NEUROLOGICAL HEALTH NEWS

Neuroscience is the study of the brain and the rest of the nervous system.  Studying cases of neurological disorders is one where people have learned principles of neuroscience.  Neurological diseases are one area of focus of the study of neuroscience as the understanding of neurological disorders provides information about the brain which in turn allows for the development of treatments for neurological diseases.

Neurology has a long history.  Many ancient cultures may have drilled holes in skulls in an attempt to treat seizures, headaches or mental illnesses.  The ancient Egyptians may have been the first to record neurological disorders and surgeries to treat those ailments.  A scroll dated at 1700 BC contains descriptions of these treatments and the structure of the brain.

Like psychology, some of the earliest theories of neurology emerged from philosophy.  However, many of the philosophical theories about the function of the brain were incorrect. Aristotle believed the heart was the location of thinking and reason rather than the brain. Descartes described reflexes as controlled by the flow of animal spirits in the brain.

Also in the seventeenth century, Thomas Willis dissected the human brain after removing it from the body unlike his predecessors who dissected brains from the top of the skull.  This allowed Willis to see a new perspective of the brain as a solid mass with distinct structures.

The mid-nineteenth century case of Phineas Gage is often included in explanations of neuroscience, because this case shows the potential for changes in personality due to trauma to the brain.  Phineas Gage was a railroad foreman who was injured on the job when a rod penetrated his skull.

Gage’s friends described him as “no longer Gage” after the accident.  The mild-mannered, respected foreman used profanity and showed a complete lack of respect and consideration for others.  He lost his job as a railroad foreman.  Approximately ten years after the accident, Gage died after suffering from several seizures.

Case studies have been a valuable source of information to increase understanding in the fields of neuroscience and neuropsychology.  Neuroscience concentrates on the physical form and function of the brain and how it is altered by neurological disorders.  Neuropsychology also consideres the effect of neurological disorders on behavior, memory, thought processing and personality.

Psychology is not the only field that contributes to neuroscience.  Medicine, biology, chemistry, linguistics, physics, engineering and computer science have been used to make advances in the understanding of the brain and nerves.

The advancements of these fields and the application to neuroscience has allowed the nervous system to be photographed, observed and studied in many ways.  The field of neuroscience always is growing and evolving.  Neurologists continue to identify ways the nervous system can malfunction and how these conditions can be treated.