neurological disorders Flashcards
who is at higher risk for TBI
males between 15 and 30, from sports and automobile accidents
longterm decrease in _____ following TBIs
glucose metabolism
open head injury
skull is penetrated by an object
closed head injury
blow to head that does not penetrate skull
coup
damage to the brain at the site of blow, caused by brain compressing against skull
contrecoup
damage to the brain at side of brain opposite of coup, caused by brain rebounding from initial injury and compressing against the skull
shearing
twisting or breaking of nerve fibers caused by rapid movement of brain inside skull
hematoma
mass of blood trapped in skull from hemorrhage
edema
swelling that can result in pressure on delicate nervous tissue, often buildup of immune system byproducts
effects of closed head injuries
- coma,
- impact on functions at location of coup and contrecoup,
- loss of complex cognitive functions and efficiency,
- personality changes,
- behavioural changes,
- difficulty concentrating
is neuroimaging or behavioural testing better for assessment of TBIs
behavioural testing
Glasgow Coma Scale
quantify unconsciousness
- measures eye opening, verbal response, and motor response
- 8 or less is severe
- 9-12 i moderate
- 13+ is mild
recovery from a TBI timeline
most is in first 6-9 months, then roughly 2-3 years
slowest cognitive function to recover a TBI
memory
is prognosis for recovery better or worse if you damage your brainstem
worse, the lower you go, the more life threatening
seizures
spontaneous abnormal discharge sof neurons cause by injury infection or tumours
symptomtic vs ideopathic seizures
- symptomatic - known cause
- ideopathic - spontaneous with an unknown or not obvious cause
common symtpoms of seizures
aura, loss of consciousness, movement
precipitating factors of seizures
- drugs,
- stress,
- sleep deprivation
- fever
- hormonal changes
- sensory stimuli
- trauma
- hyperventilation
focal seizures
begin in one location in the brain and spreads
focal aware vs focal impaired awareness seizure
aware - conscious throughout
complex partial - generally aware seizure is starting, performs automatic behaviours, fixed posture, loses conscious awareness
generalized seizures
occurs in both hemispheres without clear focus, characterized by four stages
four stages of generalized seizure
1 - pre seizure, regular
2 - aura/tonic phase, loss of consciousness and breathing stops
3 - clonic phase, sterotyped motor behaviour
4 - like a coma, very tired
akinetic/myoclonic seizures
seen in children only, sudden collapse and without warning, characterized by flexion or extension of the whole body
dissociative seizures
resemble focal seizures but no EEG changes, out of body experience, rare
tumours
Mass of new tissue that grows independent of surrounding cells that does not have a physiological purpose
what do brain tumours originate from
glia or other supporting cells as neurons do not grow or divide
benign vs malignant
benign do not reoccur after removal
malignant are progressive
encapsulated tumours
localized in a distinct location, put pressure on surrounding tissue, in a sac like a cyst
infiltrating tumours
interact with surrounding cells and destroy or interfere with function, can disconnect neurons
types of brain tumours
glioma, meningioma, metastatic
glioma brain tumour
○ Arise form glial cells and infiltrate surrounding brain
○ Account for about 45% of brain tumours
○ Wide range of severity and responsiveness
meningioma brain tumour
○ Associated with the protective meninges that surround the brain
○ Benign and encapsulated
○ Cause symptoms by compressing adjacent brain tissue
metatstatic brain tumour
○ Tumour cells from elsewhere in the body start to grow in the brain
○ Usually more than one, making prognosis poor and treatment difficult
○ Really bad
