Chapter 13: vascular cognitive impairment Flashcards
Embolic cerebral infarct (stroke)
A blood cloth in the artery. Can cause drooping face, loss of body functions and difficulty speaking.
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
Temporary reduction of blood flow to the brain. Neurological symptoms disappear within 24 hours.
Lacunar infarct (TIA)
A type of TIA in the arteries that supply the brains deeper structures, after which a small cavity (lacuna) forms. Can lead to motor impairments, loss of sensation or dysarthria if it happens in the thalamus or pons. Symptoms disappear within weeks to months.
Intracerebral hemorrhage (bloeding)
A ruptured blood vessel causes bleeding in the brain. Causes loss of consciousness, confusion and disorientation.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (bloeding)
A bleeding between the meninges (layers) of the brain. Causes headache, neck stiffness, hypersensitivity, loss of consciousness and nausea.
Oedema
Fluid in the brain surrounding the hemorrhage (bloeding). Associated with cognitive impairments in memory, information processing, attention and executive functions.
Cerebral small vessel disease
Damage to the white matter tracts (present in 90% of >80 year olds)
Anterograde amnesia
Not being able to form new memories.
Aphasia
Impairment of the language system.
Major stroke
Mostly causes anterograde amnesia and aphasia.
Apraxia
The inability to perform specific and predefined actions or to carry out learned and purposeful movements. Caused by damage to the left parietal lobe, right parietal regions, the temporal and frontal cortex.
Hemispatial neglect
Deficit in attention to one side of the body. If there is damage in the right hemisphere, the left side of the body / visual field is neglected (contralateral).
Ideomotor apraxia
Unable to make meaningful movements while knowing what movement would be appropriate / recognizing the purpose of a certain tool.
Hemianopsia
Being blind in half of the visual field.
Quadrantianopsia
Being blind in a quarter of the visual field.
