Cerebral inflammation

Question 1

What are the three main types of cerebral inflammation?

Answer 1

Meningitis
Encephalitis
Cerebral vasculitis

Question 2

What is meningitis?

Answer 2

Inflammation of the meninges caused by viral or bacterial infection

Question 3

What is encephalitis?

Answer 3

Inflammation of the brain caused by infection or autoimmune mechanisms

Question 4

What is cerebral vasculitis?

Answer 4

Inflammation of blood vessels walls (angiitis)

There is cuffing, infiltration of lymphocytic cells around the vessels into the parenchyma of the brain .

Question 5

Describe the vascularisation of the CNS?

Answer 5

Dense capillaries and pial vessels.

Question 6

What type of junctions form the blood brain barrier?

Answer 6

Tight junctions

Question 7

Which type of glial cells maintains the structure of the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 7

Astrocytes

Question 8

What type of transporters control the exchange of solutes within the blood brain barrier?

Answer 8

Efflux and influx transporters

Question 9

Fibrinogen leakage into the brain parenchyma results in what physiological response?

Answer 9

Astrocytes undergo astrogliosis, forming a glial scar.
The retraction of the astrocytic end feet potentiates further disruption to the blood brain barrier, resulting in collagenous disruption.

Question 10

What are the initial symptoms of encephalitis?

Answer 10

Pyrexia and headache

Question 11

What are the subsequent symptoms associated with encephalitis?

Answer 11

Confusion or disorientation 
Seizures or fits
Changes in personality and behaviour
Difficulty speaking (dysphasia)
Weakness or loss of movement
Loss of consciousness

Question 12

What are the common viral causes of encephalitis?

Answer 12

Herpes simplex
Measles
Varicella
Rubella

Question 13

What are the common non-viral causes of encephalitis?

Answer 13

Mosquito, tick and other insect bites
Bacterial and fungal infections
Trauma
Autoimmune

Question 14

What are the treatments for encephalitis?

Answer 14

Antivirals (acyclovir) 
Steroids
Antibiotics/antifungals
Analgesics
Anti-convulsants
Ventilation

Question 15

What is MS?

Answer 15

An autoimmune demyelinating disease of the CNS

Question 16

What is MS relapse linked with?

Answer 16

Linked with inflammatory activity

Question 17

What is the cellular pathology in MS?

Answer 17

1) Inflammation
2) Demyelination
3) Axonal loss
4) Neurodegeneration

Changes in periventricular white matter progressively worsen with an ongoing relapsing demyelinating process.

Question 18

Describe the symptom and pathology distribution within patients with MS?

Answer 18

Random

Question 19

Which types of immune cells are associated with inflammation in MS?

Answer 19

Perivascular immune cell infiltration by CD3 T cells and CD20 B cells.

Question 20

Which bacteria is the most common cause of meningitis in the UK?

Answer 20

Meningococcal

Question 21

Which type of bacteria meningitis is most common in newborn babies?

Answer 21

Streptococcal

Question 22

What are the four main types of bacterial meningitis?

Answer 22

Meningococcal
Pneumococcal
Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib)
Streptococcal