Neurodevelopmental disorders refer to any impairment and disorder of the brain and nervous system growth and development. Disorder in the brain and nervous system can affect the emotional, physiological, psychological ability and overall timely development of a child. With advanced technology and continuous study in the medical field, one can now assess the neurodevelopment of his/her children. Neurodevelopmental Assessment concentrates on the overall growth and development of a child including his/her weaknesses and strengths. A complete developmental profile is generated with the help of various tests and examinations. This assessment is used to analyse the various developmental factors including social and communication skills, functional and motor skills, cognition and learning abilities, and language and speech development. Neurodevelopmental Assessment involves a team of child s close people including parents, guardians, and family members who help to understand the medical history if any. It helps doctors to provide appropriate ways to assist the child in his/ her growth and development.

Tests and Examinations

Tests for the Neurodevelopmental Assessment may vary from child to child depending upon their condition. But, there are usually some tests that are done to understand the overall development of the child. These tests may include speech tests, hearing tests, blood tests, physical examinations, and questionnaires, which may be given before or during the assessment process.

Assessment

The assessment processes and sessions may vary depending upon the need of the child. However, usually, there are three major sessions that help the pediatrician understand the concerns of the family and parents. These sessions include consulting about the detailed medical history of the child, understanding the problem and its possible cause, and providing proper ways and treatment options for the patient. 

In the first session, parents and guardians are asked about any medical concern they have and the medical examination of the child is carried out accordingly. A standardized assessment with the child will be carried out by a clinical psychologist and the parents and guardians are asked to complete a questionnaire for the assessment. Depending upon the age, questionnaire may be sent to school for teacher/s to complete.

The next session is usually led by language and speech therapist to discuss and understand the current language and speech concerns of the child. Previous assessments and medical examinations are taken into account to carry out further assessments. An occupational therapist will assess the child s ability to perform self-care activities and other tasks according to his/her age. The session may include the assessment of a child s motor skills and abilities and reflection on any probable sensory-based problems that may be affecting the child s occupational performance.

The last session mainly includes the discussion with the parents and guardians to help them understand the problem, its causes, and treatment options. If the child requires any further assessment or/and recommendations, then the parents are told about that too.

Takeaway
Neurodevelopmental Assessment of children is often performed on kids who do not show the developmental signs according to their age. Parents and guardians should not hesitate to consult their children to clinical psychologist and therapist as the early intervention and assessment can help in the timely growth and development of the children.

Neurodevelopmental Assessment (0-5 Years)  - What Should You Know?

Acoustic vestibular schwannoma or the acoustic neuroma is a kind of tumour. But this tumour is benign which means it is non-cancerous. The vestibular nerve connects your ear to your brain, it is responsible for hearing and balancing. An acoustic neuroma develops on the vestibular nerve. And it can cause hearing impairment.

How does acoustic Vestibular Schwannoma occur? 
The vestibular nerve is lined with Schwann cells. Sometimes, these cells start to develop rapidly. This forms a mound on the nerve, it slowly becomes large enough to prod against the brain, and this adversely affects the actions of the brain.

What are the Symptoms?
In the early phases, the tumour does not trigger any symptoms. They begin to manifest once the tumour starts expanding. Here is a list of the symptoms of acoustic vestibular schwannoma-
  Gradual hearing loss
  Misalignment and losing balance
  Ringing in the ears.
  Regions of numbness in your face
Even though these tumours are benign, sometimes they enlarge to such an extent that they can be harmful to the brain. As soon as you witness the above-mentioned symptoms, book an appointment with a doctor.
With timely treatment and medication, doctors can reverse the growth of an acoustic vestibular schwannoma. 

What triggers this Disease?
The exact cause of this disease is not known. It could be any one of the following-
  A chromosomal anomaly or a malfunctioning gene
  Inhibition in the function of the protein suppressor that regulates the growth of Schwann cells

How is Acoustic Vestibular Schwannoma detected?
Your doctor will recommend these tests-

  Audiometry -
The audiologist will present sounds at different frequencies and you will have to make a gesture whenever you hear a sound. This will reveal the state of your hearing.

