5. Reacting and thinking

The Brain ◽

Vast Network

This chapter assesses the nervous system. In the trunk of the body and the neck, the central nervous system (CNS) is called the spinal cord; in the head, it is called the brain. The CNS is dominated by two cell types: neurons and glia. The neurons form a vast network in which information is split, combined, and somehow processed. Examples of this processing include reflex arcs, the ‘circuitry’ that detects features such as edges in images coming from the eyes, and simple types of learning and memory. However, most other things in the brain, especially thinking and feeling, are not yet understood at all well.

The effect of undernutrition on the postnatal development of the brain and cord in pigs

Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.1967.0003 ◽

1967 ◽

Vol 166 (1005) ◽

pp. 396-407 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Brain Stem ◽

The Body ◽

Chronological Age ◽

Absolute Amount ◽

One Year ◽

Sucking pigs about 2 weeks old were held back by undernutrition so that they weighed only 5 to 6 kg when they were a year of age. The brain and cord developed during this time to the size to be expected in a normal pig about 10 weeks old but, although they remained immature for their chronological age, the effect on the various constituents was not uniform. The accumulation of cholesterol was less retarded than that of DNA.P or the increase in brain weight. During rehabilitation on a highly satisfactory diet the final body w eight reached at 3 1/2 years was 80 % of that to be expected in an adult pig and was equivalent only to that of a normal pig two years old. The central nervous system grew to the appropriate size for the body. The percentage of cholesterol in the central nervous system rose during rehabilitation, but, particularly in the forebrain, brain stem and spinal cord, remained subnormal for the chronological age. The deficiency of DNA- P in the rehabilitated brain was even greater, and the absolute amount finally corresponded to that found in the brain of a norm alanimal only one year of age.

Central Nerve System Impairment, AMA Guides, Sixth Edition: An Overview

Guides Newsletter ◽

10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.2018.janfeb03 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 10-13

Author(s):

James B. Talmage ◽

Jay Blaisdell

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Neurological Impairment ◽

Sixth Edition ◽

Central Nerve System ◽

The One ◽

Nerve System ◽

Abstract Injuries that affect the central nervous system (CNS) can be catastrophic because they involve the brain or spinal cord, and determining the underlying clinical cause of impairment is essential in using the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), in part because the AMA Guides addresses neurological impairment in several chapters. Unlike the musculoskeletal chapters, Chapter 13, The Central and Peripheral Nervous System, does not use grades, grade modifiers, and a net adjustment formula; rather the chapter uses an approach that is similar to that in prior editions of the AMA Guides. The following steps can be used to perform a CNS rating: 1) evaluate all four major categories of cerebral impairment, and choose the one that is most severe; 2) rate the single most severe cerebral impairment of the four major categories; 3) rate all other impairments that are due to neurogenic problems; and 4) combine the rating of the single most severe category of cerebral impairment with the ratings of all other impairments. Because some neurological dysfunctions are rated elsewhere in the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, the evaluator may consult Table 13-1 to verify the appropriate chapter to use.

Some Points in the Histology of Lymphogenous and Hæmatogenous Toxic Lesions of the Spinal Cord

Journal of Mental Science ◽

10.1192/bjp.54.226.560 ◽

1908 ◽

Vol 54 (226) ◽

pp. 560-561

Author(s):

David Orr ◽

R. G. Rows

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Sciatic Nerve ◽

Morphological Type ◽

Broth Culture ◽

Anatomical Distribution ◽

Tabes Dorsalis ◽

At a quarterly meeting of this Association held last year at Nottingham, we showed the results of our experiments with toxins upon the spinal cord and brain of rabbits. Our main conclusion was, that the central nervous system could be infected by toxins passing up along the lymph channels of the perineural sheath. The method we employed in our experiments consisted in placing a celloidin capsule filled with a broth culture of an organism under the sciatic nerve or under the skin of the cheek; and we invariably found a resulting degeneration in the spinal cord or brain, according to the situation of the capsule. These lesions we found to be identical in morphological type and anatomical distribution with those found in the cord of early tabes dorsalis and in the brain and cord of general paralysis of the insane. The conclusion suggested by our work was that these two diseases, if toxic, were most probably infections of lymphogenous origin.

