Multiple Sclerosis
Nervous System Disease
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the nervous system that causes damage to the myelin sheath. Myelin sheath can be likened to the plastic insulation that covers electrical wires. It serves the purpose of speeding up nerve transmission by allowing the impulse to jump from nodes to nodes. Individuals diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis Posses myelin sheath that have thought to been mistakenly attacked by their own immune system and therefore causes the scarring of the myelin sheath or the absence of myelin, When there is a lack of myelin sheath or a scarred myelin the impulse have to travel along the length of the axon thus transmission of nerve impulses can be slowed or might even be stopped.
Effects on the body
Multiple Sclerosis affects the body in several ways, The brain communicates with the rest of the body through nerves and as Multiple Sclerosis gradually breaks down the myelin sheath that covers the neurons. the message travels slower from the brain to the effector. This causes many problems such as: difficulty in speaking , decrease of hand eye coordination, dysfunction in bladders and bowels, difficulty to breathe, problems and difficulty with bodily functions, sensory impairments etc.
Impact on Homeostasis
References
- http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/howms.html
- http://www.ms-gateway.com/understanding-ms/what-is-ms/importance-of-myelin-56.htm
- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000737.htm
- http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/ms.html
- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/spring12/articles/spring12pg14-15.html
- http://ms-society.ie/uploads/File/Living%20with%20MS/what%20is%20ms%20importance_myelin.pdf
- http://www.healthline.com/health/multiple-sclerosis/effects-on-the-body
- Nelson Biology VCE Units 3&4