Brain pathology

Question 1

caudate nucleus

Answer 1

This is what is damaged in Huntington’s disease. People with HD have personality changes (irritable, impulsive, etc), choreaform movements, dementia.

Question 2

medial geniculate nucleus

Answer 2

part of the auditory thalamus. thought to influence the direction and maintenance of attention. Damage–think hearing loss/auditory hallucinations, etc.

Question 3

subthalamic nucleus

Answer 3

Damage generally caused by lacunar strokes. Can cause hemiballismus (sudden flinging movements on one side of the body).

This is one of the areas stimulated in deep brain stimulation to help ppl with Parkinson’s disease who are refractory to meds.

Question 4

dentate nucleus

Answer 4

located in the cerebellum. The dentate nucleus is responsible for the planning, initiation and control of voluntary movements. Damage can cause limb ataxia.

Question 5

nucleus basalis of Meynert

Answer 5

This is a cholinergic nucleus and some of the neurochemical pathology of Alzheimer disease is cholinergic deficiency. Downs patients develop alzheimer-like symptoms early.

Damage can cause forgetfullness, alzheimer-like changes, inability to care for oneself. Not really mood/affect changes.

Question 6

Pineal gland

Answer 6

Damage to this area causes Parinaud’s (or dorsal midbrain) syndrome. Usually from a tumor or something. Region-specific syndrome includes:
headaches, dilated pupils, inability to look up, with refractory nystagmus in attempted upward gaze.

Question 7

mammillary bodies

Answer 7

Damage assc’d with thiamine deficiency. Ppl can seem confused, lethargic, forgetful, with difficulty retaining new information. Apart from alcoholism and other nutritionally deficient states, bariatric surgery is emerging as a cause of thiamine deficiency.

Question 8

amygdaloid nucleus

Answer 8

in the anterior part of the temporal lobe of the cerebrum; intimately connected with the hypothalamus and the hippocampus and the cingulate gyrus; as part of the limbic system it plays an important role in motivation and emotional behavior

Question 9

globus pallidus

Answer 9

Damage can cause parkinson-like symptoms.

CO poisoning is assc’d with delayed globus pallidus necrosis.

Question 10

supraoptic nucleus

Answer 10

in the hypothalamus. (stimulation?) can cause eating disorders– (grabbing food/drink and stuffing your face, complaining when you can’t eat at will.) Damage causes eating cessation?

Question 11

lateral geniculate nucleus

Answer 11

major nucleus for visual system. in the thalamus.
A lesion of this nucleus produces moderately to completely congruent visual field defects. May be a wedge-shaped homonymous hemianopia, or a congruent superior homonymous quadratic defect for example.