Neighbors Ruth HumanDiseases PPT ch15

Human Diseases,
6th Edition
Chapter 15: Nervous System

Diseases and Disorders
Marianne Neighbors, Ruth Tannehill-Jones, Human Diseases, Sixth Edition © 2023 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 1
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
15.1 Define the terminology common to the nervous system and the disorders of the system.
15.2 Discuss the basic anatomy and physiology of the nervous system.
15.3 Identify the important signs and symptoms associated with common nervous system
disorders.
15.4 Describe the common diagnostics used to determine the type and cause of nervous system
disorders.
15.5 Identify common disorders of the nervous system.
15.6 Describe the typical course and management of the common nervous system disorders.
15.7 Describe the effects of aging on the nervous system and the common disorders associated
with aging of the system.
Anatomy and Physiology
• Nervous system
• Brain, spinal cord, and nerves
• Central nervous system (CNS)
• Brain
• Spinal cord
• Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
• Autonomic nervous system
• Cranial and spinal nerves
Common Signs and Symptoms (1 of 2)
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weakness
• Mood swings
• Fever
Common Signs and Symptoms (2 of 2)
• Symptoms specific to CNS:

• Stiffness in neck, back, or extremities
• Inability to move any part of body
• Seizures or convulsions
• Paralysis
• Visual difficulties
Diagnostic Tests
• Cerebrospinal fluid
• Measurement of intracranial pressure
• X-rays of skull and vertebral column
• Myelogram
• Angiogram
• Electroencephalography (EEG)
• CT and MRI
Infectious Diseases (1 of 6)
• Encephalitis
• Inflammation of brain tissue caused by bacteria and viruses
• Symptoms:
• Headache
• Elevated temperature
• Stiff neck and back
• Lethargy
• Mental confusion
• Coma
• Treatment:
• Treatment is supportive
• Antiviral medication may be effective
• Biopsy
• Meningitis
• Inflammation of meninges or coverings of brain and spinal cord
• Causes:
• Bacteria
• Virus
• Fungi
• Toxins
• E.g., lead, arsenic
• Cellulitis
• Poliomyelitis
• Viral infection affecting brain and spinal cord
• Cause:
• Virus spread by oropharyngeal secretions and infected feces
• Almost eliminated by vaccine in United States
• Supportive treatment:
• Analgesics
• Bedrest during acute phase
• Long-term physical therapy and braces may be needed
• If respiratory system involved, mechanical ventilation may be needed
• Tetanus
• Highly fatal infection of nerve tissue
• Cause
• Bacteria Clostridium tetani
• First symptom:
• Jaw stiffness
• Commonly called lockjaw
• Rabies
• An often-fatal encephalomyelitis
• Caused by a virus
• Primarily affects animals
• E.g., dogs, cats, raccoons, squirrels
• Transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected animal
• Shingles
• Viral disease caused by herpes zoster (chicken pox virus)
• Symptoms
• Itchy, painful, red rash and small vesicles on sensory nerve paths
• Symptoms last 10 days to several weeks
• Diagnosis
• Made based on the appearance of lesions
• Viral culture test
Vascular Disorders (1 of 3)
• Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

• Also known as stroke
• Is due to a poor blood supply to the brain
• Causes
• Cerebral thrombus
• Cerebral embolism
• Cerebral hemorrhage
• CVA
• Diagnosis
• Physical exam, EEG, CT scan, and MRI
• Treatment:
• Anticoagulant
• Hypertensive medications
• Rehabilitation program
• Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)

• Also known as mini-strokes
• Due to insufficient blood supply to brain
• Symptoms:
• Weakness of an arm, leg, or both
• Dizzyness
• Slurred speech
• Mild loss of consciousness
• Symptoms last few minutes to 1 hour
• Diagnosis by angiogram
• Treatment:
• Surgery to improve blood flow
Functional Disorders (1 of 8)
• Degenerative disk disease

• Headaches
• Epilepsy
• Bell’s palsy
• Parkinson’s disease
• Degenerative disk disease

