Definitions Flashcards

1
Q

Stroke

A

An ACUTE ONSET of FOCAL NEUROLOGICAL DEFICIT of the CNS (excluding spinal cord) from VASCULAR ONSET

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2
Q

Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)

A

Acute onset neurological deficit of ischaemic origin with speedy recovery within 5-20min (mostly within 2h)

(Not epileptic)

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3
Q

Stroke risk factors

A

HT (leads to fromation of artherosclerosis - thrombosis), Atrial fibrillation (embolism) & valve lesions

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4
Q

Syncope

A

Transient, brief loss of consciousness resulting from a short-lived decrease in cerebral blood flow

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5
Q

Epilepsy

A

Paroxysmal electrical disturbance of cerebral neurons which may give rise to dysfunction of the motor system, sensory system, behavior, consciousness and autonomic function.

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6
Q

Status Epilepticus

A

Continuous tonic clonic seizure activity for >30 min
OR
A series of epileptic seizures during which function is not regained between ictal events in a 30 minute period

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7
Q

Headache

A

Pain that is experienced in the distribution of the opthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve and of the second and third cervical roots

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8
Q

Horner’s Syndrome

A

Interrupted sympathetic supply to eye

-classic triad: miosis (constricted), partial ptosis, anhidrosis (loss of hemifacial sweating)

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9
Q

Vertigo

A

Hallucination of spinning movement of patient self or their surroundings, accompanied by autonomic symptoms (sweating, pallor, tachycardia, nausea, vomiting)

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10
Q

Dizziness

A

Hallucination of movement other than spinning - forwards, backwards, to the sides or up/downwards

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11
Q

Narcolepsy

A

Tetrad

  • excessive daytime somnolence (sleepiness)
  • cataplexy (muscle weakness/paralysis and fully aware)
  • sleep paralysis
  • hypnogenic hallucinations
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12
Q

Sleep apnoea syndrome

A
  • Alternating snoring and apnea during sleep: >10 apnea episodes in 1hr, or more than 10 episodes of oxygen desaturations or awakenings per hour
  • diagnosis suspected if other conditions present:
  • excessive daytime somnolence
  • snoring
  • night restlessness
  • abnormal awakenings
  • night time insomnia
  • obesity
  • pulmonary HT
  • RHS heart failure
  • Polycythemia
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13
Q

apnoea

A

Cessation of airflow for >10s

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14
Q

Sleep drunkenness

A

-unable to be woken up at a specific time

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15
Q

3 Components of consciousness

A
  • cognitive (intellect)
  • conative (drive/will)
  • affective (emotion)
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16
Q

Immediate memory

A
  • working/soundboard memory

- ability to repeat just-received verbal, melodious or spatial information immediately

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17
Q

Anterograde memory

A
  • the ability to learn new information - closely related to episodic memory
  • learn/remember a number of items, recall 5min later
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18
Q

Episodic memory

A

-a form of explicit memory (accessible to consciousness) which is specific regarding personal experience of time, place and context
(Emotional impact capping of the event)
-closely related to anterograde memory (same pathway)

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19
Q

Retrograde memory

A

-long term memory: ability to recall previously learned info

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20
Q

Cerebral hemisphere functions

A
  1. Orientation
  2. General knowledge
  3. Hallucinations / illusions / delusions
  4. Memory
  5. Calculation and Concentration
  6. Emotional state / drive
  7. Insight / intellect
  8. Category fluency
  9. Folstein mini mental
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21
Q

Delirium

A

-aka confusion
Def: an acute, reversible, diffuse, organic cerebral hemisphere failure or dysfunction, with disturbance of consciousness

  • decreased level of consciousness
  • disturbance of sleep-wake cycle (sometimes inverted)
  • impaired attention (inability to focus, maintain or shift attention)
  • disturbance of working memory (gives rise to anterograde memory problem with disorientation for time, place and person)
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22
Q

Dementia

A

Deterioration of memory and cognitive function compared to previous level of functioning determined by history of deterioration in capabilities and by dysfunctions determined by clinical examination.

-diagnosis can only be based on behavior (clinical - no tests)

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23
Q

Causes of Dementia

A
  1. Primary dementia: Alzheimers, Pick’s disease
  2. Neurological diseases associated with dementia:
    - Parkinsons, Huntingtons chorea, MS, hydrocephalus
  3. Systemic diseases
    - hypothyroidism, hypophosphatemia, uraemia, Wernickes encephalopathy
24
Q

Cortical dementia

A

Alzheimers

25
Q

Subcortical dementia

A

Parkinsons, Huntingtons

-basal ganglia, deep white matter, thalamic nuclei involvement

26
Q

Gerstmann syndrome

A
  • finger agnosia
  • right left disorientation
  • acalculia
  • agraphia
27
Q

Aphasia

A

Acquired disorder of language

28
Q

Language

A
  • Ability to receive language symbols by means of vision and hearing at cerebral hemisphere level
  • to interpret the symbols at Wernicke’s area
  • to send language symbols via arcuate fasciculus to Broca’s area
  • to execute the language symbols by means of speech, writing or mime
29
Q

Coma

A

Depressed level of consciousness with increasing degrees of drowsiness and sleepiness, and difficult to arouse.

