Neurotoxicity

Question 1

Two most widely used neurotoxic agents

Answer 1

Caffeine and ethanol

Question 2

How does the environment play in toxicity?

Answer 2

Many human diseases attributed to incompatibility between our current environment and the environment for which our genome is adapted

Question 3

Where does ethanol contribute most deaths?

Answer 3

EU

Question 4

Give facts about ethanol

Answer 4

Not particularly potent 
Low threshold 
motor function impaired 
slurred speech
vomiting

Question 5

Does addiction follow casual Mendelian genetics

Answer 5

NO - expect overlapping gene clusters with other neurobiologically based diseases

Question 6

what survival rate do patients with blood alcohol of >500 mg/dL have?

Answer 6

~50%

Question 7

definition of food security

Answer 7

when people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a health and active life

Question 8

Pesticides - benefits and risks?

Answer 8

every $1 on pesticides yields $4 in crops saved
Cause acute and delayed health effects
uncertainty regarding long term effects of low-does pesticide exposures
suggested link w PD

Question 9

Define pesticides

Answer 9

Generic term encompassing agents including herbicides and insecticides

Question 10

what are gradually replacing organochlorines that have higher toxicity and longer duration ?

Answer 10

Organophosphates and carbamate

Question 11

How are parasympathomimetics (e.g. bethanechol) prescribed and why?

Answer 11

Oral or subcutaneous
NOT i.m or i.v due to 2 reasons:
intermediate metabolism y cholinesterase
and cholinergic crisis - muscle weakness and paralysis of respiratory muscles (salivation, lacrimation, urination, defecation - SLUD)

Question 12

Give symptoms of anticholinesterase or organophosphate poisoning

Answer 12

DUMBBELESS - Diarrhea, Urination, Miosis, Bronchospasm, Bradycardia, Excitation of skeletal muscle and CNS, Lacrimation, Sweating, Salivation

Question 13

What is the antidote

Answer 13

atropine - muscarinic antagonist + pralidoxine (chemical antagonist - to regenerate active cholinesterase)

Question 14

Scopolamine ?

Answer 14

From nightshade

remove person’s free will

Question 15

Alzheimer’s Disease - symptomology?

Answer 15

confusion, memory loss, impaired cognitive and emotional function, dementia

Question 16

Do idiopathic variants follow causal Mendelian genetics?

Answer 16

NO - Expect overlapping gene clusters with other neurobiological or neurodegenerative diseases

Question 17

What is AD therapy?

Answer 17

Correct the cholinergic dysfunction/deficit
Directly acting - cholinergic agonists (cholinomimetics)
Indirectly acting: cholinersterase inhibitors

Question 18

Pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease?

Answer 18

EXTRACELLULAR AB plaques and INTRACYTOPLASMIC neurofibrillary tangles (of tau protein)

Question 19

What causes Alzheimer’s?

Answer 19

Neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation from peptide deposition

Question 20

Give examples of drugs used to treat mild to moderate AD

Answer 20

Physostigmine, rivastigmine, tacrine, donepezil

anti-cholinesterase inhibitors and ethnomedicine

Question 21

Herbal example for cognition benefits

Answer 21

anti-acetylcholinesterase activity and anti-oxidant properties of extracts and fractions of carpolobia lutea ?

Question 22

dosage makes what ?

Answer 22

it either a poison or a remedy

Question 23

Tests for behavioural changes/ memory loss

Answer 23

evidence of stroke, substance abuse
electrolyte levels, vit B12
signs of brain damage, serum analysis 
IgG, IgA
Urinary toxicology
haemorrhage, atrophy or masses? - get MRI and electroencephalogram

Question 24

What do prion protein deposits do?

Answer 24

Prion protein deposits in the brain in patients with sporadic or genetic forms of spongiform encephalopathy.
Misfolded and/or mutated proteins may also give rise to amyloid deposition seen in prion diseased brains