By: Emily Millet

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Nerve Damage and Neurodegeneration

• By Emily Millet
• And Olivia Hitt

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What is Nerve Damage?

• Nerve damage is also called neuropathy it is when
  the nerves of your body die. It may affect the
  peripheral nerves or autonomic nerves. It can
  affect either one or multiple nerves at one time.
  There are three types of nerves in your body
  autonomic nerves, sensory nerves, and motor
  nerves. The nervous system controls everything
  your body does and if the nerves begin to be
  damaged, you cant replace them. That is the
  reason why nerve damage is so difficult to deal
  with.

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WHATCAUSESNERVEDAMAGE?
Cancer Cancerous masses can push up against
nerves and crush them. Some cancers could also
cause nutritional deficiency, and treatments for
cancer such as radiation and chemotherapy can
also cause nerve damage.
Autoimmune diseases There are quite a few
autoimmune diseases that can cause nerve damage
such as multiple sclerosis, Guillain Barre
Syndrome, lupus, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Traumas Some of these traumas can include a
pinched nerve in the neck, carpel tunnel
syndrome, and injuries from being crushed.
Diabetes As much as 50 of all diabetics have
nerve damage- This can worsen as the disease
progresses. This is a serious problem and can
affect all types of nerves.
Infectious Disease Some infectious diseases can
cause nerve damage such as Lyme disease,
Hepatitis C, HIV, and the herpes virus.
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Diagnosis and Treatment of Nerve Damage

• Diagnosis
• Nerve damage can be diagnosed through physical
  exam, ultrasound, or MRI.
• Treatment
• - Some treatments could include injections of
  steroids and anesthesia such as lidocane into the
  affected area can provide temporary relief. Nerve
  and tendon surgery have helped other people. The
  best treatment is to discuss with your doctor
  what your options are and if they are surgically
  correctable or not.

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Neurodegeneration

• Neurodegeneration is the breaking down of neurons
  within the human body. As the neurons begin to
  lose structure and function, this causes the
  nerve cells to die. (Also called apoptosis.)
  Many scientists say the cause behind
  Neurodegeneration is the death of nerve cells and
  also, misalignment of proteins within the brain.

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Alzheimer's Disease

• Alzheimer's disease is not only the death of
  neurons, but the degeneration of other segments
  of the brain including the frontal lobe, parietal
  lobe, and the frontal cortex. It is the most
  common type of dementia. It is most often
  diagnosed in elderly people over the age of 65.
  This is a serious and devastating disease to have
  but with the right resources and early detection,
  you can slow its affects on a person.
• Progression through the three stages
• Stage One Mild- This stage is often overlooked
  at first, because it is associated with all of
  the common signs of aging and it can take quite a
  while for a caretaker to notice when all the
  while the person with this disease is having
  trouble making sense of everything around them.
• Stage Two Moderate- In this stage, the disease
  begins to affect the areas of the brain that
  controls reasoning, speech and language, sight,
  and thought. Most people often experience
  difficulty performing tasks that were once second
  nature such as bathing and restroom habits.
• Stage Three Severe- This is the most advanced
  and last stage of Alzheimer's. At this stage,
  brain and nerve damage is extensive. By this
  stage, most victims have trouble walking,
  recognizing familiar and family faces, they
  refuse to eat, and they typically have trouble
  completing activities necessary to daily living.
  At this stage, full-time care is typically a must.

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Parkinson's Disease

• Parkinson's disease affects the nervous system of
  the human body. It can limit a persons ability to
  control muscle movements. It is caused by a slow
  and gradual loss of certain cell in the brain
  which make chemical dopamine, a chemical needed
  to make you muscles function properly.
• As a result of this disease, some people have
  trouble walking and experience uncontrollable
  shaking of the arms, legs, and hands.
• Once the disease has progressed to the most
  serious step, the person must walk in a style
  called shuffling gait which is small steps and
  slow movement.

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Factors affecting Parkinson's

• Although scientists are not sure what causes
  Parkinson's disease, they think genetics may be a
  factor and environmental toxins may also be a
  contributor to this terrible disease.
• As many as 1,000,000 people in the United States
  alone are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each
  year. Parkinson's is more common in patients over
  the age of 60. Medical treatments can relieve the
  symptoms of Parkinson's disease while scientist
  continue to search for a cure.

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Stages of Parkinson's Disease

• Stage 1- Tremors begin on one side of the body.
• Stage 2- Tremors begin to occur on both side of
  the body.
• Stage 3- First signs in loss of balance occur,
  person is still independent.
• Stage 4- Person may begin to need help with
  daily activities, at this stage they are unable
  to live alone.
• Stage 5- The person is confined to a bed or
  wheelchair unless assisted.

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Huntington's Disease

• Huntingtons disease is a incurable
  neurodegenerative disorder that controls the
  muscle within the body. This is caused by a
  mutation on the fourth chromosome and if a
  parents of a child possesses that trait for the
  disease, there is a 50 chance that the child
  will contract the disease.
• Huntington's disease creates a misfolded protein
  that affects the way nerves in the brain
  communicate with one another.
• This disease is not fatal, but if you fall victim
  to other illnesses such as cardiovascular disease
  ,pneumonia or injury from a fall, you are given a
  life span of approximately 20 years from the date
  of diagnosis.

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Life With Huntington's Disease

• Just like these other neurodegenerative diseases,
  the later stages of these obstacles in life often
  require more care than earlier on because at this
  point the person is unable to care for themselves
  mentally or physically.
• The two ways to diagnose Huntingtons disease are
  to notice the symptoms and consult with your
  doctor, or be tested for the disease if your
  family has a history of it. Huntingtons disease
  is a dominant gene and people who have it in
  their family blood lines are usually eager to be
  tested to see if fate played in their favor.

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Bibliography

• www.efacts.com/_nerve_damage_facts
• www.hamenda.com
• www.sciencedaily.com/.../11/091115134134.htm
• http//www.gs.washington.edu/labs/pallanck/researc
  h/neuro.htm