Tracey Blanchard
Herzing University
Unit 4 Discussion – Muscle Stretching
June 3, 2024
SC154-TC
Professor Ty Hoffman
The area of the brain that was chosen is the diencephalon. The diencephalon is located in
the brain that is above the brainstem. The diencephalon comprises the epithalamus, thalamus,
subthalamus, metathalamus, and hypothalamus (Crumble, 2023). Each diencephalon area has a special
function that permits life to continue. The diencephalon’s main job is to relay and process sensory
information and allow for autonomic control, which allows communication to follow different paths
between diverse areas within the body. The area of the diencephalon is supplied with blood from several
different blood vessel branches from the posterior cerebral artery, posterior cerebral artery, and posterior
communicating artery.
One type of damage that might occur to this area is called diencephalon syndrome (Russell’s
syndrome) which is caused by a tumor within the diencephalon. This syndrome has been seen in infants
and young children who may have the following symptoms: failure to gain weight and grow based upon
age and gender-appropriate growth charts, also known as failure-to-thrive (NORD, 2023). These children
would be seen as becoming progressively thin and weak. Children and infants affected by this disease
appear to be happy, alert, and have an outgoing personality which would contradict their physical
appearance. As symptoms start to become noticeable, the infants and children are quite irritable along
with possible vomiting, vision defects, nystagmus, headaches, and skin pallor. As this syndrome
progresses, the severity of the complications may be life-threatening. Treatment for this syndrome is
chemotherapy, radiation, or possible surgery based on the location of the tumor. Since both infants and
