By Leon Edward
Long thought to be the soul of the human psyche, the human brain weighs in at about 3 pounds or 1300-1400g. What we know about the brain expands almost daily as new science finds more and more nuances that control our perception of life around us. We know that it controls what keeps us alive: respiration, digestion, heartbeat and a number of other involuntary or automatic functions of the body. Without our brain constantly working in the background, we would not be able to live.
It also controls what we call -Our Higher Functions- or things we are consciously doing day-to-day - abstract thinking, reasoning, dreaming and thought. Considered superior to any other species, our brain is responsible for our culture, advancements and higher level thinking including reading, speech and extrapolation. Things like creativity and personality are associated with the brain. We make decisions, define colors and smells and that is just the tip of the iceberg. This very special organ perceives the world around us and our activity in it.
The human brain is strong and some may consider it invincible; however, many times as we age, we realize isn not going to stay that way forever. Like any other part of our body, the brain is subject to the ravages of time, and our lifestyles affect it to a greater or lesser degree. As we age, the brain becomes slower in its functioning and its ability to rejuvenate itself. But, through science, we have also discovered that this doesn not have to be the end of things. There are many ways to enhance and improve our brain power and forestall the slowing down that comes with aging. This article gives you four excellent tips to get your started in reversing the damages that time causes.
Tip #1: Healthy lifestyles are the key
Integral to our overall anatomy, the brain is probably the most important organ in our bodies because without it, we could not function. So, we need to treat it like the special organ that it is. For the person who drinks heavily, they are damaging their brain more than the person who is a modest drinker. We have long known that alcohol and other substances like drug use destroy brain cells. Most alcoholics will argue that since we only use 10% of our overall brainpower, we have plenty of spare brain cells to call on. This is more myth than reality. Drinking does nothing to activate the other 90% of our brain's capacity, and this fallacy will cause alcoholism to destroy our organ faster than believed. As a result, if you think of that 10% we're using as a lifetime organ, we should go to great lengths to preserve and protect it.
Tip #2: Eat well and your brain will thank you.
You know the saying: Garbage in; Garbage Out. This applies to healthy eating to keep the brain operating at peak efficiency. Consuming the correct sets of food definitely benefits the brain. Consider this: the brain is the most active part of the body. In order to keep the brain vibrant and alive, we must give it the best fuel available. The brain is always on even when we are sleeping, so having an abundance of good fuel will keep the brain fit and thriving. Good foods will be greatly appreciated by your brain, and in return it will deliver excellent computing and reasoning powers. Never underestimate the power of a balanced diet, exercise and adequate sleep when it comes to staying focused and alert.
Tip #3: Exercise Makes the Brain Grow Stronger
Taking the time to get proper exercise is an excellent way for the body and brain to operate at maximum effectiveness. Leading a well-balanced lifestyle goes a long way towards having a brain that is alive, fit and ready to tackle any problem that the world throws at it.
Tip #4: Relieving Stress is Essential
Exercise also releases stress which can cloud and slow the brains functioning and create a good mood and a sense of well being.
The brain is an organ that should be respected, cared for and cherished. We only have one, and it allows us to make choices, and live our lives to the fullest. A well-cared for brain will deliver healthy perceptions, and result in a more active and fulfilled existence.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Classification of Brain Tumor
By Peter Sams
A brain tumor — primary or secondary — can cause a variety of signs and symptoms because it can directly press on or invade brain tissue. This can damage or destroy areas responsible for sight, movement, balance, speech, hearing, memory or behavior. Brain tumor symptoms vary from patient to patient, and most of these symptoms can also be found in people who do NOT have brain tumors.
Therefore, the only sure way to tell if you have a brain tumor or not is to see your doctor and get a brain scan. The growth of abnormal cells in the tissues of the brain. Brain tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant. A primary brain tumor is a group (mass) of abnormal cells that start in the brain. This article focuses on primary brain tumors in adults. Brain tumors encompass neoplasms that originate in the brain itself (primary brain tumors) or involve the brain as a metastatic site. Brain tumors (metastatic brain tumors), which are malignant, are more common. These tumors result from cancer that started elsewhere in the body and spread (metastasized) to the brain.
Classification
HISTOPATHOLOGIC CLASSIFICATION — Primary brain tumors are classified by light microscopy according to their predominant cell type and graded based upon the presence or absence of standard pathologic features. Historical attempts at developing a classification system for brain tumors date back to the 1830s. The German pathologist Rudolf Virchow first introduced the term "glioma" in 1860. Virchow was also the first to attempt a correlation of microscopic to macroscopic features of CNS tumors.
