BASIC PRINCIPLES & HISTORY/EXAM Flashcards
What does the term myelopathy mean?
Abnormality of the spinal cord
What does the term encephalopathy mean?
Abnormality of the brain
What does the term encephalopathy mean?
Abnormality of the brain
What does the term radiculopathy mean?
An abnormality of a single nerve root
What does the term plexopathy mean?
An abnormality of a plexus e.g. brachial
What does the term polyradiculopathy mean?
Abnormality of many nerve roots
What does the term polyneuropathy mean?
Abnormality of multiple nerves
What does the term mononeuropathy mean?
Abnormality of a single named nerve
What does the term mononeuritis multiplex mean?
Abnormality of multiple named nerves
Function of frontal lobe?
Primary motor cortex - voluntary motor control of the contralateral side
Premotor and supplementary motor cortex - planning, sequencing and execution of movement
Frontal eye fields - voluntary eye movement - saccade
Prefrontal cortex - management of higher cognitive functions such as Insight, control of emotions, memory, personality, planning, organising, discipline, problem-solving, self-control, decision making, motor planning
Brocas - production of speech i.e. can think of it as controlling voluntary movement of the muscles producing speech! (only in dominant hemisphere)
Function of parietal lobe?
Primary somatosensory cortex & somatosensory association cortex - receives sensory information from all sensory receptors e.g. vibration, pressure, fine touch
Posterior association area - visual, auditory and sensory pathways all coalesce here e.g. Sensory visuospatial processing
On dominant hemisphere - Wernickes area is found in the supramarginal gyrus - for comprehension of written and spoken language
on non-dominant hemisphere :
Function of temporal lobe?
Primary auditory cortex and auditory association cortex - for reception of auditory information and interpretation of sounds i.e. recognising sound
On dominant hemisphere - wernickes area is in the upper temporal lobe - for comprehension of written and spoken language
Most medial aspect = primary olfactory cortex - awareness of smell & recognising smell
Hippocampus & amygdala - memory, learning & regulating emotions
Function of occipital lobe?
Most posteriorly - primary visual cortex - awareness of vision
More anterior - visual association cortex - analysis visual stimulus eg. Can tell you colour, angles, if its moving etc
Function of basal ganglia?
Fine tunes voluntary movements as it receives impulses for upcoming movement from cerebral cortex which it processes and adjusts. They convey their instructions to the thalamus which then relates information back to the cortex
What are the nuclei of the basal ganglia?
Input nuclei - caudate nucleus, putamen
Intrinsic nuclei - external globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus, pars compacta of the substantia nigra
Output nuclei - internal globus pallidus, pars reticulata of the substantia nigra
Function of the cerebellum?
Cerebrocerebellum - planning & initiating movements, coordination and motor learning
Spinocerebellum - regulating body movements by allowing for error correction, coordination and posture
Vestibulocerebellum - controls balance and ocular reflexes, mainly fixation on a target
Function of the brainstem?
Midbrain - controls eye movements and integrates it with auditory input
Pons - controls movements of the body and equilibrium. Arousal and attentiveness.
Medulla oblongata - controls respiratory function, CV system, reflexes and GI activities
Important it contains…
Reticular formation - Consciousness, sleep and wake cycle, alertness and arousal levels
Cranial nerves 3-12 so has functions in facial movements sensation, hearing, taste
Describe the main sulci in the brain?
Longitudinal fissure - deep furrow down the centre of the brain separating left and right hemispheres
Central sulcus - separates frontal and parietal lobe
Lateral sulcus (sylvian fisure) - separates parietal, frontal and temporal love
Parietooccipital sulcus - separates parietal and occipital lobe
Pre-occipital notch - a small fissure that’s the separation between temporal and occipital lobe
Function of the insula?
Responsible for gustation (taste), being aware of visceral sensations e.g. sensations from GIT, vestibular sensations (sensations of movements)
Involved in risk-reward behaviours too e..g desires, cravings and addiction
Where is the insula?
Located in both hemispheres
It forms the floor of the lateral sulcus i.e. its underneath the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes
Outline the process of language?
- Ear and auditory nerve for hearing
- Wernickes - understanding language
- Arcuate fasciculus - religion
- Brocas - language production
- Central motor output pathways: cerebellum & corticospinal tracts for articulation of speech
- Peripheral motor output pathways: facial, hypoglossal, vagus nerves, face & tongue for articulation of speech
- Larynx for voice production
This its important for assessing the cause of speech changes e.g. is it dysarthria caused by an issue in the motor output pathway, is it dysphonia caused by an issue in the larynx, is it fluent aphasia caused by an issue in wernickes, is it deafness caused by the auditory nerve issue or is it non-fluent aphasia caused by a lesion in Brocas
How to assess an aphasia?
- Establish pt cn hear you
- Listen to spontaneous speech - is it fluent? Are they using words correctly?
- Assess word finding ability e.g. how many animals can they last in 1 minute (should be >18)
- Assess reading & writing
What are agnosias?
Abnormalities of perception despite being able to demonstrate that the sensory modality is intact e.g. inability to recognise a face despite normal vision is prosopagnosia
These indicate parietal lobe lesions
What are apraxias?
When an action cannot be carried out even though the necessary motor and sensory function is intact
Eg. dressing ataxia is when pt cannot organise clothes to allow dressing
These indicate a parietal lobe lesion
