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Neurological impact from childhood trauma
The nervous system ii anatomy
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Denisha Vassan (Student Number 841892)
Psychology 1007 Essay 2
Processes involved in brain recovery after an injury or trauma
The control center of the human body is none other than the mighty brain. Due to its incredible importance in basic human functioning, both voluntary and involuntary, any injury or trauma to this organ will have a great influence on the body and it's capabilities (Burrus, 2013). Exploring how the brain deals with various injuries and damage proves that the functionality of the brain is fitting to make the brain the power house of the body. But before exploring this with the help of case studies, it is important to first make sense of the the anatomy and functioning of the nervous system as a whole in order to understand how it is affected during injury, the functioning of the body that is lost, the intervention implemented for treatment or rehabilitation and the changes experienced.
The brain is part of the central nervous system, which consists of neurons and glia. Neurons which are the excitable nerve cells of the nervous system that conduct electrical impulses, or signals, that serve as communication between the brain, sensory receptors, muscles, and spinal cord. In order to achieve rapid communication over a long distance, neurons have developed a special ability for sending electrical signals, called action potentials, along axons. The way in which the cell body of a neuron communicates with its own terminals via the axon is called conduction. In order for conduction to occur, an action potential which is an electrical signal that occurs in a neuron due to ions moving across the neuronal membrane which results in depolarization of a neuron, is to be generated near the cell body area of the axon. Wh...
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...nt, replacing lost cells. This would result in more dopamine-releasing neurons being present in neural networks, which would result in smooth, coordinated motions being possible to perform (Johnson, 2012).
In closing, the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system is vital for basic bodily functioning and processes. Injury, disease or abnormal structure of the brain will greatly affect one's behaviour, emotional regulation, mental processes and functioning. The brain will respond to any trauma, injury or abnormality to accommodate the dysfunction. During this response, the brain will physically change, the process called neuroplasticity, and attempt to "rewire" the brain to return to normal functioning. In the treatment of many cases as previously discussed, the aim was to reconnect neurons and the theory of neuroplasticity was the foundation behind it.
I intend to explore the effects of a parietal brain injury from the perspective of a neuropsychologist; ranging from types of tests that are employed when trying to determine the extent of the damage, to gaining an understanding of how this damage will affect the rest of the brain and/or the body. I will also explore the effects of a brain injury from the perspective of the family members, and their experiences with the changes that occur during the rehabilitation process. According to The Neuropsychology Center, “neuropsychological assessment is a systematic clinical diagnostic procedure used to determine the extent of any possible behavioral deficits following diagnosed or suspected brain injury”(www.neuropsych.com). As mentioned previously, a brain injury can be the result of many types of injuries or disorders, thus a broad range of assessment procedures have been developed to encompass these possibilities.
Prior to reading this book, I understood that brain structure and function are related; however, I did not realize how damage to the brain could have such widespread, yet restrained, effects. Sarah’s ability to use the entire left side of her body in movement and sensation was greatly compromised by a brain bleed and damage to the right side of her brain, meaning that different structures must have been affected by the damage; however, Sarah is still able to use the left side of her body if she recognizes it is there and concentrates on using it. With brain injury, I did not realize the extent to which injuries differ. Injuries can occur in different scenarios, such as a car accident, and impact all aspects of life, depending on the severity. The difference between whether an injury hinders or disables a person from performing a function lies in where the damage is done and how tremendous the impact is. Sarah’s injury did not disable her from a task such as seeing, but it did hinder her ability to see anything on or surrounding the left side of her body without concentration. In addition, I was unaware of the existence of hemispatial neglect syndrome. It is an interesting concept because although Sarah still had to ability to see and use the left side of her body with concentration, seeing
Each year, U.S emergency departments treat an estimate 173,285 sports and recreation concussions. During the last decade concussions increased by 60%. Fewer than 10% of concussions result in loss of conscious. Most people recover from a single concussion. Multiple concussions take longer to recover from. The concussion Clinic at Nationwide Children’s Hospital utilizes the expertise of pediatric sports medicine, physical medicine, and rehabilitation specialists.
One of the most memorable case studies I read about in high school psychology was the procedure of removing large portions, sometime half the brain, to treat young children with epileptic seizures. This procedure, called hemi-spherectomy, was developed in the 1920's but rarely performed due to complications (8). With the advances in medicine today, it has become a more common practice in treatment severe epilepsy. At first, though the procedure was expected to stop the seizures, doctors did not expect these children to ever function normally. After all, with so much of the brain missing, it is hard to expect much of the mental functions of these children. Surprisingly, these children often retained much of their personality, memories and sense humor (8), awing their doctors with the flexibility of the brains to adjust after such invasive surgery.
The number of children below the age of 19 are treated in American emergency rooms for concussions and other traumatic brain injuries increased from 150,000 in 2001 to 250,000 in 2009. That’s not cumulative, that is actually per year. Everyone should know how and when to treat a concussion, no matter if it is for sports or in general. Concussions can come from anything. Concussions can be an easily preventable injury, however due to poor equipment, a competitive mindset, unrecognizable symptoms, and untrained sports physicians, they are becoming quite common and can lead to potentially fatal brain disorders.
