The spinal cord runs from the base of your brain to the lower part of your
back. It is actually
made of nervous tissue and is an extremely important part of your body. Its
main purpose is to transmit nerve signals across a large part of the body and
it controls some reflex actions.
Unfortunately when the spinal cord is injured it can lead to a wide
number of issues throughout your body. The problem is that most of the research
that has been done into spinal cord injuries focuses on the damage to the
nerves and the corresponding physical issues that sufferers face.
However, it is now being acknowledged that a spinal cord injury can
cause brain impairment; including memory loss. This is why it is so important
to speak to a specialist such as
sydneybrainandspine.com.
They will be able to look at your spine and perform surgery that is minimally
invasive; whether working on your pituitary gland, spine
or even your brain and skill base.
They can also help to give you a proper diagnosis of the issues you are
facing.
How Spinal Cord Injuries Affect Your Memory
There are plenty of studies on animals that show the damage caused to
brain tissue after a serious trauma or even after repeated minor traumas.
Fortunately there are now a few studies that look into the effects of spinal
cord injuries on the brain.
These studies indicate that a spinal cord injury can cause a loss of
brain cells; these are often in key areas of your brain; including the memory.
But, the positive factor of this research is that it shows damage to the
brain can be reduced or even prevented with the application of the right drugs.
These drugs can prevent the brain from becoming inflamed; which leads to brain
cell loss, depression and cognitive decline.
More research is needed to clarify how the spinal cord injury causes the
brain cells to start to die. It has been suggested that the trauma to a spine can
cause neurons in the brain to die.
Neurons are an essential part of normal brain
function; there are
hundreds of them in your body and all have their own function. It appears that
the neurons that die first after a spinal cord injury are likely to be those
responsible for controlling memory. Unfortunately once they die your ability to
remember will suffer.
This is actually similar to the process that happens inside people
suffering from Alzheimer’s.
It has even be theorized that if the link between the brain and a
certain part of your body is disrupted the neuron ma not die but it will lose
its ability to communicate. This can prevent your body from responding
properly; both physically and intellectually.
The short answer is yes, a spinal cord injury can cause memory loss.
However, more research is needed to discover all the facts about the link
between spinal cord injuries and memory loss. The more we know the easier it
will be to prevent the damage or even reverse it.
