105) Ginger was a happy, healthy 17-year-old girl. One day while sitting at the kitchen table with her family, she looked up with an odd expression, complained that her head hurt, dropped her fork, and fell off her chair as she lost consciousness. Her father caught her before her head hit the floor. Ginger regained consciousness at the hospital, where it was determined that she had suffered from a ruptured brain aneurysm. An aneurysm results when a blood vessel wall becomes progressively thinner and weaker, and can ultimately rupture, depriving of blood the areas it normally supplies. Sometimes permanent brain damage results. Ginger seems to have all of her normal functions and cognitive abilities, except she cannot see. What areas did the ruptured blood vessel possibly supply with blood? If instead of blindness she could see normally but control of eye movement was abnormal, what areas may have been damaged by loss of blood?

106) Parkinson's disease affects the cerebral basal ganglia, resulting in tremors in limbs, slowness in beginning and completing movements, and other abnormalities of muscle control. The specific population of neurons involved degenerates and thus fails to produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. An obvious treatment option to try is to administer dopamine, yet this is completely ineffective at alleviating the symptoms. Propose a reason why this treatment fails, and a related alternative to address the dopamine deficit. (Hint: Think about how the brain protects itself from chemicals in the blood.)

107) What function(s) is/are associated with the basal ganglia? Huntington's disease affects the cerebral basal ganglia, causing neural degeneration, and resulting in abnormal muscle movements and cognitive decline. What may cause the cognitive decline? Effective treatment for Huntington's has been elusive, but recently it was shown that a cause of neuron degeneration may be calcium overload. What potential type of treatment does this suggest?

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105 In the case of Gingers ruptured brain aneurysm the blood vessel that ruptured likely supplied blood to the visual processing areas of the brain Wh... View the full answer