Higher Cerebral Functions & Dementia

Question 1

The left hemisphere is typically dominant for?

Answer 1

Language

Question 2

The right hemisphere is typically dominant for?

Answer 2

Spatial Attention

Question 3

Which pathway bypasses the thalamus and goes directly to specialized areas of the cortex?

Answer 3

Olfactory Pathways

Question 4

Which portion of the brain is the most posterior part of the precentral gyrus?

Answer 4

The primary motor cortex

Question 5

What is the function of the medial frontal cortex?

Answer 5

Arousal & Motivation

Question 6

What is the function of the Orbital frontal cortex?

Answer 6

It helps modulate social behaviors

Question 7

The left postero-inferior frontal cortex is sometimes called?

Answer 7

Broca’s area

Question 8

What do lesions in the left postero-inferior frontal cortex cause?

Answer 8

Expressive Aphasia (impaired expression of words)

Question 9

The dorsolateral frontal cortex is responsible for?

Answer 9

Working Memory (recently acquired information)

Question 10

Patients with right temporal lobe lesions commonly lose which ability?

Answer 10

The ability to interpret non-verbal auditory stimuli (e.g. music)

Question 11

In patients with left temporal lobe lesions there’s interference in?

Answer 11

Recognition, memory and formation of language

Question 12

What is Anton syndrome?

Answer 12

It is a form of cortical blindness where there’s complete loss of vision but the patient truly believes they can see.

Question 13

What is responsible for Anton syndrome?

Answer 13

Lesions in the primary vision cortex

Question 14

Functions of the insula

Answer 14

It integrates sensory & autonomic information from the visceral

It processes aspects of pain, temperature and possibly taste.

Question 15

Patients with epileptogenic foci in the medial limbic-emotional parts of the temporal lobe commonly have what types of seizures?

Answer 15

Complex Partial Seizures

Characterized by uncontrollable feelings & autonomic cognitive/emotional dysfunction

Question 16

Olfactory hallucinations (phantosmia) and hypergraphia are due to?

Answer 16

Dysfunction or stimulation of the limbic lobe, particularly structures within the medial temporal lobe.

Question 17

Recovery from brain injury depends on what factors?

Answer 17

♦️Plasticity of the remaining Cerebrum (Ability of the brain to alter its function)

♦️Redundancy (Ability of more than one area of the brain to perform the same function)

Question 18

What is Plasticity?

Answer 18

Ability of the brain to alter its function

Question 19

What is Redundancy?

Answer 19

Ability of more than one area of the brain to perform the same function

Question 20

What is dementia?

Answer 20

It is a chronic, irreversible deterioration of cognition and capacity, usually affecting 2 or more cognitive areas

Question 21

Risk factors for dementia

Answer 21

♦️Advancing age

♦️Rural living

♦️Low/No educational attainment

♦️Positive family history of dementia

♦️Female gender

Question 22

What is Delirium?

Answer 22

It is an acute, transient and usually reversible fluctuating disturbance in cognition and consciousness level

Question 23

What dementia type is due to beta amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles?

Answer 23

Alzheimer’s Disease

Question 24

Tau deposits (Tauopathies) is for what dementia type?

Answer 24

💭 Chronic traumatic encephalopathy

💭Corticobasal Ganglia degeneration

💭Progressive Supranuclear palsy

💭Frontotemporal dementia (including Pick’s disease)

Question 25

Alpha Synuclein accumulation (Synucleinopathies) causes what type of dementia?

Answer 25

💭Parkinson’s disease dementia 💭Dementia with Lewy body disease

Question 26

What type of dementia is caused by Auto-immune disorder?

Answer 26

💭Auto-immune dementia, including Post-encephalitis syndrome

Question 27

What diseases are due to Vascular dementia?

Answer 27

💭Binswanger’s disease 💭Lacunar disease

Question 28

What are the most common causes of dementia?

Answer 28

💭Alzheimer’s disease 💭Vascular dementia 💭Dementia with Lewy bodies 💭Frontotemporal dementia 💭HIV-associated dementia

Question 29

What is the most common mixed dementia?

Answer 29

Alzheimer’s disease mixed with vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia

Question 30

50% of patients with mild cognitive impairment develop dementia within what time frame?

Answer 30

3 years

Question 31

Between mild cognitive impairment and age-associated memory impairment, which causes greater memory loss?

Answer 31

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Question 32

Define subjective cognitive decline

Answer 32

It is defined as a self-experienced persistent decline in cognitive capacity but normal performance on standardized cognitive tests used to classify MCI

Question 33

The risk of Mild cognitive impairment & dementia is increased in people with?

Answer 33

Subjective Cognitive Decline

Question 34

What drugs can temporarily cause or worsen symptoms of dementia?

Answer 34

💭Benzodiazepines 💭Anti-cholinergics (e.g. Some tricyclic antidepressants, antihistamines, antipsychotics, benztropine)

Question 35

Explain the pathogenic mechanism of dementia

Answer 35

Dementia may involve prion-like mechanisms, where normal proteins misfold and cause others to do the same. • This leads to progressive brain damage as misfolded proteins accumulate. • The process occurs over years and affects multiple brain areas. • These mechanisms are seen in conditions like Alzheimer’s (strongly), Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, FTD, and others.

Question 36

What is Rapidly progressive dementia?

Answer 36

These are groups of heterogeneous cognitive disorders that progress faster than other dementia syndromes, typically within 1-2 years

Question 37

What is the most common causes of Rapidly progressive dementia?

Answer 37

Prion Disease

Question 38

What are the potentially reversible causes of dementia?

Answer 38

💭Hypothyroidism 💭B12 deficiency dementia 💭Subdural hematoma 💭Fungal infection 💭Medication 💭Hydrocephalus