With diabetes, one of the first symptoms people will have is excessive thirst. This indicates that the pituitary gland is working overtime to keep up with the demand of blood glucose.
Endocrine system function and structure
The endocrine system is a unique and essential part of normal body function. Where the nervous system handles functions that happen quickly, like breathing and body movement, the endocrine system handles body functions that happen much slower, such as the growth of cells, organs, and metabolism. One of the main roles of the endocrine system is to maintain a steady setting in the body. Insulin is a hormone which plays a part in the cause of diabetes, if the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin or enough insulin type 1 or type 2 diabetes could occur.
- The hypothalamus is a gland in the brain which is responsible for regulating certain metabolic processes or maintaining the body's status quo. Without the hypothalamus there would be no link between the nervous system and the endocrine system as the hypothalamus "tells" other organs, such as the pituitary gland, what to secrete and when to do it.
- The pituitary gland is a small gland in the brain that is about the size of a pea. For such a small gland, it is responsible for producing most of the important hormones that the body manufactures.
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The thyroid gland is a gland located in the lower part of the neck and it produces a hormone called thyroxin. Thyroxin regulates the metabolism and is important to healthy bone growth and aids in the development of the brain and nervous system.
Stroke
For your brain to function, it needs a constant blood supply, which provides vital nutrients and oxygen to the brain cells. A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off and brain cells are damaged or die.
Strokes are a medical emergency and prompt treatment is essential because the sooner a person receives treatment for a stroke, the less damage is likely to happen. About a third of people who have a stroke make a significant recovery within a month. But most stroke survivors will have long-term problems. It may take a year or longer for them to make the best possible recovery. Sadly, in the most severe cases, strokes can be fatal or cause long-term disability.
Beatrice Amatiefio is an African female aged 75, suffers from stroke since the age of 73. Beatrice was sitting at home one day when she collapsed, then rushed to hospital she then later was diagnosed with Stroke. Beatrice slowly began to lose her speech and wasn’t responding to anyone, nor was she able to lift her arms. Since then Beatrice has been receiving constant treatment and care at the hospital and by her career, as she’s old and unable to take care of herself. People over 65 years of age are most at risk from having strokes, although 25% of strokes occur in people who are under 65, so this Beatrice’s age could be a factor of why she was diagnosed with stroke. Prior to stroke, Beatrice was able to walk and talk properly and be active with the people around her, now she’s constantly In a wheel chair and needs support in what she could do herself before, for example going to the toilet and changing.
If you’re African or Caribbean, your risk of stroke is higher. This is partly because of a predisposition (a natural tendency) to developing and , which are two conditions that can cause strokes.
The brain structure and function
The brain, together with the spinal cord, makes up the central nervous system (CNS). This is the 'control centre' that coordinates the body’s functions. The largest portion of the brain—the cerebral cortex—has two hemispheres. The right hemisphere of the brain controls nonverbal communication, emotions and spatial orientation or sense of body position. The left hemisphere of the brain controls the right side of the body and is the brain’s language center. The left hemisphere also is largely responsible for analytical thinking.
The main parts of the brain are:
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The cerebrum (the forebrain) the cerebrum is divided into a right and a left hemisphere and is composed of pairs of frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes.
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The cerebellum (the hindbrain) the cerebellum, the second largest area, is responsible for maintaining balance and further control of movement and coordination.
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The brain stem - the final pathway between cerebral structures and the spinal cord. It is responsible for a variety of automatic functions, such as control of respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure, wakefulness, arousal and attention