Damage To The Cerebellum: How The Functions Of The Human Brain

It was previously thought that children brains were less sensitive to injuries because the brain had a longer time to rewire or rewrite itself. Since a child’s skull is not as strong as an adult skull they are more susceptible to skull fractures which can puncture the brain and cause serve damage. Studies by Virji-Babul, Borich (ped neurology), showed that in a child’s brain the frontal and temporal lobes are more susceptible to damage. Damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are a major call for concern because those lobes are associated with learning, memory, and

Connected to the brain stem and is located in the back of the brain is the cerebellum. The cerebellum is responsible for motor coordination and also some learning involving movement. Once someone learns a new motor action that information is held in the cerebellum.

The central nervous system is what connects the brain to the muscles of the body. When a patient has an injury to the spinal cord, movements in certain parts of the body will be affected based on the location of the injury. If the injury affects hand motion then many day to day tasks are affected. This literature review seeks to understand how an injury to the spinal cord impacts movement, and what has been done so far to help those affected by spinal cord injuries.

The brain is a complex and curious organ; despite extensive research, scientists still know little about it. William Allman described the brain as “a monstrous, beautiful mess.” He went on to say that “its billions of nerve cells – called neurons – lie in a tangled web that display cognitive powers far exceeding any of the silicon machines [scientists] have built to mimic it” (faculty.washington.edu). Imagine this mess of neurons experiencing a simple disruption, one that creates a domino effect that effortlessly damages this intricately created organ. Some of the most disastrous disruptions to this complex organ, traumatic brain injuries, most commonly occur in the frontal lobe. Injuries to

The concept of neuroplasticity is new and upcoming in the field of medicine. Neuroplasticity is defined as “the process in which your brain's neural synapses and pathways are altered as an effect of environmental, behavioral and neural changes.” Simply put, neuroplasticity is how your brain grows and changes. This is crucial to individuals who have sustained severe brain or spinal injuries. In order for these new synapses to form the neurons must be constantly stimulated through physical and occupational therapies. However, not all therapies are covered under health insurances, and when they are covered patients and families are still forced to pay hefty co-pays if they wish to receive treatments. Physical, Occupational, and Psychological therapies

Brain function is essential for your whole body to function properly. It is important to know these functions and what they do in order to understand how TBI affects these parts of the brain. The front of the brain is known as the Forebrain. The forebrain is the largest part of the brain and it contains the thalamus, hypothalamus and limbic system. The thalamus acts as the sensory relay center of the brain and is responsible for directing signals to the correct areas. It receives all sensory inputs except for smell. The hypothalamus governs drives such as sex, aggression and hunger. The limbic system is a group of structures that are involved with emotions, drives and memory. The midbrain contains structures that are used for coordinated movement, sleep and arousal. It contains the reticular formation and if it becomes damaged you wouldn’t be alert or possibly not even conscious. The hindbrain contains the medulla, pons and cerebellum and is located at the back of the brain. The medulla is responsible for respiration and heartbeat, two necessary functions needed to survive. Pons are involved in movement, sleeping, waking up and dreaming. The cerebellum coordinates balance and muscle

Traumatic brain injuries are one of the leading causes for damage in the brain and lesions (TBI) (Wheeler, Nickerson, Long & Silver, 2014). Two types of injuries that occur following brain damage are open and closed head injuries. Open head injuries are often fatal and occur in such cases as when objects such as bullets penetrate the head of the victim. Closed head injuries result from blows to the head in situations such as car accidents or sports injuries. TBIs normally evolve in two forms: primary damage which occurs upon the impact of the cause and secondary brain damage which is progressive over the time of the trauma. Research has indicated that TBI greatly affects both cognitive and executive functions resulting in memory loss and reasoning problems. They encounter difficulties in solving problems, making proper judgments and decision-making. Underlying causes from TBI are what result in several writing deficits. Expressive writing is one of the major writing disorders that are caused by TBIs (Wheeler, Nickerson, Long & Silver, 2014). Research has shown that the general TBI population suffers from this and it is notable in school children because they engage in activities that are affected by this particular disorder. Those who suffer from TBI are subjected to a multitude of writing issues in both aspects of expressive writing: higher order skills and lower order skills. Higher order skills affect sequencing, planning, and organization of writing while

The hypothalamus is the part of the brain notified by receptors of an occurring imbalance in the body temperature and triggers reactions to overcome or counteract the change.

