27 - Lesions III Flashcards
Basal ganglia function
Inhibition and facilitation
Describe inhibition of the basal ganglia
Inhibiting involuntary movement at rest
Stopping volitional movements upon completion
Describe facilitation of the basal ganglia
Releasing or disinhibiting voluntary movements
Accelerating voluntary movements
Chorea
dance-like, involuntary, rapid movements. Can be associated with Huntington disease, rheumatic fever, systemic lupus erythematosus, and other conditions
Athetosis
slow, twisting, writhing movements, with larger amplitude than chorea, commonly involving the hands
Hemiballism
jerking and twitching movements of one side of the body (involuntary violent flinging or jerking of a limb or limbs in an uncoordinated manner caused by a lesion of the contralateral subthalamus)
Dystonia
impaired or disordered tonicity, especially muscle tone (involuntary muscle spasms)
What area of the brain is Parkinson’s disease associated with?
Basal ganglia
What causes Parkinson’s disease?
Death of dopaminergic cells in the pars compacta of the substantia nigra
How do you treat Parkinson’s disease?
L-dopa metabolized to dopamine by dopaminergic cells
What are the key symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?
- Rigidity
- Slowness of movement (bradykinesia)
- Slumped posture
- Resting tremor
What is the cause of the rigidity, slowness of movement and slumped posture?
It is a basal ganglia problem
Excessive inhibition with a lack of facilitation
What is the cause of the resting tremor?
It is a basal ganglia problem
Lack of suppression of involuntary movement
What is the striatum in relation to the basal ganglia?
The striatum is the “input gate” to the basal ganglia
How is the striatum affected by Parkinson’s disease? How is it affected by Huntington’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease results in loss of dopaminergic innervation to the striatum (and other basal ganglia) and a cascade of subsequent consequences.
Atrophy of the striatum is also involved in Huntington’s disease, choreas, choreoathetosis, and dyskinesias.
What is Tourette’s syndrome?
An inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by multiple physical (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. These tics characteristically wax and wane, can be suppressed temporarily, and are preceded by a premonitory urge.
What two signs must be present to define Tourette’s?
Motor and vocal tics
What one sign, in particular, makes Tourette’s unique among all extrapyramidal syndromes?
Vocal tics
What is the cerebellum responsible for?
Precision
Movements are precise, on time and on target
In more detail, what is the function of the cerebellum?
- Integration of equilibrium and locomotion
- Integration of head and eye movements
- Coordinating voluntary movements
What does coordination of voluntary movements entail?
- Comparing cortical input with motor output
- Providing feedback for ongoing movements
- Making adjustments to ongoing movements
- Ensuring accurate targeting
Ataxia
impaired ability to coordinate muscular movement usually associated with staggering gait and postural imbalance
Nystagmus
Involuntary eye movements
Dysmetria
Refers to a lack of coordination of movement typified by the undershoot or overshoot of intended position with the hand, arm, leg, or eye. It is a type of ataxia. It is sometimes described as an inability to judge distance or scale
Dysdiadochokinesia
Inability to quickly substitute antagonistic motor impulses to produce antagonistic muscular movements
Inability to perform rapid alternating movements (e.g., pronation/supination of hands)
Indicates cerebellar dysfunction
What is the midline cerebellum responsible for (vermal area)?
spinocerebellum- muscle tone and adjusting movements of axial trunk and proximal limbs
Think spine like a spine right down the middle
What is the lateral cerebellum (hemispheric area) responsible for?
cerebrocerebellum- precise control of executed movements (timing, duration, force, velocity and trajectory of movements, of extremities, especially hands and fingers
Think cerebro like the two sides of the brain - on the lateral sides
Where would you see movement problems that result from a lesion in the vermal area of the cerebellum
Midline cerebellum lesion
Symptoms will be present in the axial trunk and proximal portions of the limbs