The brain: our control system

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 318-322
Author(s):  
Ian Peate
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Control System ◽  
The Body ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Complex Organ ◽  
Healthcare Assistant ◽  
Assistant Practitioner

The largest and the most complex organ in the body is the brain. In this article, the healthcare assistant and assistant practitioner (HCA and AP) are introduced to the fundamental features that are associated with the anatomy of the brain. The body's central nervous system is made up of the brain, along with the spinal cord. This is the main control system for the body's functions and abilities, allowing conscious communication with the body and automatic operation of the vital organs, for example, the heart. In this article, specific functions of the brain are considered. The four lobes of the brain are reviewed and also the three coverings of the meninges. Having insight and understanding related to how the brain functions can help the HCA and AP offer people care that is founded on a sound knowledge base. A glossary of terms is provided and a short quiz has also been included.

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

1967 ◽  
Vol 166 (1005) ◽  
pp. 396-407 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Brain Stem ◽  
The Body ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Absolute Amount ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Brain

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.

5. Reacting and thinking

2021 ◽  
pp. 76-88
Author(s):  
Jamie A. Davies
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Primary central nervous system lymphoma

Hematology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (1) ◽  
pp. 379-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy T. Batchelor
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
Central Nervous System Lymphoma ◽  
The Body ◽  
Immunocompetent Host ◽  
Non Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
Organ Specific ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is an extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) confined to the brain, leptomeninges, eyes, or spinal cord. The majority of PCNSL cases occur in the immunocompetent host, the focus of this review. The prognosis of PCNSL is inferior to that of other NHL subtypes including other organ-specific subtypes of extranodal NHL. The 5- and 10-year survival proportions for PCNSL are 29.3% and 21.6%, respectively. The diagnosis and management of PCNSL differs from that of other primary brain cancers and NHL in other parts of the body.

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

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 Central Nervous System ◽  
The One ◽  
Nerve System ◽  
The Brain

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

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 ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain

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

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Mason
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Dorsal Telencephalon ◽  
Adult Spinal Cord ◽  
The Brain

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.

scholarly journals Role of Adiponectin in Central Nervous System Disorders

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna Bloemer ◽  
Priyanka D. Pinky ◽  
Manoj Govindarajulu ◽  
Hao Hong ◽  
Robert Judd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Peripheral Circulation ◽  
Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Cns Disorders ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Glucose And Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Antidepressant Effects ◽  
The Brain

Adiponectin, the most abundant plasma adipokine, plays an important role in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. Adiponectin also possesses insulin-sensitizing, anti-inflammatory, angiogenic, and vasodilatory properties which may influence central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Although initially not thought to cross the blood-brain barrier, adiponectin enters the brain through peripheral circulation. In the brain, adiponectin signaling through its receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, directly influences important brain functions such as energy homeostasis, hippocampal neurogenesis, and synaptic plasticity. Overall, based on its central and peripheral actions, recent evidence indicates that adiponectin has neuroprotective, antiatherogenic, and antidepressant effects. However, these findings are not without controversy as human observational studies report differing correlations between plasma adiponectin levels and incidence of CNS disorders. Despite these controversies, adiponectin is gaining attention as a potential therapeutic target for diverse CNS disorders, such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and depression. Evidence regarding the emerging role for adiponectin in these disorders is discussed in the current review.

scholarly journals Cholesterol: Its Regulation and Role in Central Nervous System Disorders

Cholesterol ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Orth ◽  
Stefano Bellosta
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Cholesterol Metabolism ◽  
Major Constituent ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Lipoprotein Receptors ◽  
Brain Cholesterol ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
The Brain

Cholesterol is a major constituent of the human brain, and the brain is the most cholesterol-rich organ. Numerous lipoprotein receptors and apolipoproteins are expressed in the brain. Cholesterol is tightly regulated between the major brain cells and is essential for normal brain development. The metabolism of brain cholesterol differs markedly from that of other tissues. Brain cholesterol is primarily derived by de novo synthesis and the blood brain barrier prevents the uptake of lipoprotein cholesterol from the circulation. Defects in cholesterol metabolism lead to structural and functional central nervous system diseases such as Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, Niemann-Pick type C disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. These diseases affect different metabolic pathways (cholesterol biosynthesis, lipid transport and lipoprotein assembly, apolipoproteins, lipoprotein receptors, and signaling molecules). We review the metabolic pathways of cholesterol in the CNS and its cell-specific and microdomain-specific interaction with other pathways such as the amyloid precursor protein and discuss potential treatment strategies as well as the effects of the widespread use of LDL cholesterol-lowering drugs on brain functions.

The Pathogenesis of Somatic Disease in Mental Defectives

1951 ◽  
Vol 97 (409) ◽  
pp. 792-800 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Crome
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Normal Person ◽  
Somatic Disease ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Mental Defectives ◽  
The Brain

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.

Treatment of Recurrent Brain Stem Gliomas and Other Central Nervous System Tumors with 5-Fluorouracil, CCNU, Hydroxyurea, and 6-Mercaptopurine

Neurosurgery ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 691-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis A. Rodriguez ◽  
Michael Prados ◽  
Dorcas Fulton ◽  
Michael S. B. Edwards ◽  
Pamela Silver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Brain Stem ◽  
Central Nervous System Tumors ◽  
Brain Stem Glioma ◽  
Spinal Cord Tumors ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Brain Stem Gliomas ◽  
Time To Tumor Progression

Abstract Twenty-one patients with recurrent malignant central nervous system gliomas were treated with a combination of 5-fluorouracil, CCNU, hydroxyurea, and 6-mercaptopurine. Thirteen patients had brain stem gliomas, 3 patients had spinal cord gliomas, 3 patients had thalamic gliomas, and 2 patients had cerebellar astrocytomas. All patients had received radiation therapy, and 4 brain stem patients had also been treated with chemotherapy. Sixteen patients (76%) responded to treatment with either stabilization of disease or improvement. Nine of the 13 patients with brain stem gliomas (71%) had response or stabilization of disease. The median time to tumor progression (TTP) for the brain stem patients who responded or had stabilization of disease was 25 weeks. The median survival from recurrence for the brain stem glioma patients was 27 weeks. Patients with cerebellar, thalamic, and spinal cord tumors did very well, with an 87% response or stabilization of disease and a median TTP of 122 weeks.

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