Neurological Disorders Flashcards
which part of the brain initiates voluntary muscle movement?
cerebral motor cortex
which part of the brain deals with balance, equilibrium, posture, coordination of skilled movements, and proprioception?
cerebellum
what is the cluster of cell bodies in the cerebellum and brainstem that deal with exciting and inhibiting motor neurons? what’s the subset of cells in this cluster that release ________ in order to inhibit motor neurons?
basal ganglia
substantia nigra
dopamine
efferent pathway starts in primary motor cortex, then crosses at the ___________ which are in the _____________-
decussation of pyramids
medulla oblongata
axon travels down from medulla to ___________
ventral horn of spinal cord
where does the spinal cord end?
between L1 and L2
what’s between medulla and spinal cord
corticospinal tract
where does the efferent lower motor neuron start
ventral horn
what is the name of the neurotransmitter that causes muscle contraction?
acetylcholine
the Upper Motor Neuron (UMN) includes
brain, spinal cord
CNS
the Lower Motor Neurons (LMN) include
peripheral nervous system
lower motor neuron is always slightly ______ so upper motor neuron ________ it
firing
inhibits
symptoms such as stiffness, spasticity, hyper reflexia, babinski sign, ankle clonus will result from UMN or LMN disorder?
UMN
symptoms such as hyporeflexia, muscle flaccidity will result in UMN or LMN disorder?
LMN
1st order sensory neuron goes from
sensory organ of periphery to dorsal root
2nd order sensory neuron goes from
it’s basically the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, from dorsal horn to thalamus
3rd order sensory neuron goes from
thalamus to specific area of the cortex
what is it called when substantia nigra fail to produce dopamine which causes lack of motor inhibition?
parkinson’s disease
parkinson’s tremor is described as a ______ movement in ___ percent of patients. it’s noticeable at rest or when moving?
pill-rolling
70
at rest
muscle ________ in parkinson’s can cause a ______-like face
rigidity
mask
people with parkinson’s tend to move slow or fast?
why?
slow (bradykinesia)
because one muscle has to relax in order for the other to contract (agonist and antagonists)
what is the name of the pathology described?
- Basically, you get strep throat, and then your immune system responds to strep throat by making antibodies. There are proteins on the cell membrane of the strep that are very similar to the antigens on our own nervous tissue. Some people get rheumatic fever, and the antibodies cross react with the antigens on motor neurons, so they get attacked and inflamed. This causes the neurons to spontaneously fire. The patient, as a result, gets involuntary/purposeless movements. Antibiotics can prevent, but not cure this condition.
sydenham’s chorea / st. vitus’ dance
involuntary, purposeless, rapid, non-repetitive movements manifest in which pathology
sydenham’s chorea
is essential aka ________ or ________ tremor autosomal dominant or recessive?
idiopathic
hereditary
dominant
is essential tremor more noticeable with action or at rest?
with action
effects of stress on essential tremor
effects of alcohol on essential tremor
stress makes it worse
small amounts of alcohol makes it better
what is the word for “abnormal electrical activity in the brain”?
seizure
what’s the word for when a person has a tendency for recurring seizures?
epilepsy
what is it called when a seizure affects only one hemisphere of the brain? how does this manifest during the seizure?
focal seizure
only half of the body is affected
what is it called when a seizure affects both hemispheres of brain? how does that manifest during the seizure?
generalized
whole body is affected
can a seizure be either conscious or unconscious?
IT can be either
describe each of the types of seizures: tonic clonic tonic-clonic atonic myoclonic
tonic - agonist and antagonist contract at same time, like rigidity
clonic - they alternate, creating convulsions
tonic-clonic - a mixture
atonic - they go limp
myoclonic - sudden jerking of limb
what are somatic and special sensory aspects of a seizure?
somatic is feeling something that isn’t there
special sensory is sensing something that isn’t there like a sound or sight
what are some examples of autonomic changes in a seizure
altered heart rate, sweat, and blood pressure
what are some examples of psychic changes during a seizure?
deja vu, personality changes, emotions
what is it called if a person “goes away” during a seizure
absence
after which vertebra does the cauda equina start?