Cellular Classification-He classification of brain tumors is based on both histopathological characteristics and location in the brain. Undifferentiated neuroectodermal tumors of the cerebellum have historically been referred to as medulloblastomas, while tumors of identical histology in the pineal region would be diagnosed as pineoblastomas. The nomenclature of pediatric brain tumors is controversial and potentially confusing. Some pathologists advocate abandoning the traditional morphologically-based classifications such as medulloblastoma in favor of a terminology that relies more extensively on the phenotypic characteristics of the tumor.
Primary Brain Tumor
Astrocytomas — these tumors arise from small, star-shaped cells called astrocytes. They may grow anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. In adults, astrocytomas most often arise in the cerebrum. In children, they occur in the brain stem, the cerebrum and the cerebellum. A grade III astrocytoma is sometimes called anaplastic astrocytoma. A grade IV astrocytoma is usually called glioblastoma multiforme.
Brain stem gliomas — These tumors occur in the lowest, stem-like part of the brain. The brain stem controls many vital functions. Most brain stem gliomas are high-grade astrocytomas.
Secondary Brain Tumor
Metastatic brain tumors originate from malignant tumors located primarily in other organs. Their incidence is higher than that of primary brain tumors. The most frequent types of metastatic brain tumors originate in the lung skin (malignant melanoma, kidney (hypernephroma, breast (breast carcinoma), and colon (colon carcinoma). These tumor cells reach the brain via the blood-stream.
Some non-tumoral masses and lesions can mimic tumors of the central nervous system. These include tuberculosis of the brain, cerebral abscess (commonly in toxoplasmosis), and hamartomas
A brain tumor — primary or secondary — can cause a variety of signs and symptoms because it can directly press on or invade brain tissue. This can damage or destroy areas responsible for sight, movement, balance, speech, hearing, memory or behavior. Brain tumor symptoms vary from patient to patient, and most of these symptoms can also be found in people who do NOT have brain tumors.
Therefore, the only sure way to tell if you have a brain tumor or not is to see your doctor and get a brain scan. The growth of abnormal cells in the tissues of the brain. Brain tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant. A primary brain tumor is a group (mass) of abnormal cells that start in the brain. This article focuses on primary brain tumors in adults. Brain tumors encompass neoplasms that originate in the brain itself (primary brain tumors) or involve the brain as a metastatic site. Brain tumors (metastatic brain tumors), which are malignant, are more common. These tumors result from cancer that started elsewhere in the body and spread (metastasized) to the brain.
Classification
HISTOPATHOLOGIC CLASSIFICATION — Primary brain tumors are classified by light microscopy according to their predominant cell type and graded based upon the presence or absence of standard pathologic features. Historical attempts at developing a classification system for brain tumors date back to the 1830s. The German pathologist Rudolf Virchow first introduced the term "glioma" in 1860. Virchow was also the first to attempt a correlation of microscopic to macroscopic features of CNS tumors.
Cellular Classification-He classification of brain tumors is based on both histopathological characteristics and location in the brain. Undifferentiated neuroectodermal tumors of the cerebellum have historically been referred to as medulloblastomas, while tumors of identical histology in the pineal region would be diagnosed as pineoblastomas. The nomenclature of pediatric brain tumors is controversial and potentially confusing. Some pathologists advocate abandoning the traditional morphologically-based classifications such as medulloblastoma in favor of a terminology that relies more extensively on the phenotypic characteristics of the tumor.
Primary Brain Tumor
Astrocytomas — these tumors arise from small, star-shaped cells called astrocytes. They may grow anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. In adults, astrocytomas most often arise in the cerebrum. In children, they occur in the brain stem, the cerebrum and the cerebellum. A grade III astrocytoma is sometimes called anaplastic astrocytoma. A grade IV astrocytoma is usually called glioblastoma multiforme.
Brain stem gliomas — These tumors occur in the lowest, stem-like part of the brain. The brain stem controls many vital functions. Most brain stem gliomas are high-grade astrocytomas.
Secondary Brain Tumor
Metastatic brain tumors originate from malignant tumors located primarily in other organs. Their incidence is higher than that of primary brain tumors. The most frequent types of metastatic brain tumors originate in the lung skin (malignant melanoma, kidney (hypernephroma, breast (breast carcinoma), and colon (colon carcinoma). These tumor cells reach the brain via the blood-stream.
