Neuro (movement disorders) Flashcards
1
Q
What do the basal ganglia do?
A
- Coordination of habitual movement
- Controls voluntary movements
- Learning patterns
2
Q
What does the thalamus do?
A
Relays info from basal ganglia to motor cortex
3
Q
What do the brainstem nuclei do?
A
Maintain posture, muscle tone and reflex
4
Q
What its chorea?
A
- Brief, abnormal, involuntary movements that are unpredictable
- Affect distal limbs more than proximal
5
Q
In which diseases is chorea seen?
A
- Huntington’s
- Systemic disease like SLE and polycythaemia vera
- Basal ganglia lesions
- Sydenham’s chorea (rheumatic fever)
- Drugs
6
Q
What drugs can cause chorea?
A
- Phenytoin
- Carbamazepine
- Neuroleptics
7
Q
What is myoclonus?
A
Brief electric shock like jerking
8
Q
What is ballismus?
A
- Uncontrollable flinging of a limb
- Normally unilateral (hemiballismus)
9
Q
A lesion in which part of the brain usually causes ballismus?
A
Subthalamic nucleus
10
Q
What is dystonia?
A
- Persistent and sustained muscle contraction causing spasm
- Abnormal posturing
11
Q
What are the types of dystonia?
A
- Torticollis (neck)
- Focal dystonia (e.g. writer’s cramp)
12
Q
What is athetosis and where is it seen?
A
- Slow writhing movements like a snake
- Seen in cerebral palsy
13
Q
What is the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s?
A
- Loss of dopaminergic neurones in the substantial nigra
- Loss of D1 excitatory = difficulty in initiating movement
- Loss of D2 inhibitory = unwanted movement
- Accumulation of alpha pysnucelam (lewy bodies) in the remaining neuronal cytoplasm
14
Q
What is the Parkinson’s triad?
A
- Bradykinesia
- Tremor
- Rigidity
15
Q
Where is lead pipe rigidity seen?
A
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
