Mehl. WKS and ataxia + cereberal lesions Flashcards
M. ataxia definition?
Ataxia is a neurological disorder characterized by a lack of coordination of voluntary muscle movements, leading to unsteady gait and difficulty with balance.
M. Neurological disorder characterized by a lack of coordination of voluntary muscle movements, leading to unsteady gait and difficulty with balance. name?
Ataxia
M. WKS = - Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. damage to what part of brain?
Damage to primarily the mamillary bodies due to thiamine (B1) deficiency.
M. WKS = - Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. abbrev?
Wernicke encephalopathy = A COW = Ataxia, Confusion, Ophthalmoplegia, Wernicke.
+ confabulations.!!!!!!
M. WKS = Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
Korsakoff psychosis, CP?
Korsakoff psychosis = retrograde amnesia; causes confabulations, which means making up stories about the past because of loss of memory regarding prior events.
M. …. = retrograde amnesia; causes confabulations, which means making up stories about the past because of loss of memory regarding prior events.
Korsakoff psychosis
M. Therefore, WKS = A COW + confabulations.
.
M. Application to USMLE is that alcoholics presenting to hospital with confusion, ataxia, or eye findings require what?
thiamine.
M. One NBME Q asks what giving thiamine will help reduce risk of in alcoholic?
answer = anterograde amnesia (apparently by reducing risk of confusion due to Wernicke), where retrograde amnesia isn’t listed as answer.
M. General Ataxia. USMLE wants you to be able to differentiate ataxia caused by cerebellar vs dorsal column lesions.
.
M. General Ataxia. a (+) Romberg test, meaning the patient falls over when standing with the eyes closed due to loss of proprioception. what lesion?
Dorsal column lesions
M. General Ataxia. won’t cause a (-) Romberg test almost always due to maintenance of proprioceptive capacity. lesion?
Cerebellar lesions
M. Ataxia- telangiectasia.
X-linked Immunodeficiency condition that causes – you’d never guess it – ataxia and telangiectasias. What USMLE will do is make the diagnosis obvious, and then the answer will just be “failure of double-stranded DNA break repair.”
Prie imuno cia sitas yra.
M. Asterixis - definition?
- Aka “hepatic flap.”
- Motor disturbance characterized by brief, sudden lapses of muscle tone, presenting as the patient demonstrating a “flapping” motion of the hands when he or she extends the arms and hands anteriorly.
M. Motor disturbance characterized by brief, sudden lapses of muscle tone, presenting as the patient demonstrating a “flapping” motion of the hands when he or she extends the arms and hands anteriorly. Dx?
Asterixis
M. Impaired ability to perform rapid alternating movements; presents as difficulty rapidly tapping a finger or quickly pronating and supinating the hand. Dx?
Dysdiadokokinesia
M. Dysdiadokokinesia definition?
Impaired ability to perform rapid alternating movements; presents as difficulty rapidly tapping a finger or quickly pronating and supinating the hand.
M. Kinetic tremor that worsens as the patient’s hand approaches a target. Dx?
Intention tremor
M. Intention tremor, definition?
Kinetic tremor that worsens as the patient’s hand approaches a target.
M. Truncal ataxia - what cereberal part?
Tends to occur with more midline cerebellar lesions (i.e., of the vermis).
M. Truncal ataxia. Can be seen, e.g., in pediatrics with medulloblastoma, where a kid has morning vomiting (often indicates brain tumor) and truncal ataxia.
.
M. Limb ataxia. in what cereberal part damage?
Tends to occur with more lateral cerebellar lesions.
M. Limb ataxia. An important rule is that cerebellar lesions cause ipsilateral deficits, unlike many brain lesions that cause contralateral limb findings.
.
