Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. The word comes from the Greek παράλυσις, "disabling of the nerves", itself from παρά (para), "beside, by" + λύσις (lusis), "loosing" and that from λύω (luō), "to loose".

Causes

Paralysis is most often caused by damage in the nervous system, especially the spinal cord. Other major causes are stroke, trauma with nerve injury, poliomyelitis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), botulism, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Temporary paralysis occurs during REM sleep, and dysregulation of this system can lead to episodes of waking paralysis. Drugs that interfere with nerve function, such as curare, can also cause paralysis. There are many known causes for paralysis, and perhaps more yet to be discovered.

Pseudoparalysis (pseudo- meaning "false, not genuine", from Greek ψεῦδος) is voluntary restriction or inhibition of motion because of pain, incoordination, or other cause, and is not due to actual muscular paralysis. In an infant, it may be a symptom of congenital syphilis.

Variations

Paralysis could be localized, or generalized, or it may follow a certain pattern. Most paralyses caused by nervous system damage (i.e. spinal cord injuries) are constant in nature; however, there are forms of periodic paralysis, including sleep paralysis, which are caused by other factors.

Paralysis in the animal world

Many animal species use paralyzing toxins to capture prey, evade predation, or both. A well-known example is the tetrodotoxin of fish species such as Takifugu rubripes, the famously lethal pufferfish of Japanese fugu. This toxin works by binding to sodium channels in nerve cells, preventing the cells' proper function. A non-lethal dose of this toxin results in temporary paralysis. This toxin is also present in many other species ranging from toads to nemerteans. Another interesting use of paralysis in the natural world is the behavior of some species of wasp. To complete the reproductive cycle, the female wasp paralyzes a prey item such as a grasshopper and places it in her nest. She then lays eggs in the paralyzed insect, which is devoured by the larvae when they hatch. Many snakes also exhibit powerful neurotoxins that can cause non-permanent paralysis or death.

Paralysis can be seen in breeds of dogs that are chondrodysplastic. These dogs have short legs, and may also have short muzzles. Their intervertebral disc material can calcify and become more brittle. In such cases, the disc may rupture, with disc material ending up in the spinal canal, or rupturing more laterally to press on spinal nerves. A minor rupture may only result in paresis, but a major rupture can cause enough damage to cut off circulation. If no signs of pain can be elicited, surgery should be performed within 24 hours of the incident, to remove the disc material and relieve pressure on the spinal cord. After 24 hours, the chance of recovery declines rapidly, since with continued pressure, the spinal cord tissue deteriorates and dies.

Another type of paralysis is caused by a fibrocartilaginous embolism. This is a microscopic piece of disc material that breaks off and becomes lodged in a spinal artery. Nerves served by the artery will die when deprived of blood.

The German Shepherd is especially prone to developing degenerative myelopathy. This is a deterioration of nerves in the spinal cord, starting in the posterior part of the cord. Dogs so affected will become gradually weaker in the hind legs as nerves die off. Eventually their hind legs become useless. They often also exhibit fecal and urinary incontinence. As the disease progresses, the paresis and paralysis gradually move forward. This disease also affects other large breeds of dogs. It is suspected to be an autoimmune problem.

Cats with a heart murmur may develop blood clots that travel through arteries. If a clot is large enough to block one or both femoral arteries, there may be hind leg paralysis because the major source of blood flow to the hind leg is blocked.

See also

Spinal cord injuries

Paraplegia

Quadriplegia

Muscle relaxant

Ptosis

Sleep paralysis

Hemiparesis

Beriberi

Neuroprosthetics

Brain-computer interface

Tonic immobility

Cerebral palsy

Cobra Toxin

Obdormition

References

Category:Neurology Category:Cerebral palsy and other paralytic syndromes Category:Symptoms Category:Greek loanwords

Name	Bob Mould
Birth name	Robert Arthur Mould
Background	solo_singer
Born	October 16, 1960
Origin	Malone, New York, United States
Instrument	Guitar
Genre	Alternative rock, punk rock
Occupation	Musician, producer, singer-songwriter, dramatist, disc jockey
Years active	1979?–present
Label	Creation, Granary Music, Full Frequency, New Alliance, Reflex, Restless, Rhino, Rough Trade, Rykodisc, SOL, SST, Virgin, Warner Bros., Yep Roc
Associated acts	Blowoff, Hüsker Dü, Loud Bomb, Sugar, Deep Dish, remix: Depeche Mode, Interpol, The Killers, Low, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, No Age, The Pretenders, Rammstein, Seal, VHS or Beta
Url	Bob MouldBoblogGranary Music

Bob Mould (born Robert Arthur Mould, October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.

