Diseases of the Nervous System
Alzheimer’s Disease
Causes
• In addition to family history and age, risk factors for Alzheimer’s include… – Longstanding high blood pressure– History of head trauma– High levels of homocysteine– Female gender
Symptoms
• In the early stages, symptoms often include:• Repeating statements• Misplacing items• Having trouble identifying names or familiar
objects• Getting lost on familiar routes• Personality changes• Losing interest in things previously enjoyed• Difficulty performing tasks that take some
thought, but used to come easily (balancing checkbook)
Symptoms
• In more advanced stages, symptoms may include:– Forgetting details about current events– Forgetting events in his/her own life history– Forgetting who he/she is– Problems choosing proper clothing– Hallucinations, arguments, striking out, violent
behavior– Delusions, Difficulty performing basic tasks like
preparing meals and driving– Depression, agitation
Symptoms
• In the final stages, symptoms may include:– No longer understanding language– No longer recognizing family members– Inability to perform basic activities such as
eating, dressing and bathing
Treatment
• There is no cure for Alzheimer’s• The most promising treatments are lifestyle
changes, medications, and antioxidant supplements like vitamin E and ginkgo biloba
• There are drugs that are available to try to slow the progression of the disease– Memantine is currently the only drug approved for the
treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s
Bacterial Meningitisis a serious infection of the fluid in the spinal cord and the fluid
that surrounds the brain.
Causes
• Most commonly caused by one of three types of bacteria:– Haemophilus influenzae type b– Neisseria meningitidis– Streptococcus pneumoniae
• These bacteria are spread by direct contact with the discharges from the nose or throat of an infected person
Symptoms
• High fever• Stiff neck• Headache• Nausea• Vomiting• Sensitivity to light• Sleepiness• Confusion • In advanced disease, bruises form under the skin and
spread quickly
Complications
• Advanced Bacterial Meningitis may lead to:– Brain damage– Coma– Death– Hearing loss– Mental retardation– Paralysis– Seizures
Treatment
• Bacterial Meningitis is treated in the hospital with intravenous antibiotics
• Doctors may also prescribe corticosteroids to protect a person from hearing damage as a result of bacterial meningitis.
Tourette’s Syndromeis an inherited disorder characterized by involuntary
utterances and body movements
Causes
• Tourette’s Syndrome is due to an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain
• The neurotransmitters that play a primary role in this imbalance are dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine
Symptoms
• Motor Tics– Quick eye blinks or eye jerks– Lip licking– Head twitches or head jerks– Shoulder shrugs– Muscle tensing
• Vocal Tics– Grunting barking and hissing– Sniffing, snorting or throat-clearing
Treatment
• There is no cure
• Certain medicines can help control tics, although no medicine can completely abolish tics
