cerebral inflammation Flashcards
what is meningitis?
inflammation of the meninges caused by viral/bacterial infection (bacterial more aggressive)
what is encephalitis?
inflammation of the brain caused by infection or autoimmune mechanisms
what is cerebral vasculitis?
- inflammation of blood vessel walls - sometimes called angiitis
what is the maximum distance of a neuron from a capillary?
100um
- CNS is densely vascularised
what forms the blood-brain barrier?
the capillaries
- tight junctions at endothelial cell-cell contacts
- > massively reduces passive movement of solute and fluid leak across the capillary wall
what does the ‘tightness’ of the BBB capillaries prevent?
- crossing of solutes that can be exchanged across peripheral capillaries
- > BBB control exchange of these substances using specific membrane transporters to transport into and out of the CNS
- blood bourne infectious agents have reduced entry into CNS tissue
what can cause BBB to become faulty (structural issue)?
- collagenous disruption
what can you see in CNS near damaged blood vessels due to trauma?
- fibrinogen
symptoms of encephalitis (7)
- flu-like with pyrexia and headache see the following subsequently (hours/days/weeks) - confusion or disorientation - seizures/fits - changes in personality and behaviour - difficulty speaking - weakness/loss of movement - loss of consciousness
is encephalitis more commonly caused by viruses or bacteria?
viruses
viruses that commonly cause encephalitis (4)
- herpes simplex
- measles
- varicella
- rubella
Head suffering
Made
Very
Real
other causes (non-viral) of encephalitis (4)
- mosquito, tick and other insect bites
- bacterial and fungal infections
- trauma
- autoimmune
treatment of encephalitis does vary depending on underlying cause, but may include:
(6)
- antivirals e.g. acylclovir
- steroids
- ABs
- analgesics
- Anti-covulsants
- Ventilation
example of an autoimmune disease that cause encephalitis?
- multiple sclerosis
- it’s a demyelinating disease of the CNS
- relapses linked to inflammatory activity
- progression linked to neurodegeneration
what is the longstanding secondary progression of MS with no remissions attributed to?
axon loss
- the longer you have the disease, the more axon loss, the more residual deficits
what do the relapse and remission phase of MS mirror?
the inflammatory process
Cellular pathology of multiple sclerosis (4) Involves D\_\_\_\_ And N\_\_\_
- inflammation
- demyelination
- axonal loss
- neurodegeneration
multiple sclerosis symptoms vary with what?
the location and amount of damage to the nervous system
immune cells that invade with MS inflammation?
CD3 T cells
CD20 B cells
bacterial causes of meningitis (4)
MePneHaeStre
- meningococcal
- pneumococcal
- haemophilus influenzae type b
- streptococcal
other causes of meningitis (2)
- viral (the very rare and life threatening ones; generally viral infections aren’t dangerous in meningitis unlike bacterial infection)
- fungal
What space that surrounds pial vessels (in pia arachnoid)?
Virchow-robin space
What is the membrane of a pial vessel called?
Glia limitans membrane
What cells define the BBB?
Astrocytes- structural role
What do astrocytes do following a rupture of the bbb?
Try to stop bleeding through astrogliosis
Whats the difference between encephalitis and the flu?
With the flu, temperature goes down and symptoms resolve but with encephalitis, no resolution
How do we treat bacterial meningitis?
IV ABs
