Exam #3 Neuro Flashcards
Dysarthria
Defective articulation of speech apparatus. Words may be nasal, slurred, indistinct. Language intact. Motor neuron lesions of CNS or PNS, Parkinsonism, and cerebellar disease
Apahsia
Disorder of language; producing or understanding. Caused by lesions in dominant cerebral hemisphere (usually L)
Dysphonia
Impaired volume, quality, or pitch of voice
Disequilibrium
Impaired walking due to difficulties with balance. Dizziness “in the feet”. Does not occur in non-ambulatory patient
Light-headedness
Dizziness that is not vertigo, syncope, or disequilibrium. Undifferentiated dizziness
Presyncope
Feeling about to faint or loose consciousness. No loss.
Syncope
Sudden, transient LOC
Vertigo
Illusion or hallucination of movement, usually rotation, either of oneself of environment
Primary HA
Chronic, benign, recurring HA w/o known cause.
Ex: migraine, tension
Secondary HA
Due to underlying pathology
New HA
Recent onset or chronic HA that’s in character. More likely to be pathologic than unchanged chronic HA
Aura
Complex neurologic phenomena that preceedes HA.
Ex: scotoma, aphasia, hemiparesis
Thunderclap HA
Occurs instantaneously with max intensity at onset
Cervicogenic HA
Referred HA pain originates from neck, d/t muscle tension or cervical degenerative arthritis.
AKA: occiptial neuralgia
Spastic Hemiparesis
Corticospinal tract lesion; poor control of flexor muscles during swing phase
Steppage gait
Foot drop, Peripheral motor neuron dz.
Sensory ataxia
Loss of position sense in legs from polyneuropathy or post column damage
Cerebellar ataxia
disease of cerebellum or associated tracts
Parkinson’s gait
Basal ganglia defects
Scissors gait
SC dz; lwr extrem spasticity including adductor spasm
Ascending paralysis
Motor weakness that begins in the feet.
Bulbar symptoms
Weakness in m. of face and tongue = difficulty speaking, swallowing, smiling
Descending paralysis
Motor weakness that begins in the face and moves down
Distal weakness
Weakness in distal extrem (foot drop)
Hemiparesis
Weakness on one side
Monoparesis
Weakness of one limb
Paraparesis
Weakness of both legs
Proximal weakness
Weakness in prox m. (shoulder girdle, quads). = difficulty standing up from seated or raising arms OH
Tetraparesis
Weakness in all 4 limbs
Upper motor neuron lesion
Abnormalities of motor pathways that descend from CNS. Results in spasticiity, hyperreflexia, and increased m. tone
Lower motor neuron lesion
Abnormalities in alpha motor neurons in brainstem or spinal grey mater = atrophy, hyporeflexia, and fasiculations
Dementia
Chronic progressive degenerative condition affecting memory, behavior, and cognition
Delirium
Acute impairment in attention or disorganized thinking. Fluctuation course and altered LOC
Attention
ability to focus on specific stimuli and change from on stim to another when salient
Alertness
Level of arousal or responsiveness to external cues
Coherence
Ability to maintain selective attention over time
Asterixis
Failure to maintain continuous voluntary tone in limbs resulting in brief loss of strength
Meningismus
Neck stiffness and pain on neck flexion and ext. Sign of meningitis
Monocular dipolopia
Diplopia with only one eye viewing
Binocular diplopia
Diplopia present only when both eyes are open
Polyopia
Seeing multiple copies of an image
Comitant
Diplopia that does not vary with gaze direction
Esotropia
Crossed eyes; eyes pointing medially with respect to each other
Exotropia
Eyes pointing laterally with respect to each other
Hypertropia
One eye elevated with respect to the other
Phoria
Tendency for eyes to be misaligned when one is covered. Both open = oculor motor control uses vision to align eyes –> no diplopia
Ataxia
Unbalanced or uncoordinated ambulation
Cerebellar ataxia
Ataxia due to impaired cerebellar fxn
Sensory ataxia
Ataxia due to impaired proprioceptive or sensory feedback from lwr extrem.
Spastic paraplegia
Tonic muscular contraction leading to inability to relax m. increased tone d/t damage of inhibitory neurons in SC or brain
Peripheral neurophathy
Abnormal sensory or motor nerve fxn leading to weakness, altered sensory perception or both.
Action tremor
Oscillation occuring or increasing during voluntary movement; generally midrange frequency
Postural tremor
Osciallation that occurs while maintaining fixed posture against gravity or during other fixed postures (clenched fist, standing); higher frequency
Rest tremor
Oscillation with affected body part at rest, during no action and without resisting gravity. Lower frequency.
Intention tremor
Action tremor - osciallation orthogonal to direction of movement and increases in amp as target approached. Denotes disease of cerebellum and/or contents
Physiologic tremor
Irregular oscillations occuring during maintenance of posture, disappears when eyes closed or gravity load is placed on muscles.
May be normal.
Enhanced physologic tremor
increased in amp due to fatigue, sleep deprivation, drug tx, endocrine disorder, caffeine use, stress
Essential tremor
Isolated postural/action tremor involving hands and sometimes head and voice without other neuro findings.
Parkinsonian tremor
Rest tremor w/ regular “pill-rolling” quality; freq assoc with other symptoms of Parkinson’s.
Task-specific tremor
Tremor elicited by specific task - speaking or writing.
Resting tremor
Prominent at rest. Decrease/disappear with voluntary movement.
Intention tremor
Absent at rest, appears with movement. Increases closer to target.
Causes: Cerebellar disorders (MS)
Postural tremor
When affected part is actively maintaining posture.
Ex. fine rapid tremor of hyperthyroidism, tremors of anxiety and fatigued and benign essential tremor.
Tics
Brief, repetitive, stereotyped, coordinated movements at irregular intervals.
Ex. repetitive winking, grimacing, shldr shrugging.
Causes: Tourette syndrome, late effect of drugs
Dystonia
Larger part of body than athetoid movements. Grotesque, twisted postures.
Causes: drugs, primary torsion dystonia, spasmodic torticollis.
Chorea
Brief, rapid, jerky, irregular, unpredictable. At rest or interrupts normal coordinated movements.
Seldom repeats.
Causes: Huntington dz and Rheumatic fever
Athetosis
Slower, twisting, writhing with large amplitude. Face and distal extremities
Causes; CP
Asterixis
Sudden, brief, nonrhypthmic flexion of hands and fingers.
Caused by liver disesase, uremia, hypercapnia.
