Neuroanatomy and Neurochemistry of Cognition

Question 1

What is cognition?

Answer 1

The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience and the senses

Question 2

What are the functions of the frontal lobe?

Answer 2

Voluntary movement
Reasoning
Executive function
Personality
Inhibition
Initiative
Expressive language

Question 3

What are the functions of the parietal lobe?

Answer 3

Knowing left from right
Reading/Writing
Body orientation
Calculation
Two point discrimination
Graphaethesia

Question 4

What is Dyslexia?

Answer 4

A general term for disorders that can involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters and other symbols

Question 5

What is Apraxia?

Answer 5

Inability to perform complex movements in the presence of normal motor, sensory and cerebellar function

Question 6

What is Agnosia? (Tactile agnosia)

Answer 6

Inability to recognise or discriminate

Question 7

What is Gerstmann syndrome?

Answer 7

Characterised by acalculia, agraphia, finger anomia and difficulty in differentiation of left and right

Question 8

What are the functions of the Temporal lobe?

Answer 8

Understanding speech
Memory
Hearing
Emotions
Sense of identity
Recognising faces

Question 9

What is the function of the Occipital lobe?

Answer 9

Primary visual reception area

Question 10

What is Broca’s area?

Answer 10

a region in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere (usually the left) of the hominid brain with functions linked to speech production.

Question 11

What is Wernicke’s area?

Answer 11

is one of the two parts of the cerebral cortex.

It is involved in the comprehension and understanding of written and spoken language

Question 12

What role does the Limbic System have a part in?

Answer 12

Emotional experience and Visceral regulation

Question 13

What is the main function of the Hippocampus?

Answer 13

Memory
forming new memories
Spatial memory
Navigation

Question 14

What is the primary structure of the limbic system comprised of?

Answer 14

Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Hippocampus and Dentate Gyrus
Cingulate gyrus

Question 15

What is the Hypothalamus?

Answer 15

Main integrator of the autonomic and the endocrine system

Question 16

What is the Circuit of Papez?

Answer 16

Includes;

Hippocampus, fornix, mamillary bodies, anterior thalamic nuclei, cingulate gyrus and the enterohinal cortex

Question 17

What happens regarding the right side of the Amygdala?

Answer 17

Negative emotions

Question 18

What happens regarding the left side of the Amygdala?

Answer 18

Pleasant and unpleasant emotions

Reward system

Question 19

What are the stages of memory?

Answer 19

Encoding
Storage
Retrieval

Question 20

What is Acetylcholine?

Answer 20

An ester of acetic acid and choline

Question 21

What does Acetylcholine do?

Answer 21

Acts as a modulator

alters way other brain structures process info, rather than a chemical transferring info from point to point

Question 22

What are the 2 main classes of acetylcholine receptor?

Answer 22

Nictonic

Muscarinic

Question 23

What is glutamate?

Answer 23

Most abundant neurotransmitter

Main transmitter in the neocortex and pyramidal neurones

Question 24

What are the 3 main categories of chemical receptor for glutamate?

Answer 24

NMDA
AMPA
Metabotropic

Question 25

Is glutamate an excitatory or an inhibitory neurotransmitter?

Answer 25

Excitatory

Question 26

What needs to be present for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease?

Answer 26

Insidious onset with slow deterioration Presence of dementia Absence of clinical evidence Absence of a sudden apoplectic onset or of neuro signs of focal damage

Question 27

Describe Vascular dementia

Answer 27

Impairment of cognitive function is commonly uneven Memory loss Intellectual impairment Focal neurological signs

Question 28

How do you diagnose vascular dementia?

Answer 28

Computerised axial tomography | Neuropathological examination

Question 29

What are associated features of vascular dementia?

Answer 29

Hypertension Carotid bruit Emotional lability Transient depressive mood

Question 30

What is Lewy Body Dementia?

Answer 30

Progressive dementia with deficits in attention and executive function

Question 31

What core features are present with Lewy body dementia?

Answer 31

Fluctuating cognition with variations in attention and alertness Recurrent complex visual hallucinations Spontaneous features of parkinsons

Question 32

What is a suggestive feature of impending dementia or parkinsons?

Answer 32

REM sleep beahviour disorder (RBD) years earlier

Question 33

What does a PROBABLE LBD diagnosis require?

Answer 33

Dementia plus two or more core features OR Dementia plus one core feature and one or more suggestive features

Question 34

What does a POSSIBLE LBD diagnosis require?

Answer 34

Dementia plus one core feature | Dementia plus one or more suggestive feature

Question 35

What are supportive features of dementia? (LBD)

Answer 35

``` Repeated falls and syncope Transient, unexplained loss of consciousness Autonomic dysfunction Hallucinations i.e. touch, hearing Visuospatial abnormalities Other psychiatric disturbances ```

Question 36

What actually is Lewy Body Dementia?

Answer 36

Neuropathology Alpha-synuclein proteins within the cytoplasm of neurons (Lewy bodies) Loss of dopamine in the substantia nigra Loss of acetylcholine producing neurons

Question 37

What are the 3 types of Fronto-temporal dementia?

Answer 37

Behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia Semantic dementia Progressive non fluent aphasia

Question 38

What is the neuropathology of fronto-temporal dementia?

Answer 38

Pick bodies - tau +ve spherical cytoplasmic neuronal inclusions, composed of straight filaments Pick bodies - Ballooned neurons with dissolution of chromatin)

Question 39

What is the criteria for alcohol related dementia?

Answer 39

``` Memory impairment +1 of: Apraxia Aphasia Agnosia Disturbance in executive function Functional impairment ```

Question 40

What are 3 things caused by low thiamine levels?

Answer 40

Ophthalmoplegia Confusion Ataxia