white blood cells attacking the body’s own myelin and neurons in the central nervous system
What is Meningitis?
The meninges surrounding the CNS become infected by either a virus or bacteria, causing excessive inflammation
affects the meninges
What is the result of Meningitis?
Prolonged infection can lead to the pathogen passing into the actual brain tissue.
What is the cause of Meningitis?
The meninges can become infected by a pathogen that infects other nerve cells and is carried back to the brain
What is Prion Disease?
Some misfolded proteins can pass their misfolded shape onto normal variants of the same protein. These proteins are termed prions from PRoteinaceous infectION
affects the brain
What is the result of Prion Disease?
Individuals with Prion Disease have PRoteinaceous infectION proteins in significant quantities in their brain tissues, that can lead to nerve cell death and holes in the tissue
What is the cause of Prion Disease?
Some prion diseases can be acquired by ingesting tissues of infected organisms such as cows with mad cow disease
What is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Motor neurons become non-functional
affects the motor neurons
What is the result of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis?
Individuals die eventually due to the important neurons (ex. those in lungs) no longer performing properly. Motor neurons begin to fail but the brain remains largely unaffected.
What is the cause of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis?
Cause is unknown but is thought to be genetic.
Individuals with ALS have unusually high concentration of the neurotransmitter glutamate, which is toxic in higher levels.
Other possibilities can include environmental factors and autoimmune reactions
What is Hansen’s Disease
Nerves in various regions of the body are damaged by excess inflammation or bacteria binding to myeline associated structures
aka. Leprosy
affects the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, eyes
What is the result of Hansen’s Disease?
Nerve damage leads to poor communication within the body, which can lead to lesions, rashes, and numbness
What is the cause of Hansen’s Disease?
Leprosy is caused by two species of bacteria in the genus Mycobacterium. It is transmitted from infected individuals to healthy individuals via fluids to and from the upper respiratory tract
