Final: Brain Damage and Neuroplasticity Flashcards
1
Q
6 Causes of Brain Damage
A
- Tumors
- Cerebrovascular disorders
- Closed-head injuries
- Brain infections
- Neurotoxins
- Genetic factors
2
Q
Another name for tumor
A
neoplasm
3
Q
Tumor (neoplasm)
A
Mass of cells that grow independently of the rest of the body
4
Q
meningiomas
A
brain tumors encased in meningies which are their own membranes
5
Q
What percent of brain tumors are meningiomas
A
20%
6
Q
How do meningiomas influence brain function?
A
The pressure they exert can influence surrounding tissue
7
Q
Outlook for a meningioma tumor
A
they are usually benign and surgically removable
8
Q
What is the nature of most occuring tumors?
Outlook?
A
Malignant
Hard to remove - they grow diffusely throughout the surrounding tissue
9
Q
metastic tumors
A
brain tumors that originate elsewhere in the body
10
Q
What percent of brain tumors are metastic?
A
10%
11
Q
2 Types of cerebrovascular disorders
A
Strokes
Arteriosclerosis
12
Q
stroke
A
sudden onset cerebrovascular disorder that causes brain damage
13
Q
How prevalent are strokes in the U.S?
A
3rd leading cause of death
leading most common cause of adult disability
14
Q
4 Common consequences of stroke
A
amnesia
aphasia
paralysis
coma
15
Q
2 Main Types of Strokes
A
Caused by cerebral hemmorrhage
Caused by cerebral ischemia
16
Q
cerebral hemmorage
A
bleeding in the brain
blood vessel bursts and seeps into surrunding neural tissue and damages it
17
Q
aneurysm
A
pathological balloon-like dilation
forms in the wall of a blood vessel where elasticity of the vessel wall is defective
can be congenital or due to poison/infection
18
Q
What can cause a cerebral haemorrhage
A
aneurysm rupture
19
Q
cerebral ischemia
A
disruption of blood supply to an area of the brain
20
Q
two types of cerebral ischemia
A
thrombosis
embolism
21
Q
thrombosis
A
cerebral ischemia
plug forms and blocks blood flow at the site of formation
22
Q
embolism
A
cerebral ischemia
plug forms somewhere in the body and is carried by the blood to a smaller vessel where it gets lodged
23
Q
How long does it take for cerebral ischemia to cause damage
A
about 1-2 days
24
Q
What is cerebral ischemia mostly caused by?
A
excess neurotransmitter being released
especially glutamate
25
How does excess glutamate cause damage
It over reacts its receptors, especially NMDA receptors
causes influx of Na+ and Ca++
influx releases even more glutamate and several internal reactions ultimately kill the neuron
26
How does ischemia damage go through the brain
Does not occur in equal parts of the brain
neurons in certain areas of hippocampus especially susceptible to damage
27
How do the mechanisms of ischemia damage differ in the brain?
Different structures have different mechanisms
28
arteriosclerosis
walls of blood vessels thicken
usually due to fat deposits
29
closed-head injuries
brain injuries caused by blows that do not penetrate the skull
brain collides with skull
30
contrecoup injuries
contusions often on side of brain opposite to the blow
31
3 types of closed head injuries
contusions
hematoma
concussion
32
contusion
involve damage to cerebral circulatory system
33
hematoma
localized collection of clotted blood in an organ or tissue
bruise forms
34
concussion
disturbance of consciousness following a blow to the head with no evidence of a structural damage
35
punch-drunk syndrome
while no apparent brain damage comes with a single concussion
dementia and cerebral scarring found in boxers and others who have had repeated concussions
36
Describe the dementia caused by punch-drunk syndrome
general intellectual deterioration
37
What does the amnesia experienced after a concussion give evidence for?
consolidation
can cause retrograde and anterograde amnesia
the period of anterograde amnesia suggests a temporary failure of memory consolidation
38
Describe the three steps that describe concussion retrograde amnesia
Concussions disrupt consolidation and storage of recent memories
Memories are stored in short term by neural activity
Interference with this activity prevents memory consolidation
39
2 things that can cause retrograde amnesia and affect memory consolidation
blows to the head (concussion)
electroconvulsive shock (ECS)
40
5 symptoms of concussions
lethargic
headache
dizziness
nausea
blackouts
41
second impact syndrome
a blow too soon after a concussion
42
What percent of concussions are caused by head to head contact
60%
43
When can activity resume after concussion
When you're symptom free
44
brain infections
caused by invasion of brain by microorganisms
45
3 types of brain infections
encephalitis
bacterial
viral
46
encephalitis
inflammation of brain after the invasion of microorganisms
47
what do bacterial infections often lead to?
what can they inflame?
what is meningitis?
abcess-pockets of pus
meninges and lead to meningitis
infection in the brain or spinal cord
48
How are bacterial infections treated?
