Paralysis

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Paralysis

Paralysed redirects here. For other uses see Paralysed (disambiguation) Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle

MUSCLE

MUSCLE is public domain, multiple sequence alignment software for protein and nucleotide sequences.MUSCLE is integrated into UGENE bioinformatics tool as a plugin....
function for one or more muscle groups. Paralysis can cause loss of feeling or loss of mobility in the affected area.

lysis is most often caused by damage to the nervous system

Nervous system

The nervous system is a Neural network of specialized cells that communicate information about an animal's surroundings and itself. It processes this information and causes reactions in other parts of the body....
or brain

Brain

The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as cnidarian and echinoderm have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all....
, especially the spinal cord

Spinal cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of neuron and glia that extends from the brain. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system....
. Major causes are stroke

Stroke

A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
, trauma

Physical trauma

Physical trauma refers to a body injury. A trauma patient is someone who has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury with the potential for secondary complications such as Shock , respiratory failure and death....
, poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute virus infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route....
, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a progressive, usually fatal, neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement....
(ALS), botulism

Botulism

Botulism also known as "Botulinus Intoxication," is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulin toxin. The toxin is produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum....
, spina bifida

Spina bifida

Spina bifida is a developmental birth defect involving the neural tube: incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube results in an incompletely formed spinal cord....
, multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, leading to demyelinating disease. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in females....
, and Guillain-Barré syndrome

Guillain-Barré syndrome

Guillain-Barr? syndrome is an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy , an Autoimmune Disease disease affecting the peripheral nervous system, usually triggered by an acute infectious process....
. Temporary paralysis occurs during REM sleep, and dysregulation of this system can lead to episodes of waking paralysis

Sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis is a condition that may occur in normal subjects or be associated with narcolepsy, cataplexy, and hypnagogic hallucinations. The pathophysiology of this condition is closely related to the normal REM atonia that occur during REM sleep....
.

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Causes

Paralysis is most often caused by damage to the nervous system

Nervous system

Brain

Spinal cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of neuron and glia that extends from the brain. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system....
. Major causes are stroke

Stroke

Physical trauma

Poliomyelitis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Botulism

Spina bifida

Spina bifida is a developmental birth defect involving the neural tube: incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube results in an incompletely formed spinal cord....
, multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis

Guillain-Barré syndrome

Sleep paralysis

Action potential

An action potential is a self-regenerating wave of electrochemical activity that allows nerve cells to carry a signal over a distance. It is the primary electrical signal generated by nerve cells, and arises from changes in the permeability of the nerve cell's axonal Cell membranes to specific ions....
, such as curare

Curare

Curare [koo rah ree] is a common name for various arrow poisons originating from South America. The three main types of curare are:* tube curarine ....
, can also cause paralysis. Many causes of this are varied, and could also be unknown.

Variations

Paralysis may be localized, or generalized, or it may follow a certain pattern. For example, localized paralysis occurs in Bell's palsy

Bell's palsy

Bell's palsy is a paralysis of cranial nerve VII resulting in inability to control facial muscles on the affected side. Several conditions can cause a facial paralysis, e.g., brain tumor, stroke, and Lyme disease....
where one side of the face may be paralyzed due to inflammation of the facial nerve

Facial nerve

The facial nerve is the seventh of twelve paired cranial nerves. It emerges from the brainstem between the pons and the medulla oblongata, and controls the muscles of facial expression, and taste to the anterior two-thirds of the tongue....
on that side. Patients with stroke

Stroke

Hemiplegia

Hemiplegia is a condition in which one-half of a patient's body is paralysis. Hemiplegia is more severe than hemiparesis, wherein one half of the body is weakened but not paralysed....
(weakness on one side of the body) or other patterns of paralysis depending on the area of damage in the brain. Other patterns of paralysis arise due to different lesion

Lesion

A lesion is any abnormal tissue found on or in an organism, usually damaged by disease or trauma. Lesion is derived from the Latin word laesio which means injury....
s and their sequela

Sequela

A sequela, is a pathological condition resulting from a disease, injury, or other Psychological trauma.Chronic kidney disease, for example, is sometimes a sequela of a food-borne illness, and Temporomandibular joint disorder is a common sequela of whiplash or other trauma to the cervical vertebrae....
e. For example, lower spinal cord

Spinal cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of neuron and glia that extends from the brain. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system....
damage from a severe back injury may result in paraplegia

Paraplegia

Paraplegia is an impairment in motor and/or sensory function of the lower extremities. It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida which affects the neural elements of the spinal canal....
, while an injury higher up on the spinal cord, such as a neck injury, can cause quadriplegia

Quadriplegia

Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is a symptom in which a human experiences paralysis affecting all four limbs, although not necessarily total paralysis or loss of function....
. Patients with paraplegia

Paraplegia

Quadriplegia

Wheelchair

A wheelchair is a wheeled mobility device in which the user sits. The device is propelled either manually or via various automated systems. Wheelchairs are used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness , injury, or disability....
or standing frame

Standing frame

A standing frame is assistive technology used by a child or adult who uses a wheelchair for mobility. A standing frame provides alternative positioning to sitting in a wheelchair by supporting the person in the standing position....
for mobility and to regain some independence.

