Chief Concern: A 23-year-old patient demonstrating severe face and arm spasm. The patient can barely talk and after blood tests, it is confirmed he is infected with Clostridium Tentani (Tetanus).
Background Information
Anatomy
Physiology
Upstream Effect
Direct Cause: The Clostridium Tetani toxin is entering the Central Nervous System by the junctions of the motor neurons. The toxin then effects the inhibitory interneurons, which allows the motor neurons to continuously fire.
Downstream Effects: Tetanus
it is caused by a bactieria called Clostridium Tetani entering the blood stream effecting the inhibitory interneurons.
Organ System effected by Tetanus
Respiratory System
Nervous System
Muscular System
Indirect Cause: The patient received a tattoo from a "sketchy parlor". The needle may have been infected with Clostridium tetani. The patient was never vaccinated against this bacterium.
Tetanus causes painful muscle contractions. It can interfere with the ability to breathe, eventually causing death.
Spasms, stiffness in the jaw (Lock jaw), neck and abdominal muscles. Painful body spasms last for several minutes.
Severe muscle spasms can interfere with or stop your breathing. Respiratory failure is the most common cause of death. Also, Pneumonia can develop as well.
The tetanospasmin toxin attacks the Central Nervous System. It can affect the inhibitory interneurons in the spinal cord. The toxin prevents the inhibitory neurotransmitter from the inter neuron, which allows the motor neurons to fire constantly.
Skeletal System
The severity of spasms may cause the spine and other bones to break.
Cardiovascular System
Pulmonary embolism: A condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot. Lack of oxygen may also induce cardiac arrest.
Organ Systems
Neurons
Organ System
Neurons
Excitation-Contraction Coupling
Process of Summation
Clostridium tetani
The difference between EPSPs vs. IPSPs
Types of Neurons
Dendrites
Nucleolus
Nucleus
Axon Hillock
Axon
Axon Terminals
Integrating Neurons
Motor (Efferent) Neurons
Sensory (Afferent) Neurons
Multipolar Neurons
Unipolar Neurons
Multipolar Neurons
Muscular System
Nervous System
Skeletal System
Respiratory System
Cardiovascular System
Heart
Spine
Mandible, Cervicle region, and Abdominal region
Central Nervous System
Brain and Spinal Cord
Lungs, Diaphragm
Muscular System
Nervous System
Skeletal System
Respiratory System
Cardiovascular System
detects and responds to stimuli
transports and circulates blood throughout the body
provides the body's framework and protects organs
assists with movement and heat production
Central Nervous System (CNS)
controls most functions of the body and mind.
does gas exchange
Types of Neurons
Motor (Efferemt) Neurons
Sensory (Afferent) Neurons
neurons that transmit impulses from sensory receptors in the skin
Interneurons
send directions for the right response.
neurons that carry impulses away from the CNS to effectors.
neurons that conduct impulses within the CNS and integrate incoming sensory input to predict the proper motor output
Oligodendrocytes
Axon Terminals
Myeline Sheath
Axon
Nodes of Ranvier
Dendrites
Nissl bodies
Cell body
carries the impulse away from the cell body
end of the axon that contain synaptic vesicles
Oligodendrocytes
Nissl bodies
Nodes of Ranvier
Myelin Sheath
cells that form myelin sheaths around axons of neurons in the CNS
the fatty layers that surround and electrically- insulate the axon, speeding up nerve impulses
gaps between the oligodendrocytes on a neuron's axon
Axon Hillock
cone-shaped area where the axon leaves the cell body
Cell body
region of the neuron that receives incoming signals and conveys them towards the cell body.
granules of rough endoplasmic reticulum in the cytoplasm of neurons
the portion in which the nucleus and most of the organelles are found.
Nucleus
contains the cell's DNA
send and receive signals from your brain
A motor neuron release acetylcholine (ACh) in the neuromuscular junction.
ACh attaches to the chemically gated sodium (Na+) channels as it opens
The action potential travels the sarcolemma by the T-tubule, which allow all parts of the muscle fiber to depolarize
The voltage-gated Calcium channels open
calcium binds to troponin
tropomyosin unblocks the myosin-binding sites on actin
myosin attaches to (and slides past) actin
it is about adding up the effect of multiple stimuli, that are all individually subthreshold, to eventually reach threshold.
Types of Summation
Temporal Summation
Spatial Summation
A rapidly firing presynaptic neuron causes EPSP's that are close in time
Two EPSP close in time add together
summation brings the axon'x initial segment to threshold and an Action Potential fires.
If more than one presynaptic neuron fires at the same time, EPSPs are generated at different location on the neuron.
Two EPSP at the same time from different location add together.
Summation brings the axon's initial segment to threshold and an Action Potential
Spatial Summation of EPSPs and IPSPs
if a presynaptic neuron creats an IPSP, it can override the EPSP created by another neuron
An EPSP brings the neuron closer to threshold
An IPSP brings the neuron farther from the threshold
Together, they (nearly) cancel each other out.
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials (EPSPs
Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potentials (IPSPs)
Excitatory neruotransmitters open channels that depolarize the membrane.
Inhibitory neurotransmitters open channels that hyperpolarize the membrane
Chemically Gated Sodium Channels open
Chemically Gated Potassium Channels open
Chemically Gated Chloride Channels open
found in soil, dust and animal feces
When the spores enter a deep flesh wound, they grow into bacteria that can produce a powerful toxin, tetanospasmin
The toxin impairs the nerves that control your muscles (motor neurons). Enters from the neuromuscular junction into the motor neuron axon terminals.
Once it enters from the motor neuron into the spinal cord ( Takes about 2 - 14 days)
tetanospasmin then reaches the motor neuron cell body causing a interruption with the synapse of the inhibitory interneuron
Preventing the inhibitory interneuron to release its inhibitory neurotransmitter. The motor neurons will then continue firing constantly firing.
It will continuously contract the skeletal muscle fiber until spasm occurs.