Approach to Neuro Cases 2 Flashcards
What type of tremor occurs in a body part that is relaxed and completely supported against gravity?
Resting tremor
What type of tremor occurs with voluntary muscle contraction and is the most common tremor?
Action tremor
What type of action tremor occurs when maintaining a position against gravity?
Postural tremor
What type of action tremor occurs with muscle contraction against a rigid stationary object?
Isometric tremor
What type of action tremor can be produced with target directed movement such as reaching for a pen?
Kinetic tremor
What is the most common pathological tremor?
Essential tremor
Where area of the body are essential tremors most common in?
Hands and wrists (usually bilateral)
How can caffeine, fatigue, and alcohol affect essential tremors?
Caffeine and fatigue exacerbate symptoms while alcohol can help (alcohol is always the cure)
What condition can be induced by various meds blocking or depleting dopamine?
Parkinsonism
70% of patients with Parkinson’s Disease have what type of tremor?
Resting tremor
What type of tremor is seen more frequently in patients employed in allied health professional and those involved in litigation?
Psychogenic tremor
What are some signs consistent with PD?
1) Decreased arm swing on the first involved side
2) Decreased facial expression
3) Shuffling gait
4) Micrographia
What is the difference in handwriting in patients with PD vs patients with ET?
PD: small
ET: Large
What condition results in loss of memory, language skills, visual perception, and problem solving to an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities?
Dementia
How is dementia the 5th leading cause of death in the US even though it doesn’t kill people?
The patients regress and become impulsive which can lead to accidents or suicide
What is affected by dementia when having difficulty in completing previous familiar multi-step tasks, such as preparing a meal; no longer wanting to participate in activities of the home; social outing are less enjoyable; hard to complete tasks because of easy distractibility?
Executive function
What is affected by dementia when having difficulty in using familiar technology, tools, or kitchen appliances; getting lost in familiar environments?
Perceptual motor
The lower the score on a mini-mental state examination (MMSE) means?
The more significant the dementia
When filling out a differential diagnosis dealing with social cognition, what should be on there?
Delirium
What relation do hypothyroidism, vitamin deficiencies, tumors, normal pressure hydrocephalus, depression, and heart failure have to dementia?
They are all reversible causes of dementia
