Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures which are unprovoked by any immediately identifiable cause (Hopkins & Shorvon, 1995). It is also known as a seizure disorder. A wide range of links and risk factors are associated with the condition, but most of the time the cause is unknown. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting approximately two and half million people in the US and about 50 million worldwide. Though seizures can occur at any age, epilepsy is most commonly seen in children and the elderly. Most respond well to treatment and can control their seizures, but for some it is a chronic illness. A clinical diagnosis is the first step to finding a potential cure for the disorder.
The diagnosis of epilepsy is usually made after the patient experiences a second unprovoked seizure (Leppik, 2002). Diagnosis is often difficult, however, since it is unlikely that the physician will actually see the patient experience and epileptic seizure, and therefore must rely heavily on patient’s history. An electroencephalography (EEG) is often used to examine the patient’s brain waves, and some forms of epilepsy can be revealed by a characteristic disturbance in electrical frequency (Bassick, 1993). The variations in frequency can take form as spikes or sharp waves (Fisher, 1995). The variations are divided into two groups, ictal electrograph abnormalities, which are disturbances resulting from seizure activity, and interictal electrograph abnormalities, or disturbances between seizures. The EEG can also give clues as to which region of the brain the disturbances arise from. Interictal temporal spikes will predict the side of seizure origin in 95% of patients if three times as ...
... middle of paper ...
...sy (pp. 201-211). New York, Plenum Press.
McIntosh, G. (1992). Neurological Conceptualizations of Epilepsy. In T. Bennett (Ed.),
The Neuropsychology of Epilepsy (pp. 17-37). New York, Plenum Press.
Shorvon, S. (1995). Drug Treatment of Epilepsy. In A. Hopkins, S. Shorvon, & G.
Cascino (Eds.), Epilepsy (pp. 171-213). London, Chapman and Hall Medical.
Thompson, P. (1991). Memory Function in Patients with Epilepsy. In D. Smith, D.
Treiman, & M. Trimble (Eds.), Neurobehavioral Problems in Epilepsy (pp. 369-383). New York, Raven Press.
Upton, A. (2002). Vagal Stimulation for Intractable Seizures. In W. Burnham, P. Carlin, &
P. Hwang (Eds.), Intractable Seizures (pp. 233-239). New York, Kluwer Academic.
Vining, E. (2002). The Ketogenic Diet. In W. Burnham, P. Carlin, & P. Hwang (Eds.),
Intractable Seizures (pp. 225-231). New York, Kluwer Academic.
Guttmacher, L. B. (1994). Concise Guide to Psychopharmacology and Electroconvulsive Therapy. Washington: American Psychiatric Press Inc.
Merritt’s Textbook of Neurology. 7th ed. Lea and Febiger. Philadelphia: 1984. Walton, Sir John.
Epilepsy, also known as “seizure disorder,” or “seizure attack,” is the fourth most common neurological disorder known to mankind, affecting an estimated 2.3 million adults and 467,711 children in the United States. Unfortunately this disorder is becoming far more common and widespread worldwide. This staggering number of cases of people suffering from Epilepsy also involves an average growth rate of 150,000 new cases each year in the United States alone. Generally, many of the people who develop who are a part of the new are mainly either young children or older adults. Your brain communicates through chemical and electrical signals that are all specialized for specific tasks. However, through the process of communication, chemical messengers, also known as neurotransmitters can suddenly fail, resulting in what is known as a seizure attack. Epilepsy occurs when a few too many brain cells become excited, or activated simultaneously, so that the brain cannot function properly and to it’s highest potential. Epilepsy is characterized when there is an abnormal imbalance in the chemical activity of the brain, leading to a disruption in the electrical activity of the brain. This disruption specifically occurs in the central nervous system (CNS), which is the part of the nervous system that contains the brain and spinal cord. This causes an interruption in communication between presynaptic neurons and postsynaptic neurons; between the axon of one neuron, the message sender and the dendrite of another neuron, the message recipient. Consequently, the effects that epileptic seizures may induce may range anywhere from mild to severe, life-threatening ramifications and complications. There are many different types of seizures associa...
Sleep apnea is becoming increasingly more concerning for the association this sleep disorder poses to the psychological effects on people. Sleep deprivation is only one example of the effects caused by this medical condition which could be related to increased anxiety and depression. Millions of Americans suffer from sleep apnea without even realizing the sleep disorder is creating a problem. There has been significant progress in identifying sleep apnea, especially obstructive sleep apnea, and creating successful methods to help individuals more easily live with it. The thought of losing breath while sleeping without knowing this is occurring can intimidate an individual and his or her family. Studies reveal the link between sleep apnea and the psychological effects it causes which can include anxiety, depression, relationship problems, lack of dreams, and other issues. Other factors to consider related to the research of sleep apnea include culture, gender, age, obesity, and habits including smoking and drinking.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the brain causing people to have seizures. A seizure is a big disruption of electrical communication between neurons, leading to the temporary release of excessive energy in a synchronized form Epilepsy is very unpredictable. Having a seizure disorder doesn't mean that you can only have one type of seizure. People can have many different types of seizures; it can vary on the person. In some cases depending on the type of seizures someone may have they can grow out of them. (“Epilepsy Foundation." What Is Epilepsy? N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014.)
