Diseases of the Brain

Question 1

What are the two types of brain disease?

Answer 1

neurological, psychiatric

Question 2

What neurological conditions are assessed to diagnose brain disease?

Answer 2

state of consciousness, mental state, cognition, cranial nerves

Question 3

What psychiatric assessments diagnose brain disease?

Answer 3

mood, appearance, behaviour, delusion, hallucinations, cognition

Question 4

What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s?

Answer 4

bradykinesia, akinesia, tremor, increased muscle tone, shuffling gait

Question 5

What is bradykinesia

Answer 5

very slow movements

Question 6

What is akinesia?

Answer 6

little/no movements

Question 7

What causes Parkinson’s

Answer 7

deficiency in dopamine

Question 8

What region of the brain is affected in Parkinson’s

Answer 8

basal ganglia of substantia nigra, striatum

Question 9

What are the four basal ganglia nuclei?

Answer 9

Striatum, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, sub thalamic nuclei

Question 10

Inputs from where feed the striatum

Answer 10

cortex, thalamus, brainstem, putamen

Question 11

Describe the pathways of Parkinson’s

Answer 11

direct and indirect

Question 12

What causes the Parkinson’s symptoms

Answer 12

excessive output from internal pallidal segment

Question 13

How does loss of dopaminergic input from substantia nigra affect the indirect pathway

Answer 13

increases activity

Question 14

How does loss of dopaminergic input from substantia nigra affect the direct pathway

Answer 14

decreases activity

Question 15

What is the effect of injecting patients of Parkinson’s with L-Dopa

Answer 15

brief symptom reversal

Question 16

What is L-Dopa

Answer 16

precursor to dopamine

Question 17

What is the effect of taking L-Dopa orally

Answer 17

continuous benefits for ~ 5 years

Question 18

What are the disadvantages of taking L-Dopa orally?

Answer 18

increased motor fluctuations, drug related dyskinesia

Question 19

What brain lesion gets rid of symptoms of Parkinson’s?

Answer 19

lesion of internal segment of globus pallidus

Question 20

What is a treatment of Parkinson’s

Answer 20

L-Dopa, dopamine receptor antagonists

Question 21

What is the effect of dopamine receptor antagonists

Answer 21

increase activity in indirect pathway

Question 22

What are the symptoms of the early stages of Huntington’s

Answer 22

hyper/dyskinesia, writhing movements, increased movement

Question 23

What are the symptoms of the late stages of Huntington’s?

Answer 23

Dementia, dystonia, Akinesia

Question 24

What is Huntington’s?

Answer 24

autosomal dominant disorder

Question 25

What does Huntington's result in?

Answer 25

neuronal death

Question 26

Where does neuronal death occur in Huntington's?

Answer 26

primarily external globus pallidus, secondarily internal globus pallidus

Question 27

What are the causes of Huntington's associated with

Answer 27

nuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions

Question 28

What protein is mutated in Huntington's?

Answer 28

Huntingtin

Question 29

How are the ventricles affected in patients with Parkinson's

Answer 29

Ventricle size increases

Question 30

What is the normal function of huntingtin?

Answer 30

neuronal binding proteins, inhibition of apoptosis

Question 31

What are the 3 main symptoms/signs of schizophrenia?

Answer 31

prodromal, positive, negative

Question 32

Which sign of schizophrenia is the hardest to treat

Answer 32

Negative signs

Question 33

Describe the prodromal signs of schizophrenia

Answer 33

sign the condition is coming on

Question 34

What are the prodromal signs of schizophrenia

Answer 34

social isolation, neglect, lack of emotion, odd behaviours

Question 35

Describe the positive signs of schizpohrenia

Answer 35

episodes of psychosis, reflect presence of abnormal behaviour

Question 36

What are the positive signs of schizophrenia

Answer 36

loss of reality, hallucinations, memory disturbances, delusions

Question 37

Describe the negative signs of schizophrenia

Answer 37

patient isnt overtly psychotic, chronic,

Question 38

What are the negative signs of schizophrenia

Answer 38

socially isolated, lack of motivation, low social drive

Question 39

What causes the negative signs of schizophrenia?

Answer 39

loss of brain matter

Question 40

When is schizophrenia diagnosed?

Answer 40

at least one psychotic episode, continuous for 6+ months

Question 41

What are the subtypes of schizophrenia?

Answer 41

paranoid, disorganised, catatonic

Question 42

Which type of schizophrenia is most common?

Answer 42

paranoid

Question 43

What is the main characteristic of paranoid schizophrenia

Answer 43

systematic delusions of persecution pre-dominate

Question 44

What is the main characteristic of disorganised schizophrenia

Answer 44

profound detonation of personality

Question 45

What is the main characteristic of catatonic schizophrenia

Answer 45

mute, abnormal postures, rare

Question 46

TRUE or FALSE - environmental factors can cause schizophrenia

Answer 46

False - but they can trigger it

Question 47

What areas of the brain can be affected in schizophrenia

Answer 47

globus pallidus, temporal lobes, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex

Question 48

What happens to the globus pallidus in schizophrenia

Answer 48

reduced blood flow, not activated properly

Question 49

Describe the hippocampus in schizophrenics

Answer 49

reduced size, less blood flow

Question 50

How is the activation of the prefrontal cortex affected in schizophrenics?

Answer 50

decreased

Question 51

How is schizophrenia treated?

Answer 51

chlorpromazine, anti-psychotics, psychotherapy, social support

Question 52

What might be the cause of schizophrenia?

Answer 52

excessive dopamine receptor stimulation

Question 53

Where are dopamine receptors 1 and 5 expressed

Answer 53

cortex, hippocampus

Question 54

Which dopamine receptors have a low affinity for anti-psychotic drugs

Answer 54

1, 5

Question 55

Where are dopamine receptors 2,3 and 4 expressed

Answer 55

basal ganglia

Question 56

which dopamine receptors have a high affinity for anti-psychotic drugs

Answer 56

2,3,4

Question 57

Where are dopamine receptors 3 and 4 expressed

Answer 57

limbic system and cortex

Question 58

What are the symptoms of depression

Answer 58

low mood, altered appetite, reduced ability to concentrate, avolition, anhedonia

Question 59

Describe the pathology of depression

Answer 59

reduced hippocampal volume, vascular lesions-lesions, reduced nerve growth

Question 60

What are the two types of cerebrovascular accident - stroke

Answer 60

ischaemic, hemorrhagic

Question 61

What is the characteristic feature of a stroke?

Answer 61

blood flow to brain is interrupted

Question 62

What are the features of ischaemic stroke

Answer 62

embolus, thrombus, systemic hypo-perfusion

Question 63

What are the features of haemorrhagic strokes

Answer 63

entry of blood into CNS via rupture/anuerysm