Monday, December 6, 2010

Nervous system. Dec 6-Dec-13, 2010

Describe the effects of aging on the nervous system. Elaborate your answer as much as possible with some examples.

30 comments:

  1. As people age, their brain and nervous system go through natural changes. The brain and spinal cord lose nerve cells and weight. Nerve cells begin to send messages slower than they did in the past. Causing abnormal structures called plaques and tangles to form. A fatty brown pigment can also build up in nerve tissue.

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  2. Effects of Aging: Brain function varies normally as people pass from childhood through adulthood to old age. During childhood, the ability to think and reason steadily increases, enabling a child to learn increasingly complex skills. During most of adulthood, brain function is relatively stable. After a certain age, which varies from person to person, brain function declines. Different aspects of brain function are affected at different times:

    Short-term memory and the ability to learn new material tend to be affected relatively early.

    Verbal abilities, including vocabulary and word usage, may begin to decline at about age 70.

    Intellectual performance—the ability to process information (regardless of speed)—is usually maintained until about age 80 if no neurologic disorders are present.

    Reaction time and performance of tasks may become slower because the brain processes nerve impulses more slowly.

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  3. Aging begins as soon as adulthood is reached and is as much a part of human life as are infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Gerontology is study of ageing and is concerned primarily with the changes that occur between the attainment of maturity and the death of the individual. The goal of research in gerontology is to identify the factors that influence these changes. Application of this knowledge is expected to reduce the disabilities now associated with aging.
    The biological-physiological aspects of aging include both the basic biological factors that underlie aging and the general health status. Since the probability of death increases rapidly with advancing age, it is clear that changes must occur in the individual which make him more and more vulnerable to disease. For example, a young adult may rapidly recover from pneumonia, whereas an elderly person may die.

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  4. As people age, the number of nerve cells in the brain usually decreases, although the number lost varies greatly from person to person, depending on the person's health. Also, the remaining nerve cells function less well. However, the brain has certain characteristics that help compensate for these losses.

    Two thirds of all people eventually experience some significant loss of mental lucidity and independence as a result of aging. 60 years and older experience significant cognitive decline, including declines in memory, concentration, clarity of thought, focus and judgment with an increase in the onset of several neurological problems like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke etc.

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  5. as people age their brain and nervous system go through natural changes. nerve may began to transmit messages more slowly then normally or in the past. the breakdown of nerves can affect the senses for example you may have reduce or lost reflexes or sensation, leading to problems with movement and saftey. these changes are not the same for everyone some may have physical changes and others have few changes.

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  6. The nervous system is the major controlling, regulatory, and communicating system in the body. It is the center of all mental activity including thought, learning, and memory. Together with the endocrine system, the nervous system is responsible for regulating and maintaining homeostasis. The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions and transmit signals between different parts of its body. Sensory neurons receive information from the sensory receptors, interneuron transfer and interpret impulses, and motor neurons send appropriate impulses/instructions to the spinal cord, on the other hand, is a long bundle of nerve tissue about 18 inches long and ¾ inch thick. It extends from the lower part of the brain down through spine.derico byrd

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  7. The brain and spinal cord lose nerve cells and weight. Nerve cells may begin to transmit messages more slowly than in the past. Waste products can collect in the brain tissue as nerve cells break down, causing abnormal structures called plaques and tangles to form.As people age, their brain and nervous system go through natural changes.The biological-physiological aspects of aging include both the basic biological factors that underlie aging and the general health status. Since the probability of death increases rapidly with advancing age, it is clear that changes must occur in the individual which make him more and more vulnerable to disease.

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  8. as you age, so does the nervous system. it start to move slower. the nervous system is also apart of your memory. when the memory get old you start to lose memory. also the nerve may began to transmit messages more slowly then normal.

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  9. Between The Ages of 30 some indiviuduals neurons began to decrease
    The weight of the brain declines with age. age of 50, the weight has been reduced to 97% and by age 70, to 92%. people have many physical changes in their nerves and brain tissue, others have few changes. Some people will have atrophy and plaques, some will have plaques and tangles, and some will have other changes

    PREVENTION for brain losage can be the follwing
    Reading, doing crossword puzzles,
    stimulating conversations -- physical exercise -- keep your brain as sharp as possible.

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  10. In the prime of your life the bones are there strongest and thickest. as you age you food intake does not keep up with the calcium that you loose. The body steals calcium from your bones making them weaker, thinner and more Brittle . When you young you put a lot of stress on the bones and that makes them strong as you age you don't stress the bones as much and they loose that strength because they don't need to put up with the abuse that they did years earlier.

