The Brain

• The Brain

  Controls complex behaviour and made up of billions of interconnected neurons and have different regions that carry out different functions
• The Brain


  Diagram only

  
• Cerebral cortex

  Language, memory, consciousness and intelligence
• Cerebellum


  Balance, coordination of movements, cancer ed with coordination of muscular activity
• Medulla

  Heart and breathing rate, controls unconscious activities
• Brain surgery

  Benefits:

  Removes as much of a brain tumour as possible

  Brain tumour - growth of cells in brain that multiply abnormally and uncontrollably

  Risks:

  May cause brain damage eg: speech, memory and balance

  Can cause infection and possibility of a stroke
• Brain implant


  Benefits:

  Offers hope for early stage of Parkinson as they help the body function

  Risks:

  Brain may be damaged
• Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy

  Benefits:

  Remove tumours and save cells

  Risks:

  They can both damage normal cells

  Radiotherapy - uses rays to destroy cancer cells

  Chemotherapy - uses drugs to destroy cancer cells
• Monoclonal Antibodies


  Benefit:

  Identical copies of antibodies that have been made in labs - they bind to cancer cells and help immune system destroy them

  Offers hope in cancer treatment

  Risks:

  Can cause skin changes such as red / sore skin or an itchy rash
• Stem cell therapies

  Benefits:

  Unspecialised cells that can develop into types of cells helps in repairing damaged nervous system and produce cancer killing molecules

  Risks:

  The stem cells may rejected
• MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging


  Provides a brain map using non invasive techniques that are external to the body - it can detect cancer cells, clots and abnormal blood flow

  Uses string magnetic fields and radio waves to produce very detailed up images of the nervous system or any other region in the human body

  Very safe because:

  It’s non invasive

  Doesn’t use ionising radiation

  Safer than CET scans
• CT scan - Computed Tomography scan

  Uses x rays to make detailed images of parts of your body and the structures inside and used to map brain activity - they can be used to:

  1 - Diagnose condition: including damage to bones, internal organ injuries, problems with blood flow, strokes and cancer

  2 - Guide further tests or treatments: can help determine size, location and shape of tumour before having radiotherapy, allows doctor to take a needle biopsy (small tissue sample removed with needle)

  3 - Monitor conditions: including checking sizes of tumours during and after cancer treatment
• CT scan (2)

  There is some risk from ionising radiation and the injection of dye. CT scanner is a machine shaped like a doughnut
• ECG scanner - electroencephalography 


  Attaching small sensors all over scalp to detect electrical signals produced when the brains cells send messages to each other

  A highly trained specialist can read these changes to detect unusual activity

  These can be used to detect epilepsy, fits and memory problems

  No electricity is put into the body so it is very safe

  It can’t be used to detect cancer