Neurodegenerative DiseasesA well-oiled piece of machinery consists of an intricate and complex system: there are well-organized processes, mechanisms within the device work efficiently, and multiple processes work simultaneously to execute successively various functions. What happens when a fault occurs in the machine? When there is something wrong, such as connections between complex processes, which do not follow one another, the machine does not work correctly. In some cases there are no adjustment or fallback mechanisms. At that point the damage may be irreversible and the machinery is no longer recoverable. [However, this may illustrate the interactions and processes within the complex mechanism.] The human brain may react in much the same way. Neurodegenerative diseases are telltale signs of a “glitch” in the neural mechanical processes within the brain. Therefore, pathological brain problems demonstrate how the brain controls movement and behavior. It is evident in physical and emotional behavior. (5) It also illustrates the interaction between the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. There must be connections between neural activity within the brain and the rest of the central and peripheral nervous systems. An illustration of the brain as a "box" made up of interconnected smaller boxes can also be understood. These integrated boxes in turn demonstrate the concept that “Brain=Behavior=Being”. The purpose of this essay is to provide a general overview, as well as a neurological overview, of the neurodegenerative disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In doing so, it will show how the brain turns out to be the center of behavior and creates the individual's sense... middle of paper... The fact that an individual's neural communication is disrupted and ultimately disrupts all control of functions bodily is evident. The knowledge that one's brain is "riddled with holes" due to an infectious protein particle is speculative. Although many think that an individual is much more than just neural connections, motor symphonies, neurotransmitters and selective permeability, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease puts a new spin on individual identity. Ultimately, patients or their loved ones do not focus on the facts and figures of CJD. Their reality is that an individual slowly disintegrates before his eyes, the sense of "Self" is lost. Works Cited: http://www.cjd.ed.ac.uk/path.htm http://www.cjd.ed .ac.uk/intro.htm http://www.cjd.ed.ac.uk ./lancet.htm Delcomyn, Fred. Fundamentals of Neurobiology, WHFreeman and Company Copyright 1997, p.437.