Neurobiology and Neurochemistry of Cognition

Question 1

types of memory?

Answer 1

semantic memory (facts)
long term memory
short term memory
working memory (immediate conscious perception memory in-action)
procedural memory (memory of how to complete a task, used unconsciously)
episodic memory (things that have happened)

Question 2

damage to wernicke’s area causes what?

Answer 2

fluent aphasia/receptive dysphasia

can speak fluently but doesnt make sense in response to the questions/conversation

Question 3

damage to brocas area causes what?

Answer 3

responses show an
expressive aphasia
attempt to make sense and are in correct context
just difficult to actually get the words out

Question 4

what are boradmans areas?

Answer 4

52 areas of the cortex defined by their different cytoarchitecture

Question 5

multi-store model of memory?

Answer 5

environmental input > sensory memory > committed to short term memory with increased attention > committed to long term memory with rehearsal
can be retrieved from long term memory back to short term memory for recall

Question 6

function of hippocampus in memory?

Answer 6

important for encoding information from short term memory to long term memory

Question 7

what is agnosia?

Answer 7

difficulty recognising objects

Question 8

what is dyspraxia?

Answer 8

loss of coordination

associated with autism but also with dementia

Question 9

2 main pathological features of alzheimers?

Answer 9

amyloid plaques

neurofibrilary tangles

Question 10

what causes the neurofibrilary tangles?

Answer 10

hyperphosphorylated tau protein in microtubules

Question 11

cholinergic projections in cognition?

Answer 11

acetylcholine involved in transmission
striatal interneurones = motor control
nucleus basalis of maynert (attention/arousal)
medial septal nucleus (learning and memory)
brain stem nuclei

Question 12

what do acetylcholinesterase inhibitors do?

Answer 12

boost cholinergic transmission but dont treat the underlying pathological process

Question 13

3 examples of cholinesterase inhibitors?

Answer 13

donepezil
galantamine
rivastigmine

Question 14

what is memantine?

Answer 14

non-competitive NMDA antagonist licensed to treat alzheimers

Question 15

which is most affected by vascular dementia, grey or white matter?

Answer 15

white

Question 16

what 2 proteins aggregate in lewy body dementia?

Answer 16

alpha synuclein and ubiquitin

Question 17

what causes lewy body dementia?

Answer 17

loss of dopamine producing neurones in substantia nigra

loss of acetylcholine producing neurones in (nucleus basalis?)

Question 18

what is Picks disease?

Answer 18

frontotemporal dementia

Question 19

dementia in parkinsons disease?

Answer 19

physical symptoms around 1 year before any cognitive decline

Question 20

pathology in frontotemporal dementia?

Answer 20

loss of neurones
gliosis
abnormal protien inclusions

Question 21

general features in frontotemporal dementia?

Answer 21

personality and behavioural changes

Question 22

3 types of changes in frontotemporal dementia?

Answer 22

behavioural changes (loss of social awareness and inhibitions)
progressive non-fluent aphasia
semantic dementia
(generally these occur together, not usually separate)

Question 23

triad of features in wernickes encephalopathy?

Answer 23

opthalmoplegia
confusion
ataxia

Question 24

other symptoms in wernickes encephalopathy?

Answer 24

visual and hearing impairment
reduced consciousness
hypothermia
lactic acidosis
circulatory changes

Question 25

what causes wernicke’s encephalopathy?

Answer 25

thiamine deficiency due to alcoholism

Question 26

what is koraskoff syndrome?

Answer 26

atrophy of mamillary bodies if wernickes isnt treated

Question 27

features of koraskoff syndrome?

Answer 27

hallucination
confabulation
cant form new memories
can have retrograde amnesia
telescoping of events (thinking events are much more recent than they are)
ataxia?

Question 28

how can koraskoff be preventted?

Answer 28

replace thiamine (pabrinex)
eat carbs
stop drinking
early recognition of wernickes

Question 29

possible alcohol related brain damage?

Answer 29

wernickes
korsakoff
myelin sheath degredation
neuroinflammation 
fall leading to subdural haematoma