Neurology and Neurodisorders

Neural coding means the concentration, identification, pleasurable and un pleasurable value of tastans which are represented in the form of action potential. It is of two types encoding and decoding.  The map from stimuli to response is called as encoding whereas response to stimuli is called as decoding. It implies the connection between the response and the stimuli.  It is of different types such as correlation coding, population coding, position coding etc.

The central nervous system (CNS) is made up of the brain, the spinal cord, and the optic nerves. The central nervous system controls thought processes, guides movement, and registers   sensations throughout the body.

Fast facts on the central nervous system

•  The brain is the most complex organ in the body and uses 20% of the total oxygen we breathe in.

•  The CNS is often divided into white and gray matter.

•  The brain consists of an estimated 100 billion neurons, with each connected to thousands more.

•  CNS support cells, called glial cells, outnumber neurons 10 to 1.

•  The brain can be divided into four lobes: temporal, parietal, occipital and frontal.

•   Circuits within the spinal cord are capable of controlling motor coordination without input from  the brain.

•   The brain makes up around 2% of a human's entire weight.

•  The branch of nervous system which deals with the study of the cure, diagnosis, or mitigation of the children or kids called as pediatric neurology. It involves pediatric neurosurgery, pediatric neuropathy, pediatric neuroimaging etc.

Psychiatry is the medicinal forte that judgments and treats mental clutters, for the most part those requiring drug. Psychiatry is currently a very obvious movement in which absence of care in group, impulse, suicide, medication and liquor manhandle are couple of inspirations. Beginning with the recognizable proof of the major dysfunctional behaviors and how they are considered refinement from typicality. Prospering analysis and its later change into more available psychotherapies gave a possibility for better understanding. Current psychiatry too carries with it new debates, for example, the medicalization of ordinary life, and the energy of the medication organizations and the utilization of psychiatry as a specialist of social control.

Mental health is a level of psychological well-being, or an absence of mental illness. It is the psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how "mental health" is defined.

Neuro-oncology is the study of brain and spinal cord neoplasms, many of which are dangerous and life threatening. The global incidence of brain tumour is higher than 45/100,000 patients a year. According to National brain tumour society, there are about 120 types of brain tumour. The widely known type of brain tumour is glioma that originates from glial tissues. Meningioma is the most common type of spinal cord tumour which originates from CNS. The treatment given for neurological tumours is based upon the type of tumour, position in the spine and the age of the patient.

Dementia is a broad description which includes many different symptoms, including memory loss, word-finding difficulties, impaired judgment, and problems with day-to-day activities, which are caused by injury or loss of brain cells (neurons). Mild Cognitive Impairment is an inter mediate stage between the normal and serious decline of dementia. Problems arise in thinking, language, judgment etc.

Neurosurgery or neurological surgery is the medical specialty focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any part of the nervous system such as brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. They helps in the diagnosis of intra cerebral hemorrhage.

• is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from your face to your brain. If you have trigeminal neuralgia, even mild stimulation of your face — such as from brushing your teeth or putting on makeup — may trigger a jolt of excruciating pain.

• Symptoms

  •          Illustration showing branches of the trigeminal nerve

  •          Branches of the trigeminal nerve

  •          Trigeminal neuralgia symptoms may include one or more of these patterns:

  •          Episodes of severe, shooting or jabbing pain that may feel like an electric shock

  •          Pain affecting one side of the face at a time, though may rarely affect both sides of the face

  •          Pain focused in one spot or spread in a wider pattern

• Tourette syndrome (TS) is an inherited disorder of the nervous system, characterized by a variable expression of unwanted movements and noises (tics).

  Causes

  The cause of Tourette syndrome is unknown, although some studies suggest that the tics in Tourette syndrome are caused by an increased amount of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. A neurotransmitter is a chemical found in the brain that helps to transmit information from one brain cell to another. Other studies suggest that the defect in Tourette syndrome involves another neurotransmitter called serotonin; or involves other chemicals required for normal functioning of the brain.

  Most studies suggest that Tourette syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder with decreased penetrance, although this hypothesis has not been proven and may not be true in all families. An autosomal dominant disorder results from a change in one copy of a pair of genes. Individuals with an autosomal dominant disorder have a 50% chance of passing on the changed gene to their children. Decreased penetrance means that not all people who inherit the changed gene will develop symptoms. There is some evidence that females who inherit the Tourette syndrome gene have a 70% chance of exhibiting symptoms and males have a 99% chance of having symptoms. It has been suggested that other genetic and environmental factors may play a role in the development of symptoms in people who inherit the changed gene, but none have been discovered. Some researchers believe that Tourette syndrome has different causes in different individuals or is caused by changes in more than one gene, although these theories are less substantiated. Further research is needed to establish the cause of Tourette syndrome.

