Cole Neuroscience Center (Neurology)
General Information About Neurology
Cole Neuroscience Center
Neurology is the scientific study of the nervous system including the brain. The Brain and Spine Institute provides for the medical management of several neurological disorders through the Cole Neuroscience Center.
The center brings together all of the services you need if you or someone you are caring for is dealing with a neurological disorder such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, movement or sleep problems. The Cole Neuroscience Center is named for Robert and Monica Cole, long-time benefactors of UT Medical Center and its neuroscience research and educational programs. Mr. and Mrs. Cole became interested and involved with UT Medical Center when Mr. Cole was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1967. He died in 1984.
Special programs exist for the diagnosis and management of many disorders including the following.
Services such as drug therapy, neurodiagnostics including EEG, neuroradiology such as MRI and PET, research and rehabilitation as well as many other services are available.
Cole Neuroscience Center is located at UT Medical Center in Medical Office Building B, Suite 102.
General Information About Neurology
Neurology is the scientific study of the nervous system including the brain. Neurologists are the medical specialists who treat nervous system disorders.
What is the Nervous System?
The nervous system is your means of receiving and processing information about the outside world and responding to it. The nervous system also is responsible for vital functions that we usually are not aware of such as breathing and blood circulation. The smallest unit in this complex system is the nerve cell or neuron. Neurons are made up of a cell body, a major branching fiber (axon) and smaller branching fibers (dendrites). Neurons communicate with each other through contacts called synapses, through which they receive chemical messages.
The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord, which contain about 100 billion neurons. The central nervous system is covered in three layers of membranes that provide cushioning; and it is bathed in cerebrospinal fluid.
Both the brain and the spinal cord are protected by bone—the skull and the vertebrae.
The major divisions in the brain are called the brainstem, cerebrum and cerebellum. Here is a brief explanation of what the brain’s different parts do.
- Brainstem — The brainstem is located at the bottom of the brain, attaching directly onto the spinal cord. It is responsible for regulating a wide variety of vital functions that we usually are not conscious of including breathing and blood circulation.
- Cerebrum — The cerebrum is divided into two sides or hemispheres, connected in the middle by the corpys callosum. Conscious functions such as speech, vision and memory are controlled by the cerebrum. Also, conscious movement is controlled by the cerebrum—the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body, while the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body.
- Cerebellum — The cerebellum is located at the base of your neck beneath the cerebrum and behind the brain stem. It is responsible for many functions we usually are not aware of including balance and coordination.
The peripheral nervous system is made up of the nerves that run throughout your body. The parts of this system are named for the areas they reach—neck (cervical), chest (thoracic), lower back (lumbar) and pelvis (sacral). This system uses the spinal cord to communicate with the brain.
The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that controls important but unconscious activities—the nerve impulses to blood vessels, organs and glands. It is run by the brain stem, which also connects autonomic functions with other brain functions. |