L2
what is it called when a disc herniation compresses the nerves of the cauda equina?
cauda equina syndrome
what are the s/s of cauda equina syndrome?
saddle anesthesia
incontinence
pain
numbness
Is cauda equina syndrome a medical emergency?
yes
what is the mechanism of bell’s palsy?
tumor, inflammation, muscle tightness, or bone presses on cranial nerve 7
what gets paralyzed in bell’s palsy?
one side of the face including forehead
what is the mechanism of trigeminal neuralgia
CNV is getting overstimulated
in trigeminal neuralgia aka ___________ or _____________, which divisions of CNV are affected?
tic doloreaux
in trigeminal neuralgia aka ___________ or _____________, which divisions of CNV are affected?
tic doloreaux
suicide disease
maxillary and mandibular
what is felt along the maxillary and mandibular branches of CNV in trigeminal neuralgia?
bouts of excruciating pain
what is the autoimmune disorder in which antibodies interfere with acetylcholine receptors of neuromuscular junctions?
myasthenia gravis
what are the s/s of myasthenia gravis? where do the symptoms typically start?
muscle weakness/flaccidity
starts at top of body in the eyelids and moves down
what’s it called when there is increased pressure in the anterior portion of eyeball due to fluid production by ____________ not flowing out through ________________
glaucoma
ciliary body
canal of schlemm
what can result when glaucoma sets in/
cutting off blood flow to eye and damaging vision
whats the difference between primary open angle glaucoma and closed angle glaucoma?
primary open angle: the canal of schlemm is clogged
closed angle: the iris is not positioned properly so it’s blocking the canal
which eye pathology is associated with loss of peripheral vision?
glaucoma
which eye pathology is associated with rainbow halos around lights, headaches, nausea/vomiting, pain in eye, loss of peripheral vision, and is it sudden or insidious?
glaucoma
can be either sudden or insidious
which eye condition is associated with loss of vision in center of field?
macular degeneration
in macular degeneration, ______________ accumulate in front of the lens and aren’t able to be cleared out, causing loss of vision
drusen bodies, a form of cellular debris
wet vs. dry macular degeneration. which one is blurry vision and which one is spotted vision?
wet is blurry, dry is spotted
what is the mechanism of cataracts?
the proteins in the eye denature and create cloudy effect
which eye condition has burry vision that’s worse at night and sensitive to glares?
cataracts
what’s the condition in which endolymph fluid in the inner ear has abnormal composition, irritating the receptors for hearing and balance?
meniere’s disease
what’s the condition with the following symptoms:
nystagmus dizziness vertigo tinnitus, nausea vomiting hearing loss feeling inner ear pressure
_______ is an autoimmune condition that can be triggered by things that cause the immune system to flare up, like a covid vaccine or infection such as epstein barr
guillain barre
what is the pathomechanism of guillain barre?
Antibodies attack myelin sheaths of PNS, decreasing the neuron’s ability to pass messages along
where does guillan barre typically start, and where does it progress?
typically starts in periphery and works its way up
what are some s/s of guillain barre?
drunken/ataxic gait clumsiness muscle weakness ub/bowel control issues paresthesia
__________ is an autoimmune condition in which antibodies attack the myelin sheaths in the CNS
multiple sclerosis
guillain barre vs. multiple sclerosis: which one is acute and which one is chronic?
gb is acute
ms is chronic
guillain barre vs multiple sclerosis
which one is easier to recover from?
gb
what is lhermitte’s sign
happens in Multiple Sclerosis, when a person experiences electrical shock sensation by flexing the cervical spine
where do the s/s of multiple sclerosis start and progress toward?
starts in upper and progresses distally
what are the s/s of multiple sclerosis
drunken ataxic gait
muscle weakness
paresthesia
ub and bowel control issues
dizziness vertigo vision issues personality changes issues w memory and concentration
in an MRI of a patient with multiple sclerosis, what will you find?
scar tissue on the nervous system
What is meningitis?
inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord
What is a complication of meningitis?
if the meninges become swollen, it can press down on the brain
_________ is when the patient experiences pain when flexing the hip and dorsiflexing the foot
__________ is when the patient experiences pain in the soto-hall position
they are both indicative of ___________
kernig sign
brudzinski sign
meningitis
what is the condition in which, for unknown reasons, the motor neurons deteriorate over time?
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
What is the condition that occurs when the cerebral motor cortex is destroyed either in utero or during birth?
Cerebral Palsy
is cerebral palsy genetic or brain damage?
brain damage. not genetic
describe the three types of cerebral palsy:
spastic
ataxic
athetoid
spastic: most common, spastic muscles
ataxic: balance and walking problems
athetoid: chorea-like movements
what is the number 1 cause of dementia in the united states?
alzheimer’s disease
alzheimer’s occurs when __________ build up in the brain, creating ______, which block signals between neurons and causes the brain tissue to _________
amyloid proteins (misfolded proteins)
plaques
atrophy
what are the three phases of alzheimer’s
- memory lapses
- confusion, inability to do ADL (activities of daily living)
- terminal: can’t recognize people and incontinent
what time of day do alzheimer’s patients tend to wander off?
sundown