Most paralyses caused by nervous system damage are constant in nature; however, there are forms of periodic paralysis

Periodic paralysis

Periodic paralysis is a group of rare genetic diseases that lead to weakness or paralysis from common triggers such as cold, heat, high carbohydrate meals, not eating, stress or excitement and physical activity of any kind....
, including sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis

Paralysis in the animal world

Many species of animals use paralyzing toxins in order to capture prey, evade predation, or both. One famous example is the tetrodotoxin

Tetrodotoxin

Tetrodotoxin is a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote. Tetrodotoxin blocks action potentials in nerves by binding to the pores of the voltage-gated, fast sodium channels in neuron cell membrane....
of fish species such as Takifugu rubripes, the famously lethal pufferfish

Pufferfish

Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish. The family includes many familiar species which are variously called puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, and toadies....
of Japanese fugu

Fugu

is the Japanese word for pufferfish and is also a Japanese dish prepared from the meat of pufferfish or porcupinefish of the genus Diodon. Because pufferfish is lethally poisonous if prepared incorrectly, fugu has become one of the most celebrated and notorious dishes in Japanese cuisine....
. This toxin works by binding to sodium channels in nerve cells, preventing the cells' proper function. A non-lethal dose of this toxin results in temporary paralysis. This toxin is also present in many other species ranging from toads to nemertea

Nemertea

Nemertea is a phylum of invertebrate animals also known as ribbon worms or proboscis worms. Most of the 1,400 or so species are marine, with a few living in fresh water and a small number of terrestrial animal; they are found in all marine habits, and throughout the world's oceans....
ns. Another interesting use of paralysis in the natural world is the behavior of some species of wasp

WAsP

WAsP is a PC program for predicting wind climates, wind resources, and power productions from wind turbines and wind farms. The predictions are based on wind data measured at stations in the same region....
. In order to complete the reproductive cycle, the female wasp first paralyzes a prey item such as a grasshopper and then places it into her nest. Eggs are then laid on the paralyzed insect, which is devoured by the larvae

Larvae

In Roman mythology, the larvae or lemures were the spectres or spirits of the dead; they were the malignant version of the lares. Some Roman writers describe lemures as the common name for all the spirits of the dead, and divide them into two classes: the lares, or the benevolent souls of the family, which haunted and guard...
after they hatch. Many snakes also exhibit powerful neurotoxins that can cause non-permanent paralysis or death

Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
.

Paralysis can be seen in breeds of dogs that are chondrodysplastic. These dogs have short legs, and may also have short muzzles. Their intervertebral disc material can calcify and become more brittle. In such cases, the disc may rupture, with disc material ending up in the spinal canal, or rupturing more laterally to press on spinal nerves. A minor rupture may only result in paresis

Paresis

Paresis is a condition typified by partial loss of movement, or impaired movement. When used without qualifiers, it usually refers to the limbs, but it also can be used to describe the muscles of the eyes and also the stomach ....
, but a major rupture can cause enough damage to result in complete paralysis. If no signs of pain can be elicited, surgery should be performed within 24 hours of the incident, to remove the disc material and relieve pressure on the spinal cord

Spinal cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of neuron and glia that extends from the brain. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system....
. After 24 hours, the chance of recovery declines rapidly, since with continued pressure, the spinal cord tissue deteriorates and dies.

Another type of paralysis is caused by a fibrocartilaginous embolism. This is a microscopic piece of disc material that breaks off and becomes lodged in a spinal artery. Nerves served by the artery will die when deprived of blood. The German Shepherd is especially prone to developing degenerative myelopathy

Myelopathy

Myelopathy refers to pathology of the spinal cord. When due to trauma, it is known as spinal cord injury. When inflammatory, it is known as myelitis. Disease that is vascular in nature is known as vascular myelopathy....
. This is a deterioration of nerves in the spinal cord, starting in the posterior part of the cord. Dogs so affected will become gradually weaker in the hind legs as nerves die off. Eventually their hind legs become useless. They often also exhibit fecal and urinary incontinence. As the disease progresses, the paresis and paralysis gradually move forward. This disease also affects other large breeds of dogs. It is suspected to be an autoimmune problem.

Cats with heart murmur

Heart murmur

Murmurs are abnormal heart sounds that are produced as a result of turbulent blood flow which is sufficient to produce audible noise. This most commonly results from narrowing or leaking of valves or the presence of abnormal passages through which blood flows in or near the heart....
s may develop blood clots which travel through arteries. If the clot is large enough to block one or both femoral arteries, there may be hind leg paralysis because the major source of blood flow to the hind leg is blocked.

Paralysis

Causes

Variations

Paralysis in the animal world

See also