Neurologic Disorders Flashcards
Any decrease in a person’s alertness, difficulty with cognition, or behavior that departs from what is normal for that person constitutes ________________.
altered mental status
New evidence suggests that an adult brain can create new neurons in a process called _____________.
neurogenesis
The _________________, which consists of the brain and spinal cord, accounts of r98% of all neural tissues in the body.
central nervous system
The innermost meninx, which attaches directly to the brain’s surface, is a delicate membrane called the ___________________.
pia mater
The middle layer of the meninges is a tangle of collagen and elastin fibers that takes its name from its appearance. The mesh like vascular network of this meninx is known as the ________________________.
arachnoid membrane
The outermost meninx, which lines the cranial vault, contains arteries that supply the bones of the skull is called the _____________________.
dura mater
the ______________ space is between the dura mater and the skull.
epidural
The ___________ space is between the dura and the subarachnoid membranes.
subdural space
The capillaries that nourish the brain have a specific lining with tight junctions between cells forming a protective barrier between blood and the brain’s extracellular fluid known as the _____________________.
blood brain barrier
The brain can be divided into four parts:
Cerebrum, cerebellum, diencephalon, brainstem
The _______________ coordinates movements, balance and posture.
cerebellum
In a syndrome called ________________, the patient initially appears to be grossly psychotic and may exhibit strength out of proportion to your expectations.
excited delirium
____________ refers to a loss of muscular control and coordination causing truncal instability, gait unsteadiness, abnormal eye movements, or difficulty with precision of movements of the extremities, such as distance finding or rapid alternating movements.
Ataxia
_____________________ refers to any localized loss of neurologic function, such as weakness or numbness in part or all of an extremity or one side of the face.
Focal Neurological Deficit
A ___________, sometimes called a brain attack, is a brain injury occurring when blood flow to the brain is obstructed or interrupted, causing brain cells to die.
Stroke
A _____________ is a blood clot or a cholesterol plaque forming in an artery.
Thrombus
A ______________ is a clot or plaque that forms elsewhere in the circulatory system, breaks off, and obstructs blood flow when it becomes lodged in a smaller artery.
embolus
Unilateral weakness is called:
hemiparesis
Please recognize that 85% of patients will have an _______________-type stroke.
ischemic
Paralysis on one side of the body
hemiplegia
____________________ is a general inflammation of the brain causing focal or diffuse brain function.
Encephalitis
___________________ is an inflammation of the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Meningitis
The resistance to flexing/extending the neck
nuchal rigidity
______________ is unilateral face paralysis that has an abrupt onset and uncertain cause.
Bell Palsy
________________ syndrome is a disorder in which the nerve roots exiting from the end of the final cord in the lower lumbar and sacral region of the spine become compressed, causing lower extremity pain, weakness and paralysis.
Cauda Equina
__________________ refers to a group of acute immune-mediated polyneuropathies, demyelinating disorders that cause weakness, numbness, or paralysis throughout the body.
Guillan-Barre syndrome
Patients with neurological problems are vulnerable and at risk for ________________.
decompensation
The tiny ___________________, not much bigger than a cherry pit, is responsible for maintaining homeostasis in the body.
hypothalamus
_________________- is an acute alteration in mental status characterized by waxing and waning impairment of awareness, orientation and cognition and sometimes is associated with hallucinations or delusions.
Delirium
When patients complain of _____________, it is essential to differentiate whether the patient is referring to light-headedness versus feeling of spinning.
dizziness
Patients with a __________________ may have photophobia.
migraine
Vertigo may be due to the dysfunction of the vestibular system, usually the inner ear. This is commonly referred to as ____________________.
peripheral vertigo
When ventilation is impaired PaCO2 climbs to dangerous levels, causing confusion, drowsiness, tremor and convulsions. This condition is known as ___________
CO2 narcosis
According to the National Stroke Association, the term _____________________ is no longer being used by the medical community because stroke is considered to be a preventable event, not an accident.
Cerebrovascular Accident
_____________ stroke is much more common than hemorrhagic stroke.
Ischemic
A ______ mimics a stroke, but the symptoms resolve within 24 hours, with a majority resolving in 1 hour.
TIA
A TIA precedes only ______ of 8 strokes.
1
_______________________ represents about a quarter of all strokes that occur in teens and young adults, often stroking while they are engaged in physical activity.
Carotid Artery Dissection
Smokers with a systolic blood pressure greater than 150 mmHg are _______ times more likely to suffer a hemorrhagic stroke, than nonsmokers.
9
___________________ occurs when arteries on the brain’s surface bleed into the subarachnoid space, the area between the pit mater and the arachnid mater.
Subarachnoid Hemorhage
___________________ should be suspected in any patient who describes a sudden, severe headache that came on like a thunderclap.
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
A __________ hematoma is a collection of blood between the dura mater and the arachnoid membrane.
subdural
Typically, ___________ is the only etiology of an epidural hematoma.
trauma
Increased ICP may cause Cushing’s Triad:
widened pulse pressure
Bradycardia
Irregular Respiratory Pattern
________________ is a blood clot that forms in the veins and dural sinuses of the brain.
Cerebral Venous Thrombosis
_____________ plays a key role in the metabolism of carbohydrates.
Thiamine
______________ is a transparent, slightly yellowish fluid that acts as a shock absorber and energy source for the brain.
CSF
Cerebral blood flow is affected by the serum level of _______________.
Carbon Dioxide
The left hemisphere is called the _____________ brain.
logical
The right hemisphere is known as the _____________ brain.
creative
________________ is a loss of consciousness associated with decreased brain perfusion.
Syncope
Peripheral vertigo is due to a disruption in the vestibular system or ____________ cranial nerve.
8th
Ipsilateral vision changes (on the same side of the body as the headache) occur with _____________.
temporal arteritis
The time limit for administration of __________ is based on when the patient was last known to be normal.
TPA
The ________________ supply the brain with oxygenated blood.
internal carotid arteries
In a subarachnoid hemorrhage, the volume of blood may cause a ____________.
mass shift
____________ is a common complaint if nerve palsy is present, and patients should be asked about double vision.
Diplopia
__________________ is most often a viral infection that damages brain parenchyma.
Encephalitis
A common culprit for encephalitis is _____________.
Herpes Simplex
Life-threatening acute meningitis is frequently a _____________ infection.
bacterial
_____________ Sign is a positive sign when the leg is flexed at the hip and knee, and subsequent extension of the knee is painful.
Kernig’s
______________ Sign is involuntary flexing of the legs in response to flexing of the neck.
Brudzinski’s
___________________ is a condition in which a persistent abnormality in the brain leads to recurrent seizures
Eilepsy
Nearly _________% of seizures have no known cause.
70
Seizures have three distinct phases:
preictal
ictal
postictal
________________ is defined as continuous convulsions lasting for 5 or more minutes or recurrent episodes of convulsions in a 5-minute interval without return to preconvulvise neurologic baseline.
Status Epilepticus
______________ refers to unilateral facial weakness due to dysfunction of the peripheral portion of the seventh cranial nerve.
Bell palsy
Patients usually die in 3-5 years after diagnosis of ________________.
Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS)
_________________ syndrome is believed to represent an autoimmune response to a recent infection or to many different types of medical problems.
Guillain-Barre
Abnormal levels of serotonin, epinephrine, and dopamine, or some combination of these, have al been investigated as possible causes of _______________.
depression
