NEURO Degenerative Flashcards
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
Characterized by a brief but widespread attack of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord that damages myelin – the protective covering of nerve fibers. ADEM often follows viral or bacterial infections, or less often, vaccination for measles, mumps, or rubella. Although ADEM can appear at any age, children are more likely than adults to develop it. More than 80 percent of childhood cases occur in patients younger than 10 years. Most of the remaining cases occur between the ages of 10 and 20 but ADEM is sometimes (rarely) diagnosed in adults.
SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms of ADEM appear rapidly, beginning with encephalitis-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, nausea and vomiting, and in the most severe cases, seizures and coma.
*Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Cataract
A cloudy lens. The lens is positioned behind the coloured part of your eye (iris). The lens focuses light that passes into your eye, producing clear, sharp images on the retina — the light-sensitive membrane in the eye that functions like the film in a camera.
SYMPTOMS:
Your vision is cloudy or blurry.
Colors look faded.
You can’t see well at night.
Lamps, sunlight, or headlights seem too bright.
You see a halo around lights.
You see double (this sometimes goes away as the cataract gets bigger)
You have to change the prescription for your glasses often.
CAUSE:
Most cataracts develop when aging or injury changes the tissue that makes up the eye’s lens. Proteins and fibers in the lens begin to break down, causing vision to become hazy or cloudy. Some inherited genetic disorders that cause other health problems can increase your risk of cataracts.
Dementia
- Alzheimer’s, senile, multi-infarct
Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia.
Dementia is not a single disease; it’s an overall term — like heart disease — that covers a wide range of specific medical conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. Disorders grouped under the general term “dementia” are caused by abnormal brain changes. These changes trigger a decline in thinking skills, also known as cognitive abilities, severe enough to impair daily life and independent function. They also affect behavior, feelings and relationships.
Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-80% of cases. Vascular dementia, which occurs because of microscopic bleeding and blood vessel blockage in the brain, is the second most common cause of dementia. Those who experience the brain changes of multiple types of dementia simultaneously have mixed dementia. There are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies.
SYMPTOMS:
Short-term memory.
Keeping track of a purse or wallet.
Paying bills.
Planning and preparing meals.
Remembering appointments.
Traveling out of the neighborhood.
CAUSE:
Damage to brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells cannot communicate normally, thinking, behavior and feelings can be affected.
The brain has many distinct regions, each of which is responsible for different functions (for example, memory, judgment and movement). When cells in a particular region are damaged, that region cannot carry out its functions normally.
Different types of dementia are associated with particular types of brain cell damage in particular regions of the brain. For example, in Alzheimer’s disease, high levels of certain proteins inside and outside brain cells make it hard for brain cells to stay healthy and to communicate with each other. The brain region called the hippocampus is the center of learning and memory in the brain, and the brain cells in this region are often the first to be damaged. That’s why memory loss is often one of the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Depression (MDD)
Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn’t worth living.
SYMPTOMS:
Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness. Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters. Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports. Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
CAUSE:
Faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events. It’s believed that several of these forces interact to bring on depression.
Dysthymia (PDD)
PDD is a chronic form of depression that’s less severe than MDD but lasts for years. It can significantly affect your:
relationships
family life
social life
physical health
daily activities
Medical professionals typically use PDD to describe a person who experiences clinically significant depression over a long period.
As a result, the most significant difference between the two conditions is how long a person may experience symptoms.
For a diagnosis of MDD, symptoms must last at least 2 weeks, and for a diagnosis of PDD, symptoms must have been present for at least 2 years.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder is a condition of excessive worry about everyday issues and situations. It lasts longer than 6 months. In addition to feeling worried you may also feel restlessness, fatigue, trouble concentrating, irritability, increased muscle tension, and trouble sleeping.
SYMPTOMS:
Persistent worrying or anxiety about a number of areas that are out of proportion to the impact of the events
Overthinking plans and solutions to all possible worst-case outcomes
Perceiving situations and events as threatening, even when they aren’t
Difficulty handling uncertainty
Indecisiveness and fear of making the wrong decision
Inability to set aside or let go of a worry
Inability to relax, feeling restless, and feeling keyed up or on edge
Difficulty concentrating, or the feeling that your mind “goes blank”
Fatigue
Trouble sleeping
Muscle tension or muscle aches
Trembling, feeling twitchy
Nervousness or being easily startled
Sweating
Nausea, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome
Irritability
CAUSE:
GAD can develop when you can’t cope well with your internal stress. It also runs in families, but it’s not understood why some people get it and others don’t. Researchers have shown that the areas of the brain that control fear and anxiety are involved.
The symptoms of GAD can happen as a side effect of a medicine or substance abuse. It can also be related to medical conditions, such as hyperthyroidism, that increase hormones. This can make the body response more excitable. GAD can be triggered by family or environmental stress. Chronic illness and disease can also trigger GAD.
