Head trauma or spontaneous rupture of a ballooned artery or malformed blood vessel can cause bleeding in the brain, also known as a cerebral hemorrhage. The brain fits tightly into the intracranial space within the rigid skull, leaving little room...
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the tissue covering of the brain and the spinal cord. Bacteria and viruses are the most common causes of meningitis in children, although fungi can cause it in children with a weakened immune system....
Vitamin A is an important contributor to the health of various tissues, including the skin, bones, teeth and mucous membranes. This vitamin, also known as retinol, is of great importance to the formation of pigment in the retina, which is...
Salt is sometimes referred to as the "silent killer," but this negative connotation undermines the importance of sodium in your diet. Sodium is integral to normal functioning throughout the body, particularly in the nerve synapses and...
Bleeding in the brain is a serious condition that can put a patient's life at risk. In areas of the brain where the bleeding does not occur, the brain tissue does not get enough oxygen. Without oxygen, brain cells die within three to four minutes,...
The pupil, the black spot in the center of the eye, is essentially a hole that allows light into the eye. The pupil enlarges and constricts as the muscles attached to it respond to stimuli such as light, which shrinks pupils. Darkness and stress...
The brain and spinal cord form the human body's central nervous system. The spinal cord is the primary pathway by which the body conducts sensory information from the peripheral nervous system to the brain. The brain processes sensory input and...
Sodium and potassium act as electrolytes in your body, and certain conditions can affect the normal balance of these electrolytes. For example, dehydration can cause hyponatremia, or low amounts of sodium in your bloodstream. An increase in the...
Glioblastoma, also known as Glioblastoma multiforme, is a grade 4 type of brain tumor that is almost always fatal. It is an aggressive tumor that involves the glial cells of the brain. According to the International Radiosurgery Association,...
A diseased liver cannot detoxify protein metabolites, such as ammonia, leading to increased levels in the blood. Liver damage prevents use of metabolites in your body because the liver is unable to filter, convert or utilize end-products. Ammonia,...
Breathing provides life-sustaining oxygen and rids the body of the gaseous waste product carbon dioxide. The respiratory control center in the brain stem receives various types of input from sensors in the body that influence the breathing rate....
Sodium has a bad reputation for its role in contributing to high blood pressure; however, this electrolyte is vital for general body function and health. While too much sodium is unhealthy, a limited amount of sodium is required for cell...
Fluid and sodium loss in the body can cause hypotension, or low blood pressure. The kidneys regulate how sodium circulates in the body. Sodium chloride, or table salt, is the most common form of sodium in your diet. The medical term for low sodium...
Heart palpitations, a type of abnormal heartbeat, may feel like a fluttering sensation in the chest, skipped or extra heartbeats, or a feeling that the heart is "flip-flopping" or "running away." Having excessively low or high blood levels of an...
The brain is the processing point for the nervous system. Nerves transmit messages from all parts of the body to the brain, and the brain responds by telling the body what to do. The brain also stores information and is the source of emotions. In...
As its name suggests, the raw food detox diet requires people to eat only whole foods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables in their raw form. The detox diet prohibits consuming anything processed, to purify the body of toxins and regulate...
The human body depends on a balance of sodium for homeostasis. Despite variations in food and water intake, the body seeks to balance sodium. Both high and low sodium diet levels influence electrolytes as well. Some of the causes of low sodium, or...
Brain swelling, also called cerebral edema, can affect the brain's ability to function. Injuries, infections, toxin exposures and brain tumors can cause brain swelling. The University of Connecticut Health Center notes that two types of brain...
Brain surgery is performed to treat diseases of the brain such as aneurysms, tumors, epilepsy and bleeding. In the past, all brain surgery was done by removing a piece of the skull, which provided access to the brain. This involved many dangers...
Apnea, or respiratory arrest, occurs when the brain's drive to breathe is interrupted or the airways are blocked. Without intervention, respiratory arrest will be followed by cardiac arrest, and as such should be considered a medical emergency....
Water composes 66 percent of the human body and is needed for a number of body functions, including filtering minerals out of your body and making up the blood. This is why physicians and fitness experts emphasize drinking water. However, there is...
The 12 cranial nerves control the muscles of the face, receive sensory input from the face, control heart rate and respiration, and transmit the special senses--vision, smell and hearing--to the brain. According to "Harrison's Principles of...
Herpes is a common disease affecting the mouth and genital area. Herpes of the mouth, lips and face is caused by herpes simplex 1, a virus that can be transmitted through the saliva. According to Medline Plus, by adulthood, 30 to 90 percent of...
Drinking too much water can cause an imbalance in your electrolyte levels, but not usually because it washes them away. Rather, the problem is having too much water in your body. The resulting imbalance, commonly referred to as "water...
The National Cancer Institute reports that in 2009 approximately 22,070 cases of brain tumors were diagnosed in the United States. Brain tumors may originate in the brain, or they may start somewhere else in the body, such as in the lungs, and...
Cervical dysfunction, or the inability to move your head throughout its full range of motion without pain, can have numerous causes that can range from a simple sore muscle to the more serious herniated disc. It can also be the result of a trauma...
Brain swelling, also known as cerebral edema, is a potentially life threatening condition. The brain is tightly encased within the skull. The close fit prevents the brain from jostling about during everyday activities. However, if brain swelling...
Edema is the medical term used to describe swelling. Swelling of the brain is referred to as brain edema or cerebral edema. There are several subtypes of cerebral edema which can have diverse mechanisms and causes. All types of cerebral edema...
A herniated cervical disc occurs when the gel-like material inside the spinal disc seeps out, pressing on a spinal nerve. The cervical spine extends from the base of your skull down to your shoulders. Resting in the cervical spine are nerves that...
