Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Pathology > Nervous system Pathology > Flashcards

Nervous system Pathology Flashcards

(56 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Define gliosis

A

The scarring of the CNS after injury. Astrocytes and fibroblasts forms the scar after exposure to noxious agents or injury

  • Astrocytes swell
  • Usually there is neuronal loss
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the signs of ischemic neuronal damage??

A
  1. Nissl substance disappears
  2. Cytoplasmic eosinophilia
  3. Nuclear condensation (pyknosis)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Define neurophagia

A

phagocytosis of neurons by microglia (microphages), often occurs with viral infections

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are the signs of neuronal atrophy??

A
  1. Cytoplasmic basophilia
  2. Nuclear pyknosis
  3. Increased lipofuscin and neurofibril pigment
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Define central chromatolysis

A

Also called Axonal reaction, is the reaction of the soma to a lesion of the LMN axon

  • There is swelling of the soma, with peripheral displacement of the nucleus
  • Another cause is pellagra
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Alzheimer is the most common form of ……. . The clinical features include ……….

A

Dementia
* impaired short term memory & thinking, irritability etc… . Later, aphasia & apraxia, ultimately the patient enters a vegetative state

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is the Alzheimer pathology?

A
  • Grossly: cortical atrophy, with wide sulci and thin gyri (some primary neurons are spared)
  • Microscopic: “Characterized” by neurofibrillary tangles (intracytoplasmic paired helical filaments), granules, senile plaques (enlarged presynaptic axon terminals surrounding extracellular amyloid), Hirano bodies (intracellular aggregate of actin)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Parkinson, also called ……, begins after the age of ……

A

paralysis agitans

40

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are the main symptoms of Parkinson disease?

A

Mask facies, bradykinesia, resting tremor, dementia, festinating gait
* Doesn’t affect cognitive functions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the cause of Parkinson disease?

A

Loss of dopaminergic neurons in the locus ceruleus & substantia nigra, which project to caudate nucleus and putamen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Parkinsonism is caused by …….

A
  1. Encephalitis
  2. Neuroleptics (anti psycosis meds, like phenothiazine)
  3. CO and Mn poisoning
  4. Strokes
  5. MPTP (methylphenyltetrahydropyridine), which is found in heroin
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Atrophy with fasciculations indicated ……, while hyperreflexia & spastic paralysis indicate ………

A

LMN damage
UMN damage
* In Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), there is degeneration of both UMN & LMN

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Thrombosis in the brain usually occurs in ……

A

medium and large size vessels

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Emboli in the brain could be sourced from ……

A

mural (from left ventricle), aortic or carotid plaques, septic or fat/air emboli
* Usually in medium sized vessels

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Define Lacunar infarcts

A

Small cavities formed deep in the gray or white matter indicating occlusion of a deep artery
* Associated with hypertension

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Emboli in the brain produce their deficit within ……

A

1 minute

* Symptoms depend on the area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Thrombotic infarcts are characterized by ….., and usually preceded by ……

A

permanent neural damage

transient ischemic attacks (TIAs, which resemble mini strokes)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Intraparenchymal bleeds usually are the result of ……

A

hypertension

* The most common cause of death from stroke

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What are the clinical symptoms of stroke?

A
  1. Sudden headache with neurologic deficit

2. CSF is bloody, especially in hypertension

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Berry (saccular) aneurysms are the most common cause of non traumatic …… . They are caused by …..

A

hemorrhage in the subarachnoid space

  • caused by defect in the arterial media, atherosclerosis, or hypertension
  • Usually at the bifurcation of the anterior circle of Willis
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Arteriovenous fistulas are sometimes found in the CNS. T/F??

A

True

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Define concussion, and what is the best index for its severity?

A

Transient paralysis of cerebral function immediately after head trauma with no structural damage.
* Measure by the severity of post traumatic amnesia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Define Contusion

Study These Flashcards
A

is the bruising of the brain parenchyma involving the summit of the gyrus.
* There is wedge shaped necrosis (base to the meninges, apex towards white matter) with petechial hemorrhage

24
Q

Epidural hemorrhage usually is the result of …….

What are the most common signs?