• Degeneration or wearing away of intervertebral disk
• Allows vertebrae to bump or rub against each other
• Symptoms:
• Difficulty walking
• Radiating pain in back and in one or both legs
• Diagnosis by X-ray, myelogram, CT scan, and MRI
• Treatment:
• Rest back and legs
• Back brace
• Analgesics
• Anti-inflammatories
• Exercise to ease pain
• Surgery
• Headaches
• Caused by two mechanisms:
• Tension on facial, neck, and scalp muscles
• Vascular changes in arterial size of vessels inside head
• Contributing factors:
• Stress
• Toxic fumes
• Noise
• Lack of sleep
• Alcohol consumption
• Headaches
• Headaches may be acute or chronic
• Pain may be mild to unbearable and incapacitating
• Pain may be constant, pressure, throbbing, stabbing, or intermittent
• Types:
• Tension
• Cluster
• Following lumbar puncture
• Migraine
• Epilepsy
• Chronic disease of brain
• Intermittent episodes of abnormal electrical activity in brain
• Symptoms:
• Seizure
• Convulsions
• Common types of seizures
• Petit mal
• Grand mal
• Status epilepticus
• Diagnosis by EEG, CT scan, cerebral angiogram, and blood tests
• Treatment:
• Anticonvulsive medications
• Close monitoring and adjusting of medication
• Bell’s palsy
• Affects facial nerve (7th cranial) leading to unilateral (one-sided) paralysis
• Affects individuals 20 to 60 years of age
• Symptoms:
• Drooping weakness of eye and mouth
• Inability to close the affected eye
• Drooling of saliva
• Symptoms:
• Unable to whistle or smile
• Distorted facial appearance
• Diagnosis by history and symptoms
• Treatment:
• Analgesics
• Anti-inflammatories
• Slow, progressive brain degeneration
• Cause is unknown, but may be related to a decrease of brain
neurotransmitter—dopamine
• Symptoms:
• Rigidity and immobility of hand
• Very slow speech pattern
• Pill-rolling motion of fingers
• Expressionless facial appearance
• Symptoms:
• Abnormal bent-forward posture
• Short, fast-running steps with shuffling appearance
• Symptomatic treatment:
• Dopamine replacement
• Physical and psychological therapy
Dementias (1 of 6)
• Loss of mental ability due to loss of neurons or brain cells

• Types of dementia
• Senile (old age)
• Alzheimer’s disease—the most common type of senile dementia
• Senile and Alzheimer’s disease are often used synonymously, but they
are not the same.
• Vascular
• Head trauma
• Substance induced
Dementias (2 of 6)
• Alzheimer’s disease
• A form of senile dementia
• Usually affects individuals aged 60 and older
• Early symptoms:
• Short-term memory loss
• Inability to concentrate
• Slight changes in personality
Dementias (3 of 6)
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Diagnosis
• Positive only by autopsy
• Initially, diagnosis may be made by ruling out other brain diseases
• Treatment
• Supportive, no known cure
• Focused on safety, maintaining nutrition, hydration, personal hygiene
• Emotional support for family and caregivers
Dementias (4 of 6)
• Vascular dementia
• Symptoms:
• Changes in memory, personality, and judgment
• Irritability
• Depression
• Vascular dementia
• Diagnosis:
• History and physical, blood flow testing
• Treatment:
• Increasing blood flow to brain
• Carotid endarterectomy
Dementias (5 of 6)
• Head trauma dementia

• Death of brain cells due to head trauma
• Symptoms:
• Decrease in mental intellect and cognitive function
• Loss of ability to reason, remember, or show appropriate emotions
• Changes in personality
Dementias (6 of 6)
• Head trauma dementia

