Cerebral inflammation

Question 1

what are the causes of cerebral inflammation?

Answer 1

meningitis

encephalitis

cerebral vasculitis

Question 2

what is meningitis?

Answer 2

inflammation of meninges caused by viral or bacterial infection

Question 3

what is encephatitis?

Answer 3

inflammation of brian caused by infection or autoimmune mechanism

Question 4

what is cerebral vasculitis?

Answer 4

inflammation of blood vessel walls (sometimes called angiitis)

Question 5

what is used to control the exchange of substances into CNS tissue?

Answer 5

blood brain barrier

Question 6

how does the blood brain barrier work?

Answer 6

• BBB capillaries have extensive tight junctions at the endothelial cell-cell contacts
• massively reducing solute and fluid leak across the capillary wall
• allows BBB to control exchange of their substances using specific membrane transporters to transport into and out of CNS (influx and efflux transporters)
• blood- borne infectious agents have reduced entry into CNS tissue

Question 7

what happens on BBB disruption?

Answer 7

Question 8

what are the symptoms of encephatitis?

Answer 8

Initially symptoms are flu-like with pyrexia (high body temp) and headache

• confusion
• seizures
• fits
• changes in personality/ behaviour
• difficulty speaking
• weakness or loss of movement
• loss of consciousness

Question 9

what are the causes of encephalitis?

Answer 9

• usually viral infection
  
  • herpes simplex
  • measles
  • varicella (chickenpox)
  • rubella (German measles)
• mosquito, tick and other insect bites
• bacterial and fungal infections
• trauma
• autoimmune

Question 10

what is the treatment for encephalitis?

Answer 10

• depends on cause
  
  • antiviral (acyclovir)
  • steroids
  • antibiotics/ antifungals
  • analgesics
  • anti-convulsant
  • ventilation

Question 11

what is the pattern of multiple sclerosis over time?

Answer 11

Question 12

what is the cellular pathology of MS?

Answer 12

• inflammation
• demyelination
• axonal loss
• neurodegeneration

Question 13

why do the symptoms vary so much in MS?

Answer 13

amount and location of damage to nervous system is different in each person with MS

Question 14

what are the bacterial cause of meningitis?

Answer 14

• Meningococcal – the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in UK
• Pneumococcal
• Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib)
• Streptococcal – the main cause in new born babies

Question 15

what are the non-bacterial causes of menigitis?

Answer 15

viral- rarely life threatening

fungal