Brain Damage Flashcards
Whats the damage from benign tumors?
Benign: damage by compression but can be cut out and wont regrow
Whats the damage from malignant tumor?
Damage by compression or infiltration. Infiltrating invades other regions and destroys cells in their path.
Compression of the brain regions can damage cells and obstruct the flow.
What are metasteses?
tumor shed cells that travel through bloodstream and creates new tumors
What types of cells in the brain don’t give rise to tumors?
Neurons
Whats a ischemic stroke?
Is the blockage of blood to the brain. Longer to develop, Brain is deprieved of blood and nutrients.
Whats a hemorrhagic stroke?
Hemorrhagic- is the bleeding in the brain. Causes cell death to the neurons.
Whats a thrombus stroke?
Blocks in the same location of stroke.
Whats an embolus stroke?
Forms then get broken apart and travel til it just stuck
What is the penumbra?
The area directly surrounding the stroke.
Understand the series of events leading to cell death in stroke.
1) blockage
2) Neurons that are effected by blockage release excessive glutamate
3) Excessive glutamate triggers excessive Ca+ and Na- into the postsynapses
4) Excessive Ca+ and Na- kills postsynapse neurons by releasing excess glutamate spreading the toxic
How are concussions classified (graded)
Grade 1) symptoms last less than 15 mins, no loss of consciousness
Grade 2) symptoms last greater than 15 mins, no loss of consciousness
Grade 3) loss of consciousness, for a few seconds
What sorts of physical damage can occur to the brain in a traumatic brain injury (TBI)?
TBI are unseen injury, (the silent epidemic)
Understand coup-countercoup.
When you quickly move your head back and forth the neurons in the center stretch die
What are the secondary factors of TBI
Reduction in the cerebral blood flow, reducing the blood flow mean less glucose and less oxygen. Can be treated with Phenylephrine
Why are TBIs problematic for the brain?
Increased excitatory amino acids (EAAs) which causes the increased release of glutamate and aspartate which increases the activation of NMDA receptors
What groups are at high risk for such an injury?
Males 15-24
Substance abusers
Infants/Elderly
What is chronic traumatic encephalopathy? Who is at risk?
Progressive degenerative disorder
Athletes and others who received repetitive brain trauma
What are the symptoms for chronic traumatic encephalopathy?
Memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control, depression, aggression, progressive dementia
Whats a generalized seizure?
a widespread seizure, both sides of the brain is activated, loss consciousness.
Tonic-clonic (grand-mal), Absence(petit mal) KIDS
Whats a partial seizure?
Definite focus seizure, happen in one part of the body/brain
Whats a simple seizure?
Happen in one area of the brain and doesn’t effect consciousness
Whats a complex seizure?
Happens in one area of the brain and effects consciousness
What are some causes of seizures?
Scarring from injury/strokes Abnormal development Effects of tumor Drug or withdraw Infections of fever Genetics
What brain regions are affected in Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease?
Cortex, Ganglia, and Thalamus
What does PD & HD have in common?
basal ganglia & motor disorder
Symptoms of PD
resting tremor, muscular rigidity, slow movement, hard to start moving, masklike face
Cause of PD
No single cause but risk factor is toxins, TBI, strokes or tumors
Symptoms of HD
uncontrollable jerky movements of limbs
Causes of HD
Single gene- Autosomal dominant
What are some symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
explicit and implicit memory, decline in attention & change in personality
What is usually the first recognizable symptom in AD?
Mild anterograde amnesia
What do the neurons and the brain of an AD patient look like?
The cortex space has shrunk, the neurons lose their branches and activity
Loss of connections between neurons
Where are plaques and what forms them?
outside the cells, primarily on top
beta amyloid
Where are tangles and what forms them?
inside the cell
abnormal form of intracellular protein Tau
Understand the 3 models of human neuropsychological diseases
Kindling for epilepsy
Transgenic mouse for AD
MPTP for PD.
How is Kindling for epilepsy induced? How is it alike and different from the human diseases its modeling?
Kindling is the epileptic episode following repeated electrical stimi to the brain.
Similar: convulsions and resemble post TBI genes.
Diff: the seizures are elicited
How is Transgenic induced? How is it alike and different from the human diseases its modeling?
Induced: Insert the synthesis of human amyloids into fertilized mouse eggs and insert into mother. Mice mature and grow amyloids plaques like humans
Simila/diff: don’t develop ALL symptoms (no tangles) or learning/memory dysfunction
How is MPTP induced? How is it alike and different from the human diseases its modeling?
MPTP is produced by synthetic heoin
Similar/diff: the brains respond the same, not exactly the same to PD though, no hallmark feature of PF (lewy body), rats are resistant to MPTP
Whats a hematoma?
localized blood clots.
Whats a subdural hematoma?
between dura and brain
Whats a epidural hematoma?
between skull and dura
Whats a contusional hematoma?
closed head injury damaging the cerebral vasculature