Early life

Born in Malone, New York, Mould lived in several places, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul area where he then attended Macalester College. There, he formed Hüsker Dü in the late 1970s, with drummer/singer Grant Hart and bass guitarist Greg Norton.

Musical career

Hüsker Dü

Hüsker Dü first gained notice as a punk rock group with a series of recordings on the independent label SST Records. One of the first 1980s underground bands to sign a contract with a major record label (Warner Bros. Records), Hüsker Dü found only moderate commercial success, but were later often cited as one of the key influences on 1990s alternative rock.

In the late 1980s, Hüsker Dü broke up acrimoniously amid members' drug abuse and personal problems. Mould and Grant Hart, the band's other songwriter and vocalist, still take occasional jabs at each other in the press, though the two revisited their Hüsker Dü back catalog together at a 2004 benefit concert for an ailing friend, the late Karl Mueller of Soul Asylum.

Solo works

After Hüsker Dü broke up in 1988, Mould sequestered himself in a remote farmhouse in Pine City, Minnesota, quit drinking and drugs, and wrote the songs that would make up his first solo album. Signing to the newly-formed Virgin Records America label, 1989's Workbook eschewed Mould's trademark wall-of-noise guitar for a stripped-down, atmospheric sound featuring acoustic guitars and cellos. 1990's jagged Black Sheets of Rain put Mould in more familiar territory, recalling Hüsker Dü's loudest, angriest moments.

In 1993, he contributed the track "Can't Fight It" to the AIDS-Benefit Album No Alternative produced by the Red Hot Organization.

In 1994, he recorded "The Turning Of The Tide" for Beat The Retreat, a tribute album to the English guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson.

Mould also started a record label, Singles Only Label, which released singles from up and coming bands such as Grant Lee Buffalo and R. Stevie Moore.

Sugar years and afterwards

Mould then formed the group Sugar, a college/alternative radio favorite in the mid-1990s. Along with extensive touring, Sugar released two albums, an EP and a B-sides collection before breaking up.

Mould returned to solo recording, releasing a self-titled album in 1996 (which is often referred to as Hubcap because of the cover photo) and 1998's The Last Dog and Pony Show.

During a stint living in New York City in the late-1990s, Mould's tastes took a detour into dance music and electronica. Those influences were clear on his 2002 release Modulate, which featured a strong electronica influence to mixed critical reviews. To pursue this sound, Mould also began recording under the pseudonym LoudBomb (an anagram of his name). He has released one CD so far under this name.

Mould took a brief break from the music world to get involved with another passion of his, professional wrestling, when he joined WCW as a scriptwriter for a brief period. Creative differences with some of the other writers led to Mould leaving the company and returning to music. The liner notes for Modulate thank some of the wrestlers he associated with, most notably Kevin Nash and Kevin Sullivan.

In addition to his solo work, Mould is also a live DJ in collaboration with Washington DC-area dance music artist Richard Morel, under the collective banner Blowoff (frequently staged at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC). A recording under that banner was released in September 2006. Mould has been asked to do remixes for a variety of dance and alternative rock artists. A recent remix of the Interpol song "Length Of Love" has led to more critical acclaim for the veteran artist.

For much of the 1990s, Mould toured playing solo acoustic renditions of his catalog (occasionally switching to electric guitar midway through his set). In 2005 his solo album Body of Song was cross-announced with his first band tour since 1998. Brendan Canty, best known as the drummer for Fugazi, and Mould's Blowoff collaborator, Morel, played drums and keyboards, respectively, for the 2005 tour.

District Line, was released February 5, 2008. Little over a year later on April 7, 2009, Mould released his next album entitled Life and Times.

