Neurodegenerative diseases Flashcards
Define dementia
A global impairment of cognitive function and sometimes personality without a change in consciousness, characterised by memory impairment plus one or more of:
- aphasia (language disorders, receptive or expressive)
- apraxia - inability to perform tasks
- agnosia - inability to recognise objects, people
Pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s
Tau exists in the microfibrils of neurons.
Hyperphosphorylation of tau causes neurofibrillary tangles, leading to cerebral atrophy.
SENILE beta amyloid protein deposition outside of neurons interferes with neuronal communication
Management of alzh + CI
Acetylcholinesterases, nACHr agonists, glutamate agonists
Avoid is asthmatics
Vascular dementia - define
Neuronal death caused by infarcts of small or medium vessels
Epidemiology of VD
Second most common, after alzheimers
Symptoms of vascular dementia vs alzh
Vascular - step wise deterioration
NO change in personality or concentration
Memory loss present
Alzheimer’s - slow progressive
short term memory loss
visuospatial disorientation
Lewy body dementia - symptom mnemonic
For Fuck Sake, Lewy Body Has Parked in my brain
Falls
Flucutating cognition/dementia
Hallucinations visual - mute, so the hallucinations don’t talk to the patient
Parkinsonsism
Frontotemporal dementia other name
Pick’s disease
Pathophysiology of FTD/Pick’s disease
Tau hyperphosphorylation
Mutation for FTD
ProGranUlin gene
PICKy GRAN but she is PRO pig’s insULIN
Symptoms of FTD
Disinhibition, overeating, emotional blunting, personality changes
Parkinson’s pathophysiology
Depletion of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons form substantia nigra to basal ganglia
Lewy bodies present in affected neurons
Alpha synuclein mutations in lewy bodies
Alpha synuclein deposits in peripheral ganglia cauasing loss of smell and motor rertardation
Parkinsons signs
TRAP
Tremor
Rigidity
Akinesia
Postural instability
