Week 4 Flashcards
What proportion of sleep in young adults is non-REM? At what point of the night is this type of sleep mostly seen?
3/4s of sleep in young adults is non-REM
This type of sleep is most commonly seen at the beginning of the night (in contrast to REM which is more seen at the end of the night)
How does Confusional arousal (type of parasomnia) present?
Increasing sleep disturbances
Shouting out during sleep and unusual behaviours
Vivid dreams
No significant history
Typically occurs in the first 3rd of the night
Between REM and non-REM sleep, which is more dispensable for adults?
How does the proportion of REM vs non-REM sleep vary over an individual’s lifetime?
REM sleep - many common drugs (including tricyclics) suppress REM without any effect being seen
As we age, the amount of REM sleep we have reduces

What is the diagnostic tool used to determine if an individual is suffering from narcolepsy?
Multiple Sleep Latency Test
Consists of 4x25 minute naps scheduled 2 hours apart
EEG, muscle activity and eye movements are all recorded
Measures sleep latency - time from the start of a daytime nap to the first signs of sleepiness
(Can also do overnight polysomnography or LP to measure CSF hypocretin)
What process is the most important histopathological indicator of CNS injury, regardless of the cause?
Gliosis - hyperplasia and hypertrophy of astrocytes
Of the anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries, which is most commonly affected by thrombotic events? Which parts of the brain does this supply?
The middle cerebral artery is most commonly affected
Supplies portions of the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes

What is MS?
Are men or women more commonly affected? At what ages typically?
MS is an inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the CNS
More commonly affects women (3:1) and initial presentation is typically in the 30s and 40s
Plaques are disseminated in time and place
What are some of the systems affected by MS?
Pyramidal dysfunction
Optic system (optic neuritis)
Sensory symptoms (ranging from loss to increased response, as well as altered sensations)
Urinary tract dysfunction
Cerebellar and brainstem features - ataxia, tremors, facial weakness, nystagmus etc.
The effects of MS can be seen in the eyes of some patients - how does this present?
What screening test can be used initially?
Optic neuritis develops (painful vision loss)
Colour vision is the first thing to be lost, so Ishihara plates are used to screen
What are the various clinical courses that MS might take?
Primary progressive - continually getting gradually worse
Progressive relapsing - continually getting worse, but with some spikes that then return back to the baseline
Secondary progressive
Relapse remitting

What diagnostic criteria is used for MS? What does it state?
McDonald Criteria
2 or more attacks suggestive of demyelination
Objective clinical evidence of 2 or more lesions on MRI
Objective clinical evidence of 1 lesion with reasonable historical evidence of a prior attack
What diagnostic investigations are used in a case where MS is suspected?
Clinical history and examination - paying close attention to the timing between attacks and spacing of where lesions may be
MRI
CSF sampling - shows an increase in immunoglobulin profiles and protein levels, but the telltale sign is oligoclonal IgG bands seen in PCR (however someone can still have MS in the absence of these bands, and the presence of bands is not specific for MS)

MS treatment - acute relapses and disease-modifying drugs
Acute relapses - short course of steroids for severe relapses. Speed up recovery but do not alter long term outcome
DMDs - first line is interferon-ß or glatiramer acetate (decreases relapse rate by 1/3rd and severity of relapse rate by 1/2, however carries a risk of malignancy due to immunosuppression). Second line is monoclonal antibodies (considered in patients with severe relapse-remitting MS) or fingolimod (immunoomodulating drug)

What are the 4 groups of nerve fibre?
Separated based on their degree of myelination (most myelinated first)
Large motor fibres (A alpha)
Large sensory fibres (A alpha/beta)
Small sensory fibres (A delta and C)
Autonomic fibres (A delta and C)
What function(s) do large motor fibres allow for?
How would damage to these nerves present itself?
Allow for muscle control
Damage would result in weakness, unsteadiness and wasting. Reflexes would be absent

What function(s) do large sensory fibres allow for?
How would damage to these nerves present itself?
Allow for touch, vibration and position perception
Damage to these fibres would present with numbness, parasthaesia and unsteadiness

What function(s) do small sensory fibres allow for?
How would damage to these nerves present itself?
Allow for warm and cold perception, and pain
Damage to these fibres would present with pain and dysesthesia (abnormal pain/sensation when touched)

What function(s) do autonomic fibres allow for?
How would damage to these nerves present itself?
Allow for heart rate, BP, sweating, gastrointestinal and urinary function
Damage to these fibres would present with dizziness (postural hypotension), impotence and nausea and vomiting

What is the difference between a neuropathy and a radiculopathy?
Neuropathy - affects the nerves
Radiculopathy - affects nerve roots
What investigation is used to investigate demyelinating neuropathies?
Nerve Conduction Studies
Important in the diagnosis of, for example, GBS
Give an example of one acute and one chronic demyelinating neuropathy
Acute - GBS
Chronic - Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculopathy (CIDP, considered to be the chronic counterpart to GBS). Also Hereditary sensory motor neuropathy (formerly known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease)
At what age does hydrocephalus cease to cause cranial enlargement and instead cause increased ICP?
At the age of 2 (after the sutures of the infant skull have closed)
Bacterial meningitis - what is the most common cause in the following age groups…
- neonates
- infants and children
- adolescents and young adults
- older adults or children
- older adults
Neonates - E.coli
Infants and children - H.influenzae
Adolescents and young adults - N.meningitides
Older adults or children - S.pneumoniae
Older adults - L.monocytogenes
What are the components of the Glasgow Coma Scale?
Eye opening (4)
- spontaneous
- to command
- to pain
- none
Verbal (5)
- orientated
- confused
- inappropriate words
- incomprehensible sounds
- none
Motor (6)
- obeys commands
- localises to pain
- flexes to pain
- decorticate (abnormal flexion)
- decerebrate (abnormal extension)
- none