Head injury is about damage to any of the structures of the head as a result of trauma. It is most often used to refer to an injury to the brain. Head injury involves the bones, muscles, blood vessels, skin, and other organs of the face or head. The injury may be only a minor bump on the skull or a serious brain injury. Head injury can be either closed or opened. Head injuries either will cause bleeding within the skull or damage on the scalp and surface of the head. These injuries may be in the form of lacerations, bumps, or bruises. There are four main type of head injury, there are closed injury, open injury, concussion, scalp wound.
William James was conceivably the initial pioneer in addressing the topic of brain plasticity from a contemporary viewpoint, as he showed an association between the
Neuroscience refers to “the scientific study of the nervous system” It has been responsible for breakthroughs involving molecular, cellular, developmental, and medical aspects of human behaviors. Various organizations such as the “International society for neurochemistry” and the “European Brain and behavior Society” exist today to further the study of the nervous system and expand human understanding of medical and psychological ailments. The actual study of the nervous system dates all the way back to ancient Egypt where surgeons would drill holes into the human skull in order to alleviate a variety of aliments. The second half of the 20th century furthered the study of neuroscience via advancements in Molecular biology, and electrophysiology. These advancements are currently being used to study potential solutions to diseases such as (ALS) amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, strokes, and brain trauma. This research is funded by credible organizations such as the (NIH) National Institute of Health and the “National S...
This reduces the amount of current that would otherwise leak out of the axon and increases the distance that the current can flow passively. Myelination, aka axon insulation, increases action potential conduction up to 150m/s compared to 0.5-10m/s conduction velocities of unmyelinated axons! Speedy delivery of current information along axons is also due to the nodes of Ranvier. Nodes of Ranvier are gaps between insulated portions of the axon. The gaps create a place where the current can flow out of the axon so an action potential can be generated.
In the 1870’s, Camillo Golgi and Joseph von Gerlach became the first to propose the idea that the central nervous system consisted of a single continuous network. This implied that action potentials spread directly into adjacent neurons. Sherrington’s work challenged this view, supporting the notion, championed by Cajal, that individual cells made up the nervous system. Throughout the 1890’s, Sherrington studied spinal reflexes in animals by stimulating muscle and skin afferents. Owing to these experiments, Sherrington concluded that action potential conduction along axons and their transmission across axon terminals occurred via separate
Most of the body’s functions such as, thinking, emotions, memories and so forth are controlled by the brain. It serves as a central nervous system in the human body. The mind is the intellect/consciousness that originates in the human brain and manifests itself in emotions, thoughts, perceptions and so forth. This means that the brain is the key interpreter of the mind’s content. Jackson and Nagel seem to resist identifying what we call “mental events” with brain events, for different reasons, while J.J.C. Smart takes the opposing view.
Head injuries are very serious and dangerous. Some head injuries can cause neurological brain damage. They are commonly found in the sports world, putting athletes at risk. There are a lot of head injuries that are dangerous or could cause serious damage brain and in turn, the body. Because of this, precautions, rules, and guidelines need to be in place to prevent and treat these athletes. If these things are not put in place, it could mean the difference between life and death for these athletes. There are many different injuries that can occur to the head and face. Facial injuries can be very dangerous as it can concern the eyes nose and mouth.
Thus while the brain and the consciousness cannot be considered as identical, there is a relation between the two, which is the main focus of this particular study. The two have been found to be highly related to each other, as obtained by researchers. The activities of the brain do influence and determine the level of consciousness in an individual. And, this is the reason owing to which consciousness and the personality of an individual might be affected when the brain is damaged. The fact is that there are two aspects or views of the researchers in regard to the relation between the brain and consciousness of human beings. One aspect believes that consciousness is a particular activity of the brain, while others contradict such a theory (Psi, n.d.).
Within the human anatomy, an intricate and complex network of specialised nerve fibres and neurons works in collaboration with the central nervous system and peripheral system, designed to carry out the various actions humans perform every day. The nervous system is also known as the master control unit of the human body, as it operates other major functions such as the circulatory and respiratory systems (Jakab, 2006). It is composed of the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The neurons established within the various sections of the nervous system, is structured with three main parts: a dendrite which is a cluster of branches that operates by receiving information from the receptor and neurons and transferring nerve impulses to the cell body; furthermore, a cell body is composed of a nucleus, that works to provide energy and nutrients for the neuron; lastly is an axon, electrically conducted by the myelin sheath, the axon is a pathway nerve impulses pass through from the cell body. In addition, this is the process in which nerve impulses travel by to be able to access the rest of the system (Core Science, 2010). The correct function of the nervous system is vital to the daily survival of an individual, as it obtains a significant role in the control and co-ordination of the human body. Furthermore, if a situation occurs where the nervous system dysfunctions or develops a disease (such as multiple sclerosis), it would in that case threaten the current status of one’s health and cause havoc in the system.
Through practice, having new experiences and even environmental stimulation, we can change the brain’s physical structure. For example, if you are learning a new skill, like learning how to shoot a basketball, visual changes in the brain can be seen in brain scans. Connections in our brains can get stronger or can be lost depending on our experiences and what skills we practice. Neurons that are used often develop strong connections, while neurons that are never or hardly used can eventually die off. Knowing that our brains are capable of learning new things and that our brains are not fixed at birth has challenged the idea that you can’t teach an old dog new