Question

An infant was born with facial nerve paralysis that occurred with delivery. As the infant ages, it becomes apparent that the facial muscles affected by the nerve damage are not moving. Seeking surgical repair, the family asks why the damage to the child's face is not being repaired by the body. The health care provider states that neurons (connected to the facial muscles) are highly specialized cells that __________.

Answer 1

Answer:

lose their ability to proliferate once development of the nervous system is complete

Explanation:

The nervous system is a very essential system in a person's body. It starts developing from the first trimester of pregnancy and becomes fully developed during the woman's third trimester of pregnancy until the fetus is born. Thus, anything that happens during or after the woman's pregnancy may affect the infant's brain development.

In the situation above, the baby was born with facial nerve paralysis. This is a condition which causes some problems to the newborn, such as uncontrollable facial movements. It could be a result of trauma to the facial nerve. The trauma can happen before or after birth.

Remember that once the nervous system is complete, it cannot repair or proliferate anymore. This makes the cells in the nervous system different from all the other cells in the human body. In the case above, the infant permanently lost his ability to have a functioning facial nerve.  

Thus, this explains the answer.