Nervous System and Nerve Diseases

It is one of main parts of Nervous System. It contains Brain and Spinal Cord. It is divided into White matter and Grey matter. White matter comprises of axons and Oligodendrocytes while Gray matter consists of Neurons and unmyelinated fibers. As the name indicates it is the integral part of nervous system as it receives information and sends information to the Peripheral Nervous System. Meninges is a connective tissue shielding Brain and Spinal Cord.

Peripheral Nervous system contains Ganglia and Nerves outside the Brain and spinal cord. PNS often exposed to toxins and mechanical injuries since it is not protected by skull or vertebral column. PNS is partitioned into Somatic Nervous System and Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The predominant function is to carry signals from Central Nervous System to all other organs of the body.

ANS controls certain body function such as blood pressure and heart rates without any conscious effort of the person. Two neurotransmitters used to interact within the autonomic nervous system are Acetylcholine and Norepinephrine. Other functions are body temperature, digestion, urination, defecation and production of body fluids.

Spinal cord injury is the most devastating injury and over 17,000 Americans are affected by spinal cord injury each year. Around 5 lakhs people suffer spinal cord injury every year all over the world. 90% of the cases are due to traumatic causes. There are two stages in the treatments of Spinal Cord Injury namely Acute phase and rehabilitation phase.

Brain injury can be broadly classified into primary and secondary brain injury. There are two types of brain injuries: Traumatic brain injury and Diffuse axonal injury. In brain and spinal cord injuries, the transmission of impulses from Central nervous system to PNS is disrupted thereby affects the whole Nervous System.

There are about 600 neurological disorders and approximately 50 million Americans are being affected each year. The main risk factors for neurological disorders are genetic manipulation, age, lifestyle and other environmental agents. Abnormalities in structural and biochemical functions causes various symptoms. Some of them are paralysis, seizures, confusion, muscle weakness and altered levels of consciousness. 

Peripheral neuropathy is one of the Nervous System Disorders. Depending on the nerves it may repair sensation, movement and organ functions. The main causes of this disorder are viral infection, vitamin deficiency, immune system diseases and medication like chemotherapy or antibiotics. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common Peripheral Neuropathy. There are many types of Nervous System Disorder according to the number of nerves affected, type of nerve affected and the process of nerve damage. 

Multiple sclerosis is a disorder in which the myelin sheath that covers most of the nerve fibers is damaged or destroyed. The cause is unknown but it is an autoimmune disorder. This disorder is also called demyelination. Symptoms is based on the nerve fiber that are demyelinated. Moreover, the typical patterns of symptoms are Relapsing-remitting pattern, Primary progressive pattern, Secondary progressive pattern, Progressive relapsing pattern. If the sheath is able to repair nerve fibers, the normal function of nerve fibers can be recovered. Nonetheless, if the sheath is extremely damaged, the nerve fiber can be destroyed completely. The nerve fibers in CNS cannot be regenerated by themselves. Consequently, these nerve fibers are permanently damaged.

It is caused by damage or any dysfunction of nerve, spinal cord or brain. It may occur due to compression of a nerve or nerve damage. Neuropathic pain is also responsible for anxiety and depression which worsen the neuropathic pain. It is characterized by burning or tingling, or hypersensitivity to touch or cold. Treatments include physical therapy or occupational therapy, pain relievers or surgery, electrical stimulation or nerve blocks.

Each body movement, from raising a hand to grinning, includes a complex connection between the Central Nervous system (mind and spinal cord), nerves, and muscles. Destruction of any of these segments may bring about a movement disorders. Depending on the nature and location damage or malfunction, different types of movement disorders can form such as damage to the part of brain that controls voluntary movements, damage to the basal ganglia or damage to cerebellum. 

The ability of the Brain to alter at any age is referred to as Neuroplasticity or Brain Plasticity. The recent neuroscience research proves that Neuroplasticity is the basis for brain training exercises which revolutionized the brain health and science research. There is a great reception for Brain plasticity based therapies for many cognitive problems since it is a non- invasive treatment.

Regrowth of Nervous tissues and cells including Neurons, glia, axons, myelin or synapses is known as Neuroregenaration. On site of the injury in Peripheral Nervous System, the migration of phagocytes, Schwann cells and macrophages will be elicited to clear away the damages tissues. The regrowth of Axons can occur after injury. Neuroregenaration in Peripheral Nervous System happens to a certain degree. 

Identification of Nerve disorder can be done in my ways. Mainly Nerve Conduction tests and Electromyography(EMG). Other tests include Autonomic testing, Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis and Nerve Biopsy Analysis. The attention must be given to the types of nerves affected and the pattern of involvement. Diabetes is one of the main causes of Peripheral Nervous Disorder. Eventually Diabetes people have high risk for Peripheral Nerve injury. 

Treatment for the Nerve Disorder is based on the causes of disorder. Pain medications can be given to the patients for controlling moderate pain. Another potential therapy is Transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation (TENS). This treatment helps in disrupting nerves from transmitting pain signals to the brain. Ergonomic casts or splints helps in relieving pain.  Demyelinating Neurotherapies is fast growing technique to treat Peripheral Nerve Disorder.

The tools used for imaging Peripheral Nerve are Positron Emission Tomography(PET), Diffusion Tensor imaging(DTI), Magnetic Resonance Neurography(MRN), Computerized Tomography(CT), Plain X- Ray. MRN is the advanced technique used to image Peripheral Nerve for the diagnosis of any disorder in the Nerves and Neuromuscular diseases. It can image any Nerves in the body and are commonly used for the diagnosis of Nerve disorder in Brachial Plexus.