Study These Flashcards
A

laceration of middle meningeal artery

  • usually due to trauma to the lateral skull
  • Headache, vomiting, change in vision, coma, and even death if pressure is not released sugically
  • Bleeding occurs rapidly, with symptoms within the first 2 days
25
Subdural hemorrhage results from .......
trauma to the small bridging veins, so symptoms take some time to occur * Hematomas lie between the dura and the arachnoid
26
Arachnoid hemorrhage occurs between .......
the arachnoid and pia (ie. sub arachnoid space) | * Patients describe having the worst headache of their lives
27
What are the signs of increased intracranial pressure?
1. Headache 2. Nausea, vomiting 3. Papilledema (optic disk swelling) 4. Autonomic changes (bradycardia, hypertension, respiratory changes)
28
Phakomatoses is .......
tumors of the skin, eye and nervous system | * also called neurocutaneous disorders
29
What are the clinical features of neurofibromatosis?
1. Café au lait spots 2. Neural tumors (neurofibromas) 3. Lisch nodules (benign pigmented hamartomas of the iris)
30
Demyelination occurs primarily ...... or secondarily .........
like MS | like wallerian degeneration (degeneration of the separated/crushed axon distal to the site of injury)
31
Guillain Barre is
an autoimmune, post infectious, peripheral demyelinating disorder * Causes limb paralysis and autonomic failure * Affects peripheral nerves, but facial and ocular muscles could also be affected * Motor > sensory
32
Vitamin B12 deficiency is almost always due to ...... . It causes .....
malabsorption rather than dietary deficiency (except for strict vegans) * pernicious anemia (which results in CNS and PNS demyelination and axonal degeneration)
33
What are the effects of alcohol on the nervous system?
1. Cerebellar degeneration 2. Pontine demyelination 3. Polyneuropathies (axonal degeneration of peripheral nerves) 4. Fetal alcohol syndrome (mental retardation, microcephaly, hypotonia, irritability, characteristic facies)
34
Methanol intoxication is treated with .....
ethanol (because ethanol competed with methanol for alcohol dehydrogenase and prevents formation of formaldehyde)
35
Formaldehyde causes ......
metabolic acidosis, visual disturbances
36
What are the symptoms for acute meningitis?
fever, nuchal rigidity (neck stiffness), headache, photophobia, altered mental status
37
What are the causative agents for meningitis depending on the age group??
1. Neonates: E.coli, group B streptococci, Listeria monocytogenes 2. Infants and children: Streptococcus pneumoniae, H. influenzae 3. Young adults: Neisseria menigitidis 4. Middle age & elderly: Streptococcus pneumoniae
38
What are the causes for brain abscesses?
1. Otitis, mastoiditis, or sinusitis extension 2. Surgical wound contamination 3. Trauma 4. Hematogenous dissemination of infection
39
Cerebral abscesses are localized to the ......
parenchyma (walled of from the rest of the brain)
40
What are the causative agents of brain abscess?
anaerobic streptococci, staphylococci, Bacteroides, G-ve bacilli
41
What are the clinical features for brain abscess?
Death following herniation, or rarely, rupture with ensuing meningitis and ventriculitis
42
Candidiasis of the brain often results from ......
dissemination from distant sites * It is the most common fungal infection * There is a "mixture of yeast & pseudohyphae"
43
Aspergillosis, Mucormycosis & Cryptococcosis are all .....
Mycotic infections of immunocompromised patients (diabetes, steroid therapy, AIDS etc...) * All caused by inhalation & blood dissemination of infection to the brain, resulting in meningitis
44
Toxoplasmosis is caused by ........, which is transferred via ...... & ...... .
Toxoplasma gondii contact with infected cats feces & infected meat * It can cross the placenta and cause congenital defects (convulsions, intracerebral calcifications, hydrocephalus, chorioretinitis of the choroid)
45
Mumps causes meningitis in ...... of patients
25%
46
Rubella virus causes the congenital rubella syndrome, which is ......
chorioretinitis, low birth weight, cardiac defects, cataracts, neurologic abnormalities
47
What are the neurological effects of Rabies ?
Hyperactivity, abnormal behavior, autonomic dysfunction, laryngeal muscle spasm
48
Negri bodies are .....
eosinophilic, oval cytoplasmic inclusions, characteristic of rabies
49
Herpes encephalitis is caused by ........
HSV-1 | * Treated with acyclovir
50
CMV usually infects immunocompromised individuals causing
disseminated glial nodules (infiltrated by histiocytes)
51
Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease & Kuru are both caused by ......
prions | * They both cause neurological deficit
52
Post concussion syndrome is characterized by three of the following ......
headache, dizziness, lowered tolerance to light and noise, fatigue, irritability, amnesia, visual disturbance, confusion, cold perspiration
53
Seizures is defined as ...... | It is of two types ..... & .....
change in the electrical activity of the brain * partial and general * Epilepsy is recurrent seizures * Grand mal (tonic-clonic) seizure is tonic (loss of consciousness & muscle spasm, few seconds), followed by clonic (muscle twitching)
54
Lewy body is .....
protein aggregate inside the neurons of patients with Parkinson
55
Meningioma is .......
benign neoplasm of meninges * F>M * Associated with breast cancer, may be due to high estrogen
56
Wallerian degeneration is reversed only if ........
``` the neurolemma (endoneurial sheath) is intact * Note that if the cell body is irreversibly injured, the entire neuron degenerates ```

Pathology (18 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions