Describe the impact of neuronal and neurotransmitter abnormalities on brain function

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Describe the impact of neuronal and neurotransmitter abnormalities on brain function.

This essay will explain the effects of neuronal and neurotransmitter defects on brain functions. There will be a brief overview of the brain functions describing the individual functions and structures. This essay will discuss four types of disease explaining how brain disorders affect either the neuron or the neurotransmitter. The diseases being discussed affecting the neuron will be Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s. The areas discussed will show how the disease affects neurons, symptoms and how treatments alleviate symptoms or target the mechanisms. The next two diseases to be discussed which affect neurotransmitters will be Parkinson’s disease and Schizophrenia. The essay will focus on the main areas including how these diseases affect the neurotransmitters, symptoms and various treatments that aid symptoms or treatments that target brain mechanisms.

The neurons are the building blocks of the brain, which are unique and have the ability to communicate specifically, briskly and over long distances reaching target cells such as gland cells and muscles (Bernstein, Clarke-Stewart, Penner & Roy, 2008, p. 65). The neuron is a generic name that represents the entirety of the whole cell and is unique due to containing the ability to generate electrical impulses, allowing neurons to communicate with each other. These impulses are known as action potential, when these impulses become active they fire off their own action potential. The neuron receives information in through the dendrites, processes the information in the soma and then executes the information down the axon and onto other neurons. There is a gap between each neuron known as the synaptic cleft, this allows for the chemical, neurotransmitter, to release and fuse onto proteins of the dendrites on the next neuron. The previous neuron returns to its own resting state when enzymes within the synaptic cleft obstruct remaining neurotransmitters (Marc Breedlove, Rosenzweig & Watson, 2007, pp. 23-33).  

However when damage occurs to the neuronal structure, degenerative diseases can occur such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The primary location of MS is found in the central nervous system (CNS) and is a multifocal demyelinating disease that causes damage or loss of myelin throughout the CNS (Graham Beaumont, Kinealy & Rogers, 1999, p. 505). MS is considered as an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks its own tissue; therefore, its own immune system attacks the myelin that insulates the axon. The damage to the myelin stops nerve cells from efficiently conducting action and synaptic potentials, losing the ability to send signals throughout the body and resulting in incapacitating symptoms. This disease mostly affects motor and sensory neurons that possess long axons carrying information to different parts of the body. Therefore the length of these axons provide a greater need for insulation of the myelin to transmit this information so greatly affected by the destruction this disease causes (Longstaff, 2000, p. 12).

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The breakdown of motor and sensory functions produce several symptoms, most common include vision, coordination, sensation, speech and bladder control. These symptoms are a result of the neurons inability to process the transmissions due to breakdown of functions that carry signals from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles (Kingsley, 2000, pp. 24-25). Different treatment therapies as with all neurological disorders can divide into either treating symptoms or targeting the mechanism that initiates the disease. Several drugs and treatments are available to help alleviate some symptoms; however, some symptoms are difficult to control such as overwhelming tiredness. There ...

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