Brain Damage- Week 10

Question 1

What are the characteristics of closed-head injuries:

Answer 1

Leading cause of death in under 4’s
Occur without damage to the skull
Caused primarily by falls, vehicular accidents and violence

Question 2

What is the most common example of a closed head injury:

Answer 2

Concussion

Question 3

What are the immediate symptoms of concussion:

Answer 3

Headache
KO
Confusion
Amnesia 
Dizziness
Slurred speech
Nausea

Question 4

What are the long term symptoms concussion also known as?

Answer 4

Post concussion syndrome

Question 5

What are the long term symptoms of concussion

Answer 5

Concentration and memory problems
Slowed reaction times
Irritability & Personality change

Question 6

Describe what happens for a concussion to occur:

Answer 6

1. The initial blow to the head is followed by a counter blow as the head shifts rapidly in one direction then the other
2. The brain then swells and bruises
3. This is because the neurochemical balance of the brain has been disrupted

Question 7

What can happen in a rotational injury (concussion)

Answer 7

The brain twists and this can cause potential shearing of brain nerve fibres

Question 8

What can happen if a person is concussed many times over a long period

Answer 8

This can lead to long term or permanent effects
‘Boxer’s dementia’ can form
This manifests itself as dementia and Parkinson’s disease like symptoms

Question 9

What are the symptoms of Boxers dementia (concussion)

Answer 9

Lack of coordination
Speech problems
Explosive and inappropriate behaviour

Question 10

What are tumours?

Answer 10

Abnormal growths within the brain

Question 11

What are the 2 main types of tumour?

Answer 11

Compression

Infiltration

Question 12

Describe the characteristics of a compression tumour:

Answer 12

Pushing and displacing normal brain tissue
20% of tumours are encased in meninges- causing them to divide much faster
Often benign (not cancerous)

Question 13

Describe the characteristics of infiltration tumours:

Answer 13

Replace normal tissue with malignant growths
Growths diffusely into the surrounding tissue
Difficult to remove
Can be cancerous

Question 14

What are the 4 main types of brain damage?

Answer 14

Closed-head injuries
Tumours
Cerebrovascular accidents
Toxicity & Inflammation

Question 15

How can tumours be assessed?

Answer 15

Check for vision, hearing, balance, coordination and reflexes

Question 16

What imaging tests can be used to see where tumours are?

Answer 16

MRI, fMRI, CT, PET, MRS

Question 17

What are the 3 different types of strokes?

Answer 17

Haemorrhagic stroke
Ischemic stroke
Transient Ischemic Stroke (mini stroke)

Question 18

Describe what a Haemorrhagic stroke is:

Answer 18

leaking/burst blood vessel

Question 19

Describe what a Ischemic stroke is:

Answer 19

blocked artery

Question 20

Describe what aTransient Ischemic Stroke (mini stroke) is:

Answer 20

Temporary disruption to blood flow

Question 21

What are the signs and symptoms of a stroke:

Answer 21

Paralysis/numbness of face/arms/legs
Trouble speaking/understanding
Vision problems
Headaches
Trouble walking

Question 22

What are the symptoms of brain toxicity?

Answer 22

Altered memory states
Memory loss
Visual disturbances

Question 23

What is toxic psychosis?

Answer 23

Chronic insanity due to neurotoxin

E.g Mad Hatter- toxic psychosis due to mercury exposure

Question 24

What are the symptoms of a brain infection?

Answer 24

Headaches
Fever
Weakness
Personality changes

Question 25

What are the symptoms of frontal lobe dysfunction?

Answer 25

Loss of flexible thinking
Problems with sequencing
Difficulties problem solving
Inability to focus
Changes to mood, social behaviour and personality

Question 26

What are the symptoms of temporal lobe dysfunction?

Answer 26

Wernicke's Aphasia
Selective attention
Inability to categorise objects
Short/Long term memory loss
Increased aggressive behaviour

Question 27

What are the symptoms of parietal lobe dysfunction?

Answer 27

Agraphia (phonological)
Alexia (inability to read written words or letters)
Difficulties in hand-eye co-ordination
Apraxia (inability to perform particular purposive actions)
Agraphia (lexical)

Question 28

What are the symptoms of occipital lobe dysfunction?

Answer 28

Loss of visual field
Motion blindness
Colour blindness
Visual agnosia (cannot interpret visual info)
Prosopagnosia (inability to recognise the faces of familiar people)

Question 29

What are the symptoms of cerebellar dysfunction?

Answer 29

Dysergia (lack or muscles co-ordination)
Dysdladochokinsia: (inability to perform rapid alternating movements)
Dysmetria: (inability to judge distance or scale)

Question 30

What are the symptoms of brain stem dysfunction?

Answer 30

Temperature regulation
Breathing
Nausea/vertigo
Balance and movement problems
Insomnia

Question 31

Why study brain damage?

Answer 31

Helps localise brain function
Show how the brain changes over time
Helps development treatments