Essential Neuroscience and Speech-Language Pathology Concepts

What disciplines are closely related to speech-language-hearing pathology (SLP)?

Neuroscience

What is the primary structure of the brain that occupies a large percentage and has a six-layered cellular organization?

The neocortex

What are some of the substrates generated by the human brain?

Consciousness, cognition, symbolic communication, learning, knowledge, personality, emotions, thoughts, creative ability, mental imagery, and skilled sensorimotor functions.

What is the main focus of neuroscience in relation to higher mental functions?

To identify and explain the mechanisms the brain uses to acquire and regulate higher mental functions and produce basic and skilled actions.

What are the key areas of study within the domain of neuroscience?

Anatomic structures, cellular functions, and physiologic processes of the nervous system.

How does neuroscience aid in speech-language pathology (SLP)?

It helps understand the physiologic correlates and relationships among speech, language, gestures, and cognition.

What is the role of a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in understanding human cognition and communication?

To understand mental processes and disorders, conduct assessments, and manage therapeutic interventions.

What types of disorders may cognitive and communicative issues arise from?

Head trauma, vascular accidents, embryologic malformations, degenerative conditions, tumors, epilepsy, and various congenital and acquired organic disorders.

What foundational knowledge is important for training in neuroscience for SLPs?

Functional clinical neurology and how nerve cells communicate.

What skills should SLPs learn to identify in relation to brain dysfunction?

Signs and symptoms involving cortical and subcortical areas.

What principles should SLPs comprehend for effective diagnosis?

Principles of differential diagnosis.

What is the significance of neuroimaging in neuroscience practice?

It helps recognize clinically significant signs, both covert and overt.

What questions are important to consider in neuroscience practice?

What is the cause of the issue? Which anatomic structures or pathways are involved? On which side of the neuraxis is the lesion located? How can a patient's functional skills be optimized?

What is the focus of neurology?

Diagnosis and treatment of nervous system disorders.

What does neurosurgery involve?

Surgical removal of dysfunctioning structures that impair the functions of the nervous system.

What is neuroanatomy?

The study of the structural framework of the nervous system, consisting of nerve cells (neurons) and their tracts (fibers).

What is the role of neuroradiology?

Imaging techniques for differentiating pathologic tissue of the central nervous system and radiation therapy for nervous system tumors.

What does neuroembryology study?

The embryologic origin and development of the nervous system.

What is neurophysiology?

The study of chemical, electrical, and metabolic functions of the nervous system.

What does neuropathology focus on?

The characteristics and origins of diseases and their effects on the nervous system.

What is a cerebrovascular accident (stroke)?

A sudden loss of sensorimotor, speech, and language functions caused by interrupted blood supply to the brain.

What is a neoplasm?

Damage caused by infiltration and invasion of normal structures by uncontrolled cell growth (benign or malignant).

What is multiple sclerosis?

A progressive autoimmune disease of myelin degeneration in the CNS affecting nerve conduction speed.

What characterizes Alzheimer disease?

A progressive degenerative disease of the brain associated with dementia in the elderly population.

What is Pick disease?

A degeneration marked by the presence of abnormal substances (Pick bodies and Tau protein) in nerve cells of the frontal-temporal lobes.

What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?

Degeneration of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord.

What is Huntington chorea?

A degenerative brain disease of dominant inheritance appearing in the mid-30s.

What is Parkinson disease?

A degenerative motor disease of the brain characterized by tremor, movement slowness, and reduced muscular strength affecting motor speech.

What does cerebral palsy encompass?

Developmental sensorimotor disorders in children with or without communicative and cognitive deficits.

What is Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome?

A condition characterized by amnesia, confabulation, and psychosis caused by Thiamine deficiency due to chronic alcoholism.

What is meningitis?

A viral or bacterial inflammatory infection of the CNS membranes.

What is epilepsy?

Impairment of sensory, motor, cognitive, and affective functions secondary to abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

What is the definition of a condition affecting brain cellular functioning?

A cover term for any condition (internally generated or externally induced by drugs) with effects on brain's cellular functioning.

What causes traumatic brain injury?

Broken axons, ruptured arteries, and tissue damage from excessive movement of the brain within the skull.

What are the principles governing the human brain?

Interconnectivity, centrality of the CNS, hierarchy of neuraxial organization, laterality of brain organization, functional networking, topographical representation, plasticity, and culturally neutral brain.

How does interconnectivity in the brain function?

Primary motor and sensory regions are connected through association and commissural fibers, allowing messages from one source to trigger integrated responses across multiple brain regions.

What is the centrality of the CNS?

The CNS integrates all incoming and outgoing information and generates appropriate responses, which can be mental functions or volitional actions.

Describe the hierarchy of neuraxial organization in the CNS.

The CNS is hierarchically organized, with the spinal cord at the lowest level serving simple functions, and the cerebral cortex at the highest level responsible for complex functions like cognition and language.

