Motor neurons are efferent neurons. They originate in the spinal chord and synapse with muscle
fibers to produce muscle contraction. Motor neurons are needed in order to walk, talk,
breath, and etc. When motor
neurons signals are disrupted as a result, muscle weakening can occur. There are several types of diseases
caused by a disruption in motor neuron signals, one of which is called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis also known as “Lou Gehrig's Disease”. ALS is a disease in the
nerve cells of the brain and spinal chord in which motor neurons die or waste
away and are no longer capable to send messages to the muscles. Due to the inability to send signals to
the muscles twitching, muscle weakening, and the inability to move arms, legs,
and body occurs. This disease only affects your motor skills, it does not
affect your senses. There is
no cure for ALS, so the condition slowly begins to worsen, causing muscles in
the chest area to stop working making it difficult or impossible to breathe on
your own. Approximately 5 out of every 100,000 people are affected with ALS
worldwide. There are no known risk
factors for this disease other than people having a 5 to 10 percent chance of
inheriting the disease. This
disease mainly affects people between the ages of 40 and 60 years old. Men are
more likely to develop this disease than women.
Below is a video that demonstrates how motor neurons are intertwined with ALS.
I chose this video because it shows you how the motor neurons are affected by ALS. It is also a very informative video since it also states the symptoms, treatments, causes and other informative things about ALS.
I can't even begin to fathom what people with ALS go through. Having your body break down and not being able to do anything but endure is sheer torment. I am curious as to why it effects men more than women. I wonder if it has anything to do with hormone levels. You've given me something to think about.
I think you did a really good job describing this particular disease. Just like Mariza, I can't imagine that happening to anyone closely related or even friends or myself. It must be challenging to still feel all your senses, so you're aware of your body's pain as the muscles signaling deteriorates. I like the video too, I've learned a lot on this topic, that I probably wouldn't have thought about before reading.
I can't even begin to fathom what people with ALS go through. Having your body break down and not being able to do anything but endure is sheer torment. I am curious as to why it effects men more than women. I wonder if it has anything to do with hormone levels. You've given me something to think about.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a really good job describing this particular disease. Just like Mariza, I can't imagine that happening to anyone closely related or even friends or myself. It must be challenging to still feel all your senses, so you're aware of your body's pain as the muscles signaling deteriorates. I like the video too, I've learned a lot on this topic, that I probably wouldn't have thought about before reading.
ReplyDelete