On page 112 - 113, Dr. Moalem discusses about antibody-led attack called PANDAS on the basal ganglia, which is believed to be responsible for control movement. PANDAS stands for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infection. A patient who has PANDAS has uncontrolled, repetitive moevements and serious anxiety. This is related to Big Idea 4 (Biological systems interact, and these interactions possess complex properties) in that disorders like PANDAS interacts with the brain complex to disrupt regular functions, as antibodies destroy cells or proteins before they can perform their regular functions.
Define neuropathic disorder and neuropsychiatric disorder. Then, give an example of each and describe its process of attacking the brain or regions of the brain at the molecular level (proteins and anti-bodies responsible for attack, region of brain effected, and what cells or molecules are affected/destroyed). Finally, describe the symptoms and effect of each disorder.
Paul Sone (jsone4@students.d125.org)
Neuropathic pain is caused by an injury or damage to nerves of the nervous system. Neuropathic pain can be felt as hot or burning. It can also have devastating effects on the individual's quality of life because it can affect any part of the body. Diabetes, trauma, and cancer treatment like chemotherapy can cause neuropathic pain. Diabetic neuropathy is damage to the nerves that develops in people with diabetes due to high blood sugar levels. The condition can cause a burning or stabbing pain through your hands or feet. Another type of neuropathic disorder is peripheral neuropathy which is the damage to the peripheral nervous system. This damage causes interruptions of messages sent through the neurons. Since the peripheral nerves are highly specialized in function, once the nerves are damaged, many different parts of the body are effected. Also, there is also a range in the amount of damamge that is done. A single nerve can be damaged, multiple nerves can be damaged, etc. Also, many times, like with pepple with diabetic neuropathy, the nerve fibers malfunction first in areas of the body that are furthest from the spinal cord. Then, the pain/malfunction spreads in gradually and symmetrically (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/peripheralneuropathy/detail_peripheralneuropathy.htm). Overall, any nerve can be effected: motor, sensory, autonomic.
ReplyDeleteCrystal Chang (cchang3@students.d125.org)
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ReplyDeleteAmong neuropsychiatric disorders, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are the most frequently diagnosed. In the Division of Neurochemistry, a key component of the brain dopamine system, the dopamine transporter, was found in patients with ADHD. This discovery may put the medical community closer to developing a more accurate diagnostic tests. More research is being done to identify polymorphisms in the dopamine transporter gene. Investigating the effects of medications in subjects with different levels of behavioral activity help develop a more accurate understanding of the biological basis of ADHD. (http://www.hms.harvard.edu/neprc/neuro.html).
ReplyDeleteThis relates to Big Idea 4 (Biological systems interact, and these interactions possess complex properties) in that these disorders works because of the interaction with the peripheral and central nervous system, different nerve cells, and different body parts. The body is a whole network of nerves/ neurons. So, when the nerves/neurons are destroyed or damaged, it disrupts regular functions of affected body parts. This also relates to how the nervous system unit. The neurons are "connected" by many neurons. They send and receive messaged through the movement of ions, electricity, and chemicals. When one of the neurons are damaged, it interrupts the flow of the message as whole, and therefore the message isn't sent all the way to the specific body part, or it would take a lot longer for the message to get across. On page 113, Moalem states that there are "myriad ways our behavior is affected by infectious agents. This shows how complex our nervous system and our body is.
It is also interesting to note that on Science Daily (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130410141315.htm), they have discoverd through studies that people with neuropathic disorder or neuropsychiatric disorder, tend to have an increase in pain tolerance. The more they accept the pain level, the more tolerance they have. This is interesting and connects to Big Idea 1 (The process of evolution drives the unity and diversity of life). Maybe this disorder will cause a variance in pain tolerance level, which may be crucial to survival in the future.
Crystal Chang (cchang3@students.d125.org)
A neuropathic disorder can be described as “a functional disturbance or pathological change in the peripheral nervous system, sometimes limited to non-inflammatory lesions as opposed to those of neuritis” (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/neuropathy). A neuropsychiatric disorder therefore connects directly with a broader neuropathic disorder as this disorder pertains to any issues within “the medical science dealing with both organic and psychic disorders of the nervous system” (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Neuropsychiatric+disorder). With these definitions, we can see that the, “certain strep infections [triggering] an autoimmune disorder that leads to an antibody-led attack on the basal ganglia, the part of the brain believed to control movement” (Moalem 112) are in fact a type of health defect on the peripheral nervous system as it has to do with sensory neuron that connect to the central nervous system (Campbell G-27).
ReplyDeleteTherefore, the PANDAS discussed in chapter 5 can be more specifically associated as a neuropathic disorder. This is because a person with the disease ‘sown antibodies, things that are supposed to protect them from disease, are the ones harming his or her brain. As antibodies trigger an autoimmune response and not the brain or spinal cord directly, this is a part of the peripheral nervous system. An example of the broader neuropsychiatric disorder is ADHD (http://www.hms.harvard.edu/neprc/neuro.html). ADHD can be caused by an array of factors, most commonly due to genetics, environmental factors, brain injuries, and sugar. Genetics aside, environmental factors which can also connect with brain injuries show how a stimulus either damages the brain or causes another type of reflexive response. Sugar can also fit into this stimulus category as high sugar levels also correlates with children more prone to have this disorder.
Symptoms of PANDAS as discussed by Dr. Moalem are instantaneous transformations such as sudden displays of repetitive tics, uncontrolled touching, and serious anxiety. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity (http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-symptoms). Overall, both types of diseases support Big Idea #4 as biological systems, in this case the nervous system, are affected by various different factors. This therefore leads to complications and damage in reflective qualities as well as overall reaction towards external factors as can be seen by odd social behaviors resulting from both PANDAS and ADHD.
(Lois Kim, lokim3@students.d125.org)