Neuro - Stuff Missed Flashcards
Tabes dorsalis
degeneration of dorsal spinal columns and nerve roots in patients with tertiary syphillis
JC virus
can cause chronic CNS demyelonation through infection of oligodendrocytes (e.g. progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy)
Histo changes in brain 12-48 hours after infarct
“Red neurons” (Eosinophilic cytoplasm, pyknotic nuclei, loss of Nissl substance)
Histo changes in brain 24-72 hours after infarct
Necrosis and neutrophilic infiltration
Histo changes in brain 3-5 days after infarct
Macrophage infiltration and phagocytosis
Histo changes in brain 1-2 weeks after infarct
Microscopic: reactive gliosis and vascular proliferation around necrotic area
Macroscopic: Liquefactive necrosis: well-demarcated soft area (1 week - 1 month)
Histo changes in brain > 2 weeks after infarct
Microscropic changes: Glial scar
Macroscopic changes: Cystic area surrounded by gliosis (> 1 month)
Pupillary light reflex
assessed by shining light in eye and observing the response in that eye (direct) and opposite eye (consensual)
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Nerves responsible for pupillary light reflect
Afferent limb: CN II (optic nerve)
Efferent limb: CN III (occulomotor nerve)
CN III
Somatic: innvervates and inferior, superior, medial rectus, inferior oblique, and levator palpebrae
Parasympathetic fibers: contract iris sphincter and ciliary muscle
Signs of CN III palsy
- Ptosis (due to paralysis of levator palpebrae)
- “Down and out” gaze - due to unopposed actions of LR and SO
- Fixed dilated pupil and loss of accomodation - loss of PS fibers
Absence of corneal reflex can result from lesions involving which CN?
CN V1 (afferent limb) CV VII (efferent limb)
Inward deviation of left eye is caused by a lesion to what?
CN VI - result of unopposed action of CN III
Meningiomas
located to cerebral surface
- parasaggital meningomas can cause contralateral spastic paresis of leg due to compression of leg-foot motor area
Tinnitus and unilateral hearing loss are associated with which tumors?
Cerebellopontine angle tumor (e.g. acoustic neuroma)
Headache and anosmia associated with which tumors
Meningioma located in olfactory groove
Bitemporal heminopia associated with which tumors?
Pituitary adenomas and craniopharyngiomas
due to compression of central part of optic chiasm
Meningiococcal pilli
responsible for epithelial attachment to nasopharynx
- responsible for preventing invasion and disease
Common causes of Down’s Syndrome
- Trisomy 21 (95% of cases)
- Unbalanced Robertsonian translocations (usually 14 and 21)
- Mociaism: patients have two cell lines: one normal and one with trisomy 21
Uniparental disomy
when patient inherits two copies of a chromosome from one parent and no copies of a chromosome from the other.
Symptoms associated with pineal tumors
- Precocious puberty - caused by B-hcG production
- Parinaud syndrome
- Obstructive hydrocephalus
Precocious puberty
in males: enlarged genitalia with pubic and facial hair younger than 9
in females: appearance of breasts, pubic hair before age 7
– if associate with paralysis of upward gaze then that suggests hormone secreting tumor
Parinaud syndrome
paralysis of upward gaze and of convergence - these symptoms due to compression of tectal area of midbrain
Lateral medullary syndrome (Wallenberg(
- due to lesions of lateral side of medulla
leads to contralateral loss of pain and temperature sensation along ipsilateral paralysis of CN V, IX, X, XI
Medially medullarysyndrome
- due to lesions on medial side of medulla
causes contralateral spastic paralysis and ipsilateral paralysis of tongue (CN XII)
Wrist drop (inability to extend wrist) is associated with injury to which nerve?
Radial nerve
- innervates the extensor compartment of the arm
- innervates the dorsal portions of 1st half of 1st to 3rd fingers
Phenotyping mixing
refers to co-infection of a host cell by two viral strains resulting in progeny virions that contain nucleocapsid proteins from one strain and genome of another
- since there is no change in the underlying genomes, the next generations of virions goes back to unmixed phenotypes
Reassortment
refers to changes in genomic composition that occur when host cells are co-infected with two SEGMENTED viruses that exchange whole genome segments
- can cause alterations in surface proteins (e.g. influenza)
Recombination
exchange of genes between two chromosomes by crossing over within homologous regions
- changes remain present in subsequent generations
Conversion disorder
unconscious manifestation of conversion symptoms (e.g. blindness, weakness, loss of sensation, paralysis) that don’t coincide with physical exam
- usually brought about by stress and resolve when stressor resolves
Malingering
consciously faking or claiming symptoms for secondary gain outside of medical attention (e.g financial gain)
Body dysmorphic disorder
patient believes body part is pathologically flawed
- develops mostly in adolescence and affects men and women
- high rate of depressive disorder and suicide attemps
Patient has history of atherosclerosis and upon autopsy presents wth cystic lesion on left side. The walls of lesions composed of what cells?
Astrocytes -
- after initial lesion is eaten by macrophages and necrotic area is resorbed, cystic cavity forms.
