Anatomy & Physiology

Diseases

Cerebral Palsy

• Disturbance in voluntary muscle action• Caused by brain damage (birth injury,

infections)• S&S = exaggerated reflexes, tense muscles,

seizures, speech impairment

• Tx = No cure: muscle relaxants, physical therapy, anti seizure meds

CVA (Stroke)

• Known as cerebrovascular accident• Caused by bleeding artery

• S&S = weakness/ paralysis on 1 side, aphasia, difficulty swallowing

• Tx = Therapy (speech, physical)

Stroke

Dementia

• Loss of mental function• Causes include stroke, head injury,

alcohol/drug abuse, loss of nerve cells

• S&S = forgetful, change in personality / mood

• Tx = No cure; treat symptoms

Alzheimer’s

• Most common type of dementia• Caused by family Hx, aluminum, obesity, &

increasing age

• S&S = memory loss, asking same questions, repeating same story, forgetting simple tasks, getting lost in familiar places

• Tx = No cure; meds to slow disease

Normal Brain Activity

Alzheimer’s

Meningitis

• Inflammation of the meningitis• Caused by bacteria, virus, chemicals (lead)

• S&S = high fever, headache, back/neck pain, stiff neck, N/V, delirium (late sign)

• Tx = antibiotics, pain med, anti seizure med

Parkinson’s Disease

• Chronic, progressive disease• Degeneration of brain cells

• S&S = tremors, stiffness, muscular rigidity, shuffling gait (late sign), loss of facial expression (late sign)

• Tx = No cure; treat symptoms

Parkinson’s Disease

Shingles

• Inflammation of the nerves• Caused by chicken pox virus

• S&S = fluid filled vesicles, severe pain, redness, & inflammation of skin

• Tx = Pain med

Autism

• Range of complex neurodevelopment disorders

• Evident by social impairments, difficulty communicating, & repetitive behavior

• Range from mild (Asperger’s) to severe (autistic disorder)

• S&S = – impaired social interaction– fail to respond to their name– unable to understand emotional cues– repetitive movements

• Cues for autism– No single words by 16 mths (just noise)– No response to name– Poor eye contact (no interaction)– Lack of physical touch

– Inability to make friends– Inability to converse with others– Absent imaginative play– Intense focus on certain objects– Inflexible with change of a routine

• Causes (Theories)– Genetic– Disruption of brain development in utero– Enviromental