Neurological disorders - Overview

The study of neurophysiology would be of no practical interest if it did not help solve real-world human struggles. The nervous system, as noble and protected as it is, can be subject to a multitude of diseases and pathologies.

Prior knowledge of the anatomical structures affected and their functioning makes it possible not only to explain "failures" but also, and above all, to propose and devise effective and high-performance therapeutic strategies and preventive measures to repair or, at least, avoid them.

In this chapter, we will see how an interruption of blood flow in a cerebral artery produces harmful consequences, not only for the affected region but also for the surrounding areas.

We will discuss pain and explain why, when an individual has a cardiac problem, they may feel pain elsewhere.

We will discuss myasthenia gravis and describe how the primary therapeutic methods act to compensate for the defect in acetylcholine receptors at the motor end plate.

We will discuss the pathophysiological basis of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and aphasia, as well as two degenerative diseases whose consequences are horrific and devastating: Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.