30
Q

Vegetative state

A
  • appears awake with eyes open, retained sleep-wake cycle

- interaction absents, no focused or voluntary reaction to visual, auditory, touch or painful stimuli

31
Q

3rd nerve palsy

A
  • down and out
  • severe/dense ptosis
  • enlarged pupil (unreactive to light)

(Paralysis of superior, inferior and medial rectus muscles, as well as inferior oblique)

32
Q

Horner Syndrome

A
  • CONSTRICTED PUPIL
  • retained pupillary light reflex
  • MILD ptosis
  • anhydrosis of forehead (involvement of sympathetic pathway - strokes of lateral medulla, pons, or midbrain)
33
Q

Nystagmus

A

-rapid, involuntary, usually conjugate movement of the eyes, which may show a phasic, rotatory or pendular quality.

34
Q

Bell’s Palsy

A

-LMN paralysis of facial nerve

35
Q

Tremor

A

Rhythmic, repetitive movement of muscles around a joint

36
Q

Tics

A

Involuntary repetitive brief movements or sounds that occur in a stereotype manner.

37
Q

Tourette Syndrome

A

Both motor and vocal tics are present for >1y

38
Q

Chorea

A

An Involuntary, non-repetitive, quick, semi-purposeful, jerky movement that generally appears more distally in the limbs.

39
Q

Athetosis

A

Snake-like movements - slower and more proximal than chorea

40
Q

Dystonia

A

syndrome of sustained muscle contraction, frequently causing twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures.

  • simultaneous contractions of agonist and antagonist muscles are observed
  • pain is frequently assoiated
41
Q

Spasticity

A

Velocity dependent increase in tone (UMN)

-flexors of upper limbs and extensors of lower limbs

42
Q

Clonus

A

A repetitive contraction-relaxation reaction of a muscle which may be elicited by movement that stretches the muscle rapidly and keeps it in this position
-UMN lesions (4+ DTR)

43
Q

Rigidity

A

Increase in tone throughout range of muscle movement

  • lead pipe
  • cogwheel (due to underlying tremor)
  • flexor muscles are more severely affected
44
Q

Parkinson’s Disease

A

Specific progressive degenerative disease of predominantly the nigrostriatal tract, with a dopamine deficiency

45
Q

Characteristics of Parkinson’s disease

A
  1. Resting tremor
    Bradykinesia (with poverty of spontaneous, automatic and associated movements)(reaction time for initiation, cessation and correction of movements is prolonged)
  2. Rigidity (lead pipe or cogwheel)
  3. Postural or gait disturbances (flexed posture, short shuffling steps, freezing, festinance, imbalance)
  4. Other - loss of weight, bladder dysfunction, depression, constipation
46
Q

Parkinsonism

A

Bradykinetic rigidity with/without tremor caused by conditions other than idiopathic Parkinson’s disease

  • gait disturbances and psychic impairment usually earlier in disease course
  • UMN signs and cerebellar signs may appear
47
Q

Myotonia

A

Inability of muscle to relax immediately after contraction

48
Q

LMN Disease

A
  • Muscle weakness
  • Atrophy
  • Decreased tone
  • Diminished/absent DTR
  • fasciculations
49
Q

Guillain Barre Syndrome

A

Acute onset (days), symmetrical peripheral neuropathy with both proximal and distal weakness of all 4 limbs, with absent reflexes and raised CSF protein

  • aka. AIDP - Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy
  • post-infection or post vaccination
50
Q

UMN Lesions

A
  • Muscle weakness
  • Hemi, para or quadriplegic distribution
  • increased tone (clasp-knife spasticity)
  • increased DTR
  • positive Babinski & Hoffmans reflexes
51
Q

Stereognosia

A

Ability to observe the form or characteristics of objects by touch, without the use of auditory or visual cues

52
Q

Apraxia

A

Dysfunction of the execution of learned movements that cannot be explained on the basis of

  • weakness
  • in-coordination
  • sensory deficit
  • lack of understanding / attention deficit
53
Q

Ideomotor apraxia

A

Inability to perform learned motor movements

-can understand the command (can describe the action verbally)

54
Q

Wernicke’s Encephalopathy

A

Triad of:

  • Korsakov amnestic syndrome
  • cerebellar ataxia
  • nystagmus/ophthalmoplegia
55
Q

Dysdiadochokinesia

A

Inability to perform rapid alternating movements of hands

56
Q

Long term potentiation

A

Repetitive stimulation of hippocampal tissue leading to an increase in the response of the postsynaptic neuron

  • increasing the excitability of the neuron
  • strengthening of the synapse

Requires: activation of synapses, and depolarization of post synaptic membrane