“There is no cure for MS but there are over a dozen disease modifying therapies (DMTs) licensed to treat relapsing and some forms of progressive MS. Taking one can mean you get fewer, and less serious, relapses. They can also slow down how fast your MS gets worse.
Lots of people with MS find it useful to actively manage their health in other ways, like through diet, exercise or giving up smoking.”
MS Society (https://www.mssociety.org.uk)
“Multiple sclerosis is a disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord which make up the central nervous system and controls everything we do. The exact cause of MS is unknown, but we do know that something triggers the immune system to attack the brain and spinal cord. The resulting damage to myelin, the protective layer insulating wire-like nerve fibers, disrupts signals to and from the brain. This interruption of communication signals causes unpredictable symptoms such as numbness, tingling, mood changes, memory problems, pain, fatigue, blindness and/or paralysis. Everyone’s experience with MS is different and these losses may be temporary or long lasting.”
National Multiple Sclerosis Society (https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS)
“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-lasting (chronic) disease of the central nervous system. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body attacks itself by mistake. MS is an unpredictable disease that affects people differently. Some people with MS may have only mild symptoms. Others may lose their ability to see clearly, write, speak, or walk when communication between the brain and other parts of the body becomes disrupted.”
“The spinal cord is a long, tube-like band of tissue. It connects your brain to your lower back. Your spinal cord carries nerve signals from your brain to your body and vice versa. These nerve signals help you feel sensations and move your body. Any damage to your spinal cord can affect your movement or function. In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerves.”
MAYO CLINIC
The nervous system has two main parts:
The nervous system transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body, including internal organs. In this way, the nervous system’s activity controls the ability to move, breathe, see, think, and more.1
The basic unit of the nervous system is a nerve cell, or neuron. The human brain contains about 100 billion neurons. A neuron has a cell body, which includes the cell nucleus, and special extensions called axons (pronounced AK-sonz) and dendrites (pronounced DEN-drahytz). Bundles of axons, called nerves, are found throughout the body. Axons and dendrites allow neurons to communicate, even across long distances.
The nervous system transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body, including internal organs. In this way, the nervous system’s activity controls the ability to move, breathe, see, think, and more.
1-CNS (Central Nervous System) and 2-PNS (Peripheral Nervous System)
SUBDIVISION OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM; CRANIAL NERVES:
| Cranial nerve | Name | Sensory and/or motor | Major function | Location of cells whose axons form the nerve | Clinical test of function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Olfactory nerve | Sensory | Sense of smell | Nasal epithelium | Test sense of smell with standard odor |
| II | Optic nerve | Sensory | Vision | Retina | Measure acuity and integrity of visual field |
| III | Oculomotor nerve | Motor | Eye movements; papillary constriction and accommodation; muscles of eyelid. | Oculomotor nucleus in midbrain; Edinger-Westphal nucleus in midbrain | Test eye movements (patient can’t look up, down, or medially if nerve involved); look for ptosis, pupillary dilation |
| IV | Trigeminal nerve | Motor | Eye movements | Trochlear nucleus in midbrain | Can’t look downward when eye abducted |
| V | Trochlear nerve | Sensory and motor | Somatic sensation from face, mouth, cornea; muscles of mastication | Trigeminal motor nucleus in pons; trigeminal sensory ganglion (the gasserian ganglion) | Test sensation on face; palpate masseter muscles and temporal muscle |
| VI | Abducens nerve | Motor | Eye movements | Abducens nucleus in midbrain | Can’t look laterally |
| VII | Facial nerve | Sensory and motor | Controls the muscles of facial expression; taste from anterior tongue; lacrimal and salivary glands | Facial motor nucleus; superior salivatory nuclei in pons; trigeminal (gasserian) ganglion | Test facial expression plus taste on anterior tongue |
| VIII | Auditory/vestibular nerve | Sensory | Hearing;sense of balance | Spiral ganglion; vestibular (Scarpa’s) ganglion | Test audition with tuning fork; vestibular function with caloric test |
| IX | Glossopharyngeal nerve | Sensory and motor | Sensation from pharynx; taste from posterior tongue; carotid baroreceptors | Nucleus ambiguus; inferior salivatory | Test swallowing; pharyngeal gag reflex |
| X | Vague nerve | Sensory and motor | Autonomic functions of gut; sensation from pharynx; muscles of vocal cords; swallowing | Dorsal motor nucleus of vagus; vagal nerve ganglion | Test above plus hoarseness |
| XI | Accessory nerve | Motor | Shoulder and neck muscles | Spinal accessory nucleus; nucleus ambiguus; intermediolateral column of spinal cord | Test sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles |
| XII | Hypoglossal nerve | Motor | Movements of tongue | Hypoglossal nucleus of medulla | Test deviation of tongue during protrusion (points to side of lesion) |
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3-The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a large division of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that can control gastrointestinal behaviour independently of central nervous system (CNS) input. Mammalian neurons are located in either the CNS (brain and spinal cord) or PNS (cells with soma outside the brain and spinal cord).
