Medical Science

Neurology

		There are neurons and nerves all over the body. They serve mainly as "highways" to relay messages (in the form of action potential) between the brain and various organs. It is the brain which issues command to initiate most of the actions and thus most neurological diseases are related to its malfunction. Figure 22a shows the functions perform by different parts of the brain. Figure 22b lists the four most prevalent mental diseases in the US. Table 05a describes some of the neurological diseases - prevalence and otherwise.
Figure 22a Brain Functions [view large image]	Figure 22b Brain Diseases [view large image]

Disease	Symptom(s)	Cause(s)	Treatment(s)
Alzheimer's Disease (AD). See Marco-Molecular View of AD	Forgetfulness, confusion, loss of recent memories, misinterpretion, trouble with speaking, writing, thinking, reasoning; changes in personality, behavior. (Ten Warning Signs)	Combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors that kill the brain cells by Amyloid plaque	Medications, supportive environment, exercise ( see link)
Amnesia	Unable to learn and recall, confusionb, false recollections	Brain diseases, alcohol abuse, head injuries	Medications, therapy ( see link)
Autism	Impaired social interaction, verbal/non-verbal communication; restricted and repetitive behavior	Highly heritable, environmental factors	Treatment is tailored to the child's needs, medications ( see link)
Bipolar Disorder	Extreme mood swings from emotional highs (mania or hypomania) to lows (depression)	Inherited, imbalance neurotransmitters, physical changes in brain	Medications and psychological counseling (psychotherapy) (see more info)
Coma	Prolonged state of unconsciousness - temporary or permanent	Brain injury - external or internal	Prompt medical attention, medications, intensive care unit ( see link)
Down syndrome	Abnormal facial and body features	Genetic disorder with extra or abnormal copies of chromosome 21	Team care and therapy by specialists ( see link)
Epilepsy	Confusion, empty staring, uncontrollable jerking movements of limbs, loss of consciousness	Genetic, brain injury (internal/external) - malfunction neuron cells	Diet, medications, therapies, surgery ( see link) See a treatment for dog seizure
Huntington's Disease	Chorea, cognitive, and psychiatric disorders	Inherited defect in the Huntingtin gene	Medications, therapies ( see link)
Lou Gehrig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS)	Weakness in limb, difficulty walking/swallowing, fasciculations	Lower motor neurons deteriorate gradually - many theories	Medications, physical therapy ( see link)
Meningitis	Fever, severe headache, stiff neck, pain, nausea, vomiting, confusion, drowsiness, seizure, coma	Bacterial infection of the meninges from the upper respiratory tract	Intravenous fluids, anticonvulsants for seizures, pain relievers ( see link)
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)	Unusual sensations, bladder problems, muscle spasms blurred/double vision, thinking problems, clumsiness, weakness in an arm/leg	Autoimmunity affects certain organs or a particular tissue	Immuno-suppression medications ( see link)
Parkinson's Disease	Slow movements, decreased facial expression, monotonous speech, shuffling gait, stooped posture, unsteady balance, stiffness in trunk/extremities, swallowing problems, lightheadedness	Genetic, toxin, free radicals, or certain medication ~ progressive deterioration of neurons in Substantia nigra	Medications, exercise, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) ( see link, and new treatment)
Polio	Fever, sore throat, headache, vomiting, fatigue, pains, Meningitis	Poliovirus spreads primarily through the fecal-oral route, very contagious	No cure, supportive treatments : rest, exercise, nutritious diet ( see link)
Rabies	Fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, hyperactivity, difficulty swallowing, excessive salivation, hallucinations, insomnia, partial paralysis	Deadly virus from the saliva of infected animals causing acute inflammation of the brain	Rabies shots ( see link)
Shingles	Pain, red rash, fluid-filled blisters, itching, fever, headache, fatigue	Varicella-zoster virus travel along nerve pathways to skin at weak immunity	No cure, lasting 2 - 6 weeks, medications to reduce risk of complications ( see link) & "Verywell Health"
Schizophrenia	False beliefs, confused thinking, auditory hallucinations, inactivity	Genetics, psychological/social stress, drug use disorder	Antipsychotic medication to suppresses dopamine receptor activity. ( see link)

Table 05a Neurological Diseases

^§ The macro-molecular views of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) :



	Normally the long axon emanates from the neuron cell center contains a system of microtubules that transport nutrients to the end point. This rail-like long tubes are supported by the tau protein acting like the ties between the rails (Figure 23a, b). There are also the Amyloid Precursor Proteins (APP) sitting at the membrane with unknown function.
Figure 23(a,b,c,d,e) Macro-molecular Views of AD [view large image]	In AD patients, the tau protein is hyperphosphorylated turning into paired helical filaments, which aggregate to become clumps known as neurofibrillary tangles (Figure 23b, c). The axon withers away with the collapse of the microtubules leading to Alzheimer's disease.

Another observation reveals that the Amyloid Precursor Proteins (APP) is regularly broken down into Amyloid beta monomer, which would be eliminated in a healthy brain. In AD patients, too much of these chemically adhesive substances accumulate outside the cell to form Amyloid plaques. It seems that the Amyloid plaques are somehow associated with the neurofibrillary tangles at the dystrophic neurites (an axon or a dendrite). Anyway, it is believed that the buildup of plaques in high concentration become toxic for the nerve cells or blocking the link between neurons leading to AD (Figure 23d). As shown in Figure 23e, in the AD patient's brain: The cortex shrivels up, damaging areas involved in thinking, planning and remembering. Shrinkage is especially severe in the hippocampus, an area of the cortex that plays a key role in formation of new memories. Ventricles (fluid-filled spaces within the brain) grow larger - reflecting the shrinkage.

Figure 23f AD Diagnosis [view large image]

Figure 23f shows the formation and shrinkage of AD and the modern techniques (including brain imaging, spinal fluid tests, and computer graphic) to track its progression.

so that the garbage inside could be cleaned up again. The miracle drug is the "nilotinib". All 12 participants in the trial show drastic improvements. It is found that the tau, amyloid beta and alpha-synuclein proteins that accumulate and cause the disease, are either stabilized or lowered. At the same time, dopamine levels increased. Side effects is minimal if taken at low dosage. The drug is already approved to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia, and could be useful in treating Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. But it costs a whopping $10,000 a month and the effect doesn't seem to last once people stop taking it. Obviously more work has to be done before it can be approved for treating Parkinson's.

Figure 23g Parkinson, New Treatment [view large image]

See original article "Drug Reverses Parkinson's" in New Scientist, October 24-30, 2015; also see another new treatment in "CBD (cannaidiol) Oil for Parkinson’s Disease".

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