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Flashcards in Nervous System Deck (47)
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1
Q

What are the components of the Nervous System. What is the function of the Nervous sytem?

A
  • Central nervous system
  • brain stem and spinal cord
  • Peripheral Nervous system
  • all the rest of the nerves
  • Control the body’s voluntary ad involuntary actions
2
Q

Define the these parts of the CNS: Cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, CSF, and spinal cord.

A
  1. Cerebrum: center of intellect
  2. Cerebellum: balance, muscle coordination
  3. Brainstem: controls vital functions
  4. CSF: cerebral spinal fluid; protection
  5. Spinal cord: transmit impulses
3
Q

What are the lobes of the cerbrum? What are their_ functions_?

A
  1. Frontal: cognition and motor
  2. Parietal: touch and orientation
  3. Temporal: speech and hearing
  4. Occipital: sight
4
Q

What is located in the brainstem? (systems and centers)

A
  1. Cardiac center
  2. Respiratory center
  3. Vasomotor center
  4. RAS- Reticular activating center
5
Q

What artery supplies the brain with blood? What are meninges? What are the three meninges?

A
  1. a. The carotid arteries supply blood to the large, front part of the brain
    b. The vertebral arteries run through the spine and supply blood to the back part of the brain (the brainstem and cerebellum).
  2. Meninges: tissue layers that cover brain and spinal cord
  3. -Dura mater
    - Pia mater
    - Arachnoid mater
6
Q

What is the function of the nervous system? What are the two subdivisions?

A

1.

7
Q

What are the functions of the peripheral nervous system?

A
  1. Links the organs of the body to the central nervous system
  2. Sensory nerves carry information from the body to the central nervous system
  3. Motor nerves carry information from the central nervous system to the muscles of the body
8
Q

What are the subdivisions of the peripheral nervous sytem?

A
  1. Somatic
  2. Autonomic
9
Q

What is the function of the Sympathetic nervous system? What response does it have on the body?

A
  1. Fight or flight
  2. -pupils dilate
    - increased CNS stimulation
    - increased heart rate and BP
    - bronchioles dilate
    - decreased GI activity
10
Q

What is the function of the Parasympathetic nervous system?

A
  1. Passive mode (usually after a big meal)
  2. Increases GI activity
  3. Constricted pupils
  4. Sleepy
11
Q

What are types of neruological emergencies/ traumas?

A
  1. Concussion
  2. Intracranial bleeding
  3. Posturing
  4. ALOC
  5. Change in pupil size
  6. Shock
  7. Basilar skull fracture
  8. Spinal cord injury
  9. **Seizure **
  10. Stroke
  11. Altered mental status (AMS)
  12. Status epilectus
12
Q

What is a concussion? What occurs during a concussion? Is it a severe emergency?

A
  1. Temporary loss or alteration in brain function
  2. -brief loss of concsiousness
    - brain can sustain bruise
  3. No, unless there is bleeding
13
Q

What types of intracranial bleeding are there?

A
  1. Subdural
    * - blood accumulating in the potential space between the dura and arachnoid mater*
  2. **Intracranial **
    * - accumulation of blood within the cranial vault*
  3. Epidural
    * -accumulation of blood in the potential space between dura and bone*

*All bleeds increase intracranial pressure and brain damage*

14
Q

What are signs of intracranial pressure?

A
  1. ALOC
  2. Vomiting
  3. Unequal pupils
  4. Hypertension and decreased heart rate
  5. Expanding pulse pressure
  6. Seizure
  7. Abnormal respiratory patterns
  8. Posturing
15
Q

What is posturing? What are some signs?

A
  1. Severe sign of increased intracranial pressure
  2. -Decerebate or decorticate
    - Will be unconscious
16
Q

Is an ALOC important for observation? How can you assess a patients consciousness? When should you worry?

A
  1. Single most important observation
  2. -AVPU (Alert, voice, pain, unresponsive)
    * *-GCS** (Glasgow coma scale)
    * *-repetitive questioning**
  3. When level of consciousness decreases
17
Q

What does change in pupil size indicate?

A
  • Unequal pupil sizes may indicate increased pressure on on side of the brain
18
Q

What should you do when a patient exhibits S/S of shock?

A
  • Look to abdomen or chest for cause
19
Q

What does a basilar skull fracture indicate? What are signs?

A
  1. Indicates significant force
  2. -CSF fluid in ears and nose
    - battle sign
    - raccooon eyes
20
Q

What are S/S of spinal injury?

A
  • Pain, swelling, deformity
  • Tingling in the extremities
  • Paralysis or paresis
  • Incontinence
  • Injuries of the head
21
Q

What are the two types of spinal cord injuries? How are they classified?

A
  1. Paraplegia
    - paralysis of lower extremities
  2. Quadriplegia
    - paralysis of all extremities
22
Q

How do you identify candidates for C-spine?

A
  • Mechanism of injury
  • pain
  • Numbness or tingling of extremities
23
Q

What are significant **MOI **(mechanisms of injury)?

A
  • MVA’s
  • Auto vs. peds/bicycle/motorcycle
  • Falls
  • Blunt or penetrating trauma
  • Hangings
  • Recreational accidents
24
Q

How do you treat head and spine injuries?

A
  • Maintain airway(jaw thrust)
  • Oxygen
  • Hyperventilate
  • Stabalize C-spine
25
Q

When should you not stabilize the neck into a neutral, in-line position?

