Neurodegenerative Diseases Flashcards
Akinesia
Impairment of voluntary and spontaneous movement initiation resulting in freezing, especially during gait activities
Bradykinesia
Slowed motor movements
Dysmetria
Decreased coordination of movements
Rigidity
Muscle stiffness that impairs movement
Fasciculation
Involuntary muscle contraction and relaxation, muscle twitch
Festinating Gait
Small rapid steps resulting in forward-tilted head and trunk posture
Paresthesia
Numbness and tingling because of sensory nerve changes
Multiple Sclerosis symptoms
- Impaired balance and coordination
- Intention tremors
- Muscle weakness
- Fatigue
- Dysphagia
- Numbness/tingling
- Vertigo
- Diplopia
- Slurred speech
- Difficulty with attention
Dysphagia
Difficulty or discomfort in swallowing
Parkinson’s Disease symptoms
- Resting tremor
- Muscle rigidity
- Bradykinesia
- Postural instability
- Festinating gait
- Memory loss
- Depression, apathy, lack of initiation
Parkinson’s Stage 1
Unilateral symptoms, typically resting tremor, with no or minimal loss of function
Parkinson’s Stage 2
Bilateral symptoms, balance is not affected, although problems develop with trunk mobility and postural reflexes
Parkinson’s Stage 3
Impaired balance secondary to postural instability resulting in mild-moderate impairments in function
Parkinson’s Stage 4
Decrease in postural stability, decrease in function, impaired mobility, need for assistance with ADLs, poor fine motor and dexterity
Parkinson’s Stage 5
Total dependence for mobility and ADLs
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Progressive, moves distal to proximal
- Weakness
- Muscle atrophy
- Cramping and twitching of muscles
- Spasticity
- Dysphagia
- Dysarthria
*Cognition, sensation, vision, hearing, bowel and bladder control typically not affected
ALS Stage 1
The person can walk, independent with ADLs, some weakness
ALS Stage 2
The person can walk and has moderate weakness
ALS Stage 3
The person can walk but has severe weakness
ALS Stage 4
The person requires a wheelchair for mobility, needs some assistance with ADLs, and has severe weakness in the legs
ALS Stage 5
The person requires a wheelchair for mobility, dependent for ADLs, severe weakness in the arms and legs
ALS Stage 6
The person is confined to bed and dependent for ADLs and most self-care tasks
Guillain-Barré Syndrome
- Pain
- Fatigue
- Edema
- Absence of deep tendon reflexes
- Mild sensory loss in hands and legs
- Dysfunction in cranial nerves
- Bladder dysfunction
Guillain-Barré: Acute Phase
Acute weakness in at least 2 extremities
Guillain-Barré: Plateau Phase
Symptoms are at their most disabling, with little or no change over a few days or weeks
Guillain-Barré: Recovery Phase
Remyelination and axonal regeneration over a period of 2 years, recovery starts at the head and neck and travels distally
Huntington’s Disease
- Choreiform (repetitive and rapid, jerky, involuntary movement that appears to be well-coordinated) movements of the hand
- Akasthisia (motor restlessness)
- Dystonia (abnormal, sustained posturing of a body part)
- Bradykinesia
- Akinesia
- Incoordination of movements
- Gait and balance problems
- Forgetfulness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability and depression
Alzheimer’s Disease
- Progressive impairment of memory, executive functioning, attention, language, visual processing, and praxis
- Common behavioral disturbances
Vascular Dementia
- Cognitive decline similar to AD but often less severe memory involvement
- Common gait disturbances
- Abrupt decline
Frontotemporal Dementia
- Progressive aphasia, corticobasal syndrome, symptoms similar to AD or Parkinson’s
- Immediate, distinct onset, progressive
Dementia with Lewy Bodies
- Progressive deficits in attention and executive function, memory impairment, fluctuating cognition, visual hallucinations, parkinsonism, autonomic dysfunction, and falls
- Aphasia, apraxia, spatial disorientation
- Psychotic symptoms
Procedural Memory
Recall of info on how to perform a task, such as knowing how to write or rise a bike
Personal Episodic Memory
Recall of time-related information about oneself, such as where and whether one ate breakfast
Semantic Memory
Ability to remember the names of objects
Aphasia
Difficulty with expressive language, receptive language, or both
Apraxia
Loss of skilled, purposeful movements that cannot be attributed to either deficits in primary motor skills or problems in comprehension
Agnosia
Inability to recognize the importance of sensory impressions despite being able to recognize the elemental sensation of the stimulus
Early Stage of Dementia
- ADLs intact
- Memory loss and disorientation begin
- IADLs impaired
- Learning and reading become difficult
- Communication impaired
Middle Stage of Dementia
- No longer can live alone
- Eating problems and weight loss
- IADLs neglected and dependent
- Social participation limited
Late Stage of Dementia
- All areas of occupations are lost
- Dependent in all ADLs
- Ambulation unsafe
- Communication lost
