Functional Neurological Disorders - Essay Example

"Functional Neurological Disorders" is a wonderful example of a paper on neurology. Functional neurological disorders are medical conditions resulting from failure or trouble in the functioning of the nervous system, which affects the sending and receiving of nerve impulses by the brain and body in general. Some of the resulting disorders associated with this fiasco include motor neuron disease, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer's, and multiple sclerosis (Stone, 2016). This condition exhibits physical and psychological symptoms, which may be stress, depression, anxiety, pain, and fatigue.

This piece of work expounds on the case study given by discussing the condition encompassing clinical experiences offered.Case Study OneIn this case, I focus on a 28-year-old man who is entirely dependent on opioids. Currently, the man is no longer on treatment. He is experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms because his body is incapable of producing enough of its opioids and has adapted to the outside opioids and hence the addiction.Compare and Contrast the Efferent and Afferent Nerve PathwayNeural pathways help connect the different parts of the central nervous system using bundles of axons called tracts.

Efferent and afferent nerve pathways differ in that the efferent channels transmit impulses away from the central nervous system towards body muscles to command the body on what to do. In contrast, afferent pathways transmit nerve impulses towards the brain and the central nervous system for processing (Furness & Stebbing, 2018).What is nociceptionCommonly referred to as pain receptors, nociception is free nerve endings located in the body parts. These include the skin, bones, joints, and muscles and are responsible for regulating how a person feels and react to stimuli such as pain.

According to (Tracey 2017), the nociceptor's role is to respond to damage to the body through transmitting signals to the brain and the spinal cord.Somatogenic painSomatogenic pain is a form of abnormality caused by biological disorders that mainly affect the brain. For instance, defects may affect the bottom front of the brain, making the victim behave in a socially inappropriate way. Such illness is the reason why they use drugs like opioids are necessary, or else surgery and physical therapy will aid in treating such abnormalities.

HyperalgesiaHyperalgesia is a form of pain response resulting in the use of opioid painkillers or from an injury to the part of the body. When nociceptors respond to pain signals, Hyperalgesia occurs in case of nociceptors become more sensitive. Hyperalgesia exists in two forms. The primary one happens at the site of injury, while the second one happens when pain shows signs of spreading to the unaffected parts.NaloxonePatients using opioids may overdose to prevent withdrawal symptoms, and hence Naloxone is administered to them.

Naloxone is an approved medication that aims at preventing an overdose of opioids like morphine and heroin by blocking their receptor sites, thus reversing the toxic effects of an overdose.Case Study 2Here, a 20-year-old woman exhibits severe migraines after receiving treatment for the past two years. The Pathophysiology involved with the prodrome associated with migraines A migraine is a form of headache characterized by severe pain on one side of the head. Its initial signs begin with prodromes, and transient focal neurological headache signs called an aura, which is often associated with the hypothalamus, brainstem, and cortex.

Migraines develop throbs, increased intracranial pressure, and show up with nausea and vomiting. The woman may also experience an abnormal sensitivity to light, noise, or smell.Compare and contrast tension headache and cluster headache using path principles According to (Blanda 2019), tension headaches are a unique feeling that often knows a general restrained pain in the head of a band wrapped tightly around the head. It is sometimes called muscle contraction headache, phycomycotic headache, or stress headache.

Factors associated with tension headache are muscular and psychogenic. Mostly it is felt to be multifactorial. There is an increase in myofascial pain triggered by the sensitization of neurons in the supraspinal region. Cluster headaches, on the other hand, display sudden pain on one side of the head or one eye. It is believed to be a neurovascular headache with cerebral vascular changes driven by trigeminal automatic reflex activation.Pathopsychological difference between migraine and tension headache Migraine is brought about when neuronal dysfunction results in the following changes intracranially and extracranially.

The process involves the premonitory symptoms, aura, headache, and postdrome. In case vasodilation occurs during an unprompted migraine, epiphenomenon may cause unsteadiness. Both migraine and tension headaches exhibit myofascial triggers, although tension headaches occur with pericranial myofascial pain sensitivity.Case study 3This case presents a 55-year-old man who showcases a condition after falling in his backyard. He is diagnosed with a 12-year Parkinson’s disease.How Bradykinesia manifestBradykinesia is a condition involving a progressive loss of neurons in the substantianigra alongside the depletion of neurotransmitters dopamine in the brain (Bologna et al., 2020). It occurs when there is a lack of dopamine, resulting in an impairment in muscle movements.

The impairment causes difficulty in the initiation or continuing progress and hence the loss of dexterity.Cause Postural instabilityIncreased risks of falling and injury on the patient may result in the loss of dopamine, which leads to muscle rigidity and slow lessness. The result is a stooped posture of the patient and cogwheel rigidity.Compare and contrast pyramidal and extrapyramidal.Pyramidal tracts are the upper neurons that emanate from the cerebral cortex and end in the spinal cord. On the other hand, extrapyramidal is the part of the motor system network that causes involuntary actions.

Compare and contrast myelinated and unmyelinated fibers.Myelinated nerve fibers are axons insulated by myelin sheath because they are made of Ranvier nodes, whereas unmyelinated fibers are not enveloped with myelin. Unmyelinated fibers do not have the nodes of Ranvier.