A
  • Muslces spasm
  • Pain increases, resistance, crepitus
  • Numbness, tingling, or weakness develop
  • There is a compromised airway or breathing
26
Q

What should you perform before and after C-spine?

A
  1. PMSC before and after.
    - Document it
  2. Manual head stabalization
27
Q

Are all brain injuries trauma related? What can cause brain injuries? What is the difference?

A
  1. No
  2. Medical conditions may cause spontanious bleeding in the brain
  3. There is no MOI but the S/S are the same
28
Q

What are the _ty__pe__s of _seizures?

A
  1. Generalized (grand mal):
    -unconsious and generalized severe twitching
  2. Petit mal:
    -a brief lapse of attention
  3. Focal or Jacksonian:
    -one area
29
Q

What are the causes of seizures?

A
  1. Congenital
  2. High fevers
  3. Structural problems in the brain
  4. Metabolic disorders
  5. Chemical disorders
30
Q

What are the stages of seizure?

A
  • Aura: prior sensory warning
  • Tonic: contraction phase
  • Clonic: alternating movements
  • Postictal: _after seizure, there is a period of ALOC with deep and labored respirations _
31
Q

What is status epilecpticus? What are some examples?

A
  1. The brain is in a state of persistent seizure
  2. -1 seizure over 10 minutes
    - 2 seizures without regaining consciousness
    - 3 seizures within 1 hour
32
Q

What are some causes of status epilepticus?

A
  • Hypoxia
  • Trauma
  • Hyperthermia
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Aspiration
  • Dehydration
33
Q

What are some medications for epilepsy?

A
  • Dilantin
  • Tegretol
  • Pheno-barbitol
34
Q

What is the treatment for epilepsy?

A
  • ABC’s
  • Protect patient from injuring self
  • Oxygen
  • Supine or left lateral
  • Transport
35
Q

What are types of stroke?

A
  1. CVA (cerebrovascular accident)
  2. Hemorrhagic stroke
  3. Ischemic stroke
  4. TIA (transient ischemic attack)
36
Q

What is expressive and receptive aphasia? What is dysarthria?

A
  1. Receptive aphasia:
    - the person can hear a voice or read the print, but may not understand the meaning of the message
  2. Expressive aphasia:
    - the person knows what he or she wants to say yet has difficulty communicating it to others

Right

  1. Dysarthria:
    - motor speech disorder. The muscles of the mouth, face, and respiratory system may become weak, move slowly, or not move at all
37
Q

What are the S/S of stroke? Indicate which hemisphere of the brain is responsible.

A
  • Left Hemisphere:
  • **aphasia
  • receptive aphasia:
  • expressive aphasia**
  • Right Hemisphere
  • *-dysarthria**
38
Q

What can mimic strokes?

A
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Postictal state
  • the altered state of consciousness after an epileptic seizure
  • Subdural or epidural bleeding
39
Q

How do you assess a stroke patient?

A
  1. _Initial assessment: _
    * *-ABC’s
    - Obtain history if possible
    - High flow O2**
  2. Focused history and physical exam
    * *-GCS
    - perform a neurological exam** (cincinnati stroke scale)
40
Q

What do you check for the cincinnati stroke scale?

A
  • Facial droop
  • Arm drift
  • Speech
41
Q

What causes AMS (altered mental status)?

A
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Hypoxemia
  • Intoxication
  • Drug overdose
  • Unrecognized head injury
  • Brain infection
  • Body temperature abnormalities
  • Brain tumors
  • Glandular abnormalities
  • Poisoning
42
Q

What are the receptors of the sympathetic nervous system? What does each receptor stimulate? What is the effect when stimulated?
*book*

A
  1. Receptor: Alpha-1
    Stimulated: blood vessels
    Effect: constrict blood vessels; skin becomes pale, cool and clammy
  2. Receptor: Beta-1
    Stimulated: Heart
    Effect: increased heart rate, increased force of heart contraction
  3. Receptor: Beta-2
    Stimulated: lungs
    Effect: bronchodilation
43
Q

What are the receptors of the parasympathetic nervous system? What does each receptor stimulate? What is the _effect _when stimulated?
*book*

A

Receptor: Heart

Stimulated: heart

Effect: decreased heart rate, decreased force of contraction

44
Q

What are the major structures of the CNS? What are the subdivisions? What are the functions of each?
*book*

A
  1. Brain
    -Occipital lobe: vision and storage of visual memories
    -Parietal lobe: sense of touch and texture; storage of those memories
    -Temporal lobe: Hearing, smell, and language; storage of sound and odor memories
    -Frontal lobe: voluntary muscle control and storageof those memories
    -Prefrontal area: judgement and predicting consequences of actions, abstract intellectual functions
    -Limbic system: basic emotions, basic reflexes
    -Thalamus: relay center; filters important signals from routine signals
    -Hypothalamus: emotions, temperature control, interface with endocrine system (hormone control)
  2. Brain stem:
    -Midbrain: level of consciousness, reticular activating system, muscle tone, and posture
    -Pons: respiratory patterning and depth
    -Medulla oblangota: heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate
  3. Spinal cord:
    reflexes, relays information to and from body
45
Q

What are the major structures of the PNS? What are the subdivisions? What are the_ functions_ of each

*book*

A
  1. Cranial nerves: brain to body part; special peripheral nerves that connect directly to body parts
  2. Peripheral nerves: brain to spinal cord to body part; receive stimulus, from body, send commands to body
46
Q

What are the subdivision of the Nervous system and functions of each?

A
47
Q
A