Medical brain notes 7

  AN OVERVIEW OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM   The  Nervous system  comprises of the brain, the spinal cord, the nerves emanating from them and their innervations of muscle fibres. The human race is superior and special to the other living beings due to the unique anatomy and physiology of human nervous system. Especially the cortex of the brain (the grey layer of the brain surface) is highly evolved and complex. Other organs of the human beings are similar or even weaker as compared to those of the other animals, but the humanrace proves superior because of the exceptional mental power & ability, as well as logic, memory and vocabulary all due to the cortex of the brain. The cortex consists of approximately 100 billion neurons. According to an estimate, an average person uses about 5 to 10 percent of his brain capacity, but a genius uses his brain up to 15 percent. Therefore it can be said that any person can become a genius by learning how to use his brain more and putt...

  Basic unit - a neuron & neural organisation As mentioned earlier, the Nervous System comprises of the brain, the spinal cord, the nerves emanating from them and their innervations of muscle fibres (i.e. peripheral nervous system). The brain immediately confronts us with its great complexity. The human brain weighs only 1200 to 1400 gms. but contains about 100 billion neurons. Although that extraordinary number is of the same order of magnitude as the number of stars in the Milky Way, it alone cannot account for the complexity of the brain. A major part of the complexity arises from the rich diversity of nerve cells, or neurons, which the famous neuroanatomist Ramon y Cajal described as “the mysterious butterflies of the soul”. Neurons, or nerve cells, are the basic building blocks of the brain. A neuron has three main parts - a cell body containing the nucleus, dendrites which are specialized branches for receiving information from other neurons, and axons which are specializ...

  COMMON DISEASES : After understanding the basics of the brain, we will now classify the common diseases of the brain and nervous system: The above mentioned diseases are known as neurological disorders. A neurologist or any experienced physician can treat them. Diseases of the psyche (mana) are called psychiatric disorders e.g. depression, anxiety, psychosis, neurosis, personality problem, psychosexual diseases etc. A qualified psychiatrist should treat these diseases. Normally in psychiatric diseases investigations like CT scan, E.E.G. and Lumber Puncture are normal. Many a times there can be similar symptoms creating confusion. For instance a change in the personality of a patient may either be due to depression or brain tumor (frontal or corpus callosal region). This can result in serious lapse in diagnosis. Therefore, in each psychiatric case a detailed history as wellas physical examination is essential. If in doubt, it is always better to get a test or two (like CT Scan or ...