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a web of sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons embedded in the wall of the gastrointesinal system, stretching from the lower third of the esophagus right through to the rectum.
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is known as the “second brain” or the brain in the gut because it can operate independently of the brain and spinal cord, the central nervous system (CNS). It has also been called the “first brain” based on evidence suggesting that the ENS evolved before the CNS.
So in review the makeup of the Autonomic Nervous System = Parasympathetic, Sympathetic & Enteric Nervous Systems. Further subdividing down to the somatic and visceral nervous systems.
Somatic sensory input comes from the receptors of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. These organs transmit information we associate with the five senses; making up the somatic nervous system in the peripheral nervous system.
Visceral sensory input comes from (surprise!) the viscera, or internal organs; making up the visceral nervous system in the peripheral nervous system.
“.Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).”
MAYO CLINIC
How does MS-Multiple Sclerosis affect these areas, and what are some of the issues MS causes is what we cover next week due to March is MS month!
“Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) is caused by meningococcal bacteria, and is almost always meningitis or septicaemia (also known as sepsis), less frequently pneumonia or infection in other parts of the body. Although it has been widely known that meningitis and septicaemia can cause death swiftly, recent analysis from a team of researchers at PHE quantified precisely how swiftly the disease acts in different age groups. The research helps highlight the importance of rapid treatment. This new study shows that for most of those who die of this leading cause of meningitis, the disease comes on suddenly and advances rapidly, with a very limited time window to administer life-saving treatment, underlining the importance of prevention=Vaccine.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Meningitis
Your risk for meningococcal meningitis increases if you are exposed to the bacterium that causes it. Your risk also increases if you’ve had a recent upper respiratory infection. Babies, children, teens, and the elderly are at greatest risk.
A reddish or purple skin rash (known as petechiae)!!!!! This is a very important sign to watch for. If it does not turn white when you press on it with a glove the rash may be a sign of bacteremia, or a bacterial infection in the bloodstream. This is a medical emergency.
Meningococcal meningitis can cause death or serious complications, such as brain damage, paralysis, gangrene, or deafness. To prevent these problems, it’s important to act quickly. Do not wait. Seek immediate medical attention. Go to an emergency room or call 911 if:
Tests can confirm a diagnosis of meningococcal meningitis; Meningococcal disease can be difficult to diagnose because the signs and symptoms are often similar to those of other illnesses. If a doctor suspects meningococcal disease, they will collect samples of blood or cerebrospinal fluid (fluid near the spinal cord). Doctors then send the samples to a laboratory for testing.
The doctor may start antibiotics, such as penicillin or ceftriaxone, by an IV, or intravenous line. You or your child may also need other medication to treat problems related to increased spinal fluid pressure. Doctors sometimes prescribe steroids for antiinflammatory effect or the spinal cord. Penicillin is the drug of choice for the treatment of meningococcal meningitis and septicemia. Chemoprophylactic antimicrobials most commonly used to eradicate meningococci include rifampin, quinolones (eg, ciprofloxacin), ceftriaxone. Also included in this class are minocycline and spiramycin.
Meningococcal meningitis is a serious disease — even with treatment. That’s why prevention is a far better approach. The meningococcal vaccine can prevent meningitis infection. In the U.S., three types of meningococcal vaccines are used that are:
“Meningococcal meningitis is a rare but serious bacterial infection. Meningococcal, serious illness caused by a bacteria (Neisseria meningitidis). It can cause meningitis, which is an infection of the brain and spinal cord, and it can also cause blood infections. It causes the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord to become inflamed. Each year, approximately 1,000 people in the U.S. get meningococcal disease, which includes meningitis and septicemia (blood infection).
Meningococcal meningitis can be fatal or cause great harm without prompt treatment; as many as one out of five people who contract the infection have serious complications. According to the Centers for Disease Control, even with antibiotics, 10 to 15% of those infected will die and about 1 in 5 of those who survive are left with long-term disabilities that include deafness, brain damage, neurological problems, and even loss of a limb. There is a way to prevent it.” (which will be discussed tomorrow on our blog).
NMA – National Meningitis Association
“A brain injury is any occurrence that causes damage to your brain. The scope of what qualifies as a brain injury is fairly large. Brain injury can be anything from a mild concussion to traumatic brain injury, also known as craniocerebral trauma. Mild traumatic brain injury may affect your brain cells temporarily. More-serious traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain. These injuries can result in long-term complications or death (like bullet, shattered piece of skull, .
Not all brain injury results in TBI. In fact, some low-grade concussions may heal just fine on their own but any head hit or injury have checked by MD or ER.”
MAYO CLINIC