Neurological Flashcards
What is the regulatory function of serotonin?
It helps regulate mood, arousal, and cognition.
What is the regulatory function of norepinephrine?
Regulates mood, arousal, attention, and cognition.
What is the regulatory function of dopamine?
Regulates mood, arousal, cognition, and motor control.
What is the regulatory function of acetylcholine?
It regulates sleep, arousal, and attention.
What neurotransmitters would be low in depression?
Serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
What neurotransmitter is lacking in anxiety? Which is high?
Low serotonin
High norepinephrine
What are concerning symptoms of cognition, behaviour, and mental status?
Anxiety, excessive worrying
Depressed mood
Memory problems
Medically unexplained symptoms
What are common comorbid conditions that accompany anxiety?
Hyperthyroidism, cardiopulmonary disorders, and TBI.
What are the 12 cranial nerves? Which are motor? Sensory? or Both?
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Olfactory (S)
Optic (S)
Oculomotor (M)
Trochlear (M)
Trigeminal (B)
Abducens (M)
Facial (B)
Vestibulocochlear (S)
Glossopharyngeal (B)
Vagus (B)
Spinal Accessory (M)
Hypoglossal (M)
What is the corticospinal (pyramidal) tract?
The corticospinal tract mediates voluntary movement and integrates skilled, complicated, or delicate movements by stimulating selected muscular actions and inhibiting others.
Does the corticospinal tract synapse on upper or lower motor neurons?
Low motor neurons
Damage to the corticospinal tract causes ____________.
Weakness
What does the basal ganglia system do?
This complex system helps maintain normal muscle tone and control body movements, especially gross motor movements such as walking.
What does damage to the basal ganglia system cause?
Damage to the basal ganglia system can cause rigidity, slowness of movement (bradykinesia), involuntary movements, and/or disturbances in posture and gait.
What does the cerebellar system do?
The cerebellum receives both sensory and motor input and coordinates motor activity, maintains equilibrium, helps control posture and coordinates eye movements and speech.
What does damage to the cerebellar system caues?
Impaired coordination (ataxia), gait, equilibrium, decreased muscle tone, nystagmus or dysarthria.
When upper motor neurons are damaged ABOVE their crossover in the medulla, where does motor impairment develop, on the contralateral or ipsilateral side?
Contralateral (opposite) side.
When motor neuron damage occurs BELOW the crossover in the medulla where does motor impairment occur, on the contralateral or ipsilateral side?
Ipsilateral (same)
Sharpe, burning, or shooting foot pain develops in SMALL or LARGE fiber neuropathy?
Small fiber neuropathy.
Does numbness, tingling, or no sensation at all occur is SMALL or LARGE fiber neuropathy?
Large fiber neuropathy.
What are some concerning neurological symptoms?
Headache, dizziness or lightheadedness, weakness, numbness or abnormal or absent sensation, syncope or near syncope, seizures, and tremors or involuntary movements.
What causes a severe “worst headache of my life” with instantaneous onset, also referred to as a “thunderclap headache”?
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
Severe and sudden onset headache with neck stiffness may indicate _______?
Meningitis.
A new and persisting, progressively severe and dull headache increased by coughing and sneezing that is reoccurring in the same location is concerning of what?
Mass lesions or brain tumour.
True or False
A stroke can present as an atypical presentation of a patient’s usual migraine, especially in women using contraceptives.
True.
What type of headaches are episodic, peak over several hours and often are preceded by aura or prodrome?
Migraine.
What is POUND?
Migraine are likely if 3 of 5 POUND features are present.
Pulsatile
One day duration
Unilateral
Nausea
Disabling
What are fortifications?
Zig-zag arc of light.
What are scotomas?
Visual loss with normal vision.
What is spark photopsia?
Flashes of light.
What type of headache is episodic, peak over several hours, and are in the temporal area?
Tension headache.
What is the most common type of headache?
Tension headache.
What is dysarthria?
Difficulty forming words.
Dizziness or light headedness that is accompanied by diplopia (double vision), dysarthria (difficulty forming words), or ataxia (problems with gait/balance) is suspicious for _______________?
Vertebrobasilar TIA or stroke.