Some non-tumoral masses and lesions can mimic tumors of the central nervous system. These include tuberculosis of the brain, cerebral abscess (commonly in toxoplasmosis), and hamartomas
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Different Types of Brain Injury
By Dave J. Davies
Brain injury can be as individual as people, because every case of brain injury can happen for different reasons and have different effects on people. Classifying the different types of brain injury can require a lot of research. Generally the classification starts with the two more common types of brain injury: traumatic brain injury and acquired brain injury. The levels are ranted as mild, moderate or severe. Brain injuries can also be classified as an open or closed brain injury. In this article, we'll talk about the more common types of brain injuries.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury can happen whenever something strikes the head with force. The force would be strong enough to cause the brain to move in the skull causing internal damage to the brain. It can also occur if the skull breaks and the break itself injures the brain.
There are various reasons for this type of force. It could due to a violent experience, sports injury or a variety of other causes. Any event that causes the head to be struck hard enough an cause this type of traumatic brain injury.
This type of brain injury can also occur from rapid movement back and forth, shaking the brain hard enough in the skull that it becomes damaged. This more commonly happens in auto accidents or in cases such as Shaken Baby Syndrome. The rapid movement back and forth can do severe damage to the brain.
How To Tell If You've Suffered Traumatic Brain Injury
If you have suffered a severe blow to the head, or have been in an accident where your head was violently shaken, or suspect someone else has had this type of injury, go to the emergency room immediately or call 911 for further assistance. It is recommended that you do not wait. Severe brain injuries can become worse and could become fatal if not treated immediately.
Common symptoms of traumatic brain injury are as follows:
Spinal fluid coming out of the ears or nose, looking like thin, watery liquid
Loss of consciousness
Suspected concussion - not all concussions cause loss of consciousness
Severe dizziness or loss of balance
Dilated eyes
Loss of vision, or change in vision, either improved or reduced
Slow pulse
Slow breathing
Vomiting
Lethargic
Headache
Confusion
Numbness or tingling sensations in any parts of the body
Different Types of Traumatic Brain Injury
Depending on how severe the injury is, the brain can suffer many types of injuries. Some of the more common classifications of such injuries include:
Diffuse Axonal Injury - This type of injury seems to be more common with the rapid movement of the head as occurs with Shaken Baby Syndrome. It usually happens because the skull is moving faster than the brain, causing certain structures in the brain to tear. This injury can be temporary or permanent, causing a coma or even possibly producing fatal effects.
Concussion - A concussion can be caused by violent action toward the head, by severe blows, or a whiplash effect. This type of injury causes blood vessels to stretch. It's one of the more common types of brain injuries, and a concussion can take months or even years to fully heal.
Contusion - Again, this type of traumatic brain injury will happen with a violent action at the head. The injury is caused by bruising or bleeding on the brain. If the injury is severe and there is much bruising and bleeding, it can require surgery to correct.
Acquired Brain Injury
An acquired brain injury occurs any time after birth and is not induced by birth trauma or hereditary. This type of injury occurs on a cellular level. Such an injury can affect the entire brain, rather than a limited area like a traumatic brain injury.
Such injuries can occur for any of the following reasons: air obstruction, chocking, throat swelling, near drowning, electrical shock, trauma to the head, severe blood loss from open wounds, heart attack, stroke, infectious diseases, Meningitis, AIDS, brain tumors, toxic exposure, illegal drug use, overdose of drugs, alcohol abuse.
Symptoms of Acquired Brain Injury
Because this type of brain injury is internal, you might have a harder time trying to identify the symptoms. Some of the more common symptoms for acquired brain injury are:
Impairment of function, motor skills or memory
Long lengths of time spent in a still, 'vegetative' state
Sudden or severe behavior changes or problems - depression, restlessness, anxiety, psychosis, etc
As with traumatic brain injury, if you suspect someone may have acquired brain injury, call 911 or get the person to the emergency room right away.
Different Types of Acquired Brain Injury
Anoxic Brain Injury - This type of injury occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen. There are three types of anoxia: Anoxic which is no oxygen is getting through, anemic which means severely limited amounts of oxygen is getting through, and toxic which means something is blocking the oxygen in the blood from being used in the brain.
Hypoxic Brain Injury - This sort of brain injury occurs when the brain does get oxygen, but doesn't seem to get enough oxygen. It could happen because of lack of blood flow or blood pressure is weak.
If you should suffer from any symptoms listed, have suffered a blow to the head or you suspect that you or someone you know may have any form of brain injury, seek medical treatment right away. Call 911 if you see someone who has had an injury to the head, even if that person says they are fine. When caught early enough, many types of brain injuries are treatable.