Glaucoma
A group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging a nerve in the back of your eye called the optic nerve. The symptoms can start so slowly that you may not notice them. The only way to find out if you have glaucoma is to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
SYMPTOMS:
Acute angle-closure glaucoma
Severe headache.
Severe eye pain.
Nausea or vomiting.
Blurred vision.
Halos or coloured rings around lights.
Eye redness.
SYMPTOMS:
Glaucoma develops when the optic nerve becomes damaged. As this nerve gradually deteriorates, blind spots develop in your vision. For reasons that doctors don’t fully understand, this nerve damage is usually related to increased pressure in the eye.
Elevated eye pressure happens as the result of a buildup of fluid that flows throughout the inside of the eye. This fluid also is known as the aqueous humor. It usually drains through a tissue located at the angle where the iris and cornea meet. This tissue also is called the trabecular meshwork. The cornea is important to vision because it lets light into the eye. When the eye makes too much fluid or the drainage system doesn’t work properly, eye pressure may increase.
Hypertensive Retinopathy
Retinal vascular damage caused by hypertension. Signs usually develop late in the disease. Funduscopic examination shows arteriolar constriction, arteriovenous nicking, vascular wall changes, flame-shaped hemorrhages, cotton-wool spots, yellow hard exudates, and optic disk edema.
SYMPTOMS:
Flame-shaped hemorrhages at the disc margin, blurred disc margins, congested retinal veins, papilledema, and secondary macular exudates. Hard exudates can deposit in the macula causing a macular star. Optic nerve pallor is also present in patients with chronic hypertension
CAUSE:
High blood pressure and diabetes
Macular Degeneration
An eye disease that can blur your central vision. It happens when there is damage to the macula — the part of the eye that controls sharp, straight-ahead vision. The macula is part of the retina (the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye). There is “dry” and “wet”. The dry type is more common, but it usually progresses slowly over years. The wet type is more likely to cause a relatively sudden change in vision resulting in serious vision loss.
SYMPTOMS:
Blurry or fuzzy vision.
Difficulty recognizing familiar faces.
Straight lines appear wavy.
A dark, empty area or blind spot appears in the center of vision.
Loss of central vision, which is necessary for driving, reading, recognizing faces, and performing close-up work.
CAUSE:
No one knows exactly what causes dry macular degeneration. But research indicates it may be affected by a combination of heredity and environmental factors, including smoking, obesity and diet. The condition develops as the eye ages.
Wet macular degeneration is a chronic eye disorder that causes blurred vision or a blind spot in your visual field. It’s generally caused by abnormal blood vessels that leak fluid or blood into the macula
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
The stage between the expected decline in memory and thinking that happens with age and the more serious decline of dementia. MCI may include problems with memory, language, or judgment.
SYMPTOMS:
You forget things more often.
You miss appointments or social events.
You lose your train of thought.
You have trouble following a conversation.
You find it hard to make decisions, finish a task or follow instructions.
CAUSE:
Depression, stress, and anxiety.
Thyroid, kidney or liver problems.
Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.
Diseases or conditions that affect blood flow in the brain (tumors, blood clots, stroke.
Low vitamin B12 levels or other nutrient levels.
Eye or hearing problems.
An infection.
Mood Disorder
If you have a mood disorder, your general emotional state or mood is distorted or inconsistent with your circumstances and interferes with your ability to function. You may be extremely sad, empty or irritable (depressed), or you may have periods of depression alternating with being excessively happy (mania).
The most common types of mood disorders are major depression, dysthymia (dysthymic disorder), bipolar disorder, mood disorder due to a general medical condition, and substance-induced mood disorder.
SYMPTOMS:
Irritability, aggression or hostility.
An ongoing sad, empty or anxious mood.
Changes in appetite or weight.
Changes in sleep patterns.
Difficulty concentrating.
CAUSE:
Many causes
experiencing a significant life change, such as moving home or changing job. feeling stressed or overwhelmed. not getting enough sleep. not eating healthily
Neuralgia
A sharp, shocking pain that follows the path of a nerve and is due to irritation or damage to the nerve. Common neuralgias include: Postherpetic neuralgia (pain that continues after a bout of shingles) Trigeminal neuralgia (stabbing or electric-shock-like pain in parts of the face) Alcoholic neuropathy.
SYMPTOMS:
The main symptom of trigeminal neuralgia is sudden attacks of severe, sharp, shooting facial pain that last from a few seconds to about 2 minutes. The pain is often described as excruciating, like an electric shock. The attacks can be so severe that you’re unable to do anything while they’re happening
CAUSE:
Evidence suggests that in up to 95% of cases, trigeminal neuralgia is caused by pressure on the trigeminal nerve close to where it enters the brain stem, the lowest part of the brain that merges with the spinal cord. This type of trigeminal neuralgia is known as primary trigeminal neuralgia.
