Module 15&16

• Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder that affects memory, thinking and behaviour. It is the most common cause of dementia in older adults.
• Alzheimer's

  • Abnormal protein deposits in the brain, damaging and killing brain cells
• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the CNS. MS causes inflammation and damage to the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibres.

  
• The exact cause of MS is not known, but it is believed to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. It is thought that a person's immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath.
• Brain and spinal cord injuries occur when there is damage to the tissues of the brain or spinal cord, which can result in a wide range of symptoms and functional impairments.
• When the brain is injured, brain cells are damaged. Depending on where these cells are located, this could result in changes to speech, memory and movement, or the development of a mental handicap, paralysis or even a permanent coma.

  
• The use of various drugs affects the functioning neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine. Changes to the function of neurotransmitters will affect the way the entire CNS functions, and thus drugs can cause dangerous changes in behaviour and functioning.
• The eye is one of the most powerful sense organs (receptors) an animal can possess. Responding to light, it allows any creature that possesses one to see and engage with the world around them.
• Humans have two eyes on the front of their heads. These two eyes allow us to see by converting light into nerve impulses that our brains interpret.
• The pupillary reflex/mechanism
• While the eye is an incredible organ that provides us with the privilege of seeing and engaging with the world around us, for many people, the eye does not function as perfectly as it should. Many people, young and old, have visual defects.

  
• Visual defects include a variety of ways in which the eye does not function normally and can be caused by a variety of different changes/defects in the eye itself. Most are treatable and there are different treatments for different defects.
• The human ear is an incredible receptor in the human body with a range of structures and functions. The ear can be divided into three sections: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear.