A. Brain Damage and Neuroplasticity - Part 1 Flashcards
What are the 6 causes of brain damage?
- brain tumors
- cerebrovascular disorders
- traumatic brain injuries
- infections of the brain
- neurotoxins
- genetic factors
What are neoplasms?
a mass of cells that grow indep of the rest of the body (also known as a brain tumor)
What are the 3 types of brain tumors? Which is the most common? Least common?
- meningiomas
- infiltrating = most common
- metastatic = least common
what are meninges?
Its the membrane layers that encase the brain and spinal cord
What are the 3 layers of meninges?
- outer layer = dura mater
- middle layer = arachnoid mater
- innermost layer = Pia Mater
Describe meningiomas
its a collection of cells encased in the meninges that are usually benign and are easy to remove
What kind of damage do meningiomas cause?
due to being encapsulated in a large mass, it puts pressure on the brain tissue.
what is the significance of John Pinel’s?
He is the author and a person who had Acoustic neuroma (tumor that grew on the acoustic nerve) which was benign and discovered on accident
Describe infiltrating brain tumor
it is a fast-spreading brain tumor that originates in the brain. It is difficult to remove (spreads quickly), is usually malignant, and puts immense pressure on the brain (due to growth speed)
What type of brain tumor is gliomas an example of? Describe
glioma is a build-up of glial cells within the brain. It is an infiltrating brain tumor
Describe the brain tumor type metastatic
It is a type of malignant tumor that doesn’t originate in the brain but instead originates somewhere else and then infiltrates the brain.
Despite metastatic brain tumors being the most deadly why are they the least common of the three types of brain tumors?
malignant cells are one of the many types of cells that the BBB (blood-brain barrier) stops. Therefore, it is unlikely to actually reach the brain
What is an example of a cerebrovascular disorder?
a stroke
Define the terms infarct and penumbra.
infarct is the brain tissue that is severely damaged or dead due to the events of a stroke. Cannot be saved
Penumbra is the slightly damaged brain tissue that surrounds the infarct and can be saved w/ early intervention
T or F - Amnesia and dementia are terms that are interchangeable
F - amnesia is solely related to memory loss while dementia may include memory loss as well as many other mental deficits such as personality changes
T or F - it is possible to repair the infarct if caught in its early stages, however, not if caught too late
F - infarct is dead tissue that cannot be revived no matter what
What are the 2 types of strokes? describe
- cerebral hemorrhage = the BV (blood vessel) ruptures
- cerebral ischemia = there is a disruption in the BV
What can cause a cerebral hemorrhage? describe
an aneurysm = is when the weakened point in a BV receives too much pressure and burst
When a cerebral hemorrhage occurs it results from an aneurysm that bursts the BV releasing the blood from that BV. How does this cause damage to the nearby brain tissue?
blood is toxic to the brain tissue. This is because the components of the RBC get broken down and form free radicals which degrade lipid mem, BBB, and DNA. Causing severe damage and cell death
Both Thrombosis and embolism are types of cerebral ischemia, as they both involve a blood clot blocking the BV cutting off the blood supply to the rest of the brain. So what is the difference b/w these types?
thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in one area and remains static. While embolism is a blood clot that forms in a larger BV and travels until it gets stuck in a smaller BV.
What are the 3 risk factors of cerebral hemorrhage?
- high blood pressure (INC pressure on BV walls)
- smoking (INC viscosity and volume of blood, and forms plaque along the interior of BV walls)
- alcohol = strong correlation
T or F - both cerebral hemorrhage and ischemia both emit their symptoms immediately
F - ischemia strokes don’t show symptoms until potentially days later due to the neurons being able to survive without the blood supply for sometime
What are the 3 causes of cerebral ischemia? describe each
- thrombosis = blood clot
- embolism = blood clot that originated in a larger BV then traveled to a smaller BV
- arteriosclerosis = the thickening of the BV wall
It is said that stents can be used to treat both arteriosclerosis and aneurysms but not thrombosis or embolisms. Why is this?
Stents are a type of treatment that is inserted into a BV to open it wider so the blood is able to properly run through. It also strengthens that wall to prevent it from bursting. This is the reason why arteriosclerosis and aneurysms can be treated using this method. However, thrombosis or embolism are blood clots so expanding the BV walls around these areas will not help as it would result in the clot traveling deeper and getting stuck once again.