Neurodegeneration 1

Question 1

What is neurodegeneration?

Answer 1

The destruction of neurons in any disease, i.e. it has to be beyond that or normal aging

Question 2

Where is neurodegeneration found?

Answer 2

Neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, trauma, viral diseases, vascular/circulatory disorders

Question 3

Main causes of stroke?

Answer 3

Atherosclerosis, thrombosis, embolism, vasospasm, hyper vasculopathy

Question 4

What is atherosclerosis?

Answer 4

Narrowing of blood vessels

Question 5

What is an embolism?

Answer 5

Damage to heart valves

Question 6

What can cause vasospasm?

Answer 6

Subarachnoid hemorhage?

Question 7

Ischaemic stroke?

Answer 7

Blockage in brain area which causes loss of blood and O2 to that area–> cell death

Question 8

Haemorrhagic stroke?

Answer 8

Blood vessel becomes broken–> blood enters the brain

Question 9

What is a venous infarction?

Answer 9

A vein has been broken/haemorrhaged in the brain and blood spreads out into the brain

Question 10

What causes venous infarctions?

Answer 10

Venous sinus thrombosis (blood clotting) and changes in blood viscosity

Question 11

What is the pattern of damage after ischaemic damage?

Answer 11

Initial area where there is reduction of blood flow–> main area of concern–> definite neuronal loss
Damage can spread to areas outside of this

Question 12

Ischaemic penumbra?

Answer 12

An area which is less affected by the ischaemic damage but still affected

Question 13

What can cause ischaemic penumbra?

Answer 13

Loss of blood supply, and release of substances by already dead neurons

Question 14

Size of the infarction over time compared to penumbra?

Answer 14

Infarction increases to where the penumbra is, so penumbra decreases

Question 15

What are stroke treatments aimed at?

Answer 15

Reducing area of penumbra, as it is reversible damage

Question 16

What are the main types of glial cells in the nervous system?

Answer 16

Oligodendrocytes

Question 17

What are oligodendrocytes involved with?

Answer 17

Myelination of axons in the CNS

Question 18

What are the meninges?

Answer 18

Blood vessel containing membrane over the surface of the brain

Question 19

Different types of menginital infection?

Answer 19

Bacterial, fungal, viral

Question 20

What is polio caused by?

Answer 20

An RNA virus

Question 21

Effect of polio on CNS?

Answer 21

Destruction of neurons in the spinal cord

Question 22

How were scientists able to map spinal cord areas to control of certain muscles?

Answer 22

Observed loss of muscle control depending on different areas of the spinal cord that was affected by polio

Question 23

Main issues with neurodegenerative diseases?

Answer 23

Unknown cause, no cure, progressive, both sporadic and inherited forms and they are often age dependent

Question 24

Which neurodegenerative disease is transmissable?

Answer 24

Prion diseases

Question 25

What is alzheimers associated with?

Answer 25

Gross brain atrophy

Question 26

What is gross brain atrophy?

Answer 26

The loss of neurons in the brain

Question 27

Which proteins is alzheimers associated with?

Answer 27

Beta amyloid tangles and plaques

Question 28

Which two diseases are forms of dementia?

Answer 28

Alzheimers and Prions disease

Question 29

Which form of dementia is transmissable?

Answer 29

Prion disease

Question 30

Which neurodegenerative diseases are movement disorders?

Answer 30

Parkinsons and Huntingtons

Question 31

What kind of atrophy is parkinsons associated with?

Answer 31

Loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra

Question 32

Which protein and mutation is Huntingtons disease associated with?

Answer 32

Increased amount of Huntingten protein with CAG repeats in the sequence

Question 33

Which diseases are amyloidogenic?

Answer 33

Alzheimers, parkinsons, prion

Question 34

What are amyloidogenic diseases?

Answer 34

Diseases where aggregates of a protein form a deposit

Question 35

Which disease is characterised by the formation of intracellular protein deposits?

Answer 35

Parkinsons

Question 36

Which disease is characterised by the formation of extracellular protein deposits?

Answer 36

Alzheimers

Question 37

What is the most common neurodegenerative disease?

Answer 37

Alzheimers

Question 38

Most common cause of dementia?

Answer 38

Alzheimers