Neurological Disorders 1

Question 1

The meninges layers from outer to inner

Answer 1

Dura mater (most superficial)
Arachnoid mater
Pia mater (most deep)

Question 2

What is the purpose of the blood-brain barrier? What are the 3 components that give the blood-brain barrier this function?

Answer 2

Reduce capillary permeability.

1) Tight junctions
2) Thickening of the basement membrane
3) Astrocytes

Question 3

What kind of hazardous substances does the blood-brain barrier protect the brain from?

Answer 3

Foreign substances like bacteria, toxins, and poisons.
Also hormones and circulating neurotransmitters.

Question 4

What kind of things are passively transported past the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 4

1) Gasses ( oxygen and carbon dioxide)
2) Lipid soluble molecules (steroids, fatty acids)

Question 5

What kind of things are selectively transported past the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 5

1) Small ions (Na+, Cl-, H+, etc.)
2) Glucose
3) Amono Acids

Question 6

What two kinds of transport allow molecules to pass through the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 6

Passive transport
Selective transport

Question 7

What is cerebrospinal fluid? What is it produced by? How much is produced daily? What space does it fill/flow through?

Answer 7

Clear filtrate of blood that is produced by the choroid plexus. 0.5L is produced daily and it fills the subarachnoid space.

Question 8

What are some purposes of cerebrospinal fluid? (4)

Answer 8

1) Buoyancy (prevents brain ischemia)
2) Protection (shock absorber)
3) Nutrient delivery
4) Removes metabolic waste

Question 9

How are diseases formed in the CNS?

Answer 9

1) Derangement in neurotransmission
2) Neuron cell death

Question 10

What are some clinical manifestations of pathology in the CNS? (4)

Answer 10

1) Altered mental state
2) Seizures
3) Syncope (fainting)
4) Localizing signs (paralysis, motor difficulty, numbness)

Question 11

What are some causes of pathology in CNS?

Answer 11

1) Hypoxia/Ischemia
2) Glucose deficiency
3) Direct brain injury

Question 12

What experiencing a direct brain injury, what are 2 general ways a direct brain injury could occur?

Answer 12

Through trauma (increased intracranial pressure) or metabolic molecules like toxins, infection, or rise in temperature.

Question 13

When a neuron is injured, what are 4 ways it can get injured?

Answer 13

1) Traumatic
2) Ischemic
3) Excitation
4) Pressure

Question 14

What could be the outcomes of an altered neuronal transmission?

Answer 14

1) Mental Status alteration (coma, confusion, memory loss)

2) Movement and coordination disorders (paralysis, impaired voluntary movement, altered balance)

3) Sensory disorders (blindness, deafness, pain)

Question 15

What does the Glasgow Coma Scale evaluate?

Answer 15

estimate a patient’s level of consciousness post-brain injury. It is the gold standard for evaluating acute brain injury.

Question 16

In the Glasgow Coma Scale, what are the ranges?

Answer 16

Ranges 3-15.
Mild: 13-15
Moderate: 9-12
Severe: less than or equal to 8

Question 17

What test gives a graphic recording of the electrical activity of the superficial layers of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 17

EEG

Question 18

What is a VEP? What does it stand for? What does it test?

Answer 18

VEP- Visual evoked potential
It is a subset of EEG waveform that gets separated, amplified, and averaged.
Tests the integrity of the entire visual pathway.