  Magnetic Resonance Imaging -
An MRI can detect the presence of a tumour that is 1-2 mms in diameter. If MRI causes pain or discomfort, a CT scan will be done.

Treatment -
If the tumour is tiny, your doctor won t prescribe medicines but your tumour will be monitored and imaged regularly so that the proper action can be taken as soon as it begins to enlarge.

  Surgery -
If the tumour is large, then you might have to undergo surgery. Not only will the tumour be removed, but also care will be taken to preserve the facial nerve so that facial paralysis does not set in.
You will be placed under general anaesthesia. The surgeon will drill a small hole in your skull near the ears and extract the tumour through your inner ears.

  Radiation -
If the tumour is small or if the patient is elderly and surgery can cause complications, doctors suggest radiation therapy. In this therapy, gamma rays are directed towards the tumour to shrink it.
Acoustic vestibular schwannoma can be treated if diagnosed on time. So, if you have noticed any symptoms, talk to a doctor right away.

Acoustic Vestibular Schwannoma - All You Must Know About It!

Trigeminal neuralgia is specified by the condition of a chronic pain that influences the trigeminal nerve. This nerve transfers sensation from one s face to his/her brain. If a person is suffering from trigeminal neuralgia, then a gentle stimulation of face (sourced from brushing teeth or applying makeup) might generate a fright of agonizing pain. The affected person might experience short and mild attacks initially. However, the trigeminal neuralgia might progress and generate more-frequently and longer attack of severely critical pain. Women get affected by this situation more than men get and it is more prominently occur in individuals older than 50 years.

Trigeminal neuralgia does not mandatorily mean that you need to experience a lifelong pain. Various types of treatment alternatives are available and so doctors can usually handle the particular condition effectively by taking help of injections, medications or surgery. Various types of triggers might cause the pain regarding trigeminal neuralgia, such as eating, drinking, shaving, brushing teeth, touching face, smiling, washing face etc.

Symptoms

The symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia might comprise of one or more patterns and some of these are described below:

Sequences of serious, jolting or shooting pain that might generate as an electric shock
Spontaneous pain attacks or attacks stimulated by different activities like face touching, speaking, chewing, or brushing teeth. Pain attacks last from a few moments to some minutes.
It is not a comprehensive list because Trigeminal neuralgia hosts various other symptoms as well. If a person feels facial pain, specifically recurring or prolonged pain or if the person does not get relief through the utilization over-the-counter pain relievers, then that person must consult a doctor.
How does Radiofrequency Ablation treat Trigeminal Neuralgia?
Trigeminal Neuralgia is a chronic and painful condition that involves the trigeminal nerve. There are two separate trigeminal nerves on both sides of the face, which carry the sensations like pain from the face to the body. Each nerve has three branches- forehand, midface and chin and trigeminal neuralgia can cause intense pain in any of these areas.

Causes-

This occurs when the trigeminal nerve functioning is disrupted. When the blood vessel/artery and the trigeminal nerve at the base of your brain come in contact, it puts pressure on the nerves and causes pain.
It also occurs as a result of ageing or multiple sclerosis
A disorder that damages the myelin sheath protecting the nerves can trigger pain
Sometimes pain occurs from tumors, which compresses the trigeminal nerves
Surgical strokes, facial trauma or strokes can also be the root cause of excruciating pain
Triggers-

Shaving
Touching your face
Eating and drinking
Putting on makeup
Brushing
Washing your face
Symptoms-
The pain can be mild and for a shorter duration or it can happen frequently for longer durations. Some experience the pain in cycles where it can come and go for days or even for weeks. Gradually the intensity of the pain lessens.

Cure by Radio-frequency Ablation
The treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is often a challenging process in clinical practice. When medicines do not prove as effective, surgery is the desired option.

