7: Aquired brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases

Question 1

In animal studies, what was the result of leisons on the hippocampus?

Answer 1

Mild memory problems

Question 2

In animal studies, what was the result of leisons on the hippocampus and amygdala?

Answer 2

Mild memory problems

Question 3

In animal studies, what was the result of leisons on the hippocampus and rhinal cortex?

Answer 3

Severe memory problems

Question 4

What is the main function of the rhinal cortex?

Answer 4

Combining sensory input from cortical association areas and inputting them into the hippocampus

Question 5

How is the hippocampus linked to spatial memory?

Answer 5

Neurons can be specific to places in space. When participants were asked to recall an area, the corresponding neurons were activated which shows the hippocampus provides spatial context

Question 6

What is Korsakoff’s syndrome?

Answer 6

Caused by a thymine deficiency due to alcohol. Results in cortical atrophy and damage to the diensephalon so the hippocampus can’t communicate with other areas of the brain

Severe reterograde and anterograde amnesia

Question 7

How is the consolidation of memories linked to the hippocampus?

Answer 7

Memories first rely completely on the hippocampus and are eventually consolidated into the wider cortex each time the memory is recalled

Question 8

What causes strokes generally?

Answer 8

A disruption of blood supply to the brain

Question 9

What is an ischemic stroke?

Answer 9

Oxygen supply to the brain is affected.
Can be either embolic or thrombotic

To do with clots

Question 10

What is a thrombotic stroke?

Answer 10

Caused by a clot in the brain’s blood vessels

Question 11

What is an embolic stroke?

Answer 11

Caused by a clot somewhere in the body disrupting oxygen to the brain

Question 12

What is a hemorrhagic stroke?

Answer 12

The rupture of blood vessels in the brain

Question 13

In what timeframe can motor skills be recovered after a stroke?

Answer 13

3 months

Question 14

In what timeframe can cognitive skills be recovered after a stroke?

Answer 14

6 months

Question 15

What are the language defects resulting from a stroke?

Answer 15

Aphasia
Agraphia
Alexia

Question 16

What is aphasia?

Answer 16

Problems producing speech

Question 17

How is aphasia caused?

Answer 17

Damage to the left hemisphere in the frontal and temporal areas

Question 18

What is agraphia?

Answer 18

Problems with spelling and writing

Question 19

How is agraphia caused?

Answer 19

Damage to the left hemisphere visual areas involved in writing

Question 20

What is alexia?

Answer 20

Problems with reading

Question 21

How is alexia caused?

Answer 21

Damage to the visual and temporal areas of the left hemisphere

Question 22

What is the dual route theory of reading? (Alexia)

Answer 22

Dorsal route decodes words and maps them onto sounds

Ventral route directly mapps words to their meaning

Question 23

What is dementia?

Answer 23

The loss of cognitive functioning that affects daily life and activities

Question 24

How does Alzheimer’s progress?

Answer 24

Over around 10 years it progresses from mild to severe

First issues in memory but later mood disturbances and a loss of independence

Question 25

What is the prevelence for Alzheimer's?

Answer 25

0.5% at 55 years old and the risk doubles every 5 years At 80 years old, prevelence is at 15-20%

Question 26

What parts of the working memory model are affected by Alzheimer's?

Answer 26

Visuospatial sketchpad and central executive

Question 27

What is the main Alzheimer's treatment?

Answer 27

cholinesterase inhibitors which increase acetylcholine in the brain as it has a role in learning and memory

Question 28

What is the cholinergic hypothesis of Alzheimer's?

Answer 28

There are reduced levels of acetylcholine in the brain of patients and it can be seen in the early stages of Alzheimer's as well.

Question 29

How effective are cholinesterase inhibitors as treatment for Alzheimer's?

Answer 29

Effective in half of patients for 2 years before becoming ineffective When they're taken off the drug, they deline to where they would have been if the drug had never been given - it doesn't slow the disease

Question 30

What is the role of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's?

Answer 30

Build up makes learning more difficult and affects the transmission of neurons

Question 31

What two amyloid plaques are involved in Alzheimer's?

Answer 31

Amyloid Beta 40 and 42 - both of which are toxic

Question 32

What are amyloid plaques?

Answer 32

Fragments of a larger APP protein

Question 33

What are neurofibrillary tangles?

Answer 33

Tangled microtubules that become hyperphosphorelated and impair the function of the neuron

Question 34

What causes neurofibrillary tangles?

Answer 34

Abnormal Tau protein

Question 35

How do anti-amyloid drugs work to treat Alzheimer's?

Answer 35

They inhibit the enzymes that break APP down into amyloid beta All treatments have so far failed

Question 36

What is vascular (Multi-infarct) dementia?

Answer 36

Loss of cognitive functioning due to a series of small strokes There is some recovery between strokes progressive cognitive impairment with each stroke

Question 37

What is Lewy-Bodies dementia?

Answer 37

Shares symptoms of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's | Ambormal clumps of proteins leading to cell death

Question 38

What is frontaltemporal dementia?

Answer 38

Caused by clumps of Tau protein causing impaired planning, judgemnt and language

Question 39

What are the symptoms of posterior cortical atrophy?

Answer 39

Blurred vision Light sensativity progressive inability to recognise faces and objects problems with spatial skills such as driving or dressing Impaired reading and writing

Question 40

What is parkinson's disease?

Answer 40

Affects motor behaviour and sometimes cognitive skills

Question 41

What are the main symptoms of Parkinson's?

Answer 41

Hypokinesia Brandykinesia Akinesia

Question 42

What is hypokinesia?

Answer 42

Loss of muscle movement due to disruption of the basal ganglia

Question 43

What is brandykinesia?

Answer 43

Slowness when carrying out movements but not when initiating them

Question 44

What is akinesia?

Answer 44

Lack of voluntary movement

Question 45

What happens biologically with Parkinson's?

Answer 45

reduction of dopamine in the basal ganglia, substantia nigra and striatum DOPA and tyrosine hydroxlase is limited which reduces the synthesis of dopamine

Question 46

At what point do the symptoms of Parkinson's become apparent?

Answer 46

When dopamine is reduced by more than 70% as before then, the neurons still functioning are able to compensate