• Diagnosis:
• History, cranial X-rays, CT scan, and MRI
• Treatment:
• Correct damage, if possible
• Therapy and rehabilitation
• Prevention:
• Is often easy to prevent with proper use of protective equipment
Sleep Disorders (1 of 4)
• Insomnia
• The most common form of sleep disorder
• Inability to fall or stay asleep
• Cause:
• Stress, pain, fear, depression, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and
bronchodilators
• Treatment:
• Identifying and removing cause
• Sleep apnea
• Characterized by periods of breathlessness
• Cause:
• More common in men
• Obesity
• Hypertension
• Airway obstruction
• Alcohol ingestion
• Cigarette smoking
• Sleep apnea
• Symptoms:
• Daytime sleepiness
• Extreme snoring
• Changes in personality
• Depression
• Impotence
• Diagnosis:
• Monitoring affected individual during sleep for apnea and low blood oxygen levels
• Sudden loss of consciousness
• Confusion
• Poor coordination
• Dysphasia, Dysphagia, and Hemiparesis
• Sleep apnea
• Treatment:
• Based on cause
• Weight loss
• Surgery to correct nasal obstruction
• Oxygen during sleep
• Medications to stimulate breathing
• Prevention:
• Most cases can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding
alcohol, not smoking, and avoiding environmental smoke
Tumors (1 of 2)
Brain tumor
• Classified as primary and secondary
• Primary tumors are called brain tumors
• Secondary tumors are named after the organ of origin
• Cause:
• Unknown
• Symptoms:
• Headache • Sudden loss of consciousness
• Vomiting • Confusion
• Seizures • Poor coordination
• Changes in mood and personality • Dysphasia
• Visual disturbance • Dysphagia
• Loss of memory • Hemiparesis
Tumors (2 of 2)
• Diagnosis:
• Clinical symptoms
• X-ray
• C T scan
• MRI
• Biopsy
• Treatment:
• Surgery • Poor coordination
• Radiation • Dysphasia
• Chemotherapy • Dysphagia
• Confusion • Hemiparesis
Trauma (1 of 3)
• Concussions and contusions

• Concussion less serious than contusion
• Contusion is a physical bruising of the brain tissue
• Cause
• Blow to head by object, fall, or other trauma
• E.g., automobile accident
• Symptoms:
• Disruption of normal electrical • Confusion
activity in brain – unconsciousness • Poor coordination
• Unconsciousness may last a few • Dysphasia
seconds to several hours • Dysphagia
• Headache • Hemiparesis
• Blurred vision
Trauma (2 of 3)
• Concussions and contusions

• Symptoms:
• Irritability
• Draw up knees and begin vomiting
• Contusions can lead to:
• Hematoma
• Increased intracranial pressure (ICP)
• Permanent brain damage
• Coup and contrecoup contusions
• Hemiparesis
Trauma (3 of 3)
Rare Diseases
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (A L S)
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Huntington’s chorea
• Multiple sclerosis (M S)
• Hemiparesis
Effects of Aging
• Decreased nervous system activity in brain and spinal cord

• Loss of short-term memory
• Loss of visual acuity and peripheral vision
• Altered sleep patterns
• Hemiparesis
Knowledge Check Activity 15-1
Which of the following would be a symptom of sleep apnea?

a. Sneezing
b. Coughing
c. Daytime sleepiness
d. Headache
Knowledge Check Activity 15-1 Answer
Which of the following would be a symptom of sleep apnea?
Answer: c.
A symptom of sleep apnea would excessive daytime sleepiness.
Knowledge Check Activity 15-2
Which of the following would be a symptom of a concussion?

a. Irritability
b. Abdominal pain
c. Diarrhea
d. Constipation
Knowledge Check Activity 15-2: Answer
Which of the following would be a symptom of a concussion?
Answer: a.
Irritability is a symptom of a concussion.
Self Assessment
• Imagine someone that is close to you was diagnosed with ALS. Discuss how
this condition can affect someone’s daily life and activities.
Summary
Click the link to review the objectives for this presentation.
Link to Objectives

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Human Diseases,

Chapter 15: Nervous System

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Symptoms specific to CNS:

• Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

• Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)

• Degenerative disk disease

• Degenerative disk disease

• Loss of mental ability due to loss of neurons or brain cells

• Head trauma dementia

• Head trauma dementia

• Concussions and contusions

• Concussions and contusions

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (A L S)

• Decreased nervous system activity in brain and spinal cord

Which of the following would be a symptom of sleep apnea?

Which of the following would be a symptom of sleep apnea?

Which of the following would be a symptom of a concussion?

Which of the following would be a symptom of a concussion?

Click the link to review the objectives for this presentation.

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