Astrocytes are star-shaped glial cells found within the central nervous system, outnumbering neurons 7:5 in the human brain (Nedergaard et al., 2003). Following their initial discovery in the 19th century, astrocytes were originally viewed as passive support cells for neurons, providing a physical scaffold for neuronal organization (Nair et al., 2008). However, it is now recognized that astrocytes play a more active role in cerebral function, from ionic homeostasis and neurotransmitter recycling to neurovascular coupling and inflammation (Kimelberg, 2010; Sidoryk-Wegrzynowicz et al., 2011; Tian et al., 2012). Through their participation in various neuronal and cerebrovascular processes, astrocyte dysfunction has been shown to play critical roles in certain brain pathologies, such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis (Sofroniew & Vinters, 2010). These functions include astrocytic participation in neurovascular coupling, or the process whereby altered neuronal activity causes subsequent cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in adjacent tissue (Iadecola, 2004). Thus, if a brain area exhibits high neuronal activity, local CBF increases correspondingly. The purpose of this ‘functional hyperaemia’ is to provide more oxygen and nutrients to, and facilitate metabolite …show more content…
AD is generally characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-β-peptide (Aβ) plaques (which are neurotoxic) in the brain and surrounding blood vessels (Iadecola, 2004). AD has also been associated with altered cerebrovascular morphology and reductions in CBF, where it has been found that risk factors for vascular diseases, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, are risk factors for AD as well (Farkas & Luiten, 2001; de la Torre, 2002; Iadecola,
Hemineglect is present when there is damage to the dorsal/ where visual pathway in the brain which leads from the occipital lobe of the brain to the parietal lobe. The ‘where visual pathway’ is concerned with constructing three dimensional representations of the environment and helps our brain to navigate where things...
Firstly, there is various of sensing activities as in seeing and hearing as in a sense of understanding of what is seen and heard. Secondly the sense of feeling in numerous parts of the body from the head to the toes. The ability to recall past events, the sophisticated emotions and the thinking process. The cerebellum acts as a physiological microcomputer which intercepts various sensory and motor nerves to smooth out what would otherwise be jerky muscle motions. The medulla controls the elementary functions responsible for life, such as breathing, cardiac rate and kidney functions. The medulla contains numerous of timing mechanisms as well as other interconnections that control swallowing and salivations.
Clinically, Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque between living neurons in the brain (Sabbagh, 2008). This results in an excessive calcium influx inside the neurons and the breakdown of a protein called tau. Normally, the rol...
Several of the most active areas of research in risk reduction and prevention include cardiovascular factors, physical fitness, and diet. Any damage to blood vessels could cause damage to the brain. This is because the brain is link to these blood vessels. Regular physical exercise increases blood and oxygen flow to the brain which increases the health of the brain. Eating healthy has an effect on heart health which links to brain health. This diet includes little red meat and more of vegetables and produce, as well as fish, nuts, and other healthy
Rowland, L. P., ed. Merritt’s Textbook of Neurology. 7th ed. Lea and Febiger. Philadelphia: 1984.
Kanske, P., Heissler, J., Schönfelder, S., Forneck, J., & Wessa, M. (2013). Neural correlates of
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE, is a neurodegenerative disease where an excess amount of tau, an abnormal protein, builds up inside of the brain. According to “A critical review of chronic traumatic encephalopathy”, the disease also creates “multiple blockages of the axonal transport to the brain cells, along with white spaces in the brain on a MRI scan.”, as
According to SEER Statistics, 23,380 people are estimated to get a brain or nervous system cancer diagnosis. Out of those people, 14,320 people are estimated to die from their brain or nervous system cancer diagnosis (National Cancer Institute). Cancer is a type of dangerous tumor, or a buildup of extra cells that form a mass of tissue, that can be life threatening (National Cancer Institute). The term for a tumor that is cancerous is a malignat tumor, whereas a benign tumor does not contain cancer cells (National Cancer Institute). According to the National Cancer Institute, the causes of brain cancer are unknown, but risk factors include family history and excessive radiaton exposure. Although they are not always due to a brain tumor, comon symptoms include headaches, nausea, speech, hearing, vision, and mood changes, problems with balance and mamories, seizures, and numbness in arms and legs (National Cancer Institute). MRI and CT scans as well as surgical biposies (or the removal of part of the tumor to be examined) are used to diagnose brain cancer (National Cancer Institute). Different types of treatment options include radiation therapy, surgery to remove the tumor, and chemotherapy. According to Charles Davis, MD, PhD and Nitin Tandon, MD of WebMD.com, chemotherapy is “ the use of powerful drugs to kill tumor cells”. There are a few different types of chemotherapy, but all of which bring out the same kinds of side effects. Although the physical side effects of chemotherapy are commonly known, few people know of the emotional toll chemotherapy can take on a patient and his or her family as they go though this process.
...t one has it. Many scientists hypothesize that there is an inflammatory response in the brain when there is an extensive B-42 amassing. To slow or stop this, scientists theorize that the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, could delay the swelling in the brain. Also, as scientists have known that taking a multi-vitamin tablet each day is good for you, there has been recent research demonstrating that the use of antioxidants may protect neurons, not just the immune system and keeping the body healthy by providing vitamins and minerals. These special supplements protect the neurons from the effects of the accruing B-Amyloid that would likely cause the plaque that causes AD.
Culter, Mary Ann, Joanne Dombrowski, Michael Doughtery, Paula Henderson, and Laura McNicholas. “The brain: understanding nuerobiology. The brain-lesson1-What does this part of the brain do?” NIH publication, Mar.20120.21.Apr.2014.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, terminal, degenerative brain disease. It is the fourth leading cause of death in adults and currently affects over four million people in the United States. This number is expected to increase over the next several years as the baby boomers age, until it reaches fourteen million by the year 2025.
Fasting improves the brain health and its nervous system as a whole. In addition, it increases a protein known as BDNF (Brain derived Neurotrophic Factor). This type of protein is vital in preventing stressed neurons from being inactive or dying. A low level of BDNF is
Other problems with using these noninvasive imaging methods of only few changes of variables in the brain’s activity are that maybe the problem does not reside in the blood, oxygen intake, or glucose utilization. It may be in other factors that we do not observe that is causing the trouble. By being limited to these estimations of brain activity does not really make our effort of correcting the problem that successful.
In many opinions it is thought that the brain and the neurons have less than importance than the heart. However, there is large quantities that people disagree that the brain and neurons are an important factor in our body. One study showed, the brain is the one that control every part of the body. Awhile the neurons travels across a synapse se...
Ongoing studies suggest there could be a correlation to malfunctioning genes that produce significant chemicals in the brain, which are responsible for the d...