Nervous System Disorders

Disorders of the Nervous System The way we think, our emotions, and the ability of our body to tell itself to move all connect back to the nervous system. If one part is not connected to another or if something never developed properly it can create a major problem. Disorders can occur within the brain or can be malfunctions of the nerves. Disorders can range from Palsy and Parkinson’s in which symptoms are movements such as tremors to Alzheimer’s which is mental deterioration and loss of memory. Disorders stemming from the nervous system can be severe. A few disorders that deal with movement and muscles are Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), Myasthenia gravis, and as said before Parkinson’s.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. A small percentage of this disease is known to be caused by genetic defect but the majority of causes are unknown. In this disease, nerve cells (neurons) deteriorate or die. This means that the can no longer transmit messages sent from the brain. ALS can lead to weakening of the muscles, twitching, and possible semi-paralysis. Unfortunately, this is a disease that tends to get worse and once the muscles in the chest area begin to show symptoms it becomes difficult for the patient to breathe on their own. Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disorder. The body produces antibodies that block the muscle cells from receiving messages (neurotransmitters) from the nerve cell. This inhibits any message that was traveling along that nerve from moving onto the next. There is no known cure for Myasthenia gravis but certain treatments can help the body go into remission. Possibly one of the more well known neuromuscular disorders is Parkinson’s. This disease became well known especially after the actor, Michael J Fox, came out with his story and his battle with Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s affects the way you move and