Otosclerosis
A condition in which there’s abnormal bone growth inside the ear. It’s a fairly common cause of hearing loss in young adults. There are 3 tiny bones deep inside the ear that vibrate when sound waves enter.
They transmit sound waves to the cochlea (inner ear), which converts them into signals that are sent to the brain.
In otosclerosis, the stapes (“stirrup” bone) begins to fuse with the surrounding bone, eventually becoming fixed so it cannot move.
This means sound is no longer transmitted into the inner ear efficiently
Otosclerosis can cause mild to severe hearing loss, but it very rarely causes total deafness.
Your hearing usually gets worse gradually over months or a few years, and may continue to get worse if ignored and left untreated.
But the hearing loss can normally be treated successfully with either hearing aids or surgery.
Hearing is improved or restored in around 80 to 90% of people who have surgery.
Very occasionally, otosclerosis can spread to the inner ear, resulting in a greater level of hearing loss that cannot be improved with surgery.
SYMPTOMS:
Most people with otosclerosis notice hearing problems in their 20s or 30s. One or both ears can be affected.
Symptoms of otosclerosis include:
hearing loss that gets gradually worse over time
particular difficulty hearing low, deep sounds and whispers
speaking quietly because your voice sounds loud to you
finding it easier to hear when there’s background noise (unlike many other types of hearing loss)
hearing sounds, such as buzzing or humming, that come from inside your body (tinnitus)
dizziness (though this is rare)
CAUSE:
The exact cause of otosclerosis is unknown. It may be passed down through families. People who have otosclerosis have an abnormal extension of sponge-like bone growing in the middle ear cavity. This growth prevents the ear bones from vibrating in response to sound waves.
Women aged between 15 and 30 years are most commonly affected by otosclerosis. The cause is unknown, but risk factors include family history, gender and pregnancy.
Parkinson’s Disease
A brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Symptoms usually begin gradually and worsen over time. As the disease progresses, people may have difficulty walking and talking. Ex. Paul Stutz, Michael J. Fox
While virtually anyone could be at risk for developing Parkinson’s, some research studies suggest this disease affects more men than women. It’s unclear why, but studies are underway to understand factors that may increase a person’s risk. One clear risk is age: Although most people with Parkinson’s first develop the disease after age 60, about 5% to 10% experience onset before the age of 50. Early-onset forms of Parkinson’s are often, but not always, inherited, and some forms have been linked to specific gene mutations.
SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms usually begin gradually and worsen over time. As the disease progresses, people may have difficulty walking and talking. They may also have mental and behavioral changes, sleep problems, depression, memory difficulties, and fatigue.
Parkinson’s has four main symptoms:
Tremor in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head
Muscle stiffness, where muscle remains contracted for a long time
Slowness of movement
Impaired balance and coordination, sometimes leading to falls
Other symptoms may include:
Depression and other emotional changes
Difficulty swallowing, chewing, and speaking
Urinary problems or constipation
Skin problems
CAUSE:
The most prominent signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease occur when nerve cells in the basal ganglia, an area of the brain that controls movement, become impaired and/or die. Normally, these nerve cells, or neurons, produce an important brain chemical known as dopamine. When the neurons die or become impaired, they produce less dopamine, which causes the movement problems associated with the disease. Scientists still do not know what causes the neurons to die.
Presbycusis
AKA age-related hearing loss, a complex and multifactorial disorder characterized by symmetrical progressive loss of hearing over many years. It is a common cause of hearing loss in adults worldwide. SYMPTOMS:
Speech of others sounds mumbled or slurred
High-pitched sounds, such as “s” or “th” are hard to distinguish
Conversations are difficult to understand, particularly when there is background noise
Men’s voices are easier to hear than women’s
Some sounds seem overly loud and annoying
Tinnitus may occur in one or both ears
CAUSE:
There may be many causes for presbycusis, but it most commonly occurs because of age-related changes in the following locations:
Within the inner ear
Within the middle ear
Along the nerve pathways to the brain
Contributors to presbycusis include:
Cumulative effects of environmental noises
Loss of hair cells (sensory receptors in inner ear)
Hereditary factors
Aging
Health
Side effects of some medications
Presbyopia
The gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. It’s a natural, often annoying part of aging. Presbyopia usually becomes noticeable in your early to mid-40s and continues to worsen until around age 65.
SYMPTOMS:
A tendency to hold reading material farther away to make the letters clearer
Blurred vision at normal reading distance
Eyestrain or headaches after reading or doing close-up work
You may notice these symptoms are worse if you are tired or are in an area with dim lighting.
CAUSE:
Hardening of the lens of your eye, which occurs with aging. As your lens becomes less flexible, it can no longer change shape to focus on close-up images. As a result, these images appear out of focus.