Mould recently announced that he is writing a memoir with Michael Azerrad, the author of Our Band Could Be Your Life and . The book will be released in spring 2011.

Personal life

Though his homosexuality was previously something of an open secret, Mould was outed in the early 1990s; he is now openly gay.

In 2006, Mould contributed the song "If I Can't Change Your Mind" to the album Wed-Rock, an album to promote legalisation of same-sex marriage.

Pop culture

Mould's song "Dog on Fire" is the theme song for The Daily Show. They Might Be Giants perform the current version. On December 19, 1996, Mould made a cameo appearance on The Daily Show Holiday Spectacular in an homage duet of "The Little Drummer Boy" with Mould playing the part of David Bowie to Craig Kilborn's "Bing Crosby".

The song "See a Little Light" has been used more than once in various television applications: It was used in the closing scene of the original un-aired test pilot episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, it became one of the principal theme songs for the HBO series The Mind of the Married Man and was also used in a television commercial for TIAA-CREF (August 2007). Mould also composed the theme for the TLC program, In a Fix.

Mould and director Cameron Crowe were rumored to be close friends. The character Bob Sugar (played by Jay Mohr) in Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire possibly was named for both Mould and his former band, Sugar.

Mould also played lead guitar in the house band for the film of John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Mould also participated in a Hedwig tribute album, Wig in a Box, on which he covered the song "Nailed."

In 2000, Mould sang "He Didn't" (written by Stephin Merritt) on The 6ths' album Hyacinths and Thistles.

On September 29, 2005, Mould's song "Circles" was featured on The OC as Marissa Cooper was starting her first day at her public school in Season 3.

Mould appeared on an episode of Independent Film Channel's The Henry Rollins Show on June 15, 2007.

Discography

Studio albums

Workbook (1989)

Black Sheets of Rain (1990)

Bob Mould (1996)

The Last Dog and Pony Show (1998)

Modulate (2002)

Long Playing Grooves (Granary Music)

Body of Song (2005)

District Line (2008)

Life And Times (2009)

Compilations

Poison Years (1994)

No Alternative (1994)

Wig in a Box (2003)

Singles and extended plays

See A Little Light (1989)

Wishing Well + Four Live Tracks (1989)

Egøverride (1995)

Live albums

Live Dog `98 (2002)

Live At ATP 2008 (2009)

Videos

Circle of Friends (2007)

Bands produced

Man Sized Action, Claustrophobia

Soul Asylum, Made To Be Broken

Articles of Faith, Give Thanks and In this Life

Magnapop, Hot Boxing

Verbow, Chronicles

The Zulus, Down on the Floor

Friction Wheel, Something Tells Me/Won't Fall Down - SOL

Impaler, If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous

Low, Tonight the Monkeys Die Remixes EP

Half a Chicken, Food For Thought

References

External links

Interview with The Onion A.V. Club

Official Bob Mould Granary Music artist page

Boblog (Bob Mould's personal weblog)

Blowoff nightclub events

PopMatters interview (7/2005)

Metro Weekly interview series

Bob Mould on MySpace

Wishing Well: A Small Web Site About the Music of Bob Mould

Bob Mould on 3RRR MP3 extract of interview

Bob Mould on Colbernista MP3 extract of interview

Bob Mould in conversation with Michael Azzerad

Bob Mould Soundcheck (3:16) published on the Tellus Audio Cassette Magazine @ Ubuweb

Bob Mould - Life and Times - Album Review at Citizen Dick

Category:1960 births Category:American bloggers Category:American DJs Category:American indie rock musicians Category:American male singers Category:American punk rock guitarists Category:American punk rock singers Category:American record producers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American songwriters Category:Club DJs Category:Creation Records artists Category:Hüsker Dü members Category:LGBT musicians from the United States Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Minnesota Category:Musicians from New York Category:Musicians from Washington, D.C. Category:New Alliance Records artists Category:People from Franklin County, New York Category:People from Washington, D.C. Category:Remixers Category:Rykodisc artists Category:Sugar (American band) members Category:The Golden Palominos members Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Warner Bros. Records artists Category:Macalester College alumni