Procedure-

After applying local anaesthesia, the Pain Specialist carefully inserts a needle through the corner of your mouth to reach the trigeminal nerve
The doctors then wake up the patient after stimulating the nerves and ask them to feel the stimulation at the same place where they undergo pain. This confirms their targeted location
Once you fall asleep again, the Pain Specialist uses radiofrequency heat to injure the nerve enough to create numbness and removes the pain
How Effective is Radio-frequency Ablation?
The pain is cured almost in 98% of the patients. 50% of patients report recurrence of pain after about two years. Hence the procedure can be repeated in the same patient if necessary.

Trigeminal Neuralgia And Radio-Frequency Ablation - What Causes It?

Study of the brain has fascinated specialists all over the globe since time immemorial. The brain being the most vital organ for survival and coordination is perhaps the most complex of them all too. This has led to a limited understanding of its working in spite of the available advanced technology. However, with the advent of techniques for diagnosis and treatment, therapeutic strategies are evolving. This is a major step towards rendering Neurosurgery safer than ever in the history of mankind.

Neurosurgery through the 20th Century-

During the beginning of the 20th century, Neurosurgery was considered as a specialty. The clinical-neurologist would draw conclusions related to lesions in the brain through neurological examination and clinical history. It enabled diagnosis of vascular lesions, spinal disorders, and brain tumors. During the second and third decades of the 20th century, vascular pathologies and brain tumors could be diagnosed indirectly through techniques like angiography, ventriculography, and pneumoencephalography. But since the operative techniques were too crude and the lack of skilled professionals were rampant, there were high rates of morbidity and mortality due to neurological conditions. Generally, after diagnosing the nature of brain lesion and its site, surgery was performed with inadequate maintenance and control of intracranial pressure and through not too sophisticated surgical instruments.

During the fifth and sixth decades of the 20th century, chemotherapy and radiation treatment came into the picture for treating malignant brain tumors, thereby reducing mortality to a good extent.

During the seventh decade of the 20th century, Computed Tomography (CT) scan provided a better understanding of the location of lesions in the brain which slightly substantiated the earlier techniques. Then, the procedures for cerebrospinal fluid diversion significantly improved management of intracranial pressure during surgery.

It was only during the last decade of the 20th century that the Neurology saw a giant progressive leap through the introduction of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and powerful high magnification microscopes. Combined with Neuroanesthesia and Intracranial Pressure Management, this aided surgeons to work on a relaxed brain. This promoted safe removal of the brain tumor and better management of vascular lesions. Moreover, the understanding of micro-surgical anatomy improved drastically, leading to a boost in confidence levels of the micro-neurosurgeons performing the operation.

Neurosurgery in the 21st Century-

The 21st century is actually a revolutionary era that uses powerful computers in almost all the fields possible. Computer-based applications such as Neuro-imaging, Neuronavigation, Intra-operative Neuro-monitoring, and Neuro-modulation are now used in standard neurosurgical practice as a part of the routine. Extremely powerful CT scans and MRIs are used for diagnosis before surgery. The advent of nanotechnology and its application in Neurosurgery is doing great and has a promising future ahead based on the current study of scenarios. Moreover, there is a possibility of most of the Neurosurgical procedures becoming minimally invasive. Frameless Stereotaxy is another technique that helps in locating the exact position of the tumor, which further helps the neurosurgeon in navigating with great precision the very sensitive, high-risk areas of the brain. Such techniques, to a great extent, have lowered mortality and morbidity, lessened the rate of recovery, and chances of infection related to Neurosurgery.

Take Away-

A number of techniques for diagnosis and precise location of the tumor in the brain have made Neurosurgery much safer today, due to advancement in science and technology, than it ever had been in the history of mankind.

Advancements In Neurosurgery - Know How Safe It Is!

Whether it's a child or a grown-up, difficulty in concentrating is often experienced by many people. While, people tend to brush off this particular problem to be nothing worth being concerned about, but sometimes, there may be a more serious underlying issue for which concentration problem is only a mere symptom. Yes, difficulty in concentrating can be a sign of a neurological disorder. Keep on reading to know more about neurological disorder, its symptoms, and treatment.