Around cyst, astrocytes undergo gliosis (proliferate and enlarge) to form a wall around cyst.
Which Vitamin deficiency resembles Friedrich’s ataxia?
Vitamin E Like Friedrich's Ataxia, Vitamin E deficiency leads to degeneration of: - spinocerebellar tracts - dorsal column of spinal cord, - peripheral nerves
Poliomyelitis
- damage to anterior horn cells and leads to paralysis
Creutzfeldt- Jacob disease
- prion disease
- progressive dementia and myoclonic jerks of extremities
- multiple vacuoles are seen in gray matter of brain (spongiform encephalopathy)
Thiamine deficiency signs
- periperhal neuropathy
- high output cardiac failure (due to AV shunts)
- Wernicke encephalopathy
- ataxia, confusion and abdominal pain
Nystatin
- antifungal by binding to ergosterol in cell membrane to promote pore formation in cell membrane
- drug of choice for oral candiasis in an immunosuppressant patient
Genomic imprinting
selective inactivation of genes in either maternal or paternal origin
- occurs in Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes
Virulence factors for E.coli
- K-1 capsule: associated with pneumonia and meningitis
- fimbriae: virulence factor that allows bacteria to adhere to target tissue
- Lipid A: septic shock from endotoxin in outer membrane
Sciatica
- shooting pain down posterior thigh and leg that results from impingement of spinal nerves as it leaves spinal column
- compression of S1 is associated with pain in posterior thigh and dimunition of ankle reflex
Damage to L4
L4 provides sensation ot posterior thigh or left
- damage to L4 would result in damage to knew reflex
Recombination
- gene exchange that occurs through crossing over double stranded DNA molecules
- two defective viruses co-infecting same cell can result in cytopathic wild type genome
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- NONLACTOSE-FERMENTING
- Oxidase positive, motile gram negative rod
- cause of external otitis media (esp. in elderly) - hich presents as LOTS of ear pain and draining and granulation tissue
Wallerian degeneration
occurs in segment of axon that lost connection with cell body
- initially, swelling and irregularity noticed in distal axon
- within week, axon is destroyed and fragments are digested by Schwann cells and macrophagees
Axonal reaction
changes in body of neuron after axon has been severed
- increased protein synthesis that facilitates axonal repair
- enlarged, rounded cells with peripherally located nuclei and dispered Nissl substance
Signs of compression of atrophy
- result of increased intracranial pressure or mass lesion
- decrease in size and number of cells
Buccopharyngeal fascia
extends from carotid sheath to surround pharyngeal constrictor muscles
- space between buccopharyngeal and prevertebral fascia is retropharyngeal space
Deep cervical fascia
INVESTING- surrounds neck like a collar, investing deeper parts of neck
PRETRACHEAL - encloses viscera of neck (thyroid, parathyroid, larynx, esophagus, trachea)
PREVERTEBRAL - surrounds vertebral column and spinal muscles
Craniopharyngioma
calcified cystic tmors
- arise from Rathke’s pouch
- can cause headaches, growth failure and bitemporal heminopsia
Coagulative necoris
occurs following hypoxic death in all tissues EXCEPT CNS
- acute denaturation of cellular proteins following irreversible cell injury
Fibrinoid necrosis
pattern of injury seen in walls of blood vessels affected by immune complex vasculitis and related processes
Liquefactive necoris
irreversible ichemic injury to BRAIN
- infarcted tissue eventually replaced with cystic astroglial scar
Caseous necrosis (in brain)
results from tuberculosis
Nonenzymatic fat necrosis
describes necrosis of fat tissue after trauma
- female breast is common site of trauma
Facial flushing and mydriasis after taking medication to cure asthma
- due to muscarinic blockade
1st generation antihistamines (e.g. diphenhydramine, neuroleptics, and antiparkisoninan drugs often have muscarinic blockade)
Pilocytic astrocytomas
- usually arise in cerebellum, brainste
- well differentiated neoplasms comprised of hair-like glial processes associated with microcysts
- show mixed Rosenthal fibers and granular eosinophilic bodies
Medulloblastomas
- 2nd most common posterior fossa tumor in children
- cells are small and poorly differentiated with scant cytoplasm and little stroma
- high mitotic index
- Classic Homer-Wright rosettes
Neuroblastomas
- common extracranial solid tumors in children
- composed of round blue-cell tumors
- neuropil, neuritic process, is pathognomonic feature of neuroblastoma ecells
- neuroendocrine markers (synaptophysin, NSE, chromagranin, S100 +_
- have elevated HVA and VMA levels
- N-MYC
Ependymomas
- 10% of posterior fossa tumors in children
- often occur in roof of 4th ventricle in children vs. spine in adults
- ependymal pseudorosettes
- GFAP + processes tapering toward blood vessels
Fracture to pterion hits what artery?
Pterion - where frontal, parietal, temporal, and sphenoid bones meet
- thin in this region and can hit middle meningeal artery which can cause EPIDURAL HEMATOMA
Occipital artery
serves posterior scalp and sternocleidomastoids
- runs posteriorly
Ophthalmic artery
first branch of internal carotid
- serves eye, orbital contents, and eyelids