Pathology - neuro Flashcards
Senile amyloid plaques, amyloid angiopathy
Intracellular neurofibrillary tangles
decr. ACh
ApoE4
Alzheimer’s
incr. risk with Down syndrome, APP
Look for B-amyloid (extracellular) and tau proteins (intracellular), increased intracellular NF tangles –> incr. degree of dementia
decr. ACh in basal nucleus of Meynert
first radiological sign: hippocampal atrophy
Pick bodies (spherical tau protein aggregates) Change in personality
Frontotemporal dementia
Look for parietal lobe sparing
Some parkinsonian aspects as well
Dementia + visual hallucinations + parkinsonism
Lewy body dementia
alpha-synuclein defect
Protein structure in CJD
Prions form beta-pleated sheet resistant to proteases
MS findings
incr IgG in CSF (oligoclonal bands)
MRI is gold standard - periventricular plaques (loss of oligos and reactive gliosis) with destruction of axons
Multiple white matter lesions separated in space and time
Autoimmune condition that destroys Schwann cells –> ascending weakness
Guillain-Barre syndrome
Inflammation and demyelination of peripheral nerves and motor fibers (molecular mimicry s/p infection) –> symmetric, ascending weakness
Look for incr. CSF protein w/ normal cells (albuminocytologic dissociation) that may be causing papilledema
Autosomal dominant, assoc. with scoliosis and foot deformities
Charcot-Marie-Tooth
defective production of proteins involved in the structure and function of peripheral nerves or the myelin heath
Excess buildup of very long chain fatty acids in the nervous system, adrenal gland, testes
Adrenoleukodystrophy
X-linked, seen in males, disruption of metabolism
Progressive, leads to coma/death or adrenal crisis
Origin of partial seizures
Medial temporal lobe
preceded by aura, can secondarily generalize
simple = consciousness intact, complex = loss of consciousness
headaches, bilateral, steady pain, no aura
Tension
Tx: analgesics, NSAIDs
Mechanism of migraine headaches
Irritation of CN V, meninges of blood vessels
release of substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, vasoactive peptides
POUND: pulsatile, one-day, unilateral, nausea, disabling
Peripheral vs. central vertigo
Peripheral: more common, inner ear etiology, delayed horizontal nystagmus
Central: brain stem/cerebellar lesion, diplopia/dysmetria/skew deviation, immediate nystagmus in any direction, assoc. w/ focal neuro findings
Port-wine stain on face
ipsilateral leptomeningal angioma
intellectual disability
early onset glaucoma
Sturge-Weber syndrome (affect small blood vessels/capillaries)
GNAQ gene activation - developmental anomaly of neural crest derivatives
STURGE: stain, tram track calcifications, unilateral, retardation, glaucoma, GNAQ gene, epilepsy
Neuro complications of tuberous sclerosis
Mental retardation, seizures, incr. incidence of subependymal astrocytomas and ungual fibromas
Hemangioblastomas in retina, brain stem, cerebellum, spine
Cavernous hemangiomas everywhere
von Hippel Landau disease
bilateral renal cell carcinomas + pheochromocytomas
Brain tumor that…
… crosses corpus callosum (butterfly glioma)
… stains for GFAP
… pseudopalisading pleomorphic tumor cells
GBM (adults)
1 yr survival