With penicilin and other antibiotics
they will eliminate the infection but not any damage
49
one type of bacterial infection
syphilis
50
syphilis
can lead to syndrome of insanity and dementia
general paresis
passed to the noninfected and enter a dormant stage for many years
51
viral infections
may attack only certain tissues
may lie dormant for years
52
two types of viral infections
rabies
mumps and herpes
53
rabies
has high affinity for the nervous system
54
mumps and herpes
usually attack tissues other than the brain
55
How can neurotoxins enter your circulation
from GI tract
lungs
via skin
56
toxic psychosis
chronic insanity caused by a neurotoxin
57
describe the presumed condition of the Mad Hatter
psychosis due to mercury poisoning
mercury was used in felt prep for hats
58
where does the term "crack pot" come from
poor people using cracked ceramic tea pots with lead cores
59
tardive dyskinesia
a motor disorder caused by some antipsychotic drugs
60
Alcohol as a neurotoxin
direct neurotoxic effects
indirect effects are caused by thiamine deficiency
61
Endogenous neurotoxins
produced by the body (like antibodies)
attack certain parts of the nervous system
62
5 neuropsychological diseases
epilepsy
parkinson's disease
huntington's
multiple sclerosis
alzheimer's
63
primary symptom of epilepsy
prevalence
seizures generated by own brain dysfunction
around 1% of population
64
types of seizures
convulsions (motor seizures)
subtle changes of thought/mood/behavior
65
causes of epilepsy
brain damage
genetics
66
how many genes relating to epilepsy are known
about 70
67
Epilepsy diagnosis
EEG
Seizures with high amplitude spikes
68
aura
a peculiar psychological change (smell, hallucinations, feeling)
often precede seizures
suggest epileptic focus
warns of impending seizure
69
two types of epilepsy and what makes them different
partial epilepsy (not in whole brain)
generalized epilepsy (whole brain)
70
two types of partial seizures
simple
complex
71
simple seizures
partial
primarily sensory or motor or both (Jacksonian seizures)
symptoms spread as epileptic discharge spreads through the body
72
complez seizures
partial seizure
temporal lobe epilepsy
automatisms
73
automatisms
patient performs compulsive and repetitive simple behaviors
ex: doing and undoing a button
74
two types of generalized seizures
grand mal
petit mal
75
grand mal seizures
loss of consciousness and equillibrium
tonic-clonic convulsions
hypoxia may cause brain damage
76
tonic-clonic convulsions
rigidity (tonus) and tremors (clonus)
tongue biting, urinary incontinence, cyanosis (turning blue from lack of oxygen)
77
petit mal seizures
no convulsions
disruption of consciousness
stop in behavior, vacant look, fluttering eyelids
78
parkinson's disease
prevalence
male:female
movement disorder of middle and old age
about .5% of pop
2.5xs more prevelant in males than females
79
most common symptom
other symptoms
tremors at rest
initiating and stopping movements
dementia not seen
80
causes of parkinson's (brain)
loss of **dopamine** neurons in **basal ganglia** and **substantia nigra**
81
substantia nigra
midbrain nucleus
neurons project via nigrostriatal pathway to dorsal striatum of basal ganglia
82
parkinson's treatment
L-DOPA
initially effective but tolerance leads to ineffectiveness
may get schizophrenic symptoms if given too high of a dose
83
L-DOPA
precursor to dopamine
can cross blood-brain barrier
84
causes of parkinson's
viral
environmental
genetic
85
how many gene mutations has parkinsons been linked to
around 10
86
Huntington's
age of onset
when does death occur
treatment
late 30s/early 40s
within 15 years
none known
87
symptoms of huntington's
fidgetiness
then jerky movements of entire limbs
dementia
88
cause of huntington's (brain)
neuronal loss in striatum of basal ganglia and cerebral cortex
89
cause of huntingtons
specific gene mutation
autosomal dominant on chromosome #4
90
multiple sclerosis
progressive disease
attacks central nervous system myelin in white matter
leaves areas of hard scar tissue (sclerosis)
91
Multiple sclerosis:
nature and severity of symptoms
remission periods
vary in number, size, and position of sclerotic lesions
common
92
symptoms of MS
visual disturbances
muscle weakness
numbness
tremor
loss of motor coordination
93
Who do incidences of MS increase for?
People who spend childhood in a cool climate
94
What groups is MS rare among
Africans and Asians
95
What may be the cause of MS
it has a strong genetic inheritence
many genes are involved
96
what type of disorder is MS considered and what does that mean
autoimmune disorder
the immune system attacks myelin
97
cure for MS?
drugs may slow progression or block some symptoms
no cure
98
most common cause of dementia
Alzheimer's disease
99
when does the likelihood of developing AD increase
with age
100
What is AD characterized by
progressive loss of mental ability (especially memory)
substantial neuron loss
101
What brain elements is AD associated with
neurofibrillary tangles
amyloid plaques
102
neurofibrillary tangles
AD
threadlike tangles of protein in the neural cytoplasm
103
amyloid plaques
AD
clumps of scar tissue made up of degenerating neurons and amyloid protein
104
Although AD is present throughout the brain where is it particularly prevalent
medial temporal lobe structures:
- entorhinal cortex
- amygdala
- hippocampus
(all involved in memory)
prefrontal cortex
