Meningitis Research Paper

Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person’s spinal cord and fluid that surrounds a person’s brain. It is sometimes referred to as Spinal Meningitis. It’s usually caused by either a bacterial or viral infection. As you read through this paper you will learn how Meningitis is transmitted, its symptoms, its effects, and even the incidences it has caused.

Meningococcal meningitis: In Europe and the Americas, serogroups B and C are predominant while in Africa serogroups A and C are dominant; serogroup W-135 is pandemic and serogroup Y as the dominant strain of infection in the United States and Canada. There are 75-80% of patients acquiring this type of infection which is an infection of the brain and spinal cord with a mortality rate of 2-4%. Bacterial meningitis causes brain damage, hearing loss and learning disabilities to those that do survive. Meningococci shed their endotoxin, which damages tissues and activates the cytokine cascade (inflammation). This then allows them access to the subarachnoid space causing the blood-brain barrier to seep.

The bones of the skull, the vertebral column, and the meninges, containing CSF, provide a hard box with an interior cushion around the brain and spinal cord. In addition, glial cells surrounding neurons form a blood-brain barrier that prevents any potentially harmful substances in the bloodstream from gaining access to neurons. However, these protective factors can become interrupted by the extreme sensitivity of nerve cells due to oxygen deficiency.

The brain is fill with a vast network of capillaries, which are surrounded by a single layer of cells and those cells are what forms a barrier between the capillaries and the fluid of the brain. Those cells are known as endothelial cells. This paper will focus mainly on the blood brain barrier.

Cerebrospinal fluid is the liquid that protects the CNS. Cerebrospinal fluid plays an important role in regulation of intracranial pressure and metabolic functions. The fluid circulates in two different compartments. Ventricles are the first place that the fluid circulates. The second place is what surrounds the CNS, subarachnoid space. Cerebrospinal fluid is secreted by the choroid plexus, which are located in the ventricular system. The CSF constantly reabsorbs and does so through the subarachnoid

In the human central nervous system, this role is given to the skull, meninges (three protective layers of connective tissue), and the cerebrospinal fluid.

Meningitis – is a kind of infection or inflammation that affects the delicate membranes of the brain and spinal cord in infected individuals.

The central nervous system (CNS) is the largest part, and includes the brain and spinal cord. The spinal cavity contains the spinal cord, while the head contains the brain. The CNS is enclosed and protected by meninges, a three-layered system of membranes, including a tough, leathery outer layer called the dura mater. The brain is also protected by the skull, and the spinal cord by the

Meningitis the infectious disease that is an “Inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord known as the meninges”(Laboratory Information). Meningitis first appeared in 1768 by Edinburgh physician Sir Robert Whytt in a posthumous report. The first meningitis outbreak was recorded in 1805 Geneva. The first ever outbreak in Africa was in 1840 and after that a bunch of epidemics had become more common in the 20th century. Meningitis has many symptoms, it has a treatment but no cure, and meningitis can cause some issues for a person.

The brain, the control center for all functions in the body, the center of all emotions and feelings, and without which there is no life, sits inside of the hard, bony skull. The brain is highly vascularized with an intricate system of arteries and veins. Between the brain and the skull lie the meninges which consist of three layers: the arachnoid (closest to the brain), the pia mater and the outer most layer the dura mater which is tough and fibrous. Problems can occur when there is a trauma to the head, often occurring from a motor vehicle accident, fall or assault. The blood supply to the brain can be injured and blood can leak out of the damaged vessels, usually veins, and can accumulate between the dura mater and the brain. This is known as a subdural hematoma. When this occurs it consequently puts pressure on the brain, damaging and even killing brain tissue. The difference between subdural hematoma and a stroke is that a stroke can come from bleeding

The three layers covering the brain are the Dura Mater, Arachnoid Mater and the Pia

4.a Static equilibrium responds to head position changes. Maculae is what tells the brain the location of the head. The maculae have tiny hairs called otoliths, which make up the otolithic membrane. When the head moves, otoliths respond to changes in gravity, which pulls on the otolithic membrane. A plate then covers the otoliths, which causes them to bend and send signals to the vestibular nerve. The vestibular nerve tells the brain the location of the head.

The different layers of the brain are the hindbrain, the limbic system, cortexes, and main association areas. The hindbrain includes the medulla, pons, and cerebellum. The limbic system includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and the hippocampus. The cerebral cortex involve the motor cortex, the sensory cortex, and also have to do with the major lobes of the brain as well. Each part in each layer of the brain work together to allow us to have memories and interpret sensory information. All parts are vital to the way our body functions and one would not work without the other.

     The cranium and the Cranial Meniges surround and protect the brain. The Cranial meninges are continuous with the Spical meninges. Both have the same basic

That layer of cells forms a barrier between the capillaries and the cells and fluid of the brain.