To study the effect of drugs on the cellular function in nervous system is called as Neuropharmacology. It is of two types such as; Behavioral neuropharmacology and Molecular neuropharmacology. It explains the drug dependence and addiction effect of brain. The science dealing with the study of the effects of the poisons on the nervous system is called as Neuro toxicology. It happens when nervous system gets affected by the neurotoxins.  It occurs due to the exposure of the chemotherapy, radiation treatment, drug abuse, pesticides etc.

Neuromuscular disorders are conditions that affect skeletal muscles, peripheral nerves or neuromuscular junction. Our program treats all forms of neuromuscular disorders, including: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)  , Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) , Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP).

The spinal disorders are the results of infection, injuries, tumors, Ankylosing spondylitis, scoliosis, spinal stenosis and herniated disks .When the structure of bone changes then it causes pain due to the pressure on the spinal cord and the nervous system. These disorders can be diagnosed by computed tomography, discography, electromyography, MRI ETC.  It causes the skeletal hyperostosis, fracture of thoracic and lumbar spine etc.

Children who suffer from child traumatic stress are those who have been exposed to one or more traumas over the course of their lives and develop reactions that persist and affect their daily lives after the events have ended. Traumatic reactions can include a variety of responses, such as intense and ongoing emotional upset, depressive symptoms or anxiety, behavioral changes, difficulties with self-regulation, problems relating to others or forming attachments, regression or loss of previously acquired skills, attention and academic difficulties, nightmares, difficulty sleeping and eating, and physical symptoms, such as aches and pains. Older children may use drugs or alcohol, behave in risky ways, or engage in unhealthy sexual activity.

Without treatment, repeated childhood exposure to traumatic events can affect the brain and nervous system and increase health-risk behaviors (e.g., smoking, eating disorders, substance use, and high-risk activities). Research shows that child trauma survivors can be more likely to have long-term health problems (e.g., diabetes and heart disease) or to die at an earlier age. Traumatic stress can also lead to increased use of health and mental health services and increased involvement with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Adult survivors of traumatic events may also have difficulty in establishing fulfilling relationships and maintaining employment.

A migraine is a common neurological disease that causes a variety of symptoms, most notably a throbbing, pulsing headache on one side of your head. Your migraine will likely get worse with physical activity, lights, sounds or smells. It may last at least four hours or even days.

There are several types of migraines, and the same type may go by different names:

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  Migraine with aura (complicated migraine): Around 15% to 20% of people with migraine headaches experience an aura.


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  Migraine without aura (common migraine): This type of migraine headache strikes without the warning an aura may give you. The symptoms are the same, but that phase doesn’t happen.


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  Migraine without head pain: “Silent migraine” or “acephalgic migraine,” as this type is also known as, includes the aura symptom but not the headache that typically follows.


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  Hemiplegic migraine: You'll have temporary paralysis (hemiplegia) or neurological or sensory changes on one side of your body. The onset of the headache may be associated with temporary numbness, extreme weakness on one side of your body, a tingling sensation, a loss of sensation and dizziness or vision changes. Sometimes it includes head pain and sometimes it doesn’t.


• 
  Retinal migraine (ocular migraine): You may notice temporary, partial or complete loss of vision in one of your eyes, along with a dull ache behind the eye that may spread to the rest of your head. That vision loss may last a minute, or as long as months. You should always report a retinal migraine to a healthcare provider because it could be a sign of a more serious issue.


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  Chronic migraine: A chronic migraine is when a migraine occurs at least 15 days per month. The symptoms may change frequently, and so may the severity of the pain. Those who get chronic migraines might be using headache pain medications more than 10 to 15 days a month and that, unfortunately, can lead to headaches that happen even more frequently.


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  Migraine with brainstem aura. With this migraine, you'll have vertigo, slurred speech, double vision or loss of balance, which occur before the headache. The headache pain may affect the back of your head. These symptoms usually occur suddenly and can be associated with the inability to speak properly, ringing in the ears and vomiting.


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  Status migrainosus. This is a rare and severe type of migraine that can last longer than 72 hours. The headache pain and nausea can be extremely bad. Certain medications, or medication withdrawal, can cause you to have this type of migraine.