Wardlaw, G.M. and Smith. Contemporary Nutrition: Issues and Insights. 5th Edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, pp 85, 2004.
Intellectual property is an incredibly complicated facet of the law. In the United States, we have many laws in place to control and limit profiting from others intellectual property. The issue is not only profiting from others intellectual property, but not purchasing the property from the originator as well. We will discuss why it is important to protect this property as well as why it is tremendously difficult to regulate all these safe guards. “Intellectual Property has the shelf life of a banana.” Bill Gates
Absence seizure also known as “blank spells” are a common seizure in childhood epilepsy. Absence seizures fall under the generalized category because there is a loss of consciousness that takes place. The two subclasses of absences seizures are typical and atypical absence seizures. Typical seizures are characterized by an abrupt interruption in activity in which the child may become still. Their eyes will remain open and they appear to stare straight ahead. Typical absence seizures can happen dozens to hundreds of time in a day but because they are known to be very brief (about forty seconds) they are often unnoticed by parents, peers, and teachers. Atypical absence seizures are usually longer in duration and tend to have a gradual start
Many people with epilepsy usually have more than one type of seizure and may have other symptoms of neurological problems as well. The cause of epilepsy varies by age of the person, but the majority of the time the cause is unknown. Common causes of seizures by age in Elizabeth Otte’s case would be congenital conditions (Down’s syndrome; Angelman's syndrome; tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis), genetics, head trauma, and progressive brain disease which is rare (Schechter & Shafer, Ltd., 2013, p.1). The diagnosis of epilepsy is based on medical history of the patients including family history of seizures. They ask several of questions to figure of what type of seizures the patients could possibly be suffering from. Doctors then preform test such as EEG, take blood, and study images of your brain. Epilepsy is treated by a neurologist specialist that may or may not subscribe medication depending on the severity and frequency of the seizures. Also treatment can be a change in the patients’ diet or
Later, the doctors told me I had epilepsy, specifically the type known as grand mal. Immediately, the doctors put me on some medications to prevent the seizures. They also gave my parents a bunch of packets of information about epilepsy. When I got older, some of those packets informed me that 20-25 million people have suffered from an epileptic seizure. Many people grow out of childhood epilepsy or they take medicine to control it. However, there is still a risk of having a seizure even if you take medication. Over the past few years, I have become increasingly aware of the chance of a seizure at any time.
Epilepsy is a very common neurological disorder. Some reports estimate that five in one-thousand people suffer from this problem. Throughout history, people with epilepsy have been shunned or considered inferior. Even today, ignorance leads many people to treat the epileptic as "abnormal" or "retarded". Although the etiology of epilepsy is still not fully understood, it is quite treatable due to advances in modern medicine.
Ketogenic diets, often called low-carbohydrate (low carb is slang), seem to be the latest diet trend. There are many different forms, all varying in different degrees. Ketogenic diets focus primarily on the limited intake of carbohydrates in the food pyramid. In order to clearly understand ketogenic diets, one must start with the basics-what are ketones and where are ketones found and produced???
The model we use to explain how the cell membrane works is called a fluid mosaic model. The Fluid mosaic model was created by S.J Singer and Garth Nicolson in 1972. Between the living machinery of the inner cell and the harsh conditions of the outside world, stands the cells plasma membrane. As crucial as this barrier is, its surprisingly flexible, push it and it will move, poke hard enough and it will break and begin to regroup. We first look at the molecule called phospholipids when thinking about the plasma membrane. Lipids usually have three fatty acid chains, however this molecule has two fatty acid chains. Instead of the third fatty acid chain, a phosphate group is added on. This phosphate group is what makes the phospholipids so special. It is polar and hydrophilic, whereas the rest of the molecule is non-polar and hydrophobic. The hydrophilic heads point outwards as it attracts water molecules, whereas as the hydrophobic tails point inwards due to its mutual attraction and water repulsion. Therefore creating the phospholipid bilayer, which is the basis of all cellular membranes. Throw in some cholesterol and some carbohydrates and you have the basic structure of a plasma membrane. From chemical analysis, we conclude that there are protein in the cell membrane. Using freeze-fracture imaging and scanning electron microscope, we are able to differentiate between the extracellular surface of the membrane and the inside lipid bilayer. Within these lipid molecules, we also find different proteins, which do various things for the cell. For instance, they receive signal from the world outside, and also transport nutrients and waste. So nature composes the membrane with a composition or mosaic of different lipids, carbo...
Greene, G. W., Rossi, S. R., Rossi, J. S., Velicer, W. F., Flava, J. L. and Prochaska, J.O. (1999). Dietary applications of the stages of change model. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 99, 673–678.
“The right to own one's genius is not a new concept. However, with the arrival of the digital age, it has become much harder to remain in control of one's intellectual property. Intellectual property has grown from the need to protect one's new invention, to the need to protect a slogan or a color. In other words, intellectual property rights no longer protect solely the interest of preserving a trade secret; it is now the interest to preserve one's monetary gain” (http://classes.soe.ucsc.edu/cmpe080e/Spring05/projects/ip/). This report will look at the pros and cons of intellectual property rights and the impact it has on society.