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  11. As people age, their brain and nervous system go through natural changes.their brain and spinal cord began to lose nerve cells weight.Nerve cells may begin to transmit messages more slowly than in the past.The breakdown of nerves can affect the senses. You might have reduced or lost reflexes or sensation, leading to problems with movement and safety.Some slight slowing of thought, memory, and thinking seems to be a normal part of aging. Although these changes are natural, many people have misconceptions about the type and extent of these changes.

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  12. Andre wash- Aging effects the nervous system in many ways.Such as brain functions. Brain function varies normally as people pass from childhood through adulthood to old age. The ability to think increases. Brain function declines over time. At age 70 verbal abilities may decrease. Reaction and performance of task may become slower.Short term memory may be affected early. Brain functions includes disorders that includes depression, stroke and alzheimers. As people get older they produce less brain cells. For examples mental and phyiscal exercise seems to slow the loss of nerve cells in areas of the brain involved in memory.

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  13. Some people will have atrophy and plaques, some will have plaques and tangles. People will begin to loose sharpness of senses. The brain and spine will become smaller as in mass. With the loss of sensation one may have problems with safety. Losing thoughts and memory problems is common. Alzheimer's disease is a disease most people think about when they think of the elderly.

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  14. Starting at about age 30, the number of neurons begins to decrease. The number lost, however, is only a small percentage of the total number of brain cells and does not cause mental impairment. While a decrease in short-term memory may occur, most memory, alertness, intellectual functioning, and creativity remain intact. If neural function is impaired, memory consolidates. The conversion of short term memory to long term becomes more difficult, and short term memory becomes harder to access.

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  15. When you age your brain and nervous system goes through natural changes. Starting round the age of 30 your neurons start to decrease. This gives you short term memory, which is not a good thing for the body. If you start to lose memory everything will be so difficult for you. No one wants to live this way! The weight of the brain declines with age meaning the more you age the more you begin to forget things. Some people start off by forgetting small things at first like losing your keys, next thing you know you'll be forgetting your husband/wife or worse your kids and grandkids. The aging process is not a joke. People should eat healthy, exercise daily, and live a normal life. Forget about depression and stress. Live your life to the fullest before it's to late!!!

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  16. When you come of age the number of nerve cells in the brain usually decreases, although the number lost varies greatly from person to person, depending on the person's health. You start to loose memory and start to loose other senses regaurding the nervous system. Example you might forget alot of things when you get older in life.

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  17. A common myth is that all elderly people become senile. Or, many people blame increased confusion on "getting old" when it may really be caused by an illness.

    These changes are not the same in everyone. Some people have many physical changes in their nerves and brain tissue, others have few changes. Some people will have atrophy and plaques, some will have plaques and tangles, and some will have other changes.

    Furthermore, these changes are not always clearly related to their effects on your ability to think. For example, plaques and tangles are associated with Alzheimer's disease, but some people with the most severe symptoms have fewer plaques and tangles than those who have mild or moderate symptoms.
    Brain function varies normally as people pass from childhood through adulthood to old age. During childhood, the ability to think and reason steadily increases, enabling a child to learn increasingly complex skills. During most of adulthood, brain function is relatively stable. After a certain age, which varies from person to person, brain function declines. Different aspects of brain function are affected at different times:

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  18. Well i think that the people will begin to loose sharpness of senses. The brain and also most of your nerve system will be smaller.When you get older most of the people are scary to lose their memories or to get stock in the house alone.
    Espinal and Peripheral Nerves are most of the senior are scared.
    Starting at about age 35 ,henumber of neurons begins to decrease. The number lost, however, is only a small percentage of the total number of brain cells and does not cause mental impairment.

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  19. Qunesha :Brain function varies normally as people pass from childhood through adulthood to old age. During childhood, the ability to think and reason steadily increases, enabling a child to learn increasingly complex skills. During most of adulthood, brain function is relatively stable. After a certain age, which varies from person to person, brain function declines.

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  20. As people age, their brain and nervous system go through natural changes. Aging begins as soon as adulthood is reached and is as much a part of human life as are infancy, childhood, and adolescence. During childhood, the ability to think and reason steadily increases, enabling a child to learn increasingly complex skills. During most of adulthood, brain function is relatively stable. After a certain age, which varies from person to person, brain function declines.

