NH Art HEALTH 101 – Neuroscience Case Study

Neuroscience Case StudyThe Case of…Tim Levesque, the Fallen AthleteSince he was a boy, Tim Levesque has always loved sports. From football and basketballin high school through rugby in college, Tim enjoyed the hours of training, the satisfaction ofmastering complex plays, and especially the thrill of facing challenging competitors. He remained physically active in the years that followed and spent many evenings and weekendscoaching his son Adam’s Little League baseball team. He continued to challenge himself tolearn new skills, as when he took up bowling and practiced regularly until he was goodenough to join a league.Six months ago, at the age of 46, Tim suffered a stroke while he was taking his morningjog. Immediately afterward, much of the right side of Tim’s body was paralyzed and he washaving great difficulty trying to talk. When Adam saw him in the hospital, he barely recognized his strong, active father now lying weak and incapacitated in a hospital bed. Althoughhis physicians could not give him a clear prognosis, Tim was determined to regain hisstrength and mobility and fully resume his active lifestyle.Today Tim has not quite reached his goal, but he has made a remarkable recovery. He isout of the hospital and receiving regular physical therapy. His speech has returned with onlyoccasional difficulty, and he is able to walk and move well enough to return to work. Hecan’t quite manage to roll a 12-pound bowling ball with the ease and accuracy as he previously could, but that doesn’t bother him much. What really excites Tim is the ever increasinglikelihood that he’ll be back to coach Adam’s team next season. Reminder: Answer all parts of each question.1. Based on the evidence presented in the passage, which hemisphere of Tim’s brain likelysuffered damage during his stroke? Be sure to describe all the evidence that led you toyour answer. 2. (a) What imaging technology would best reveal the location and extent of damage toTim’s brain produced by his stroke, and (b) why is this the best choice, compared toother possible imaging methods? Make sure to describe the other methods to choosefrom in justifying why the imaging technology you picked would be the best. 3. (a) If physicians did not have any means of viewing the damage to Tim’s brain directly,what other clues might they have to the location of the damage?(b) Where might the damage be if Tim had lost his vision after the stroke?(c) Where might it be if he lost sensation on the left side of his body?(d) Where might it be if his personality suddenly changed? 4. Before the stroke, Tim was an active sportsman. (a) Explain what role the endocrinesystem played in keeping Tim’s body performing optimally in times of strenuous exercise and in times of relaxation (b) How might Tim have been able to manipulate his endocrine system function to enhance his athletic performance, if he so chose? (c) Whatmight be some risks of doing so (list and explain at least 4 associated risks)? 5. (a) Name and describe the two brain phenomena that are chiefly responsible for Tim’srecovery of lost speech and motor functions. (b) Taking into account all relevant information, how likely do you think Tim is to completely return to his pre-stroke level offunctioning, and (c) why?