Movement + Tumors
What is metastases?
Cancerous cells start in some other organ and then enter the bloodstream and then go to another organ, engs up in the brain
What part(s) of the body are serviced by the middle cerebral artery?
Hand & face
What is diffuse axonal injury?
Caused by a significant acceleration/deceleration injury, stretching or tearing of axons and small blood vessels.
What are the two types of movement disorders?
Hypokinetic: less than normal movement (Parkinson’s disease)
Hyperkinetic: more than normal movement (Huntington’s disease)
Where are the location of brain tumors in children?
brainstem and cerebellum
What is a meningioma?
This type of brain tumor originates outside the brain but within the skull, affecting the meninges.
What is the difference between an Ischemic & Hemorrhagic Stroke?
Ischemic Stroke: caused by arterial blockage (plaque build-up or clotting)
Hemorrhagic Stroke: caused by the rupturing of arteries in the brain
What are the two types of Hematomas and what’s the difference between them?
Epidural: above the meninges, life threatening
Subdural: below the meninges, not so life threatening
What are the three clinical features of Parkinson’s?
Resting Tremor
Bradykinesia
Cogwheel rigidity
What is a gliomas?
Most common type of primary brain tumor - Gliomas are a type of tumor that originates in the glial cells of the brain or spinal cord. Glial cells provide support and protection for neurons.
Which type of cell is most commonly involved in tumor formation?
Astrocytes - Tumor is abnormal growth/division of a cell
What is mechanical thrombectomy?
Blood clot is broken up into small pieces and removed
What parts of the brain are most susceptible to a contusion? Why?
Inferior Frontal & Anterior Temporal areas because the skull is most irregular at those parts
What are some symptoms of cogwheel rigidity?
Hypophonic speech (softly)
Micrographia (write small)
Gait (slow and short steps)
What is Huntington's disease? Caused by___?
This hyperkinetic disorder is caused by a genetic mutation on chromosome 4, autosomal dominant inheritance
What is the caudate nucleus? Hallmark of____?
The deterioration of this basal ganglia structure is a hallmark of Huntington’s disease.
Your friend has sudden weakness and numbness on their leg. You suspect a stroke. What arterial region do you think is affected?
anterior cerebral artery
What is Post-Traumatic Amnesia?
post-traumatic amnesia: period of confusion lasting minutes to hours, but can last up to 24 hours; one of the initial symptoms of TBI/concussion
What part of the brain is affected in the case of Parkinson’s? What neurotransmitter is involved?
Basal Ganglia
Less dopamine is produced
What is deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease?
This treatment for Parkinson’s disease involves implanting an electrode into the basal ganglia to help alleviate symptoms.
Using a PET scan to evaluate a patient suspected of Parkinson’s disease, you would expect to see reduced uptake of this neurotransmitter. In a healthy brain, which subcortical structure shows high activity of this neurotransmitter in warm colors, and which midbrain region undergoes degeneration in Parkinson’s disease?
A PET scan can be used to assess dopamine activity in the brain by detecting dopamine uptake using a radioactive tracer. In a healthy brain, the basal ganglia displays high dopamine uptake, appearing in warm colors (red/orange) on the scan. However, in Parkinson’s disease, the substantia nigra, a midbrain structure responsible for producing dopamine, undergoes progressive degeneration, leading to a reduction in dopamine levels. This results in less dopamine uptake in the basal ganglia, which appears as cooler colors (blue/green) on the PET scan, correlating with the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease such as bradykinesia, tremors, and rigidity.
What should you do if you have a cerebral aneurysm?
You should get an aneurysm clipping so that blood stops flowing into it and risk it exploding
What does recovery from mild TBI entail?
Less severe: recovery within 3 months
More severe: months to years or not at all
Older patients take longer to recover
Persistent post-concussive syndrome: many mild TBI patients have symptoms 1 year after
What are three treatments for Parkinson’s? Do they cure the disease?
L-Dopa (treats tremor and movement)
Dopamine-Neuron Transplantation
Pallidotomy & Thalamotomy
Deep Brain Stimulation (mostly for tremor)
What are the two clinical movement symptoms of Huntington's disease?
Chorea (involuntary jerky movements of face, neck and limbs) and athetosis (slow, involuntary writhing movement)