The brain is the center of the nervous system; it receives information, interprets the information and guides the body’s response to the information. Three parts of the brain are the cerebrum, cerebellum, and the diencephalon, along with the brain stem. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain which handles memory, speech, the senses, emotional responses and much more. Below and behind the cerebrum, attached to the brainstem is the cerebellum. This part of the brain controls our motor functions, ability to balance as well as our ability to interpret information sent to the brain by the eyes, ears and other sensory organs within our body. The brainstem plays as a connector; it connects the brain to the spinal cord which runs down the neck and back. To stay alive your body needs to breathe in air, digest food and circulate blood; the brain stem also acts as a charge to get these functions going. Inside the cerebrum we have the diencephalon, which is also above the brain stem. Sensory function, food intake control and the body’s ability to sleep are the jobs of the diencephalon. A traumatic injury to the brain such as a massive blow or violent shake can cause any of these functions to malfunction which is called a concussion.

The purpose of this project was for the interns to have a greater understanding of what kind of disabilities that they will be working with, not only at Adaptive, but also as a future physical therapist. For me personally, I have never heard of cerebellar ataxia before, and it was interesting to learn how the cerebrum works, and it vital role in movement. The idea for doing this project came from our instructor Jeff Krug. At the very start of the internship, he assigned all the interns a specific disability that we had to research and do a powerpoint on. Initially we were suppose to present them, but time did not allow this. Hopefully though, he will be able to use some of the information that I have presented for future interns, or even a

Early man/woman developed neural connections in an environment of intense physical activity which created pathways of learning in the cerebellum that were profoundly influenced by movement. The cerebellum also plays a significant role in cognitive functions of the frontal lobe that are stimulated while learning. Movement impacts and reinforces learning, reading, and comprehension due to the creation and strengthening of the neural connections in the cerebellum. Incorporating physical exercise and movement in a curriculum increases levels of student participation and retention while providing opportunities to scaffold while

The brain is the most complex organ in the human body; its mysteries rival the understandings of our solar system and continuously challenge the efforts of neuro physicians and researchers alike. This extraordinary biological structure defines our personality, controls how we move, and regulates our five senses. When the brain suffers an injury, the consequences can be devastating; affecting many important aspects of a person’s life, including permanent disability and untimely death (National Institute for Neurological Disease and Stroke, 2014). The impairment of brain tissue, from an injury or trauma, represents a serious public health problem in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control (2014).

Every day I wake up, go to school, and end my day in the gym, therefore I believe that the cerebellum is an important brain region for my daily life. The cerebellum is located behind the top part of the brain stem and receives information from the spinal cord, sensory systems, and other parts of the brain to regulate motor movements. The cerebellum also coordinates voluntary movements, and the tasks I must execute in the gym involve examples of these. Balance, coordination, posture, and speech are some examples of voluntary movements, which result in smooth muscular activity. Any damage to the cerebellum could cause lack of balance, slower movements, and tremors, hence making my daily physical tasks problematic.

The brain has been effected in many different ways. Think of a developing brain as constructing a barn. The first thing you would need to do is prepare the foundation. The first step is always important because it set the base of everything. Just like an infant’s brain, you always want to do everything in your power in order to protect it. The early years of a child's brain seems to be the most important years of their life. The damage that the brain sustain while in the womb could negatively affect them the rest of their life. With the sudden rise of so many different health cases a pregnant mother endures, it is difficult to estimate how many children around the world will be negatively

The cerebellum (or ‘Little Brain’) is an area located at the back of the brain, positioned underneath the occipital and temporal lobes [Figure 1]. The structure’s main purpose is the fine-tuning of movement, and maintaining posture and balance. The cerebellum is commonly thought of as a motor system, because it is mostly involved in outputting to the movement (motor) system. However, the cerebellum’s purpose is not the creation of motor commands, rather the moderation and adaptation of commands to increase their accuracy. It also uses a surprisingly large amount of neurons relative to its size: although it is only approximately 10% of the brain’s total volume, it accounts for over 50% of the total number of neurons in the