2.6 Nervous System Malfunctions and Medical Advances

Vocabulary terms covering spinal cord damage, motor neuron disease, stem cell research, and neural technologies.

Congenital

A condition that is already present at birth.

Paralysis

The loss of movement resulting from damage to the nervous system or specific diseases.

Christopher Reeve

An actor who played Superman and became a prominent advocate for spinal injury research after a sporting accident left him paralysed below the neck.

Motor neuron disease (MND)

A fatal condition that targets and progressively destroys motor neurons while usually leaving the brain and sensory neurons unaffected.

Stephen Hawking

An English theoretical physicist and cosmologist who was diagnosed with motor neuron disease at the age of $21$ and achieved extraordinary success in physics over the following $55$ years.

Neale Daniher

Former Melbourne football coach and MND sufferer who leads the Big Freeze at the ‘G to raise funds for Fight MND research.

Embryonic stem cells

Cells that can produce new cells for longer than other cells and can be made to differentiate into particular cell types, such as nerve cells.

Bioethical procedures

Strict protocols that research involving human embryonic stem cells must follow, particularly as embryos are obtained from surplus IVF treatment.

Brain-control interface technology

Technology that uses computer software to decode brain wave patterns and facial movements to control objects in the external environment.

Neural prostheses

Technological devices, such as implanted electrodes or cochlear implants, that can replace or stimulate a motor, sensory, or cognitive structure.

Cochlear implants

A type of neural prosthesis used to stimulate the auditory nerve in individuals experiencing hearing loss.

Differentiate

The process by which stem cells become specialized into particular cell types, like muscle, nerve, or gut cells.