Week 4 P&I Flashcards
What is cognition?
the process of thinking, knowing, understanding and making sense of the world around you
What 4 categories can attention be classified into?
Arousal, sustained attention, divided attention, selective attention
What are the 6 specific tests for attention?
Orientation in time and place, digit span, reciting months of the year, serial 7s, spell WORLD backwards, the STROOP test
What is the STROOP test?
Lots of multicoloured words on the page and the patient has to tell you what colour the word is rather than just reading the word
What is anterograde memory loss?
Memory loss for newly gained information (information gained after an injury occurs is forgotten)
What is retrograde memory loss?
Memory loss of old information (information from before the injury is lost)
What is Ribot’s gradient?
More recent material is forgotten first and then eventually they forget older information
What area of the brain is involved in short-term (working) memory?
The frontal lobe
What areas (3) of the brain is involved in implicit memory (a type of long term)
Basal ganglia, cerebellum, cortex
Where are episodic memory stores found?
medial temporal lobe
Where are semantic memory stores found?
anterior temporal lobe
What is dyspraxia?
Inability to move a body part despite having intact motor and sensory function.
What are 6 visuospatial deficits?
Topographical disorientation, difficulties with dressing, mis-reaching for objects, visual neglect, visual object agnosia, prosopagnosia
What is topographical disorientation?
Problems finding their way around
What is dressing apraxia?
When someone has difficulties with dressing. This is not a problem with praxis its an issue with visuospatial
What areas of the brain cause visuospatial deficits?
Parietal and temporal lobe
What is visual neglect?
patient could only eat half of their plate or dress half of their body
What is prosopagnosia?
Patients cant recognise familiar faces but might be able to recognise their voice
What is the ACE?
A 100 point test that is more sensitive than a MMSE and can pick up patients with mild impairment
What are the 2 cut off scores of the ACE?
88 and 82
What is a MMSE?
Mini-mental state examination gives a score out of 30. It is more reliable between different raters and you can expect similar scores from different doctors carrying it out.
What is the MMSE more heavily weighted towards?
memory and attention and is not very good for executive function
What are some hallmark feature of delirium?
Impaired consciousness, fluctuation, acute onset, visual hallucinations, affect changes.
What are the two possible subtypes of delirium?
hyperactive (can be violent) and hypoactive (sleepy and could be misdiagnosed as depression)
How can delirium be managed non-pharmacologically? (4)
- Noise control and lighting
- reality orientation
- Limit variation in staff
- avoid ward transfers
what are the options for pharmacological management of delirium?
Antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, specific treatment of underlying cause, melatonin, trazodone
Why is melatonin used in the treatment of delirium?
Melatonin levels are abnormal in delirium and dementia and supplementing it can help get a more normal sleep cycle
What are 2 examples of antipsychotics used in the treatment of someone who is actively hallucinating because of delirium?
Haloperidol, risperidone
What are the 2 classes of drugs used to treat dementia?
Cholinesterase inhibitors and partial glutamate antagonist
What do cholinesterase inhibitors do?
Block cholinesterase which breaks down Ach
What limits the efficacy of cholinesterase inhibitors?
Their toxicity
What are potential side effects of donepezil (cholinesterase inhibitor)?
Nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle cramps, dizziness, fatigue and anorexia
When is donepezil contraindicated?
In patients who have already had some kind of GI disease and is not usually given to patients who smoke
What types of dementia is donepezil used in?
cholinesterase inhibitor
- Alzheimer’s mixed with vascular dementia
- PDD (NOT DLB)
What is rivastigmine licenced for?
DLB
What is glutamate?
An amino acid that is also the major excitatory transmitter
What are two receptors important in learning?
AMPA and NMDA
What are AMPA and NMDA permeable to?
Ions (Sodium and potassium) but AMPA is not permeable to calcium, only NMDA is.
What is excessive activation of the AMPA receptor called?
Excitotoxicity
What is the AMPA receptor mostly involved in?
Most Fast-synaptic transmission
What is the ion channel of the NMDA receptor blocked by?
Magnesium
What does memantine do?
Reduces the action potential of the NMDA receptor which prevents the hyperexcitation of it.
How is glutamate involved in AD?
Reduced glutamate clearance in AD brains so chronic overactivity could play a part in the pathological process
How does an NMDA receptor antagonist improve memory?
Restores homeostasis in the glutamatergic system - too little activation is bad but too much is even worse
What are potential side effects of memantine?
Dizziness, headache, constipation, somnolence and hypertension
What causes behavioural problems in dementia?
An interaction between an increasingly confused and vulnerable person and their environment and the reactions of carers.
What is melatonin licenced for?
Short term treatment of insomnia in people over 55 (when endogenous melatonin may be reduced)
Why are SSRIs used in dementia?
Useful for depression and apathy that can develop. sertraline and citalopram are associated with a reduction in agitation.
When do clinicians begin to consider prescribing memantine?
MMSE score below 20
What antipsychotics can be used in behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD)
atypicals like Risperidone and aripiprazole