Neurological Disorders

Question 1

tumors

Answer 1

a mass of cells whose growth is uncontrolled and that severs no useful fx
can be malignant or benign

Question 2

which is more common (malignant or beign)

Answer 2

Benign more common in women
Malignant more common in men

Question 3

tumors damage brain tissue by

Answer 3

compression
infiltration
(malignant can compress and infiltrate)
(benign tend to only compress)

Question 4

Primary brain tumors

Answer 4

starts in CNS
most commonly seen in those under 15 and above 65

Question 5

secondary brain tumors

Answer 5

metastasize to brain
most commonly from lung and breast cancer

Question 6

grade 1 CNS tumors

Answer 6

low proliferative potential
possibility of cure after surgical resection

Question 7

grade 4 CNS tumor

Answer 7

histological evidence of malignancy
mitotically active
prone to necrosis
associated with rapid preoperative and postoperative disease progression and fatal outcome

Question 8

Most common primary brain tumors

Answer 8

gliomas
astrocytoma
meningioma

Question 9

Gliomas

Answer 9

Most common primary brain tumor (33%)
tumor of the glial cells

Question 10

astrocytoma

Answer 10

tumor of the astrocytes
can be low or high grade

Question 11

glioblastoma multiforme

Answer 11

most aggressive turmor
average survival rate ~ 2 years

Question 12

meningioma

Answer 12

tumor of the meninges
usually benign and slow growing
encapsulated

Question 13

main treatments for tumors

Answer 13

surgical resection
radiation
chemotherapy

Question 14

seizure

Answer 14

a period of sudden excessive activity of cerebral neurons

epilepsy chronic d/o of recurrent seizures
can be partial/focal or generalized

Question 15

partial/focal types (seizures)

Answer 15

“simple partial” no major change in consciousness
“complex partial” causes a loss of consciousness

Question 16

generalized types (seizures)

Answer 16

tonic-clonic (grand mal)
absence (petit mal)
atonic

Question 17

tonic clonic/grand mal seizures

Answer 17

most severe form of seizure
include convulsions
tonic - stiffening
clonic - jerking or twitching
aura, tonic, clonic postictal stage

Question 18

absence “petite mal”

Answer 18

sudden lapse in consciousness (staring blankly into space, eyes fluttering, lip smacking, hand movements)
~15 seconds

Question 19

atonic seizures

Answer 19

“drop seizures”
sudden loss of muscle control = collapse or fall to the floor

Question 20

challenges with seizures

Answer 20

50% show damage to hippocampus
falling
drowning
car accidents
pregnancy complications
emotional health issues (ADHD, anxiety, aggression)

Question 21

seizure first aid

Answer 21

stay - stay with person until they are awake
safe - keep the person safe, move or guide away from harm
side - turn person onto side keep airways clear
DO NOT:
restrain
put objects in mouth

Question 22

Prion disease (neurodegenerative disorder)

Answer 22

occur when prion protein found throughout the body begins folding into abnormal 3D shapes
destroys brain cells

Question 23

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Answer 23

most common
“mad cow” disease
sporadic or familial
causes severe mental deterioration and dementia
~8 months

Question 24

Kuru Disease

Answer 24

from eating contaminated human brain tissue
10-50 year incubation period
Fore people of Papa New Guinea

Question 25

Parkinson’s Disease

Answer 25

caused by the degeneration of dopamine-secreting neurons in the substantia nigra that send axon to the basal ganglia
deficiency of automatic, habitual motor response
95% of cases are sporadic
symptoms:
dystonia
bradyskinesia and slowed reaction time (falls)
shuffling gait
face masking
tremors (pill rolling)

Question 26

Parkinson’s Tx

Answer 26

L-dopa
deep brain stimulation
intentional lesioning of the pathway

Question 27

Huntington’s Disease

Answer 27

inherited disease resulting in degeneration of the basal ganglia
typical onset: btw 30-50
results:
chorea (involuntary jerking movement)
dystonia
slurred speech and swallowing difficulties

Question 28

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Answer 28

degenerative disorder that attacks spinal cord and cranial nerve motor neurons; brain and muscle connection loss
average onset ~50s

Question 29

ALS symptoms

Answer 29

progressive weakness and muscular atrophy - eventual loss of speech, swallow w/ paralysis
eye movement spared
death typically caused by respiratory failure

Question 30

Riluzole

Answer 30

only current pharmacological tx extends life by ~2 months

Question 31

Multiple sclerosis

Answer 31

autoimmune demyelinating disease
scattered locations within the CNS

Question 32

sclerotic plaques

Answer 32

hard patches of debris left behind when the person’s immune system attacks myelin sheaths

Question 33

risk factors for MS

Answer 33

females > males
living far from the equator
black or white race
smoking

Question 34

MS symptoms

Answer 34

fatigue
vision problems
bladder/bowel dysfunction
spasms
slowed processing speeds

Question 35

Meningitis

Answer 35

inflammation of the meninges caused by viruses or bacteria

Question 36

meningitis symptoms

Answer 36

stiff neck
headaches
AMS
fever
photophobia
convulsions, loss of consciousness, death (sometimes)

Question 37

meningitis etiology

Answer 37

spread of middle-ear infection to the brain
head injury
embolus that has dislodged from bacterial infection in the heart