UCI bio 37 midterm 2 study guide

Brain volume: decrease in grey matter is associated with ___

reduction in neuronal number and/or volume

Brain volume: decrease in white matter associated with _____

reduction in the diameter of myelin sheath

neurogenesis

creation of new neurons in the adult brain

can neurons be replaced?

NO!

what seems to slow down neurogenesis ?

brain aging

What is parabiosis research?

the discovery that young blood reverses age-related impairments (young blood improves old subject performance)

Dementia

disease of the brain in which many neurons in the cerebrum die, the cerebral cortex shrinks in size, and there is progressive deterioration in mental function

Mild dementia

person retains judgement and can sustain daily activities on her/his own but work and social activities are impaired

moderate dementia

independent living becomes hazardous and some degree of supervision is necessary

severe dementia

Cognitive abilities are so compromised that the person requires constant supervision

brain disorder

any disorder of the neurons system that involves alteration in cognition brain structure, and/or neurochemistry

specific disorders (focal damage)

the disorder depends on the area of the brain affected (bullet wounds, strokes)

generalized disorder (widespread damage)

the disorder affect multiple cognitive abilities (closed head injury, dementing disorders, demyelinating disease, toxic substance)

What is vascular dementia?

progressive worsening of memory and other cognitive functions that are presumed to be due to the vascular disease within the brain

What causes vascular dementia?

caused by conditions that damage blood vessels or reduce/block blood flow to the brain

What are vascular dementia risk factors?

- high blood pressure

- diabetes

- high cholesterol

- obesity

- family history of heart problems

- smoking

What causes Lewy body dementia?

Associated with abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha- synuclein in the brain

what are Lewy bodies ?

they are the hallmark of the disease and many neurons in the substantia nigra and cortex contain abnormal structures

What are tauopathies?

a group of progressive neurodegenerative disorders that are pathologically define by the presence of tau protein aggregates in the brain

Why is tau and microtubule stability important?

microtubule-associated proteins is Tau's most important role in maintaining axonal transport and neuronal integrity

What is frontotemporal dementia?

Occurs secondary to degeneration of the frontal lobe and temporal lobe.

What does frontotemporal dementia do?

causes a child-like state as deficit in emotional, behavioral and moral reasoning

what are frontotemporal risk factors ?

- approx. 40% of people with FTD have family history of FTD or dementia

- 5-10% of patients have family history with autosomal dominant inheritance Ts mutation linked to FTD

What is Alzheimer's disease?

an irreversible and progressive neurodegenerative disorder.

Mild Alzheimer's disease

loss of recent memory, faculty judgement, personality changes

Moderate Alzheimer's Disease

verbal and physical aggression, agitation, wandering, sleep disturbance, delusions

Severe Alzheimer's Disease

loss of all reasoning, beridden, communication disability

What is a amyloid plaques?

- insoluble (substance unable to dissolve) extracellular (occurring outside the cell) deposits (layering)

What are neurofibrillary tangles?

- Intracellular accumulation of Tau

-bundles of insoluble fibers within neurons

- composed of hyperphosphorylated (fully saturated, bad) tau proteins

Animal models

A living, non-human animal used to research a human disease, for the purpose of better understanding the disease without the risk of harming a human being during the process

importance of animal models

- they help understand how the body functions and the pathology of disease

- contribute to human welfare

What is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?

-(similar to mad cow) rare fatal brain disorder, characterized by rapidly progressive dementia

what caused creutzfeldt-jakob disease?

it is caused by a group of transmissible protein agents known as prions

what is the function of prion protein (PrPc)

- evidence shows it has a role for memory and sleep

- located in pre and post synaptic sites where it may regulate ion channels and neurotransmitter receptor function

What are stem cells?

- can make precise copies of themselves over and over again (self-renewal) and can "differentiate" or mature into different cell types

Stem Cells Importance

- generate tissue during development

- maintain proper tissue homeostasis

- replaces lost cells or dying cells

embryonic stem cells

- embryonic cells, which can develop into any type of body cell

-pluripotent stems cells(same as ESC) are derived (taken) from the inner mass of the blastocyst

Stem cell therapy for Parkinson

a stem cell treatment designed to target dopamine neurons to help with the creation of new neurons

Stem cell therapy for Alzheimer's

a stem cell replacement therapy to replace damaged tissue

Which has the potential to generate a whole organism ?

totipotent stem cells

____________ are beta-amyloid protein aggregates that form clusters of misfolded protein outside the cell bodies.

plaques

which of the following is currently being used to successfully treat AD pathogen

- none, there is not treatment or cure

what are risks for vascular dementia?

- heart disease

- high cholesterol

- high blood pressure