Neurology Flashcards
What is the telencephalon better known as?
Forebrain
Which clinical signs may a patient present with if they have a lesion of their parietal lobe ?
Proprioceptive deficits as the parietal lobe is the centre for interpretation of the surrounding environment and the animals orientation in space.
What clinical signs would you expect to see in a patient with a lesion of the occipital lobe?
Bumping into things, stumbling over steps or following very close to owner in walks. On clinical exam will have absent menace, as the occipital lobe is the centre for interpreting visual stimuli.
What clinical signs would you expect a patient to exhibit if they had a lesion of the frontal lobe?
Compulsive pacing, circling, partial or generalised seizuring. Frontal brain deals with motor activity.
Which anatomical structures make up the Diencephalon?
Thalamus, subthalamus, epithalamus, hypothalamus
Which anatomical structures make up the brain stem?
Medulla oblongata, pons and midbrain
How would you assess cranial nerve one (Olfactory) in a patient
Obscure vision and offer food
How would you assess cranial nerve 2 (optic) and cranial nerve 7 (Facial)?
Menace, run forceps over face and see if any reflex or discomfort
Where would you expect a lesion if a patient had a peripheral versus central blindness? How could you assess this in the clinic?
Peripheral blindness more likely an issue with optic chiasm, optic nerve or retina. Central blindness would be occipital lobe. PLR would distinguish if retina are able to react to light by adjusting pupil size.
Strabismus results in deficits of which cranial nerves?
III, IV, VI
Which of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve (V) has mixed motor and sensory nerve fibres?
Mandibular. Sensory to bottom part of face below lip and motor for mastication.
Deficits in which cranial nerve may be associated with reduced tear production and therefore predispose patients to corneal ulcers?
Cranial nerve VII (Facial)
What does cranial nerve VIII innervate? What abnormalities would you expect if there was a lesion leading to a deficit in this nerve?
Vestibular and cochlear. Vestibular deficits would present with head tilts, leaning to one side. Cochlear would impact hearing, so an absence in response to auditory stimuli
Which cranial nerves are being assessed during an oculocephalic reflex ?
Vestibular portion of VIII will coordinate ratcheting of the eye as the head position moves. As cranial nerves III IV and VI move the eye, inducing this reflex will evaluate these cranial nerves too
If a patient has a nystagmus (horizontal, vertical, pendulous or rotatory), which cranial nerve pathway is affected by pathology?
Vestibular part of VIII. If this nerve is diseased, it will be sending inappropriate stimuli to III IV and VI, resulting in eye movement without head movement.
How can you assess a patient for a functional cranial nerve IX ?
This is glossopharyngeal. Inducing gaging by touching caudal 1/3 of tongue, or inducing a swallow by palpating pharynx externally will indicate if this is working.
What clinical signs would you expect in a patient with a cerebella lesion?
Ataxia, intention tremors, hypermetric gait with good muscle quality and tone.
Describe the impact on a spinal arc reflex if a lesion is present in the upper motor neuron
Exaggerated spinal reflex.
Describe the impact on a spinal reflex where there is a lower motor neurone lesion
Depressed or absent spinal reflex
If a patient were to have a lesion in the C6 to T2 region of the spinal cord, how would you expect the forelimbs and hind limbs to be different on clinical exam?
The forelimbs would show lower motor neurone signs, which would be depressed or absent spinal reflexes. The hind limbs would show upper motor neurone signs, and have exaggerated spinal reflexes. This is because the interruption of the action potential occurs at contrasting parts of the neural pathway (one pre ganglionic and one post)
In discospondilitis, which anatomical structures are affected by infection?
Infection of the vertebrae and intervertebral disc space
Repeated activation of nocioceptors results in either sensitisation or habituation. Describe these outcomes for the patient
Sensitisation is an enhanced response
Habituation is a lessened response