Developmental Overview of Central Neuroanatomy

10.1093/med/9780190237493.003.0003 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Peggy Mason

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Nervous System ◽

Cerebral Cortex ◽

Neural Tube ◽

Dorsal Telencephalon ◽

Adult Spinal Cord ◽

The central nervous system develops from a proliferating tube of cells and retains a tubular organization in the adult spinal cord and brain, including the forebrain. Failure of the neural tube to close at the front is lethal, whereas failure to close the tube at the back end produces spina bifida, a serious neural tube defect. Swellings in the neural tube develop into the hindbrain, midbrain, diencephalon, and telencephalon. The diencephalon sends an outpouching out of the cranium to form the retina, providing an accessible window onto the brain. The dorsal telencephalon forms the cerebral cortex, which in humans is enormously expanded by growth in every direction. Running through the embryonic neural tube is an internal lumen that becomes the cerebrospinal fluid–containing ventricular system. The effects of damage to the spinal cord and forebrain are compared with respect to impact on self and potential for improvement.

The Pathogenesis of Somatic Disease in Mental Defectives

Journal of Mental Science ◽

10.1192/bjp.97.409.792 ◽

1951 ◽

Vol 97 (409) ◽

pp. 792-800 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

L. Crome

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Scientific Basis ◽

The Body ◽

Normal Person ◽

Somatic Disease ◽

Mental Defectives ◽

The problems of the interdependence and unity of the brain and body have been put on a scientific basis by Pavlov and his successors. Bykov (1947) has, for example, been able to demonstrate that the cortex plays a leading part in the regulation of somatic processes, such as secretion of urine, blood pressure, peristalsis and metabolism. It is therefore reasonable to argue that lesions of the central nervous system will be reflected in the pathogenesis and course of morbid processes in the body. It does not follow, however, that this influence will necessarily be in the direction of greater lability, more rapid pathogenesis or more extensive destruction. The outstanding feature of the central nervous system is its plasticity and power of compensation. It is therefore possible and probable that those parts of the nervous system which remain intact will take over and compensate for the function of the lost ones. Emotion may, for example, lead to polyuria, but it does not follow that urinary secretion will be impaired in a leucotomized patient. The brain may well play an important part in the infective processes of a normal person, but the defence against infection in a microcephalic idiot may remain perfectly adequate, and may even be more effective than in a normal person, provided that the mechanism of the immunity and phagocytosis had been more fully mobilized in the course of his previous life.

Analyses of temporal regulatory elements of the prosaposin gene in transgenic mice

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj20021120 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 370 (2) ◽

