Category Archives: ALS Treatment

Are you hot right now? Cold? Maybe you're like Goldilocks and are just right. What about your height? Are you tall? Average? Short? Maybe your metabolism is lightning fast and you're always hungry, or maybe it's a bit slow and you stay full longer. All of theseregardless of which one you identify withare regulated by the endocrine system. (Hypothalamus and pituitary, highlighted in blue) I'm going to be throwing a lot of information at you, dear reader, so brace yourself! Its no secret your brain is one busy placeneurons move at incredible speeds, synapses are constantly firing, blood is pumping, and glands are producing hormones. These glands, specifically the hypothalamus and pituitary, are working all the time to keep your body running at optimal performance.Every hormone the endocrine system releases follows a basic set-up: a signal is received, hormones are secreted, and the target cell undergoes changes to its basic functions. The almond-sized hypothalamus is located below the thalamus and sits just above the brainstem. All vertebrate brains have a hypothalamus. Its primary function is to maintain homeostasis (stability of the internal environment) in the body. The hypothalamus links the nervous and endocrine systems by way of the pituitary gland. … Continue reading →

Overview At the core of any well-oiled machine, there is a busy engine that keeps it going. The hypothalamus is at the center of a plethora of physiological processes including, but not limited to, thermoregulation, osmoregulation and hormonal regulation. It also works closely with the pituitary gland to modulate endocrine activity based on the bodys physiological demands. The purpose of this article will be to evaluate the gross anatomical organization and vascular supply of the hypothalamus. Additionally, the article will look at key anatomical relationships to other structures, some associated neuronal pathways and the function of different nuclei of the gland. Recommended video: Medial view of the brain Structures seen on the medial view of the brain. The images show a midsagittal section of the brain. The left and right lateral walls of the third ventricle are divided by an anteroposterior depression known as the hypothalamic sulcus. It runs from the anterior tip of the fornix between the interventricular foramen of Monro superiorly and the anterior commissure inferiorly to the posterior commissure (superior to the beginning of the cerebral aqueduct of Sylvius). This depression separates the thalamus (superiorly) from the hypothalamus (inferiorly). The hypothalamus is composed mainly of different nuclei … Continue reading →

The thalamus is a busy place in the human brain, and a stroke there can have a wide range of effects. By Jon Caswell The thalamus is a busy place in the human brain, and a stroke there can have a wide range of effects. Jeremy Schmahmann, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, director of the ataxia unit and member of the cognitive behavioral neurology unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, shared more about this type of stroke. The thalamus, which means "inner chamber" in Greek, is on top of the brainstem near the center of the brain. It has two halves, each about the size of a walnut. "The thalamus is divided into many different areas, which are connected very specifically to different parts of the brain," Dr. Schmahmann said. "A stroke in one part of the thalamus will not have the same effect as a stroke in another part." The thalamus has many functions, including: The thalamus can be thought of as a "relay station," receiving signals from the brains outer regions (cerebral cortex), interpreting them, then sending them to other areas of the brain to complete their job. Though relatively small, the thalamus controls a big part … Continue reading →

Sweat gets a bad reputation, even though it plays an important role in cooling down our bodies when we get too hot. But how, exactly, does your body know when to start sweating? It knows because a part of your brain, called the hypothalamus, tells it to. All humans and many animals have a hypothalamus. The hypothalamus does many things, but two of its most important jobs are to maintain homeostasis and to control certain hormones. Homeostasis is very important to all animals, including humans. If we look at the word, we see that homeo means the same, and stasis means not moving, or holding. So homeostasis means that something is held at the same place. Lets think about homeostasis in terms of body temperature. Most animals maintain, or hold, their temperature at a certain level. For humans, this is about 98.6F (37C). When your hypothalamus senses that youre too hot, it sends signals to your sweat glands to make you sweat and cool you off. When the hypothalamus senses that youre too cold, it sends signals to your muscles that make your shiver and create warmth. This is called maintaining homeostasis. The hypothalamus also maintains homeostasis in lots of … Continue reading →

What is cerebral palsy? Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of neurological conditions affecting movement and co-ordination because of problems with the brain and the body's nervous system. Symptoms include muscle stiffness, floppiness, weakness, uncontrolled body movements, and problems with balance and co-ordination. It is one of the most common causes of long-term childhood disability with types of the condition estimated to affect around 1 in 400 babies born in the UK. Signs usually appear in children before they are 3 years old. Although the brain damage doesn't worsen over a person's lifetime, symptoms can vary in severity. Children with cerebral palsy may have an accompanying seizure disorder and may have some level of learning disability, vision, speech, hearing, or language problems. It is a lifelong condition that cannot be cured. However, treatment can improve an affected person's capabilities, increasing motor function, and independence. Causes of cerebral palsy include: Infections during pregnancy. These may damage the nervous system of a developing foetus. These include rubella (German measles), cytomegalovirus (a type of herpes virus) and toxoplasmosis (an infection caused by a parasite that can be carried in cat poo or undercooked meat). Other infections in pregnancy that may go undetected are … Continue reading →

"I feel good," Diekman said. "I don't know how my arm strength is, but I feel good." The Rangers will see how Diekman recovers from the session before they determine his next step. He could get another batting practice session, or he could be assigned to the Minor Leagues on a medical rehabilitation assignment. Diekman said he is ready for a rehab assignment, but pitching coach Doug Brocail said that is still to be determined. "I want to see how he responds and get everybody's opinion," Brocail said. "I'm not putting a timeline on this. I want to make sure we get this thing right." Diekman pitched to Ryan Rua, Mike Napoli and Drew Robinson. He wasn't expected to throw as many as 31 pitches, but the goal was to push him physically so they can see how he responds from the session. "I need that arm to get tired so we can build it back up," Brocail said. Rangers trade for slot money: The Rangers have acquired an extra $500,000 in international bonus pool money from the Orioles in exchange for Minor League infielder Brallan Roberts. The Rangers were allotted $4.75 million for the yearlong international signing period that … Continue reading →