What are the functional differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain?

The left hemisphere is associated with language, speech, and analytical processing, while the right hemisphere is linked to emotions, musical skills, and temporospatial attributes.

What is contralateral sensorimotor control?

The left motor cortex controls movements in the right half of the body and vice versa, with decussation occurring in the lower medulla.

What distinguishes general cells from special cells in the nervous system?

General cells originate from the body's surface and respond to nonspecific stimuli, while special cells mediate information through specialized receptors for specific functions like vision and smell.

What are somatic and visceral structures in the nervous system?

Somatic structures involve striated skeletal muscles, while visceral structures involve non-striated muscles related to vegetative tasks and internal organs.

What types of neurons are classified as pyramidal?

Pyramidal neurons are the most common type found in all cortical layers except the first, projecting to adjacent association cortex and connected with subcortical structures.

What is the role of stellate and interneurons in the brain?

Stellate and interneurons serve as local circuits, projecting to association cortices and functioning as association cells.

What is the gray matter in the cerebral cortex?

Gray matter is a 3- to 5-mm thick layer of neurons covering the cerebral hemispheres, arranged into six horizontal layers essential for higher mental and sensorimotor functions.

What is the difference between isocortex and allocortex?

Isocortex (neocortex) has six layers and serves higher functions, while allocortex includes archicortex (3 layers) and paleocortex (3-5 layers) serving memory and emotional behavior.

What are Brodmann areas?

Brodmann areas are distinct functional regions of the brain identified by their cellular morphology and thickness, mapped into 47 regions.

What is the function and location of the primary motor cortex?

The primary motor cortex is located in the frontal lobe at the precentral gyrus and is responsible for motor control.

Where is Broca's area located and what is its function?

Broca's area is located in the inferior frontal lobule of the frontal lobe and is involved in language production.

What does the primary sensory cortex do?

The primary sensory cortex, located in the parietal lobe at the postcentral gyrus, processes sensory information.

What is the significance of clinical orientation in patient assessment?

Clinical orientation involves viewing the patient from a specific perspective, where the patient's right is the clinician's left.

What is the role of deductive reasoning in neuroscience?

Deductive reasoning helps narrow down possible lesion sites by examining functional deficits and identifying breakdowns in neural circuitry.

What are neurological indicators of lesions in the nervous system?

Acute conditions are more significant than chronic ones; reduced strength and tone suggest PNS lesions, while increased tone indicates upper motor neuron lesions.

What are the signs of spasticity and rigidity in muscles?

Spasticity is characterized by increased muscle tone and may co-occur with the Babinski sign, while rigidity involves constant resistance during passive movement.

What autonomic abnormalities might indicate neurological issues?

Autonomic abnormalities can include difficulties in regulating body temperature and blood pressure.

What are the six altered facial locations that contribute to asymmetry?

Forehead, eye, facial contour, labial curve (loss of nasolabial fold), upper lip (loss of philtrum fold), mouth.

How are systems in the brain organized in relation to lesion localization?

They are mostly vertically organized, connecting the CNS to peripheral body regions.

What do signs and symptoms reflect in terms of lesion localization?

A breakdown in either ascending or descending pathways.

What complicates symptoms related to separate lesion sites?

The presence of multiple clinical indicators.

What is a clinical symptom of LMN syndrome involving impaired muscle stretch afferents?

Reduced (deep tendon) reflex.

What indicates LMN syndrome due to injury to motor nuclei?

Flaccid tone.

What is a sign of UMN syndrome?

Babinski sign.

What reflex is associated with UMN syndrome?

Hyperactive (brisk) reflex.

What are the symptoms of cortical lesions?

Contralateral hemiplegia, hemianesthesia of the face, trunk, and upper extremity; cortical sensory loss.

What results from damage to the dominant hemisphere in cortical lesions?

Aphasia, apraxia, finger agnosia, and acalculia.

What are the effects of damage to the non-dominant hemisphere?

Left-sided neglect or inattention, constructional and/or dressing deficits, spatial and temporal disorientation, impaired prosody, impaired ability to recognize faces.

What are the symptoms of subcortical lesions in the internal capsule?

Contralateral hemiplegia and loss of pain and temperature sensation equally for face, arms, and legs, without loss of higher mental functions.

What do involuntary movements suggest in the context of subcortical lesions?

Basal ganglia involvement.

What are the symptoms of a disorder of the vascular system due to middle cerebral artery occlusion?

Contralateral paralysis of the lower face, arm, and upper extremity, with accompanying sensory loss.

What are the effects of anterior cerebral artery distribution occlusion?

Toe, foot, and leg paralysis, with sensory loss and mental impairments such as distractibility, indecisiveness, and lack of spontaneity.

What are the symptoms associated with posterior cerebral artery involvement?

Homonymous hemianopsia and memory impairment.