Objective 6: neurological alterations Flashcards
controls all motor, sensory, autonomic, cognitive, and behavioral activities
nervous system
brain and spinal cord
CNS
includes cranial and spinal nerves
autonomic and somatic systems
PNS
- Communicate messages from one neuron to another or to a specific target tissue
- Many neurologic disorders are caused by an imbalance in
neurotransmitters
what are the diagnostic tests?
CT
PET
SPECT
MRI
cerebral angiography
myelography
noninvasive carotid flow studies
computer based nuclear imaging
technique that produces images of actual organ functioning
PET
three dimensional
imaging, detects stroke, seizure foci, tumor progression
SPECT
x-ray study for investigating vascular disease
cerebral angiography
x-ray of the spinal subarachnoid space to outline tumors,
herniated disks, lesions
myelography
ultrasound and Doppler measurements of
arterial blood flow
noninvasive carotid flow studies
records blood flow of the intracranial vessels
transcrainal doppler
records the electrical activity of the brain
EEG
measures electrical changes of the muscle
EMG
because of limited space in the skull, an increase in
any one skull component—brain tissue, blood, or cerebrospinal fluid—will
cause a change in the volume of the others
monro-kellie hypothesis
decreases cerebral perfusion, causes ischemia, cell death, and
(further) edema
increased ICP
Patient is not oriented, does not follow commands, needs persistent stimuli to
achieve a state of alertness
altered LOC
clinical state of unarousable unresponsiveness
coma
refers to the brain’s ability to change the diameter of blood
vessels to maintain cerebral blood flow (decreased cerebral blood flow
common)
autoregulation
what are the infectious neurologic disorders?
meningitis
brain abscesses
encephalitis
Inflammation of the membranes and the fluid space surrounding the brain
and spinal cord
meningitis
what are the types of meningitis?
septic owing to bacteria
aseptic owing to viral infection, lymphoma, leukemia, or brain abscess
- Collection of infectious material (pus) within brain tissue
brain abscess
- Acute, inflammatory process of the brain tissue
- Causes include viral infections (herpes simplex [HSV], vectorborne viral infections
(West Nile, St. Louis), and fungal infections
encephalitis
Facial paralysis caused by unilateral disruption of the seventh cranial nerve,unknown cause
bell’s palsy
Transient uncontrolled neuronal activity in the brain, interrupting normal
function
* Often symptom of underlying illness
* May accompany other disorders or occur spontaneously without apparent
cause
seizures
spasmodic contraction of muscles
convulsion
Condition in which a person has at least two spontaneous seizures >24 hours
apart, caused by underlying chronic pathology
epilepsy
- Characterized by loss of consciousness and falling
- Body stiffens (tonic) with subsequent jerking of extremities (clonic).
- Cyanosis, excessive salivation, and tongue or cheek biting may occur
tonic-clonic seizures
- Occurs only in children and rarely into adolescence
- May cease or develop into another type
- Typical symptom is staring spell for only a few seconds and usually goes unnoticed.
typical absence seizures
- Postictal phase for tonic–clonic characterized by muscle soreness, fatigue;
client may sleep for hours - May not feel normal for days
- No memory of seizure
grand mall
- Brief loss of consciousness
- May occur up to 100 times/day if untreated
- EEG demonstrates pattern unique to this type of seizure.
- Often precipitated by hyperventilation and flashing lights
petit mal
characterized by staring spell with other
signs and symptoms
* Brief warnings
* Peculiar behaviour during seizure
* Confusion after
atypical absence seizures
- Characterized by sudden, excessive jerk of body and extremities
- Can be forceful enough to cause fall
- Brief and may occur in clusters
myoclonic seizure
involves tonic episode or paroxysmal loss of muscle
tone, and person falls
* Consciousness usually returns by the time person hits ground
and can resume normal activity.
* Great risk for head injury
atonic seizure
involve sudden onset of decreased exterior muscle tone.
* Clients often fall
tonic seizures
begin with loss of consciousness and sudden loss of muscle tone.
* Followed by limb jerking
clonic seizures
Also called cephalgia, it is one of the most common physical complaints
headache
has no known organic cause and includes migraine,
tension headache, and cluster headache
primary headache
is a symptom with an organic cause such as a sinus
infection or stroke
secondary headache
what are the phases of a migraine>
prodrome
aura
headache
recovery
Can have a devastating effect on health and well-being
* SCI is divided into traumatic (result of external physical impact) and
non-traumatic (result of disease, infection, or tumour) categories
spinal cord injuries
occurs when ischemia or hemorrhage into the brain results in death of brain cells.
* Functions are lost or impaired.
* Such as movement, sensation, or emotions that were controlled by the affected area
of the brain
* Severity of the loss of function varies according to the location and extent of the brain
involved.
stroke
what are the types of stroke?
ischemic
hemorrhagic
- Disruption of cerebral blood flow due to obstruction of a blood vessel
(thrombosis) - Arteriosclerosis is a common cause
- Early treatment (within 4.5 hours) with thrombolytic therapy results in fewer
stroke symptoms and less loss of function
ischemic stroke
impaired speech
dysphasia
loss of speech
aphasia
- Temporary neurologic deficit resulting from a temporary impairment of blood
flow - Can be a warning of an impending stroke
- Diagnostic work-up is required to treat and prevent irreversible deficits
TIA
- A progressive immune-related demyelination (loss of myelin) disease of the
CNS - Clinical manifestations vary and have different patterns
- Often, the disease relapses, remits, and exacerbates, and symptoms recur
including fatigue, weakness, numbness, difficulty in coordination, loss of
balance, pain, and visual disturbances
MS
- Associated with decreased levels of dopamine - this affects the
neurotransmission of impulses - Manifestations: tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, postural instability (shuffling gait),
depression and other psychiatric changes, dementia, and sleep disturbances
parkinsons disease
Caused by deteriorating nerves that cannot activate your muscles
* Loss of motor neurons cause progressive weakness and atrophy of the
muscles of the extremities and trunk; weakness of the bulbar muscles
impairs swallowing and talking; and respiratory function is also impaired
ALS
- A chronic progressive hereditary disease that results in choreiform
movement and dementia - Transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait
huntingtons disease