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  21. The body especially the brain,experiences various morphological and
    even functional changes as it undergoes the process of aging. During the prenatal developmental stage mitotic activities in the
    tissues of the nervous system are already completed . Therefore,an
    individual is born possessing the maximum amount of neurons that he or
    she is capable of producing.But tissues of the nervous system
    continuously grow and undergoes Neurons are highly sensitive
    and susceptible to a variety of drugs that may cause the interruption of
    the vascular supply ecialization during the postnatal life.Thats how aging affect the nervous system.

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  22. Elisha Watson-as you age you food intake does not keep up with the calcium that you loose. the abuse that they did years earlier.Physiological aging refers to the changes in structure and functioning of the body that occur over a lifespan. Many of these changes are involuntary and occur very gradually while others occur over a short period.

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  23. As people age, their brain and nervous system go through natural changes. The brain and spinal cord lose nerve cells and weight. Nerve cells may begin to transmit messages more slowly than in the past. Waste products can collect in the brain tissue as nerve cells break down, causing abnormal structures called plaques and tangles to form.The breakdown of nerves can affect the senses. You might have reduced or lost reflexes or sensation, leading to problems with movement and safety.Some slight slowing of thought, memory, and thinking seems to be a normal part of aging. Although these changes are natural, many people have misconceptions about the type and extent of these changes. A common myth is that all elderly people become senile. Or, many people blame increased confusion on "getting old" when it may really be caused by an illness. Alzheimers Disease is also caused after great aging...

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  24. Brain function varies normally as people pass from childhood through adulthood to old age. During childhood, the ability to think and reason steadily increases, enabling a child to learn increasingly complex skills. During most of adulthood, brain function is relatively stable. After a certain age, which varies from person to person, brain function declines. Different aspects of brain function are affected at different times:

    Short-term memory and the ability to learn new material tend to be affected relatively early.

    Verbal abilities, including vocabulary and word usage, may begin to decline at about age 70.

    Intellectual performance—the ability to process information (regardless of speed)—is usually maintained until about age 80 if no neurologic disorders are present.

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  25. the effects of aging on brain function may be difficult to separate from the effects of various disorders that are common among older people. These disorders include depression, stroke, an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), and degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

    As people age, the number of nerve cells in the brain usually decreases, although the number lost varies greatly from person to person, depending on the person's health. Also, the remaining nerve cells function less well. However, the brain has certain characteristics that help compensate for these losses.

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  26. Describe the effects of aging on the nervous system. Elaborate your answer as much as possible with some examples.

    Reaction time and performance of tasks may become slower because the brain processes nerve impulses more slowly.

    http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/sec06/ch076/ch076e.html


    However, the effects of aging on brain function may be difficult to separate from the effects of various disorders that are common among older people. These disorders include depression, stroke, an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), and degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

    As people age, the number of nerve cells in the brain usually decreases, although the number lost varies greatly from person to person, depending on the person's health. Also, the remaining nerve cells function less well. However, the brain has certain characteristics that help compensate for these losses.

    Redundancy: The brain has more cells than it needs to function normally. Redundancy may help compensate for the loss of nerve cells that occurs with aging and disease.
    Formation of new connections: The brain actively compensates for the age-related decrease in nerve cells by making new connections between the remaining nerve cells.
    Production of new nerve cells: Some areas of the brain may produce new nerve cells, especially after a slight brain injury or a stroke

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  27. your neurons begin to decrease at a certain age...mainly at the age of thirty .If neural function is impaired, memory consolidates. The conversion of short term memory to long term becomes more difficult, and short term memory becomes harder to access. The weight of the brain declines also with age. By the age of 50, the weight has been reduced to 97% and by age 70, to 92%.

    http://www.innvista.com/health/anatomy/nervage.htm

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  28. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  29. As we age, our brain and nervous system go through aot of changes. The brain and spinal cord lose cells and function more slowly. Nerve cells will send messages slower than it used to and waste products can collect in the brain tissue as nerve cells break down. When the nerves break down, our senses will b affected. We may have slower reflexes, memory lost or moving problems. However, ther are some evidence that say this can be prevented. Ways this can be prevented is by: both physical and mental exercise. By doing so this can help maintain thinking abilities.

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  30. Your age have many effects on the body including your nervous system. As you age the functions of the brain begin to decline.For example your Short-term memory and the ability to learn new material tend to be affected relatively early. Your chances of depression, stroke, an underactive thyroid gland, and degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease is things that can come about with aging of the nevrous system. As your brain age the number of nerve cells tend to decrease. As people age, the disks between the back bones become hard and brittle, and parts of the vertebrae may overgrow. With the spinal cord being overgrown it causes the spinal cord to have more pressure put on it. Thats why older people tend to have back problems. \



    MAURICE L. MCMILLIAN

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