WHAT IS NEUROLOGY

Neurology is the medical specialty which focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of
diseases and disorders of the brain and nervous system. A physician who practices
neurology is called a neurologist.

The neurologist treats disorders that affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
Neurologists do not perform surgery. If one of their patients requires surgery, they
refer them to a neurosurgeon. which is a surgical specialty rather than a medical
specialty.

The human nervous system consists of:

the central nervous system (CNS) the brain and spinal cord
the peripheral nervous system nerve cells that carry information to or from the
CNS, they are outside the brain and spinal cord.

All of these processes depend on the interconnected cells that make up your nervous
system. Like the heart, lungs, and stomach, the nervous system is made up of
specialized cells. These include nerve cells (or neurons) and glial cells (or glia).
Neurons are the basic functional units of the nervous system, and they generate
electrical signals called action potentials, which allow them to quickly transmit
information over long distances. Glia are also essential to nervous system function, but
they work mostly by supporting the neurons.

The Neuron

The basic unit of the nervous system is the nerve cell (neuron). Nerve cells consist of a
large cell body and two types of nerve fibers:

Axon: One elongated extension for sending messages as electrical impulses; they
transmit information away from the body
Dendrites: Usually many branches for receiving impulses or messages from other
cells
 There are different types of neurons. Sensory neurons, relay neurons and motor
neurons, classified by their function.

1. Receptor in the skin detects a stimulus (the change in temperature).

2. Sensory neurone sends impulses to an interneuron (which conects neurons to
other neurons).
3. Motor neurone sends impulses to effector.
4. Effector produces a response (muscle contracts to move hand away).

The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that controls functions
below the level of consciousness, such as heart rate. It controls the workings of internal
organs such as the heart, lungs, digestive system, and endocrine systems; it does so
without conscious effort.
The somatic nervous system (SoNS), also known as the voluntary nervous system. It
consists of neurons that are associated with skeletal or striated muscle fibers and
influence voluntary movements of the body.

ALZEHEIMERS

Alzheimers disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys

memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. It
is the most common cause of dementia in older adults. While dementia is more
common as people grow older, it is not a normal part of aging.

COMA
A coma is a state of unconsciousness where a person is unresponsive and cannot
be woken due to minimal brain activity.
Comas can be caused by different things, including:

a severe injury to the head that hurts the brain

seizures
infections involving the brain
brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen for too long
an overdose (taking too much) of medicine or other drugs
severe alcohol poisoning or a brain infection (encephalitis).
a stroke
chemical imbalances (in the body from other illnesses)

NUMBNESS

Numbness is the inability of a part of the body to feel stimulation. It to the partial or
complete loss of sensation. It can be a symptom of nervous system dysfunction.

People with numbness may be unable to feel light touch, pain, temperature, or
vibration or to know where parts of their body are (position sense). When people do
not know where parts of their body are, they have problems with balance, coordination,
walking, and driving, and they are more likely to fall.

PARALYSIS

Paralysis is the loss of function in one or more muscles. The term is derived from the
Greek word that means disabling of the nerves. It is usually as a results of damage to
the spinal cord or other parts of the nervous system and associated with:

Stroke
Trauma
Poliomyelitis
Cerebral palsy
Peripheral Neuropathy
Parkinsons disease
Botulism
Spina bifida
Multiple sclerosis
 A seizure is a symptom of excessive brain activity, resulting in temporarily trashing
movements or loss of awareness.

Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. They occur when this
electrical system in the brain malfunctions.

There are many causes of seizure including fever, injury, disease and the use of certain
medications. When seizures occur on a regular basis due to a brain disorder, this is
called epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked

seizures electrical instabilities in the brain that can range from brief lapses of
attention or muscle jerks to severe and prolonged convulsions.

Vertigo is a symptom, rather than a condition itself. It's the sensation that you, or
the environment around you, is moving or spinning. Vertigo is commonly caused
by a problem with the way balance works in the inner ear, although it can also be
caused by problems in certain parts of the brain.
Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a type of movement disorder. It happens when nerve cells in
the brain don't produce enough of a brain chemical called dopamine.

Symptoms begin gradually, often on one side of the body. Later they affect both sides.
They include

Trembling of hands, arms, legs, jaw and face

Stiffness of the arms, legs and trunk
Slowness of movement
Poor balance and coordination