Neuro Mod 2 Flashcards
3 Pathologies of cerebral cortex
Stroke
trauma- concussion
degenerative- alzheimers
What is a stroke?
A. Interruption in blood flow to CNS….”brain attack”
- medical emergency
- 3rd leading cause of death in US
5 common symptoms of a stroke
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
What is the pathology of hemorrhagic stroke?
• Bleeding into brain parenchyma
• Primary destruction of neurons from hemorrhage
• Secondary destruction from potential rise intracranial pressure
(i) Hematoma expands creating pressure
What are 3 causes of injury with hemorrhagic stroke?
- Small vessel bleeding from HTN
- Anticoagulation therapy
- Cocaine use
What are the 2 type of thrombus/emboli occlusion?
extracranial embolism
intracranial thrombus
What is an extracranial embolism?
most arise from heart (valve, MI, afib, dilated myopathy, CHF)
What is an intracranial thrombus
cerebral branches of Circle of Willis, internal carotid artery, small vessels of posterior circulation
What is the medical priority with thrombolytic intervention? (2)
(i) Window of time (to significantly improve the chances if positive outcome)
1. Initial research: < 3 hour “window of time” to administer thrombolytic
2. More recent efforts: expand window of time to 4.5 hours
a. Protocols limit time when thrombolytic agent can be given (i.e. none after 3 hrs)
What is the pathology of ischemic stroke?
cascade of inflammatory events occurs within seconds to minutes
primary site of irreversible necrosis - cellular level:ischemic damage to neuron
secondary site of reversible damage (penumbra=shadow) - within hrs the secondary site can be attacked by cascade of events in primary site
What is the pathology that occurs at the cellular level of ischemic stroke? (4)
- neuron becomes depolarized causing influx of ca/ion channel dysfunction
- ca influx leads to release of degradative enzymes
- neuron cell membrane destroyed releasing more substances to perpetuate inflammation/cell necrosis in the immediate area
- within hrs/days - cytokines and other factors are released which promote additional inflammation/cell destruction
What are the goals of treatment with ischemic stroke?
preserve neurons in the secondary site by
restoring blood flow as soon as possible
medication to block cascade of inflammation
What are the RF for Stroke?
FH of stroke, heart attack or TIA Age>55 HTN>140/90 elevated cholesterol/hyperlipidemia total >200 cigarette smoker DM obesity - BMI>30 co-existing cardiovascular disease previous stroke high levels of homocysteine use of birth control pills or other hormone therapy heavy or binge drinking use of illicit drugs such as cocaine
What is a TIA?
transient ischemic attack
transient loss of blood flow
neuro symptoms usually last <1hr
TIA definitions neuro deficits resolve within 24 hrs
Causes of TIA?
numerous causes atherosclerosis emboli arterial dissection arteritis cocaine other drugs
Circle of Willis receives blood from where?
ICA (internal carotid), and VA (vertebral arteries/basilar arteries)
Function of the circle of willis?
origin of major blood vessels of the brain
anastomosis pathways
small perforating arteries - a group that contribute to blood supply to the subcortical regions of the brain
What are the subcortical regions of the brain supplied by the small perforating arteries of the circle of willis?
diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, subthalamus)
internal capsule - pathway of myelinated axons leaving and entering the cerebral cortex, located between thalamus and basal ganglia
limbic structures (amygdale, hippocampus)
pons
What does the anterior cerebral artery supply?
medial (sagittal) regions of each hemisphere - motor and sensory areas - lower body (distribution can be observed in homunculus diagram)
small perforating arteries - portions of sub-cortical structures (internal capsule and basal ganglia)
What happens with motor function if infarction of ACA?
lower extremity contralateral hemiparesis (motor loss)
urinary incontinence
possible motor disorders associated with basal ganglia (parkinsons patterns)
What happens with sensory function if infarction of ACA? (2)
lower extremity contralateral hemiparaesthesia (abnormal sensation)
hemianesthesia (loss of sensation)
What happens with the behavioral/personality changes (pre-frontal lobe involvement) if infarction of ACA? (3)
apathy, poor motivation
perseverance
social inappropriateness
What happens with the akinetic mutism (bilateral damage to frontal lobe) if infarction of ACA?
conscious alert pt who retains ability to move/speak but fails to do so
akinesia - lack of movement
mutism - lack of speech
damaged pathways inhibit motivation/increase apathy cause passiveness to interact or respond
What does the middle cerebral artery supply?
lateral aspect of each hemisphere (frontal, parietal and temporal lobes)
motor and sensory areas - face, UE and trunk
association areas
prefrontal lobe
MCA supplies portion of optic tract
If MCA has infarct of superior branches (lateral frontal/parietal lobes) what is result?
Global/Broca’s aphasia & most classic MCA signs/symptoms
If MCA has infarct of inferior branches (lateral temporal and inferior parietal lobes) what is result?
Wernicke’s and visual hemianopsia
What are the motor changes with MCA infarct? (3)
contralateral hemiparesis or hemiplegia (area 4 and 6)
conjugate gaze (horizontal)
Apraxia (inability to perform purposeful voluntary movement)
What two body locations are affected in MCA infarct with contralateral hemplegia?
lower face/trunk and UE
LE is spared
What happens with conjugate gaze in MCA infarct? (2)
eyes deviate toward side of lesion
normal: area 8 provides conjugate gaze toward opposite side (CN6 an CN3 control)
What is the apraxia that occurs with MCA infarct?
most common with dominant but may see in non-dominant infarction
pre-motor, motor and sensory association areas
UE apraxia
sensory apraxia (ideational apraxia, conceptual apraxia)
What sensory changes are seen with MCA infarct?
contralateral hemiparaesthesia (abnormal sensation) or hemianesthesia (loss of sensation) - lower face/trunk and UE, LE is spared Contralateral astereoagnosis -tactile agnosis - inability to judge interpret object by touch other sensory loss - visual - hemianopia - 1/2 of visual field loss, MCA supplies portion of optic tract - auditory or smell (temporal lobe areas)
What are the potential behavioral/personalities changes with MCA infarct?
apathy, poor motivation
perseverance
social inappropriateness
What is result of dominant hemisphere loss with MCA infarction?
Apraxia
Language/communication loss - aphasia (Broca’s aphasia, Wernicke’s aphasia, global aphasia)
What is Broca’s aphasia?
comprehend but cant speak area 44, 45
What is Wernicke’s aphasia
speak but cant comprehend - word salad area 22
What is global aphasia?
sensory and motor language loss
combination of fluent (sensory) and non-fluent (motor) aphasia
global damage to dominant hemisphere (massive MCA infarct)-involve both parietal/temporal and frontal lobes
What defects result in non-dominant hemisphere loss with MCA infarction?
anosognosia - neglect, denial of injury, wont turn head to contralateral side
construct apraxia - cant draw a clock
dressing apraxia
language/communication loss-dsyprosodia (motor and sensory)
confusion
extinction
unintentional fabrication of information - lack of ability to recognize errors or from memory loss
What is dressing apraxia?
not actual motor are but occurs because of inability to connect motor to purpose/meaning