Magnetic resonance imaging is a test that uses a computer to produce very detailed pictures of body structure to help diagnose various diseases and medical conditions. MRIs are not X-rays and do not use radiation. A serum creatinine is a lab test...
End stage or advanced degenerative disc disease occurs when the intervertebral disc degenerates and the disc space collapses. This can result in herniation of the inner disc material through the disc wall. There also can be visible changes on the...
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, can be used to look at brain structure, blood flow, metabolic activity and problems in the brain. MRI can help diagnose brain tumors, infections, hormonal disorders, abnormal brain structure and stroke. It may...
Wide varieties of medical procedures are used for the brain. These tools aim to diagnose illnesses, study the maturation of the brain and to treat certain conditions. Currently, some of them are mainly used in medical research, but these methods...
Most people take for granted their ability to sense thousands of different odors every day. Various smells can also evoke powerful memories from childhood and other experiences throughout life. But in rare cases, a disorder of the olfactory system...
A patient with a generalized seizure has abnormal electrical activity on both hemispheres of the brain, compared with partial seizures, in which the abnormal electrical activity is only on one hemisphere. The symptoms of a generalized seizure...
Autism is a neurobiological disorder characterized by impairments in reciprocal social skills, as well as verbal and nonverbal language. Odd, repetitive behavior is also one of the defining symptoms of this disorder, says the Diagnostic and...
"The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking." --Albert Einstein Thinking exists as the top mental activity demonstrated by man. All human accomplishments and advancement come from...
According to One Life, much of our early study of the brain came from careful examination of the structure of the brain of diseased patients. Early brain studies looked at the gross anatomy of the brain and then cut into the brain (a process known...
Whether it is forgetting a "to-do" item or someone's name, memory problems are common and most everyone at one time or another will experience a memory lapse. There are a variety of mental health conditions that can cause memory impairment at some...
With a little imagination, you can see the human ear as a fetus. The earlobe represents the infant head, and the outer rim of the ear represents the spine. Its limbs are folded inward like a baby in the fetal position. Since the ear serves as a...
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a neurobehavioral disorder characterized by significant brain structure and function abnormalities. Due to the significant advances in neuro-imaging methods during the last decade, much more is...
Countless research studies indicate that exercise is essential in achieving weight-loss goals and decreasing the risk and severity of numerous diseases. While research showing the benefits exercise has on brain function in children is lacking,...
The Stroop effect is named after John Stroop, who published his study describing this effect in 1935 in the “Journal of Experimental Psychology.” In his test, the subject is presented with randomized color names such as blue, red and...
Scientists once thought that dyslexia was mainly a visual impairment. A commonly held notion, for example, was that dyslexia was based primarily on the visual reversal of letters during reading. Nowadays, we know better. There are many subtypes of...
You've seen people that act addicted to food. You might notice the same patterns in yourself -- obsessing about food, sneaking to the refrigerator after supper, gobbling down heaping portions, feeling ashamed for overeating while feeling no...
As the Radiology Info website explains, the MRI machine is essentially a gigantic magnet. The molecules and atoms within your body have subatomic particles called protons, which spin around on a subatomic level. These protons are most relevant for...
When a person's body attacks its own cells or organs because it can not identify these as part of the body, he is said to have an autoimmune disorder. Some of these disorders include lupus, arthritis, Graves' disease (thyroid disorder),...
Many diseases and disorders are actually autoimmune disorders, which means that the immune system does not recognize its own tissues or cells and begins to attack itself. Some autoimmune diseases are general, meaning that numerous tissues are...
A magnetic resonance imaging scan, or MRI, allows doctors to examine the brain without opening the skull. The National Institutes of Health explains that an MRI produces a magnetic field that is 10,000 times greater than the one produced by the...
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 3 to 5 percent of children in the United States. Of these children, 50 percent will continue having symptoms of the condition even as adults. ADHD...
The knee is a joint that allows leg movement, such as walking, running and bending. Because the knee is essential to mobility, it endures a tremendous amount of pressure on a daily basis. This constant pressure can take its toll on the knee joint...
The brain is the sensory, cognitive and emotional command center of our human body. According to the Thinking Business website, an average human brain weighs approximately 3 lbs., is comprised of 75 percent water, contains 100 billion neurons,...
Simple activities you might do every day can significantly improve brain functioning, researchers are discovering. These activities range from mental exercises to physical activity. It doesn't matter if the activity is a hobby or work. If it...
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, with more than 500 billion cups of coffee consumed each year, according to ABC News. One of the main reasons for its popularity is the caffeine, which acts as a stimulant on your brain. But...
Mesothelioma is an almost always incurable cancer that affects the mesothelium, the membrane that protects and lines many vital organs in the body. This cancer is caused primarily by exposure to asbestos.
Rehabilitation therapies for stroke survivors provide a means for individuals to move, act or speak more successfully. Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy all focus on overt behaviors. The use of games to retrain the brain is...
Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI, is an imaging modality that utilizes radiofrequency and a strong magnetic field to obtain diagnostic images. Many people may not realize that all MRI machines or scanners are not the same or manufactured by the...
Ependymomas are brain tumors that come from ependymal cells in your child's central nervous system. They are classified into four different types, based on the tissue's appearance. Brain tumors are a mass of abnormal cells in the brain. This can...
