2014-03-07 USMLE Neuro - USMLE Neuro Flashcards
Onset of delerium
acute and dramatic
Onset of dementia
chronic and insidious
Common causes of delerium
illness, toxic, withdrawl
Common causes of dementia
Alzheimer disease, multi-infarct dementia, HIV/AIDS
Is delerium reversible?
usually
Is dementia reversible
usually not
Describe attention in delerium
poor
Describe attention in dementia
usually unaffected
Describe arousal level in delerium
fluctuates
Describe arousal level in dementia
normal
Memory impairment in dementia
in early dementia remote memory is usually spared
Memory impairment in delerium
globally impaired
What is pseudodementia
depression, usually in elderly, usually treatable
Which is associated with hallucinations, illusions, delusion, orientation difficulties and sundowning…delerium or dementia?
both
More common treatable causes of dementia
- Vit B12 deficiency
- endocrine disorders (esp. thyroid and parathyroid)
- uremia
- syphilis
- brain tumors
- normal pressure hydrocephalus
- Parkinson’s (tx may improve)
Wernicke’s encephalopathy is from what deficiency?
thiamine
Ataxia, ophthalmoplegia, nystagmus and confusion =
Wernicke’s encephalopathy
An alcoholic with confabulation and anterograde amnesia likely has
Korsakoff syndrome
2 key features of Korsakoff syndrome
- anterograde amnesia
- confabulation
How do you avoid ppt Wernicke’s encephalopathy in an alcoholic when they show up in your ER?
give glucose before thiamine
Most common cause of headaches
tension
Recurrent frontal/occipital bilateral headache with stiffness is likely what type?
tension
General treatment of stress headaches
- stress relief
- NSAIDs/acetaminophen
Headache that is unilateral, severe, tender, with watery eyes
cluster
Treatment of cluster headaches
oxygen
True or false: migraines often have a family history?
true
Headaches with aura, photophobia, nausea and vomiting are likely
migrain
Typical age of onset for migraine
10-30 years
Morning headaches with projectile vomiting are concerning for
tumor
What do you order for headache with papilledema?
CT or MRI with contrast
Likely diagnosis of morning headache in obese young woman with nausea and negative CT scan
pseudotumor cerebri
LP in pseudotumor cerebri
elevated opening pressure, otherwise normal
Possible causes of pseudotumor cerebri
- megadoses of vitamin A
- tetracyclines
- withdrawl from corticosteroids
Pseudotumor cerebri without treatment may lead to
permanent vision loss
Treatment of pseudotumor cerebri
- supportive
- weight loss
- shunt/repeated LPs
Worst headache of your life -
subarachnoid hemorrhage
Diagnostic test for subarachnoid hemorrhage
- noncontrast CT
- LP
2 major causes of subarachnoid hemorrhage
- ruptures berry aneurysm
- trauma
Give 4 eye causes of headache
- optic neuritis
- eyestrain from refractive error
- iritis
- glaucoma
Give 2 ear causes of headache
- otitis media
- mastoiditis
List 8 general causes/types of headache
- tension
- cluster
- tumor
- migraine
- pseudotumor cerebri
- meningitis
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- extracranial causes
What is Kallman syndrome?
- anosmia with hypogonadisms due to gonadotropin-releasing hormone
anosmnia + hypogonadism =
Kallman syndrome
tic douloureux =
trigenimal neuralgia
CNI =
olfactory
CNII=
optic
CNIII =
oculomotor
CN IV =
trochlear
CN V =
trigeminal
CN VI =
abducens
CN 5 innervates
- muscles of mastication
- facial sensation
- afferent corneal relex
unilateral shooting facial pain in older adults =
trigeminal neuralgia
Treatment of trigeminal neuralgia
antiseizure meds like gabapentin and carbamezepine are most effective
CN VII =
Facial
CN VII innervates
- muscle of facial expression
- taste of ant 2/3 tongue
- dkin external ear
- lacrimal gland
- salivary (not parotid) gland
- stapedius muscle
Flat forehead means CNVII is injured where?
lower motor neuron lesion
CN VIII =
vestibulocochlear
CN VIII lesions usually manifest as
- deafness
- tinnitus
- vertigo
CN IX =
glossopharyngeal
CNIX innervates
- pharyngeal muscles
- mucous membranes
- afferent gag
- parotid gland
- taster post 1/3 tongue
- skin external ear
- carotid body/sinus
CN X =
vaugs
CN X innervates
- muscles of palate
- muscles of pharynx
- muscles of larynx
- efferent gag
- taste at base of tonge
- abdominal viscera
- skin external ear
Major things to think of in CNX lesions
- aortic aneurysms
- tumors (such as pancoast)
Common things with CNX lesions
- hoarseness
- dysphagia
- loss of gag
- loss of cough
CN XI =
spinal accessory
CN XI innervates
- sternocleidomastoid
- trapezius
Muscle findings in CN XI lesions
- trouble with contralateral head turn
- ipsilateral shoulder drop
CN XII =
Hypoglossal
CN XII innervates
muscle of the tongue
Lesion of CN XII causes
deviation of tongue to affected side
6 Main types of seizures
- simple partial
- complex partial
- absence
- tonic clonic
- febrile
- secondary
key feature of simple partial seziures
conciousness is not impaired
Seizure where consciousness not impaired =
simple partial
Treatment of simple partial seizures
- phenytoin
- valproate
- carbamazepine
3 examples of simple partial seizures
- motor (Jacksonia march)
- hallucinations
- cognitive/affective
Simple partial seizure followed by altered consciousness =
complex partial seizure
Seizure where people perform purposeless movements and may become aggressive if restrained
complex partial seizure
First line agents for treatment of complex partial seziures
- phenytoin
- volproate
- carbamazepine
Typical age of onset of absense seizures
before age 20
absence seizures are a type of _________ seizure
generalized
Duration of absence seizures
10-30 seconds
Seizure with a loss of consciousnes with eye flutterings =
absence seizure
Is there a post-ictal state in absence seizures?
No. This is why people will stare and then pick up a sentence where they left off
First line agents for treatment of absence seizures
- ethosuximide
- valproate
Type of seizure that classically has an aura
tonic clonic
Typical duration of tonic clonic seizures
2-5 minutes
4 common features of the post-ictal state of tonic clonic seizures
- drowsiness
- confusion
- headache
- muscle soreness
First line agents for treatment of tonic-clonic seizures
- phenytoin
- valproate
- carbamazepine
Age for febrile seizure
6 months - 5 years