Brain injury can be as individual as people, because every case of brain injury can happen for different reasons and have different effects on people. Classifying the different types of brain injury can require a lot of research. Generally the classification starts with the two more common types of brain injury: traumatic brain injury and acquired brain injury. The levels are ranted as mild, moderate or severe. Brain injuries can also be classified as an open or closed brain injury. In this article, we'll talk about the more common types of brain injuries.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury can happen whenever something strikes the head with force. The force would be strong enough to cause the brain to move in the skull causing internal damage to the brain. It can also occur if the skull breaks and the break itself injures the brain.
There are various reasons for this type of force. It could due to a violent experience, sports injury or a variety of other causes. Any event that causes the head to be struck hard enough an cause this type of traumatic brain injury.
This type of brain injury can also occur from rapid movement back and forth, shaking the brain hard enough in the skull that it becomes damaged. This more commonly happens in auto accidents or in cases such as Shaken Baby Syndrome. The rapid movement back and forth can do severe damage to the brain.
How To Tell If You've Suffered Traumatic Brain Injury
If you have suffered a severe blow to the head, or have been in an accident where your head was violently shaken, or suspect someone else has had this type of injury, go to the emergency room immediately or call 911 for further assistance. It is recommended that you do not wait. Severe brain injuries can become worse and could become fatal if not treated immediately.
Common symptoms of traumatic brain injury are as follows:
Spinal fluid coming out of the ears or nose, looking like thin, watery liquid
Loss of consciousness
Suspected concussion - not all concussions cause loss of consciousness
Severe dizziness or loss of balance
Dilated eyes
Loss of vision, or change in vision, either improved or reduced
Slow pulse
Slow breathing
Vomiting
Lethargic
Headache
Confusion
Numbness or tingling sensations in any parts of the body
Different Types of Traumatic Brain Injury
Depending on how severe the injury is, the brain can suffer many types of injuries. Some of the more common classifications of such injuries include:
Diffuse Axonal Injury - This type of injury seems to be more common with the rapid movement of the head as occurs with Shaken Baby Syndrome. It usually happens because the skull is moving faster than the brain, causing certain structures in the brain to tear. This injury can be temporary or permanent, causing a coma or even possibly producing fatal effects.
Concussion - A concussion can be caused by violent action toward the head, by severe blows, or a whiplash effect. This type of injury causes blood vessels to stretch. It's one of the more common types of brain injuries, and a concussion can take months or even years to fully heal.
Contusion - Again, this type of traumatic brain injury will happen with a violent action at the head. The injury is caused by bruising or bleeding on the brain. If the injury is severe and there is much bruising and bleeding, it can require surgery to correct.
Acquired Brain Injury
An acquired brain injury occurs any time after birth and is not induced by birth trauma or hereditary. This type of injury occurs on a cellular level. Such an injury can affect the entire brain, rather than a limited area like a traumatic brain injury.
Such injuries can occur for any of the following reasons: air obstruction, chocking, throat swelling, near drowning, electrical shock, trauma to the head, severe blood loss from open wounds, heart attack, stroke, infectious diseases, Meningitis, AIDS, brain tumors, toxic exposure, illegal drug use, overdose of drugs, alcohol abuse.
Symptoms of Acquired Brain Injury
Because this type of brain injury is internal, you might have a harder time trying to identify the symptoms. Some of the more common symptoms for acquired brain injury are:
Impairment of function, motor skills or memory
Long lengths of time spent in a still, 'vegetative' state
Sudden or severe behavior changes or problems - depression, restlessness, anxiety, psychosis, etc
As with traumatic brain injury, if you suspect someone may have acquired brain injury, call 911 or get the person to the emergency room right away.
Different Types of Acquired Brain Injury
Anoxic Brain Injury - This type of injury occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen. There are three types of anoxia: Anoxic which is no oxygen is getting through, anemic which means severely limited amounts of oxygen is getting through, and toxic which means something is blocking the oxygen in the blood from being used in the brain.
Hypoxic Brain Injury - This sort of brain injury occurs when the brain does get oxygen, but doesn't seem to get enough oxygen. It could happen because of lack of blood flow or blood pressure is weak.
If you should suffer from any symptoms listed, have suffered a blow to the head or you suspect that you or someone you know may have any form of brain injury, seek medical treatment right away. Call 911 if you see someone who has had an injury to the head, even if that person says they are fine. When caught early enough, many types of brain injuries are treatable.
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