pp. 557-566 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ying SUN ◽

David P. WITTE ◽

Peng JIN ◽

Gregory A. GRABOWSKI

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Transgenic Mice ◽

Peak Level ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Low Level ◽

Flanking Region ◽

The expression of prosaposin is temporally and spatially regulated at transcriptional and post-translational levels. Transgenic mice with various 5′-flanking deletions of the prosaposin promoter fused to luciferase (LUC) reporters were used to define its temporal regulatory region. LUC expression in the transgenic mice carrying constructs with 234bp (234LUC), 310bp (310LUC) or 2400bp (2400LUC) of the 5′-flanking region was analysed in the central nervous system and eye throughout development. For 310LUC and 2400LUC, low-level LUC activity was maintained until embryonal day 18 in brain, eye and spinal cord. The peak level of LUC activity was at birth, with return to a plateau (1/3 of peak) throughout adulthood. Deletion of the region that included the retinoic acid-receptor-related orphan receptor (RORα)-binding site and sequence-specific transcription factor (Sp1) cluster sites (44—310bp) suppressed the peak of activity. By comparison, the peak level for 234LUC was shifted 2 weeks into neonatal life in the brain, but not in the eye, and no peak of activity was observed in the spinal cord. The endogenous prosaposin mRNA in eye, spinal cord and cerebellum had low-level expression before birth and continued to increase into adulthood. In cerebrum, the endogenous mRNA showed similar expression profile to constructs 310LUC, 2400LUC and 234LUC, with the peak expression at 1 week and a decreased level in adult. In the brain of the newborn, 2400LUC was highly expressed in the trigeminal ganglion and brain stem regions when compared with the generalized expression pattern for endogenous prosaposin mRNA. These results suggest that the modifiers (RORα- and Sp1-binding sites) residing within 310bp of the 5′-flanking region mediate developmental regulation in the central nervous system and eye. Additional regulatory elements outside the 5′ region of the 2400bp promoter fragment appear to be essential for the physiological control of the prosaposin locus.

XXXI.—Scottish National Antarctic Expedition: A Contribution to the Histology of the Central Nervous System of the Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii).

Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh ◽

10.1017/s0080456800013028 ◽

1913 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 849-866

Author(s):

Harold Axel Haig

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Melting Point ◽

Weddell Seal ◽

Absolute Alcohol ◽

Thin Slices ◽

Antarctic Expedition ◽

The specimens submitted for examination were:(a) Portions of the brain (labelled Specimen XXXI.).(b) Portions of spinal cord (labelled Specimen XXIV.).Both were in excellent condition as regards fixation and hardening, having been preserved for many years in a fluid composed of formol and 95 per cent. alcohol (the fluid was also injected into the cerebral vessels). They were, previous to histological examination, submitted to the following processes:—i. Comparatively thin slices were taken from various regions and placed for twenty-four hours in absolute alcohol.ii. Then transferred to acetone for twelve hours.iii. Placed in xylol until permeated.iv. Embedded in paraffin of melting-point 52° C. Sections were then taken with an improved form of the Cambridge rocking microtome, and fixed to slides by means of the albumen method.

Direct administration of methotrexate into the central nervous system of primates

Journal of Neurosurgery ◽

10.3171/jns.1978.48.6.0895 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 48 (6) ◽

pp. 895-902 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

John Yen ◽

Frederick L. Reiss ◽

Harold K. Kimelberg ◽

Robert S. Bourke

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Spinal Cord Tissue ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Percutaneous Puncture ◽

Spinal Catheter ◽

Lumbar Spinal ◽

✓ The kinetics of distribution of 3H methotrexate (3HMTX) in the central nervous system, plasma, and urine after intraventricular, lumbar percutaneous puncture, and spinal catheter injections were compared. Levels of 3HMTX in whole brain after lumbar percutaneous injection were 40 times less than after intraventricular injection. Injection of 3HMTX via a spinal catheter increased the level of 3HMTX in whole brain but this was still tenfold less than after direct intraventricular instillation. Also, it was found that a disproportionately high amount of 3HMTX was in the brain-stem-cerebellum region which would further reduce the concentration of methotrexate in the cerebral hemispheres. Both intraventricular and lumbar spinal catheter administration of 3HMTX produced 3HMTX levels greater than 10−6M (moles/kg wet weight) in spinal cord tissue as measured by 3H specific activity between 2 to 8 hours after injection. Administration by lumbar percutaneous puncture, however, rarely resulted in this suggested therapeutic level of 10−6M. Initial 3HMTX levels in plasma after lumbar percutaneous instillation was 24 times greater than after intraventricular or lumbar spinal catheter injections. This indicated significant and unavoidable extradural leakage after lumbar percutaneous puncture, which may account for the substantially lower levels of 3HMTX in the brain and spinal cord tissue. It is concluded that intraventricular instillation of methotrexate is the best route of administering the drug to achieve therapeutic levels of methotrexate in both whole brain and throughout the spinal cord.

Modern aspects of neuropathogenesis and neurological manifestations of COVID-19

INTERNATIONAL NEUROLOGICAL JOURNAL ◽

10.22141/2224-0713.17.2.2021.229887 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 6-15

Author(s):

L.A. Dziak ◽

O.S. Tsurkalenko ◽

K.V. Chekha ◽

V.M. Suk

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

The Body ◽

Altered Level ◽

Wide Range ◽

Coronavirus infection is a systemic pathology resulting in impairment of the nervous system. The involvement of the central nervous system in COVID-19 is diverse by clinical manifestations and main mechanisms. The mechanisms of interrelations between SARS-CoV-2 and the nervous system include a direct virus-induced lesion of the central nervous system, inflammatory-mediated impairment, thrombus burden, and impairment caused by hypoxia and homeostasis. Due to the multi-factor mechanisms (viral, immune, hypoxic, hypercoagulation), the SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause a wide range of neurological disorders involving both the central and peripheral nervous system and end organs. Dizziness, headache, altered level of consciousness, acute cerebrovascular diseases, hypogeusia, hyposmia, peripheral neuropathies, sleep disorders, delirium, neuralgia, myalgia are the most common signs. The structural and functional changes in various organs and systems and many neurological symptoms are determined to persist after COVID-19. Regardless of the numerous clinical reports about the neurological and psychiatric symptoms of COVID-19 as before it is difficult to determine if they are associated with the direct or indirect impact of viral infection or they are secondary to hypoxia, sepsis, cytokine reaction, and multiple organ failure. Penetrated the brain, COVID-19 can impact the other organs and systems and the body in general. Given the mechanisms of impairment, the survivors after COVID-19 with the infection penetrated the brain are more susceptible to more serious diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, cognitive decline, multiple sclerosis, and other autoimmune diseases. Given the multi-factor pathogenesis of COVID-19 resulting in long-term persistence of the clinical symptoms due to impaired neuroplasticity and neurogenesis followed by cholinergic deficiency, the usage of Neuroxon® 1000 mg a day with twice-day dosing for 30 days. Also, a long-term follow-up and control over the COVID-19 patients are recommended for the prophylaxis, timely determination, and correction of long-term complications.

Several forms of callitachykinins are distributed in the central nervous system and intestine of the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria.

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.198.12.2527 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 198 (12) ◽

pp. 2527-2536

Author(s):

D R Nässel ◽

M Y Kim ◽

C T Lundquist

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

High Performance ◽

The Body ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Additional Material ◽

Immunoreactive Material ◽

Entire Central Nervous System ◽

We have examined the distribution of two tachykinin-related neuropeptides, callitachykinin I and II (CavTK-I and CavTK-II), isolated from whole-animal extracts of the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria. Extracts of dissected brains, thoracic-abdominal ganglia and midguts of adult blowflies and the entire central nervous system of larval flies were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the presence of CavTKs. To identify the two neuropeptides by HPLC, we used the retention times of synthetic CavTK-I and II as reference and detection with an antiserum raised to locustatachykinin II (shown here to recognise both CavTK-I and II). The brain contains only two immunoreactive components, and these have exactly the same retention times as CavTK-I and II. The thoracic-abdominal ganglia and midgut contain immunoreactive material eluting like CavTK-I and II as well as additional material eluting later. The larval central nervous system (CNS) contains material eluting like CavTK-I and II as well as a component that elutes earlier. We conclude that CavTK-I and II are present in all assayed tissues and that additional, hitherto uncharacterised, forms of tachykinin-immunoreactive material may be present in the body ganglia and midgut as well as in the larval CNS. An antiserum was raised to CavTK-II for immunocytochemistry. This antiserum, which was found to be specific for CavTK-II in ELISA, labelled all the neurones and midgut endocrine cells previously shown to react with the less selective locustatachykinin antisera. It is not clear, however, whether CavTK-I and II are colocalised in all LomTK-immunoreactive cells since there is no unambiguous probe for CavTK-I.