A seizure is a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that usually affects how a person feels or acts for a short time. Seizures are not a disease in themselves. Instead, they are a symptom of many different
Epilepsy Problems/Symptoms! Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by unprovoked, recurring seizures that disrupt the nervous system and can cause mental and physical dysfunction. All types of Epilepsy share things like uncontrolled electrical discharge from nerve cells in the cerebral cortex. This part of the brain controls higher mental functions, general movement, and the functions of the internal organs in the abdominal cavity, perception, and behavioral reactions. They put Epilepsy into two different categories, which are usually based on a specific mechanism involved in the seizure and where the seizure is located in the brain.
Seizures are symptoms of abnormal brain functions. With the exception of very young children and the elderly, the cause of the abnormal brain function is usually not identifiable. When seizures start, the physician will try to identify the cause of the seizure. This is because the most specific diagnosis as to why seizures are occurring depends on finding a cure, and the best therapy will be one specific to the etiology. If a specific diagnosis of cause cannot be made , then the epilepsy will be described according to seizure type or epileptic syndrome.
Epilepsy Epilepsy is a neurological condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. Seizures are the most prominent characteristic of epilepsy. Seizures are caused by sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain. Although there are forty different types of this disorder each one represents itself with a unique treatment, prognosis and combination of seizure type. There is a variety of seizures a person with epilepsy may experience depending on which part of the brain is affected by the electrical burst of activity in the brain.
People experiencing vascular dementia will, like those with Alzheimer’s disease, have problems with learning, remembering, recognition, planning and problem solving. However, there is a major difference in the two diseases. Alzheimer’s disease tends to affect the whole of the brain and to progress gradually and steadily. Vascular dementia tends to affect only certain areas of the brain, and this means someone may retain more of their abilities – and also more awareness of their condition. Dementia syndrome or ‘mixed dementia’are terms for a condition in which abnormalities characteristic of more than one type of dementia occur simultaneously in the brain.
How Alcohol Affects the Central Nervous System Alcohol can affect several parts of the brain, but in general, alcohol contracts brain tissue and depresses the central nervous system. When alcohol reaches the brain, it interferes with communication between nerve cells, by interacting with the receptors on some cells. The alcohol suppresses excitatory nerve pathway activity and increases inhibitory nerve pathway activity. Among other actions, alcohol enhances the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Enhancing an inhibitor has the effect of making a person sluggish.
Extensive alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to a very detrimental and potentially fatal disorder known as fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome causes mental retardation, diminished motor coordination, and distinct facial abnormalities. Facial abnormalities caused by FAS can include short eyelid openings, small upturned noses, small head, thin upper lip, and widely spaced eyes (Berk,
“Seizures are symptoms of abnormal brain function. With the exception of very young children and the elderly, the cause of the abnormal function is usually not identifiable (Epilepsy Foundation, 2013).” Types or causes of seizures are “symptomatic, which can be linked to identifiable diseases or brain abnormalities and cryptogenic seizures, which are diagnosed when no causes can be found. Idiopathic or primary seizures are diagnosed when a genetic, or family, cause is suspected (Epilepsy Foundation, 2013).” An EEG, or Electroencephalogram, monitors the brain activity and maps out the origin of a seizure. The EEG is used in diagnosing a patient who suffers from
The use of methamphetamine is associated with long-term biochemical and structural effects on the brain and significantly changes how the brain functions. The excessive production of dopamine causes neuropathological changes in the brain and has a neurotoxic effect on the brain cells that store dopamine and serotonin. These changes include decreases in the levels of dopamine transporters as well as decreases in the density of serotonin transporters in various parts of the brain. Studies have demonstrated that daily use of methamphetamine results in increased cell death in the brain, which would have a negative effect on prefrontal cortex functioning. Changes in the activity of the dopamine system are associated with reduced motor skills and impaired verbal learning.
The are many forms of neurotoxicity and the term itself along with neurotoxin are used as very general words. Although it isn’t heard of very often, neurotoxicity is a very serious condition and can potentially cause permanent brain damage if not treated correctly. Millions of people are affected by neurotoxicity annually and it seems as if there’s no way to fix it. Many doctors say you have to let your brain return to its original condition naturally and there is little or no help to be sought. From cognitive impairment, seizures, and even death, neurotoxicity is detrimental and potentially life altering to anybody who goes through it.