The Role Of Basal Ganglia Of Language Processing And Comprehension

Throughout this semester, this class has informed me about Parkinson’s. Although neuroscience is an ever-developing field, I have learned a lot about Parkinson’s symptoms, causes, and new developments that are currently being researched. Being the third most common neurological disorder in the United States, research on preventing or treating Parkinson’s is imperative. Parkinson’s causes a hyperactivity in the

Much research has supported the fact that there is brain structure differences in individuals diagnosed with FASD (Nunez, el al 2011). Research into the brain of individuals has discovered abnormalities in the volume and thickness of the frontal lobes (Nunez, el al 2011). This results in impairments in attention, working memory, and executive functioning that can be traced back to the frontal lobes (Nunez, el al 2011). In addition researchers have also found smaller volumes of basal ganglia, which is a group of nuclei associated with motor control and learning (Nunez, el al 2011). Furthermore, caudate nucleus, which is inside the basal ganglia has also been found to be smaller in individuals was FASD (Nunez, el al 2011). Caudate nucleus is associated with mental flexibility and behaviour inhibition (Nunez, el al 2011). The hypothalamus, which is most responsible for its link with the nervous system was also found to be smaller in individuals was FASD (Nunez, el al 2011). Moreover, the thalamus was also found to be of smaller volume and is responsible for relaying motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex (Nunez, el al 2011). Luckily studies have also found that the hippocampus, which required for the formation of memories was left relatively normal (Nunez, el al 2011). The most affected area has been pinpointed as being the anterior vermis, located inside the

The major component shared by both Parkinson’s disease and dementia is the functioning of neurons, with a then understandable association. Dementia is caused by neuron demise or diminished capacity of communication with other cells, while Parkinson’s disease, neurons in the basal ganglia experience deterioration that disrupts the normal neurotransmitter dopamine balance where neurons waste and die. With this shared neuron deterioration, the prevalence of dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease is clearly understood. One-third of all patients with Parkinson’s disease will display dementia (LeMone, Burke, & Bauldoff, 2011) with indicators identical to Alzheimer’s form of dementia.

In Parkinson's Disease and Huntington's disease the nigra-striatum neural communication assemblage is severely hampered. PD results from a depletion in the amount of dopamine produced by the brain. At the onset of the disease, dopamine-secreting cells of the substania nigra, either because of genetic factors or environmental toxins, experience mass cell death. Thus, the nigra cells are unable to form synapses through which they secrete and relay dopamine to the striatum in a neural circuit within the basal ganglia (18).

Parkinson’s disease is caused by the destruction of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the midbrain (Substantia nigra). These nerve cells are used to coordinate smooth and regular body movement. In the absence of these cells, people often experience tremors (involuntary shaking or

Parkinson's Disease is a literally crippling neurodegenerative disorder, manifested in about 1% of the aged population. People who have Parkinson's Disease gradually lose control of their movements; specific symptoms include, "tremor, slowness of movement, stiffness, difficulty in walking, and loss of balance." (1) Evidence strongly suggests that Parkinson's Disease is the result of severe cell loss in the substantia nigra. This brain structure is principally involved in the production of dopamine. (2) Dopamine, among other functions, is the neurotransmitter involved in initiation of movement. Hence, the link between dopaminergic cell loss and cessation of voluntary movement, as manifested

The basal ganglia is comprised of the caudate and the putamen (together these form the striatum), the globus pallidus (internal and external), substantia nigra and the subthalamic nucleus. These components work together in order to coordinate the motor movement of the body. The basal ganglia works with the motor cortex of the brain to execute these motor movements. In the direct pathway signals are transmitted through the basal ganglia (from the striatum to the internal globus pallidus) to the thalamus which then sends it to the motor cortex. Signals that go through the indirect passage take a much more complicated route. First the striatum is excited and the signal continues on to the external globus. The external globus then inhibits the subthalamic nuclei which in turn excites the internal globus. The internal globus then inhibits the thalamus which ultimately excites the motor cortex. When a person has Huntington’s chores neurons in the basal ganglia start to experience cell death, the path to the motor cortex becomes disrupted. When neurons begin to die off the less and less neurotransmitters are released at the damaged part of the pathway. In the direct pathway Huntington’s disrupts the signal from the striatum to the internal globus. This causes a net increase in the inhibition of the thalamus. The more the inhibited the thalamus is, the

Abnormal brain activity is caused when low levels of dopamine are decreased, which leads to symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The cause of Parkinson's disease is unknown, but symptoms of the disease are caused by low levels of a chemical in the brain called dopamine. All this information regarding Parkinson's disease is important because it gives us an understanding about what it is and who it normally involves. This disease affects the lives of many people, where it has an effect in their everyday activities. When trying to perform a certain task, their motor system interferes and creates an individual constraint which also plays a role with affecting both task and environmental abilities to perform certain activities that limits and restricts individuals motor movement. Haywood (2009) explains how every individual has their own constraints: individual, task, and environmental, but are limited when it comes to having a type of disorder. The main focus of this literature review is strictly focusing on Parkinsonian gait. Parkinsonian gait is the type of gait that is exhibited by patients who are suffering from Parkinson's disease. This disorder is caused by a lack of dopamine in the basal ganglia circuit leading to motor deficits, making gait one of the most affected motor

