Transcript Nerve Damage and Degeneration

Nerve Damage and
Neurodegeneration
By: Jennifer Joiner, Cody Spoon,
Sara Cotter
3 types of Nerves in The Body
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Autonomic nerves. These nerves control the
involuntary or partially voluntary activities of your
body, including heart rate, blood pressure, digestion,
and temperature regulation.
Motor nerves. These nerves control your movements
and actions by passing information from your brain
and spinal cord to your muscles.
Sensory nerves. These nerves relay information
from your skin and muscles back to your spinal cord
and brain. The information is then processed to let you
feel pain and other sensations.
Autonomic Nerve Symptoms
• inability to sense chest pain, such as angina or
heart attack
• too much sweating (known as hyperhidrosis) or
too little sweating (known as anhidrosis)
• lightheadedness
• dry eyes and mouth
• constipation
• bladder dysfunction
• sexual dysfunction
Motor Nerve Symptoms
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weakness
muscle atrophy
twitching, also known as fasciculation
paralysis
Sensory Nerve Sypmtoms
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pain
sensitivity
numbness
tingling or prickling
burning
problems with positional awareness
Causes of Nerve Disease
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Cancer
Diabetes
Motor Neuron Diseases
Autoimmune Diseases
Treatment for
Nerve Damage
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regulating blood sugar
levels for people with
diabetes
correcting nutritional
deficiencies
changing medications
when drugs are causing
nerve damage
physical therapy or surgery
to address compression or
trauma to nerves
medications to treat
autoimmune conditions
Medications for Nerve Pain
• pain relievers
• tricyclic antidepressants
• certain anti-seizure medications
What is neurodegeneration?
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is a condition in which cells of the brain and spinal cord are lost. The brain and
spinal cord are composed of neurons that perform different functions such as
controlling movements, processing sensory information, and making decisions. Cells
of the brain and spinal cord do not readily regenerate en masse, so excessive
damage can be devastating. Neurodegenerative diseases result from deterioration of
neurons or their myelin sheaths, which may eventually lead to CNS-related
dysfunction.
Pathophysiology
• Neurodegeneration is often caused by misfolding of proteins (prions)
in such way that they can no longer perform their cellular functions
and instead trigger equivalent modifications in normal proteins, thus
creating a cascade of damage that eventually results in significant
neuronal death. In humans, this can cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease or variant CJD (Mad Cow Disease).
• Normally, neurodegeneration begins long before the patient
experiences any symptoms. It can be months or years before any
effect is felt[citation needed]. Symptoms are noticed when many
cells die or cease to function.
• Additionally, the role of microglia in modulating neuroinflammation in
CNS-related degeneration is currently being studied
Treatment for Neurodegeneration
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Initial treatment for neurodegenerative disorders is dependent on
diagnosis of the underlying condition. Presently, few therapies are
available for the treatment of most neurodegenerative diseases.
Treatment with L-dopa can inhibit symptoms of Parkinson's Disease
for a short time, but is thought to subsequently accelerate the
progression of symptoms[citation needed]. Efforts are being made to
develop therapies for Alzheimer's Disease in order to stabilize
cognitive function.
Cited Sources
• http://www.webmd.com/brain/nerve-pain-and-nervedamage-symptoms-and-causes
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerve_injury