Friday - Krafts - degenerative diseases

Question 1

alzheimers

Main symptom:
Gross:
Microscopic:
Prognosis:

Answer 1

dementia
atrophy
neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
3-20 years

Question 2

plaques seen in alzheimers

what do they contain

what stains them

Answer 2

Neuritic plaques (have amyloid core and contain mostly ABeta peptide)

congo red stains them. (look green when looked at with polarized microscope!)

Question 3

tangles seen in alzheimers

what do they contain

Answer 3

Neurofirillary tangles (bundles of filaments in neuron cytoplasm)

composed of tau, MAP2, ubiquitin

Question 4

what do you see in vessels of alzheimers patients

Answer 4

cerebral amyloid angiopathy

Question 5

What is the main thing in alzheimers that leads to deposition of TAU protein?

Answer 5

deposition of ABeta peptides

this comes from abnormal processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP)

the protein that processes it normally = alpha secretase

abnormally processed by = beta secretase

Question 6

“things you must know” about pick disease

where in the brain

Sx

microscopic findings

Answer 6

“Frontotemporal lobar degeneration/dementia”
Personality and language changes precede memory loss
Severe atrophy of frontal and temporal lobes
Pick bodies containing tau protein

Question 7

“things you must know” about parkinsons

degeneration of where in the brain

Sx

gross disection

microscopic findings

prognosis

Answer 7

Degeneration of neurons in substantia nigra
Main symptoms: tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia
Gross: atrophy of substantia nigra
Microscopic: Lewy bodies (dark intracellular substance)
Prognosis: slightly shortened life expectancy

Question 8

Things you must know about
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

degeneration of what

onset?

death within?

Answer 8

degeneration of motor neurons, cognitive function is kept

rapid progressive weakness, spasticity, dysphagia

death within 2-3 years