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HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders or HAND are neurocognitive problems that are caused by HIV. HIV targets the immune system however HIV can affect the brain. This creates and condition known as HAND. 1/3 of all people with HIV develop HAND. HAND can cause a variety of mental problems. HAND could result in trouble concentrating on a task difficulty with memory, coordination and complex decision making. The mechanism behind HAND is currently not understood. Some researchers say that the HAND is caused by proteins in HIV. However, HAND is understood to be linked to the infection of HIV.
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Each year 1.7 million people suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in the USA. TBI’s are caused by bumps, blows and jolts to the head. These motions to the head can cause multiple bleeding to the brain or head injuries that directly damage brain tissue. A concussion is an example of a mild TBI. Severe TBI can cause massive cuts and bleeding to the brain, direct nerve damages as well as the death of brain cells. Brain injury can cause a fever, seizures as well as other problems. All forms of TBI can cause damage to neurons that can lead to an inflammatory response. People who suffer from repeated brain damage can develop a condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE happens because of repeated head trauma that causes damaged brain tissue. This creates a buildup of proteins. CTE can cause memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually dementia. Most people with mild forms of TBI recover easily. Rest is necessary for people with TBI so they can heal. Treatments for TBI incudes removing water fluid and inflamed brain tissue though surgery. Severe TBI can cause the brain to get bruised causing blood to leak and contact brain tissue. This blood is toxic to the brain. In some cases, this can lead to seizures and post-traumatic epilepsy. Once the patient with brain damage is stable rehabilitation can begin this consist of physical and occupational therapy as well as many medications.  Source: Frontiers Media
Every year 79,000 people in the USA will be diagnosed with a brain tumor. 26,000 of these tumors will be malignant and the rest will be benign. A tumor is the buildup of cells. A malignant tumor will lead to cancer. The symptom of a tumor depends on the location of the tumor. In some cases, the tumor creates a headache because of the tumor exerts pressure on the brain. In more extreme cases the tumor will damage healthy brain tissue leading to major damage such as seizures. There are several ways to treat a brain tumor including brain surgery, radiation, targeted treatments as well as chemotherapy. The goal of these treatments is to remove or shrink brain tumors elimating pressure from the brain curing the headaches and seizures that could have been caused by the brain tumor. Brain tumors could be removed by brain surgery such as craniotomy. In craniotomy the skull is opened and the tumor is removed. Another type of treatment is stereotactic radiosurgery. Stereotactic radiosurgery is when a high dose of radiation is applied directly to a tumor. A couple of stereotactic radiosurgery sessions could reduce or eliminate the tumor while also partially keeping healthy nearby tissue. A more modern way of treating tumors are ultrasounds. Multiple beams of ultrasounds are focused directly at a tumor. This method can happen painlessly while the patient is awake.  The white area shows a tumor in the brain
Source The Independent Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease in the CNS (Central Nervous System). MS creates an attack against its own CNS. In MS the disease affects many different parts of the CNS. The direct cause of MS is currently unknown. However genetic causes have been discussed. The damage to the CNS that is caused by MS can have a lot of symptoms. The spinal cord, cerebellum and the optic nerve are all commonly affected by MS. Some symptoms are numbness, clumsiness, blurred vision, slurred speech, weakness, pain, loss of coordination, uncontrollable tremors, loss of bladder control, memory loss, depression as well as fatigue.  Image Source: Clinical Neuronal News
Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disease. It is the 2nd most common type of neurodegenerative disease. The chances of Parkinson’s Disease increase with age. There are 50,000 – 60K cases of Parkinson’s Disease each year in the United States. Parkinson’s Disease is characterized by motor problems. In early stages Parkinson’s Disease has slow movement, muscle rigidity, poor coordination, instability, shaking in multiple body parts including arms, legs and face. During later stages cognitive decline is present. Some people also experience depression and other emotional changes, difficulty swallowing and chewing, skin problems, constipation or urinary problems, and sleeping problems. The spectrum of Parkinson’s Disease is large some people experience severe disability while others have only mild motor problems. Parkinson’s Disease is caused by the lack of a dopamine producing cell in the substansia niagra. Some early cases of Parkinson’s Disease are linked to problems in the PARK2 and PARK gene. However, research continues especially with stem cells.  Source: Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson's ( Organization for research on Parkinson's Disease)
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April 2020
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