Tag: neurology
- Seizures ()
Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain. People are diagnosed with epilepsy when they have had two or more seizures. There are many types of seizures. A person with epilepsy can have more than one type of seizure. The signs of a seizure depend on the type of seizure. Sometimes it is hard to tell when […]
- Getting SPASTIC With Altered Mental Status ()
What is altered mental status? Altered mental status (AMS) is a disruption in how your brain works that causes a change in behavior. This change can happen suddenly or over days. AMS ranges from slight confusion to total disorientation and increased sleepiness to coma. What causes AMS? AMS can be caused by physical, psychological, and […]
- The Problem With Blood Clots ()
What are blood clots? Your body’s arteries and veins are a superhighway system designed to transport oxygen-rich blood from your heart to the rest of your body. They then carry oxygen-depleted blood back from your body to your heart. Normally, this system runs smoothly, but sometimes you can develop a bottleneck called a blood clot. […]
- The Cerebral Vascular System ()
The brain is one of the most highly perfused organs in the body. It is therefore not surprising that the arterial blood supply to the human brain consists of two pairs of large arteries, the right and left internal carotid and the right and left vertebral arteries. The internal carotid arteries principally supply the cerebrum, […]
- Cranial Nerves ()
The cranial nerves are composed of twelve pairs of nerves that emanate from the nervous tissue of the brain. In order to reach their targets they must ultimately exit/enter the cranium through openings in the skull. Hence, their name is derived from their association with the cranium. The following are the list of cranial nerves […]
- From Thought To Deed ()
In 1870, Hitzig and Fritsch electrically stimulated various parts of a dog’s motor cortex. They observed that depending on what part of the cortex they stimulated, a different part of the body contracted. Then they found that if they destroyed this same small area of the cortex, the corresponding part of the body became paralyzed. […]
- Chemical and Neurological Control of Involuntary Respiration ()
Involuntary respiration is any form of respiratory control that is not under direct, conscious control. Breathing is required to sustain life, so involuntary respiration allows it to happen when voluntary respiration is not possible, such as during sleep. Involuntary respiration also has metabolic functions that work even when a person is conscious. The Respiratory Centers […]
- Mechanics of Breathing ()
The relationship between gas pressure and volume helps to explain the mechanics of breathing. Boyle’s Law is the gas law which states that in a closed space, pressure and volume are inversely related. As volume decreases, pressure increases and vice versa. When discussing the detailed mechanics of breathing, it is important to keep this inverse […]
- Introduction to the Nervous System ()
The nervous system is the major controlling, regulatory, and communicating system in the body. It is the center of all mental activity including thought, learning, and memory. Together with the endocrine system, the nervous system is responsible for regulating and maintaining homeostasis. Through its receptors, the nervous system keeps us in touch with our environment, […]
- Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) ()
The peripheral nervous system consists of the nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord. These nerves form the communication network between the CNS and the body parts. The peripheral nervous system is further subdivided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system consists of nerves that […]