Reasons behind difficulty in concentrating
Inability to focus properly is a periodic and normal occurrence for many. While sometimes it is the emotional stress or physical tiredness that is responsible for it, at times it is the outcome of hormonal changes in the body, such as during pregnancy or menopause that causes it. However, when experienced in severe degrees, it may be a characteristic of a serious psychological condition called neurological disorder. Affecting both adults and the children, the neurological disorder can be a serious threat if not treated at the right time.

Neurological disorder
Neurological disorder refers to any condition that happens due to the dysfunction of the nervous system or the parts of the brain. Depending on the location of the damage to the nerve or in the spinal column or the brain, different areas controlling the vision, movement, thinking or hearing can be severely affected. The decreased ability to focus on something or loss of concentration power being one of the many symptoms of neurological disorders among the various complications it causes.

Causes behind neurological disorder
Many reasons lead to neurological disorder or its associated symptoms like difficulty in focusing. From lifestyle-related issues to nutrition related causes, physical injuries to some infections, complications during childbirth, and genetics to environmental influences, numerous factors can be responsible for such disorder. Depending on the type of neurological disorder, the symptoms can vary from to another, while for some difficulty concentrating can be a symptom, for some, the symptoms can be more of physical difficulties such as problems in walking or difficulty speaking or seeing, etc.

Dealing with difficulty concentrating
Once the cause of the neurological disorder is determined, there are various treatment options, offered by the doctors. To deal with the neurological disorder as the cause of difficulty concentrating one may need medications and treatment provided by the medical professionals. However, there are a few tips that one can keep in mind, such as minimizing multitasking and focusing on one single thing or thought at one time or dividing tasks into small steps, etc.

Difficulty in concentrating means the ability to focus on thoughts or action decreasing. In case one experience this issue on a long term basis or excessively, visiting the neurologist as soon as possible should be the best thing to do.

Problem In Concentrating Could Be A Sign Of Neurological Disorder!

Obesity is the new-age lifestyle disease with multiple ramifications. While its effects on the physical aspects are very evident, the damage it does to the brain are more severe, though not obvious. Read on to know some harmful effects of obesity on the emotional well-being.

Leads to binge eating: There is a certain pleasure in eating sugary and fatty food, and this is lost with depression. Therefore, to get that emotional satisfaction, people tend to eat more chocolates, cookies, milkshakes, and other weight-accumulating food items, which further add to obesity. Greater the weight gained by a person, lesser the response or happiness from such food products.
Increases impulsivity: The area of the brain known as orbitofrontal cortex, which is in charge of controlling impulsivity, shrinks in obese people. This results in people eating more impulsively.
Affects immunity: Obesity is a major cause of inflammation, leading to damage in certain parts of the brain. This impairs the immune system, making the affected person more prone to infections and tissue damage. This leads to increased chances of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, sleeping disorders, eating disorders, etc. The chemical known as C-reactive protein increases as seen on MRIs in obese people, and which is usually seen in patients with chronically increased inflammation.
Effects on memory: As the BMI increases, there is a decrease in scores of memory tests. This effect is more obvious in women after menopause. With increased fat accumulation, more hormones are released, which affects the memory. Increased inflammation also affects cognition and memory.
Increased risk of dementia: With more belly fat accumulating, there is extra stress on the body to burn the visceral fat. This reduces brain size and causes certain hormones to release, which further affects the body s ability to remember things. It has been proven that people with smaller brain size are at greater risk for developing dementia.
Weight loss stress adding to more stress: When obesity sets in and the BMI goes up, there is an added pressure to lose weight, which further ups the stress levels. During these dieting days, the brain is constantly alert and finds ways to eat more. This also leads to excess eating. Moreover, there are indications that there could be genetic changes during this phase, which may leave a permanent mark in the person s composition.
Depression: When a person is not happy with their reflection in the mirror, the chances of feeling good and happy are very less. In this age, where aesthetics plays a major morale booster, an obese image staring back does not help at all.
So, if you have a risk of obesity, watch out. It is not just how you look, but how you feel is also altered.

Obesity - How It Affects The Human Brain?

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