Neurological System Case Study
A thirty-five-year-old male is admitted to a hospital following a minor car accident. He was driving home and fell asleep at the wheel. This is the third accident he has had in the past year. He also falls asleep regularly at work, at the dinner table, at church, and, in fact, anywhere. When he becomes excited or enraged, he suddenly becomes weak and falls. At night, he often has bizarre, terrifying dreams. During these dreams, he feels as if he were paralyzed.
Based on the scenario given above, answer the following questions:
• Describe how a nerve impulse is transmitted from one neuron to the next.
The neuron is the primary structural, functional unit and information/communication cell of the nervous system
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NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep is the light and deep stages of sleep “initiated by withdrawal of neurotransmitters from the reticular formation and by the inhibition of arousal mechanisms in the cerebral cortex.” The reticular formation found in the brainstem is primarily responsible for generating REM sleep, and NREM sleep is produced by projections from the reticular formation and other areas of the mesencephalon (midbrain). Normal sleep happens in cycles of NREM and REM sleep. When a person falls asleep, he first enters into a light sleep and then progresses into increasingly deeper stages of sleep (NREM cycle) for about 90 mins, followed by the initial stage of REM sleep, the two cycles alternating throughout the night. For people suffering from narcolepsy, sleep begins immediately with REM sleep and portions of REM happens involuntarily throughout the waking hours. As mentioned earlier, REM sleep is when muscles are paralyzed and when dreams take place, explains the associated symptoms of cataplexy, paralysis and hallucinations (McCance & Huether, 2014; "National Sleep Foundation," …show more content…
It typically combines medication with behavioral therapy. A combination of drugs is prescribed. Stimulants such as such as modafinil and methylphenidate to promote daytime alertness and reduce excessive daytime sleepiness, antidepressants such as tricyclics (imipramine, desipramine, clomipramine, and protriptyline) and selective serotonin and noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors (venlafaxine, fluoxetine and atomoxetine) to treat cataplexy, hallucinations and sleep paralysis and a potent sleep-inducing drug such as sodium oxybate or gamma hydroxybutyrate, that’s taken at night to improve nighttime sleep and reduce cataplexy and daytime sleepiness. All these drugs have undesirable side effects and careful consideration should be taken to balance the therapeutic effects and side effects. The objective is to attain normal alertness with minimal side effects. Lifestyle changes includes short frequent 10-15 minute naps to fight excessive sleepiness, maintaining a regular sleep and meal schedule, regular exercise, and avoiding heavy meals, alcohol, caffeine and nicotine which can disturb or induce sleep. Counseling is very important even with treatment because the symptoms of narcolepsy are not widely understood by the general population and can be quite scary and embarrassing to the patient. Narcolepsy can be debilitating, interfering with daily activities and personal relationships (Perry, 2016;
The nervous system is made up of basic units called neurons. The main role of the neurons is to receive, integrate and transmit information throughout the body. There are some neuroglial cells found in nervous system aswell which provide support to the neurons by giving protection and nourishment Neurons have nerve processes that looks like finger like projections extended from the nerve cell body. They also contain axons and dendrites which enable them to transmit signals throughout the body. Normally, axon carry signals away from the cell body and dendrites carry signals toward the cell body according to Regina Bailey (2013). Neurons have three different shapes: bipolar, unipolar and multipolar where bipolar has two neuronal processes coming out of the cell body, unipolar has only one neuronal process coming out of the cell body and multipolar has many neuronal processes coming out of the cell body.
While there is no cure for narcolepsy, there are treatments to make managing symptoms easier. There are three treatments for narcolepsy. According to Mayo Clinic, there are three treatments for narcolepsy. The first being selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) or Serotonin and Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). These treatments can subdue the REM sleep, to help with the other symptoms. The second treatment is antidepressants. They are only effective for cataplexy but can have dangerous side effects. The last treatment is Sodium Oxybate (Xyrem). Xyrem is one of the most effective treatments for Narcolepsy. Xyrem improves nighttime sleep, which in turn improves the excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. Currently over 60,000 people are prescribed Xyrem. However, Xyrem can be very detrimental. Xyrem can cause coma or death if mixed with alcohol or other
This is a short article written by a collaboration of people by a company named Today’s Science. Their main goal was to describe the pattern of sleep a human goes through during the night. This cycle is called NREM and REM, non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement. They mostly describe what happens during sleep because without sleeping you could not dream. Dreaming occurs during the rapid eye movement cyc
| A neuron is known as an excitable cell that can process and transmit information through electrical and chemical signals. Neurons are the core components of the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and nervous system.
Have you ever not gotten enough sleep, or cut your sleep short for a class? Show of hands? Alright, well today I will be speaking with you about a subject that is near and dear to all of our hearts. Today I will be talking about sleep, specifically about REM sleep. First off does anyone know what the initials REM even stand for? REM stands for rapid eye movement, and it is the stage of sleep in which most dreams occur. It gets its name from the way your eyes move back and forth in this stage. Though those movements are slower than how your eye would move when you are awake. During a typical night, you cycle between REM and non-REM sleep, but spend the majority of your time asleep in non-REM.
Possible symptoms of a herniated disc include pain that radiates through the back and possible down the arms or legs, depending on the location of the herniation. There can also be noted numbness and weakness of the arms and neck. Some people may not even know that they have a herniated disc because not all cases present with leg or back pain. Other signs and symptoms of a herniated disc may include muscle spasms or deep muscle pain. In extreme cases, a patient may present with weakness in both legs and/or the loss of bladder control and bowel control. This is a serious problem called cauda equine syndrome and requires immediate medical attention.
1.1. Identify 2 conditions that may lead to an acute illness of the neurological system.
After their trials, the authors concluded in their article “Attention Deficits in Patients with Narcolepsy,” that due to the loss of REM sleep that narcolepsy causes, individual often times tolerate periods of times of lessoned attention, alertness and memory, and this can create various problems in their regular routine, specifically as in their education, work, or personal relationships (Rieger et.al., 2003). Other physical symptoms that characterize narcolepsy are cataplexy and sleep paralysis. These physical symptoms are depicted in the article “What are the Symptoms?” Cataplexy is a brief attack of muscle weakness where an individual is unable to freely control one’s own muscles (“What are the Symptoms?” 2010). The most severe case of cataplexy results in complete loss of control of a voluntary muscle, in which that person is unable to move, speak, or even open one’s eyes (“What are the Symptoms?” 2010). Sleep paralysis also affects one’s ability to move and speak when falling asleep, and like cataplexy, sleep paralysis occurs when the person is completely conscious of what is happening (“What are the Symptoms?” 2010). These two physical symptoms that might come along with the
Various medications are prescribed, including amphetamine and antidepressant drugs. In addition, to reduce symptoms, lifestyle adjustments are required for example, avoiding alcohol and caffeine. Even heavy meals and nicotine are not recommended. Also, an adaptable sleep schedule and taking daytime naps about 10 to15 minutes will help. Amazingly, exercising regularly can make a big difference in reducing symptoms. (Alaska Sleep Clinic, 2014) Treating children can be a little bit more difficult because they cannot take the same drugs prescribed for adults. It is trickier because these drugs have been tested on adults therefore they are not suitable for children. Doctors are still hoping this day to find more cures. Researches will hopefully find ways to prevent new cases of narcolepsy and also discover better treatments (CTV News,
2. The treatment of Narcolepsy includes medications that lessen daytime sleepiness, such as Ritalin, Provigil, and Xyrem.
My project had explained detail in Nervous system and also part of brain .Already i mentioned the title NS because of related with daily life .Neuron science is the field of science that focuses on the study of the Nervous system. Nervous system consists of Brain ,spinal cord ,sensory organs, and all of the nerves that connect the organs with the rest of the body. Together these organs are responsible for the control of the body and communication among its parts .The brain and spinal cord form the control part known as CNS , when information evaluated and made decision. Nervous system has two components. A.CNS B. (peripheral nervous systems) CNS-is a part of Nervous system made up of Brain and Spinal Cord. Peripheral nervous system - Is a part
In the final stage of sleep called R or REM sleep but also known as Rapid Eye Movement sleep, you will have to progress back through stage N2 to get to REM. In this stage the body temperature rises to a near waking level, eyes begin to move rapidly, and the heart rate becomes faster. More than half of dreams occur in REM sleep. Dreams in this stage will seem more vivid and life like. You can also experience sleep paralysis. This stage occurs every 90
Neurons communicate with one another along a synapse. Neurons are excitable cells that are activated via electrical or chemical signals. Nerve cells are an integral part of the nervous system. Neurons are made up of three distinct parts. The three integral parts of the neuron are the cell body, the dendrites, and the axon. The cell body is the middle portion of the neuron and contains the nucleus. It also contains the organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria.
The formation of the nervous system requires a balance between proliferation, differentiation and migration of neural progenitors, resulting in a neural network that mediates both behaviors and autonomic functions. Here, we identified an exon junction complex protein , RBM8a, as a positive regulator of embryonic neural progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation. We determined that RBM8a knockdown leads to increased migration of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) to the cortical plate (CP), depletion of the NPC pool, and a decrease in the number of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle. Conversely, RBM8a overexpression leads to decreased migration of NPCs to the CP, expansion of the progenitor pool, and increased proliferation. In order
 REM Sleep (Rapid Eye-Movement Sleep): a stage of sleep associated with dreaming, and characterized by frequent eye movements, suppression of the muscles.