Brain Injury And Plasticity

Question 1

TBI

Answer 1

Traumatic Brain Injury

Types:
Contusions
Diffuse atonal injury
Concussion

Question 2

Contusions

Answer 2

Localized bruise.

Coup-contrecoup: when moving head stops abruptly ie. car accidents

Question 3

Concussion

Answer 3

Jolt to the brain that leads to neurological and behavioral changes

Question 4

Concussion sx

Answer 4

Headache
Sleep difficulty
Confusion
Mental fogginess

May resolve within 1 week

Question 5

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI)

Answer 5

Axons are stretched due to rotational forces.

Can occur in several areas of the brain, but more likely in basal ganglia, corpus callosum, hypothalamus, cerebellum, and limbic System.

Question 6

TBI classifications

Answer 6

Mild, moderate, severe

Determined by Glasgow Coma Scale

Question 7

Posttraumatic Amnesia (PTA)

Answer 7

Better predictor of prognosis than Glasgow Coma Scale.

If PTA is under 5 minutes, then mild severity.

Question 8

Postconcussion syndrome (PCS)

Answer 8

Concussion sx persist more than 1 week.

Easily fatigued, disordered sleep, headache, vertigo, irritability, anxiety, changes in personality.

Question 9

Persistent Postconcussion syndrome (PPCS)

Answer 9

Concussion sx persist over 6 months.

Additional cognitive problems with attention, memory, and executive functions. Emotional problems.

Question 10

TBI treatment

Answer 10

Decompressive craniectomy
Shunting
Cognitive rehabilitation

Question 11

Decompressive caniectomy

Answer 11

For severe TBI. Part of the skull is removed to decompress a swelling brain.

Question 12

Shunting

Answer 12

Draining of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through a plastic tube. Used in cases when CSF builds up and leads to increased pressure in the brain.

Question 13

Cognitive rehabilitation.

Answer 13

Relearning cognitive abilities; learning to make better use of the abilities that were spared.

Question 14

Stroke

Answer 14

Ischemia and hemorrhage (types)

Produce an accumulation of sodium inside neurons ➡️ release of glutamate ➡️ overstimulation of neurons ➡️ damage to neurons and synapses

Question 15

Ischemia stroke

Answer 15

Most common. When blood clot or other obstruction in an artery.

Question 16

Hemorrhage stroke

Answer 16

Less common. Ruptured artery

Question 17

Gliosis

Answer 17

Axons cannot regenerate beyond the glial scar

Question 18

tPA

Answer 18

Treatment for stroke.
Tissue plasminogen activator

Breaks up blood clots. Only used for ischemia. Should be taken within 3 hours/4.5 hours after stroke.

Question 19

Collateral sprouts

Answer 19

When a cell loses input from an axon, it secrets BDNF that induce other axons to form new branches that take over vacant synapses

Question 20

Denervation supersensitivity

Answer 20

After synapses become inactive, the remaining become more active and easily stimulated. Can lead to chronic pain

Question 21

Diaschisis

Answer 21

When decreased activity and aptoptosis of surviving neurons happens after damage of other neurons

Question 22

Phenotype plasticity

Answer 22

Individuals capacity to develop into more than one phenotype