Neuropathology

Question 1

what are the major contributors of neurological DALYs?

Answer 1

1. stroke
2. migraine
3. alzheimers and other dementias
4. meningitis

Question 2

what are three main characters of AD?

Answer 2

1. brain atrophy (hippocampus)
2. neuritic plaques (beta - amyloid)
3. tangles (tau)

Question 3

what are the attributable risk for dementia?

Answer 3

1. age (18%),
2. smaller brain (17%)
3. Alzheimer lesions (19%)
4. vascular pathologies (21%)
5. hippocampal atrophy (12%)
6. cerebral amyloid angiopathy (10%)
7. Lewy bodies (3%).

Question 4

what is isomorphic gloss?

Answer 4

once the tissue is damaged, the astrocytic fibre components imitate the orientation of of existing fibres and form a scar (gliosis). This is called isomorphic gliosis

Question 5

how is the locus ceruleus affected in Parkinson’s disease?

Answer 5

• locus cerulean is a nucleus in the pons of BS
• source of NA
• in PD - LC damage worsens dopamine depletion and nigrostriatal damage

Question 6

alcoholic degeneration affects which region primarily?

Answer 6

the cerebellum

Question 7

what happens in HD?

Answer 7

shrunken head of caudate nucleus and they eventually develop dementia hence, there is generalised brain atrophy

Question 8

what is the function of nucleus basalts of meynert? in which neurodegenartive condnition is it affected? what is its treatment?

Answer 8

• it is the main source of Ach and drives cognition forward
• loss of these cells in AD (reduced Ach)
• Drug aricept used: boosts Ach to the rest of the brain

Question 9

in which neurodegenerative disorder do you find neurofibrillary pathology?

Answer 9

tau tangles are the neurofibrillary pathology in AD, the amount of tau is not essential however, the region/location where tau present is

Question 10

what is braak staging?

Answer 10

• the six stages of degeneration of the brain in AD and PD representing disease progression
• each stage being attributed to abnormal pathology in particular neurological structures and symptoms

Question 11

in which regions are the six stages of Braak prominent?

Answer 11

Braak stage 1,2,3 - anterior and posterior hippocampus
Braak stage 4,5 - occipital and temporal cortex
Braak stage 6 - only occipital cortex

Question 12

in which neurodegenerative cases can you find Lewy bodies?

Answer 12

• mainly PD and AD

- in PD you find abnormal protein clumps in and around the substantia nigra

Question 13

knockdown of which protein prevents the loss of dopaminergic neurons in PINK1 mutant zebrafish (PD)?

Answer 13

TigarB knockdown

Question 14

what is the major component in Lewy bodies of AD/PD?

Answer 14

alpha-synucelin protein

Question 15

what is the characters pathology of MND?

Answer 15

ubiquitylated inclusions

Question 16

ubiquitinated TDP-43 is found in which neurodegenerative diseases?

Answer 16

1. frontotemproal lobe degeneration

2. ALS

Question 17

what happens in Parkinson’s?

Answer 17

• substantia nigra dopaminergic cell depletion due to PINK1 gene mutation (loss)
• TIGARB protein - up regulation causes cell death

Question 18

where do you have atrophy in AD?

Answer 18

usually generalised brain atrophy with evident hippocamapal atrophy

Question 19

what are the watershed infarcts?

Answer 19

are border zone b/w vascular territories where the brain tissue is father from supply so changes in perfusion would affect them more