Greetings class. I am Professor Valle and today we will discuss the development of the nervous system. Before we begin with the subject, I would like to share a small clip. Please focus on the signs and symptoms seen on the clip. (At this point I will show the clip on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9R4cjdCGoY, it will last no more than 3 minutes). Did you see anything wrong between the couple? If so who was it? What were some of the signs and symptoms that you noticed throughout the clip? Yes, you are all correct. This was a day to day life of someone living with Alzheimer’s disease. Notice how the wife was not able to do basic survival task. She was not able to put her shoes on, hygiene, eat, sleep, or exercise without assistance. She had also lost her memory, she kept asking her husband who are you? Even though he was constantly taking care of her on the daily basis. This type of mental illness affects 10% of people over the age of 65 (Turner, 2006). I did not show you guys the clip to be scared of what the future might hold, I showed you the clip to demonstrate an example of a disorder caused by a disturbance in brain cell growth.
This class will focus on the importance of how the brain cells grow and how they degenerate. We will also address the following questions:
What facilitates the growth process?
What happens when brain cells die?
What is the impact of brain cell growth and degeneration on the brain and on human functioning?
What are some disorders
1) This video was an educational and eye-opening documentary about the infamous Alzheimer’s Disease and its effects on the victim and their family. The film follows several different families, each directly affected by the disease, and how they cope with the loss of their, or a loved one’s, memories and mind. One such family, the Noonans, had a rare form of the disease, where its destruction of the mind began much earlier in life, around age fifty. Three of the Noonan siblings out of ten caught Alzheimer’s and none of the other seven knew whether they had the gene for it or not, passed on by their mother, who also died of this. Watching this unfold in the movie “The Forgetting” was rather eye-opening,
Among various types of organ systems, the nervous system is one of the most important one in human body. It is responsible for producing, controlling and guiding our thoughts and responses to the world around us according to James W. Pennebaker (2012). During embryological development, the cells that form nervous system are incredibly specialised and work complexly than the cells that form skin or other body parts. Neurosecretory cells are one of the examples of specialised nervous system cells that produce neurosecretions. Neurosecretions are hormones which carry information from sensor cells to target cells and they can be released directly into the bloodstream
According to data available from the Alzheimer’s foundation every 67 seconds someone develops Alzheimer’s disease and currently at least 5.3 million people are affected by the disease. The numbers are expected to grow as 75 million baby boomers transition into retirement by 2030. Alzheimer disease is a brain disorder that causes decay and dis- function of neurons resulting in memory loss, speech and language impairment. This can also extend to challenges in physical and social behavioural. The brain, consisting of the cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem is the primary target of Alzheimer’s disease. At three pounds the brain has a network of arteries and a folded cortex that is responsible for memory and movement. These functions are facilitated by a network of neurons. Alzheimer’s disease interferes with these neurons by disrupting electrical transfer; Death of brain cells is inevitable as the cortex shrinks becoming incapable of developing thoughts and memory. The Alzheimer’s patient experiences an altered personality with family members becoming strangers.
Alzheimer's. The purpose of my paper is to gain a clearer comprehension of this horrible,
A brain deteriorates, slowly being engulfed by a mysterious disease. The neurons being cut off and destroyed by two abnormal structures. First memory is affected gradually getting worse. Then one is unable to think properly, reason, and lacks of self control. Gaps are formed in the brain 's ventricles, due to the amount of dead tissue. In the end, it will lead to death. All of this may sound like something from a science fiction movie but infact its very real. These are all known possible symptoms of a common disease that affects about millions of Americans. It is known as Alzheimer 's disease (AD), and I plan on explaining it a bit more in this paper. First I will explain the disease and list some facts about it,then I will talk about some commonly asked questions about it.
Agustin was a 76-year-old male, who lived in a comfortable home with his wife Juana in Hastings, NE. He was a healthy man, until his wife started noticing that something was different about him. Over time, Juana would start to notice that Agustin would forget simple things such as the date &time and would go to the store and forget to bring back the food she had requested. This concerned Juana, so, she convinced Agustin to go to the emergency room. Once at the emergency room, Dr. Matthew, began to ask Agustin some questions about his medical and family history. Turns out, Agustin’s family had a history of Alzheimer’s. Nonetheless, the doctors wanted to be sure about the diagnosis, so they decided to perform some mental and verbal tests on Agustin.
In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer, noticed some changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms were comprised of memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. After her death, Dr. Alzheimer examined her brain and found many abnormal clumps (amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of
Dementia refers to the loss of brain function and Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia. It normally attacks old people, but research shows that even the young and energetic can suffer from dementia. Though not totally clear, it is said to be caused by the genes and the environment. Alice Howland is a highly esteemed professor at Harvard University living comfortably with John Howland her husband and three children. The first signs of dementia start showing up when she can’t find her cell phone and she thinks this is normal as her husband normally misplaced his keys, then she becomes disoriented in her home town, and is baffled when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages. We feel for Alice because how she
Although these formations are the hallmarks of this disease, it is still unclear to scientist whether these are the cause or effect (byproduct) of AD. (“Alzheimer’s Disease”) To reiterate, symptoms of AD were always present, but were never recognized or coined until 1907. Before Alzheimer’s big break through, the majority of the community correlated dementia and age as a “natural.” The connotation of the term senile implied old age or progression of age. It wasn’t until the late 1970s where neurological studies boomed and credited Alzheimer’s as an accepted disease. Later as a result, the Alzheimer’s Association was created in 1985. (Reger 2) This gradually perpetuated further understanding of this disorder that is still being continued today.
Many scientists hypothesize that protein dysfunction plays a role in the progressive damage and death of nerve cells. The nerve cells may be blocked from communication
Though humans largely retain optimal cognitive function and experience little physical neural changes throughout adulthood, with aging comes change in structure and decline in brain function.
This paper is on dementia, a late-life disorder, as it pertains to the geriatric population. “It is estimated that 24.3 million people around the world have dementia and that, with an estimated 4.6 million new cases every year, we can expect about 43 million people and their families to have to handle the challenge of dementia by 2020.” (McNamera, 2011) I will cover three relevant points concerning this disorder that cause changes in the brain.
As age increases, we can expect some loss of heart, lung, joint, and sexual functioning. Some loss of brain cells and mental efficiency is a normal part of
The organs of our body are controlled by many systems in order to function correctly and efficiently in order to survive within the environment we live in. These include the heart, stomach and intestines and other vital organs and body systems. All of the systems in our body are regulated by a part of the nervous system called the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is part of the peripheral nervous system and it controls many organs and muscles within the body. Rather bizarrely we are unable to determine or feel its presence in our bodies as it is working involuntary, as a reflexive manner. A common example of this involuntary action is best understood when
Brain development in the first two years is the most important and critical. Maria Montessori referred to this time as of the "absorbent mind" Early brain development is the frame work for the road ahead. When and how the brain develops in the first two years will play a critical role into adulthood. At birth, the brain is the only incomplete organ. The brain will continue to grow through childhood and adolescents.