The Challenges of Brain Treatments
Higher Tier Only
Investigating brain function
- Developing an understanding of the brain and how it works is really important for medical advances in treating people with brain damage or disease
- However, the brain is an incredibly complex and delicate organ and different regions can’t be studied in isolation
- As a result, it is extremely difficult for neuroscientists to study it to find out how it works so current understanding is limited
- Methods used to study brain function may involve:
- Studying the brains of people that have died
- Using MRI scans to monitor electrical activity during certain scenarios
- Case studies of patients with brain damage or abnormal brain function and the presentation of their symptoms
- Some of the issues involved in investigating brain function are as follows:
- Accidental damage could lead to speech or motor issues, or changes to personality which are permanent
- There may be ethical considerations in studying individuals with severe brain damage who are unable to provide informed consent
- Interpreting the results of MRI scans can be complicated and many patterns of activity are not yet understood
Treating problems with the brain
- Our limited understanding of brain function means that treating brain damage and disease is very difficult
- This is also true of other components of the nervous system because:
- Many parts of the nervous system are not accessible and some regions of the brain cannot be treated at all
- Nervous tissue doesnt repair as readily as other body tissues meaning damage is often irreversible
- Any potential treatment carries risks of further, potentially permanent, damage
