Neuro Flashcards
Global ischemia
Blood flow cannot meet metabolic demands (cardiac arrest, shock, asphyxiation); ischemia to the entire brain
Focal ischemia
Ischemia to one focal or specific portion of the brain (strokes)
3 types of ischemic strokes
- thrombus (disease)
- Embolism (clots)
- Hypoxia (an event)
What is a hemorrhagic stroke
primary brain bleed
What do the vertebral arteries supply?
blood to brain stem, cerebella, and occipital lobes
What do the basilar and internal carotid arteries form?
Circle of Willis
Most common of the ischemic strokes
Thrombolytic strokes
Thrombolytic stroke caused by
build up of plaque, atherosclerosis
Clot originates somewhere in the body and travels to the brain
embolic stroke (detaches from primary site)
Causes of ischemic strokes
1.Atherosclerotic/cerebrovascular disease (narrow vessels, clots pass, thromboembolic)
- Cardiogenic source (afib and other arrhythmias, embolism dislodges)
- unusual causes
Large vessel thrombotic occlusions (LVO)/Strokes
occlusions that haven’t become embolic yet (not clots yet)
Most common large vessel thrombotic occlusion (LVO)
middle cerebral artery, anterior cerebral artery
Cerebral “Small vessel disease”/ thrombotic stroke
small and deep, linked to hypertension, likely a form of atherosclerosis, “white matter disease” on x-ray
Cerebral “small vessel disease” leading cause of…
loss of function, disability, cognitive decline (dementia, strokes, motor movement issues)
Transient ischemic attack (TCA)
short lived/passing/temporary form of ischemia. warning sign for stroke
Cardiogenic sources that can cause stroke
afib, MI, endocarditis, other dysrhythmias
Other unusual causes of strokes
vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, radiation therapy, air or fat embolism, amniotic fluid following birth, tumors
Tissue penumbra
tissue at risk for infarct if reperfusion does not happen fast
allows blood to seep into and damage brain tissues
hemorrhagic stroke
process of brain hemorrhage
- rupture of blood vessel
- bleeding goes to brain
- focal hematoma
- brain swells
- brain gets compressed
- coma/death
Symptoms of hemorrhagic stroke
“thunderclap headache”, contralateral hemiplegia (weakness on opposite side), spasticity (seizures), loss of consciousness, increased cranial pressure, coma/death
Causes and risk factors for what type of stroke…
- cardiovascular disease
- uncontrolled HTN
- heart disease/atherosclerosis
- diabetes
- afib
- CAD/stenosis
- hyperlipidemia
- obesity
- eclampsia during pregnancy
Ischemic stroke
Causes and risk factors for what type of stroke…
- uncontrolled HTN
- weak vessels/no clotting
- cerebral aneurysms
- arteriovenous malformations (twist)
- head trauma
- obesity
- smoking/alcohol
- drugs that spike BP (cocaine)
- women
- post-orgasm
hemorrhagic stroke
Primary injury of hemorrhagic stroke results from
compression by hematoma, ICP (intracranial pressure)
Secondary injury of hemorrhagic stroke if not treated
inflammatory response, disruption of blood brain barrier, cerebral edema, free radical overproduction, glutamate-induced excitotoxicity, release of hemoglobin and iron from clot
Two types of hemorrhagic stroke
- intracerebral hemorrhage
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage
deep penetrating vessels, injury to brain tissue by disrupting connecting pathways and causing localized pressure injury
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
intracranial bleeding into arachnoid and pia mater
What is the most common cause of intracerebral hemorrhage
uncontrolled hypertension
Most disabling and deadly kind of stroke
Intracerebral hemorrhage
ICH process
- ruptured vessel causes bleeding
- brain tissue lacks O2 and ATP
- constriction of blood leads to further decreased blood flow
- increases cranial pressure
- brain swells
- coma
- brain herniation
- death
Subarachnoid hemorrhage characteristics
ruptured vessel is slow, thunderclap headache, bleed into subarachnoid space, related to aneurysm, found near circle of willis
If a stroke occurs in left side of brain what can be affected
difficulty understanding spoken and written language, difficulty expressing spoken and written language, changes in speech, verbal memory issues, impaired logic, sequencing difficulties
If a stroke occurs in right side of brain what can be affected
attention, left side of body control, memory, decreased awareness of deficit, loss of “big picture” thinking, altered creative or music perception
One of the most dangerous strokes
brainstem stroke
Brainstem controls what vital functions
HR, lungs, breathing, swallowing, eye movement, facial movement/sensation, hearing
Cerebellum strokes can cause
ipsilateral motor symptoms (same side), problems with balance and coordination, dizziness/vertigo, nausea/vomiting, cognitive and mood symptoms
Warning signs of stroke
(BEFAST)
Balance, Eyes, Face, Arms, Speech, Time
numbness of face, arms, legs (one sided), sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, trouble seeing, trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, sudden severe headache with no known cause
Aphasia
absence of ability to communicate with words from damage to brain
Wernicke’s aphasia
fluent aphasia, full sentences that make no sense (word salad); reading and writing severely impaired
Broca’s aphasia
nonfluent aphasia, person understands language but has difficulty getting their own words out (expressive aphasia), may be able to read and write
global aphasia
most severe of aphasias, produce few recognizable words and understands little to no language
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA)
neurodegenerative disorder causing slow progression form of aphasia that worsens over time (alzheimers)
Abnormal pupillary responses
unilateral dilation (compression of nerve CN 3), constricted pupils, bilateral, fixed and dilated (serious brain damage)
NIH stroke scale
0 - no stroke symptoms
1-4 - minor stroke
5-15 - moderate stroke
16-20 - moderate to severe stroke
21-42 - severe stroke
Glasgow coma scale
Measures alertness
13-15 - minor
9-12 - moderate
8 or lower - severe
Stroke treatment: Ischemic
restore perfusion via Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), surgical intervention (thrombectomy)
Stroke treatment: Hemorrhagic
stop/control bleeding, remove hematoma, brain drain post craniotomy, burr holes, BP control, manage ICP
What does t-PA do
breaks up clot; converts plasminogen to the proteolytic enzyme plasmin, which lyses fibrin as well as fibrinogen
Window of opportunity for reperfusion for ischemic stroke
4 hours for optimal outcomes from tPA
Questions to ask before use of t-PA
confirm that the stroke is ischemic (NOT hemorrhagic), any history of cerebral hemorrhage or head trauma, recent bleeds, recent surgery, history of stomach ulcer/GI bleed, uncontrolled HTN, thrombocytopenia, seizure disorder, advanced age
CNS consists of
brain, spinal cord
PNS consists of
cranial nerves, spinal nerves
Afferent pathway
incoming sensory pathways to brain
Efferent pathway
outgoing motor pathways to body
Functioning cells of the nervous system, responsible for transport and uptake of neurotransmitters
neuron
class of cells that protects and provides developmental, physiological, and metabolic support for neurons, capable of mitosis, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia
neuroglia (glial cells)