The purpose of my research conducted for this paper was to examine the relationship between Parkinson 's disorder and its connection to the anatomy of the human body. Parkinson 's is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement due to the loss of Dopamine. Dopamine which is a neurotransmitter located in the brain allows signals to be transported from one nerve cell to another. Its purpose is to regulate both movement and cognition. The loss of these chemical messengers can cause both stiffness of the body and tremors, which are two common effects of Parkinson 's. Throughout this paper I will include more information gained through my research of the disease and its relationship to the human body.

Not only does Parkinson’s take away your ability to control your muscles, it also affects the control of your mind. These non-motor symptoms cause disabilities as well as lower the health-related quality of life for patients who are affected (Chaudhuri, 2011). Developing neuropsychiatric and other non-motor symptoms is not uncommon. Depression, anxiety, reduced cognitive function, insomnia, fatigue, and autonomic disturbances have been found in these patients (Poewe). Dementia is another major concern when dealing with Parkinson’s patients. The incidence of dementia occurring is close to eighty percent (Parkinson’s, 2010). Risk factors for the development of dementia include

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world. Since an increasing number of people are reaching a high age, it is predicted that also the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease will be higher in the future. The symptoms of the disease are both motor symptoms like tremor and impairment of the gait, but along with that, psychological symptoms and memory loss are evident in many cases.

The human brain is a detailed network of nerve cells which receive and transmit electrochemical signals around the body. Billions of neurons work together sending information to nerve cells, muscles and gland cells. This essay will go into depth about how knowledge of neurons has allowed illnesses such as Parkinson’s to be more understood. Due to developing knowledge, Parkinson’s has been found to be connected to the death of neurons and low dopamine responses in the brain ("Parkinson 's disease - NHS Choices", 2016). The neurons objective is to convey information to neurons and other cells. The human brain has evolved over decades and has intricate wiring allowing humans to communicate and move (Palmer, L. M., & Stuart, G. J. 2006). Once the death of neurons take place the brains objective becomes harder to achieve and therefore the growth of diseases and illnesses form affecting the human’s ability. Parkinson’s is a disease and affects the bodies motor skills this being movement. However, cognitive ability still functions as normal but the long term effects of Parkinson’s can cause an inability to speak and the unstoppable tremors ("Parkinson 's Disease: Hope Through Research", 2016). Once the major symptoms of the disease take place the psychological impacts can cause people feel trapped in their own body due to not being able to communicate although, still being able to process information. This can be a frustrating and a very devastating disease as the symptoms vary and

The pathology behind PDD is a dopaminergic neuronal loss in the substantia nigra and the presence of Lewy bodies made up of α-synuclein in the cell bodies and processes of the neurons that are left over (Rongve, Dauer). The dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra are being lost or inhibited by the production of the misfolded proteins resulting in the lewy bodies. The neurons of the substantia nigra are thought to make up the nigrostriatal pathway, thus their destruction would result in loss of dopamine up to the striatum, made up of the caudate nucleus and putamen. This loss of sufficient dopamine to the striatum of the basal ganglia is what is causing most of the motor movement symptoms seen in PD patients (Dauer). My grandpa used to be a police officer, and I have always perceived him as this big tough guy who could take on anything. After he got older and his PD developed, his movements got much slower and I saw him become this timid man who was unsure

Parkinson’s disease is affected by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons which is responsible to produce dopamine. Dopaminergic neurons have their cell bodies in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) in basal ganglia (O’Sullivan and Schmitz, 2007). Basal ganglia are a collection of interconnected gray matter nuclear masses deep within the brain”. These gray matter masses are caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus and the substantia nigra. Basal ganglia receive its input through striatum (O’Sullivan and Schmitz, 2007).

It has been known that PD is a disorder affecting the basal ganglia. The term basal ganglia is generally applied to a collection of nuclei situated deep within the cerebral hemispheres, lying laterally to the thalamus (Gazzeniga, George, and Mangun, 2008). The basal ganglia are important subcortical structures. They are composed of five nuclei: caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus, and substantia nigra. These nuclei are not thought of a single anatomical entity; rather, they form a functional unity whose contribution is greatly to motor control. Interestingly, this system does not influence movement through spinal cord pathways, but rather acts as part of a feedback loop to all areas of the cerebral cortex, with primary input into motor areas (Aird, 2000). A number of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters are what control this whole process, and a balance of both is required to ensure that smooth, purposeful movement takes place. In order to understand the pathways of which the basal ganglia take part in, it is essential to know the input and output connections of the basal ganglia. The input