CNS Trauma Flashcards
What are the cells of the CNS?
- Neurons - transmit impulses
- Astrocytes - react to injury
- Oligodendrocytes - Myelinate
- Microglia - act as macrophages
- Ependymal Cells - line ventricals (BBB and CSF)
What are the three main glial cels?
Astrocytes
Microglia
Oligodendrocytes
What happens to neurons when they are acutely injured?
How are these neurons usually injured?
They turn red (“Red is dead”) in the stain because they become more eosinophilic
These are called Red Neurons
-You see them the most due to lack of blood flow (ischemia, hypotension, stroke, etc.)
What happens to neurons during subacute/Chronic injury
Degeneration: The neurons just start to dissapear
What happens to neurons during Axonal Reactions or Axonal Spheroids?
Axonal Reaction: The axon has been damaged, making the body swell up as axonal proteins build up in the cell
Axonal Spheroids are the same but just more spheroid in shape.
What are Cowdry Inclusions?
Cowdry Inclusions are viral particles sitting inside the nucleous
They look like red body with dark halo
When would you see neurofibrillary tangles?
You see neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer disease, These represent the cell dying off.
When is the Lewy body seen?
Parkinson’s Disease
What is gliosis in astrocytes?
Astrocytes proliferate during injury and this is called gliosis
- This is analagous to a scar in the CNS
What are Gemistocytic Astrocytes?
Big plump astrocytes that are swollen up
What are Rosenthal fibers?
Big thick red structures that occur in astrocyte processes.
-They happen in any area with longstanding gliosis
What are Corpora amylacea?
These look like pale blue pearls but are a change in the astrocytes that comes with age.
-Degenerative change in astrocytes
How proliferative are…
- Oligodendrocytes?
- Ependymal cells
- Microglia
- Oligodendrocytes: not very much
- Ependymal cells: not very much
(Might see inclusions in the CMV)
- Microglia: Lots of proliferation and can form nodules around dead cells
