Neuropsychology Topic 2

acquired brain injury (ABI)

occurs when someones brain was developing and functioning as expected, before some event

common causes of ABI

TBI, stroke, infection, drug abuse, hypoxia/anoxia, etc

neurodegenerative conditions

occur after a period of expected brain developemt and growth

common causes of neurodegenerative conditions

alzheimers, dementia with lewy bodies, parkinson’s, MND

neurodevelopmental conditions

occur due to brain differences prior to birth often diagnosed in children

common neurodevelopmental conditions

ASD, ADHD, learning disorders

neuropsychiatric conditions

include mental disorders like schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, bipolar, and ptsd

traumatic brain injury (TBI)

a type of ABI caused by a specific event

common causes of TBI

traffic accidents, fall,s assault, sport, blasts, poisoning, hypoxia/anoxia, infection

encephalitis

inflammation of the CNS due to infection

example internal causes of ABI

strokes, aneurisms, tumors, epilepsy, dementia, secondary effects of TBI

secondary effects of TBI

haemorrhage, haematoma, intracranial pressure, posttraumatic epilepsy

open head injuries

occur where there is penetration of the skull and protective membrane

symptoms of open head injuries

no loss of consciousness, localised symptoms, rapid and spontaneous recovery

closed head injuries

occur where there is no penetration of the skull or protective membrane, and damage results from mechanical forces

concussion

a violent jarring or shaking that results in a disturbance of brain function

coup

the initial impact of the brain against the skull during a closed head injury

contrecoup

the rebound effect of the brain moving within the skull after an initial impact, causing injury on the opposite side

glasgow coma scale (GCS)

measures the presence and depth of a coma

posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) scale

measures the period of time prior to the return of ongoing memory following a TBI

very mild PTA

PTA under 5 mins

mild PTA

PTA 5-60minutes

moderate PTA

PTA 1-24 hours

severe PTA

PTA 1-7 days

very severe PTA

PTA 1-4 weeks

extremely severe PTA

over 4 weeks

mild GCS

GCS score 13-15

moderate GCS

GCS score 9-12

severe GCS

GCS score 3-8

chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

associated with repeated head injury, mental health problems, and dementias

mild TBI or concussion

associated with PTA lasting under 24 hours, confusion, dizziness, disorientation, and nausea

moderate to severe TBI or ongoing symptoms

associated with a coma over 1 hour and PTA over 24 hours, sensorimotor deficits, fatigue, focal impairments, and cognitive and behavioural issues

negative psychosocial outcomes for moderate-severe TBI

unemployment and changed roles, reduced participation, social isolation, depression and anxiety, low self worth, sexuality issues

direct cayses of psychosocial problems after ABI

disruption ot neural networks associated with emotional regulation, initiation, motivation, etc

secondary causes of psychosocial problems after ABI

social isolation, reduced independence, changed roles, grief and loss, medication side effects

ischemic stroke

where a blocked artery cuts off blood supply to the brain

haemorrhagic stroke

where a blood vessel leaks or bursts so blood spills into the brain tissue or surrounds the brain

risks of stroke

aged older than 55, male, family history, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol and drug use, smoking, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea

symptoms of a stroke

sudden difficulty understanding or producing speech, paralysis or numbness on one side of the body, trouble seeing and walking, poor balance, sudden and severe headache

FAST system of recognising stroke

face and arms (paralysis), speech, time

left sided stroke

causes right sided weakness and language deficits

right sided stroke

causes left sided weakness and visuospatial deficits

focal cognitive issues of stroke

perception, agnosia, language, neglect, apraxia

generalised impairments of stroke

memory, executive function, attention, social and emotional perception

nonverbal mood assessments

depression intensity scale circles (DISCs); stroke aphasic depression questionnaire (SADQ) when completed by informants