Brain Regions & Functions
This area is responsible for speech expression.
What is Broca's area?
These are automatic, rapid, involuntary responses to a stimulus.
What are reflexes?
This type of aphasia results in impaired ability to speak or write fluently.
What is expressive (motor) aphasia?
Any increase in fluid volume or mass causes this in the brain.
What is increased intracranial pressure?
A transient ischemic attack results from this temporary condition.
What is localized reduction of blood flow in the brain?
This infection is typically caused by a virus, bacteria, parasite, or fungus in the meninges.
What is meningitis?
This area is responsible for comprehension of speech.
What is Wernicke's area?
This scale provides consistency in assessing eye opening, motor responses, and verbal responses.
What is the Glasgow Coma Scale?
This type of aphasia is an inability to read or understand spoken word.
What is receptive (sensory) aphasia?
Increased ICP is common in brain hemorrhage, trauma, cerebral edema, infection, tumors, or this fluid accumulation.
What is excessive cerebrospinal fluid?
This is the most common cause of CVA (stroke).
What is occlusion of an artery by an atheroma?
This viral encephalitis is spread by mosquitoes.
What is West Nile fever (or Western Equine/St. Louis encephalitis)?
This brainstem structure controls and coordinates respiration and cardiovascular activity.
What is the medulla oblongata?
Damage to the left hemisphere in most individuals leads to loss of these skills.
What are logical thinking, analytical skills, intellectual abilities, and communication?
This type of aphasia combines expressive and receptive forms from major damage to Broca's and Wernicke's areas.
What is global aphasia?
Pressure on cranial nerve 3 affects these.
What are pupil responses?
Intracerebral hemorrhage is usually caused by this in patients with severe hypertension.
What is rupture of a cerebral artery?
This condition is caused by Clostridium tetani and causes tonic muscle spasms and lockjaw.
What is tetanus?
This structure controls the autonomic nervous system.
What is the hypothalamus?
This is the first indication of increased intracranial pressure.
What is decreasing level of consciousness (or lethargy)?
Criteria for this include flat EEG, absence of brainstem reflexes, no spontaneous respirations, and irreversible damage.
What is brain death?
Unlike other cancers, brain tumors do not cause these usual systemic signs of malignancy.
What are systemic signs?
A localized dilation in an artery.
What is an aneurysm?
This inflammatory condition of the peripheral nervous system causes progressive ascending flaccid paralysis.
What is Guillain-Barré syndrome?
This system controls arousal or awareness.
What is the reticular activating system?
The changes in vital signs during increased intracranial pressure are called this.
What is Cushing reflex?
Seizures or convulsions are caused by this excessive neuronal activity.
What is spontaneous excessive discharge of neurons?
Cerebellar or tonsillar compression of the brainstem and vital centers causes this.
What is death?
A massive rupture of this type causes immediate severe “blinding” headache, vomiting, photophobia, seizures, or loss of consciousness.
What is subarachnoid hemorrhage?
This autoimmune disorder impairs ACh receptors at the neuromuscular junction, causing skeletal muscle weakness and rapid fatigue.
What is myasthenia gravis?