Brain Bee: Diseases to Know | Quizlet

Dementia may also be referred to as:

Major neurocognitive disorder

What changes in the brain are associated with Alzheimer's?

Neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles

Which type of Alzheimer's gets worse faster?

Early-onset

A condition in which a person has more memory and thinking problems than other people their age that do not interfere with daily activities

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)

What are most common tests for Alzheimer's diagnosis?

Physical and nervous system exams, asking about medical history and symptoms, mental function tests, and neuropsychological testing

Less common tests for Alzheimer's

PET scan and lumbar puncture

What are medicines for Alzheimer's meant to do?

Slow rate at which symptoms worsen, lower beta amyloid in the brain, control behavior problems like judgment or confusion

True or False: Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff's syndrome are the same disease.

False; they are 2 different conditions that often occur together

------- tends to develop as ---------- as symptoms go away.

Korsakoff syndrome/psychosis, Wernicke's encephalopathy

Wernicke encephalopathy causes brain damage in which parts of the brain?

Lower parts, like thalamus and hypothalamus

Korsakoff psychosis results from what?

Permanent damage to brain areas involved in memory

What is the main treatment for Wernicke-Korsakoff's?

Increasing vitamin B1 levels through IV or muscle injection, but it does not improve loss of memory or intellect

How do you prevent Wernicke-Korsakoff's?

Not drinking/ drinking alcohol in moderation, and good nutrition

What are some characteristics of a person with Korsakoff's?

Abnormal eye movement, low blood pressure and body temp., fast heart rate, decreased/abnormal reflexes, malnourished appearance, muscle weakness, gait problems

Symptoms of Wernicke encephalopathy

Confusion and loss of mental activity, loss of muscle coordination (ataxia) and tremors, vision changes and abnormal eye movements (nystagmus), alcohol withdrawal

Symptoms of Korsakoff's syndrome

Inability to form new memories, memory loss, making up stories (confabulation), hallucinations

What is the main cause of Parkinson's?

The death of dopamine neurons

Parkinson's most often develops after which age?

60

General symptoms of Parkinson's

Balance and walking problems, rigid or stiff muscles, muscle aches and pains, stooped posture, low BP when standing up (orthostatic hypotension), difficulty swallowing, no face expression, handwriting problems

Which scan can show abnormalities suggesting Parkinson's and investigates a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the striatum?

DaT scan

What common types of surgery may be used to treat Parkinson's?

DBS (electric stimulators), surgery to destroy certain brain tissues, and investigated stem cell transplants

Alternative names for Parkinson's

Paralysis agitans, or shaking palsy

A nervous system problem that causes extreme sleepiness and attacks of daytime sleep

Narcolepsy

People with narcolepsy have a low level of what chemical?

Hypocretin/orexin

Why do people with narcolepsy have low orexin levels?

There are fewer orexin-producing neurons, most likely due to an autoimmune reaction

When do narcolepsy symptoms usually first occur?

Between 15-30 years of age

What are some symptoms of narcolepsy?

Extreme daytime sleepiness, uncontrollable urge to sleep, sleep attacks, cataplexy (can't move), hallucinations, sleep paralysis

This type of narcolepsy involves having excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, and low hypocretin levels.

Type 1

This type of narcolepsy involves having excessive daytime sleepiness but no cataplexy and normal hypocretin levels

Type 2

A test to see how long it takes you to fall asleep during a daytime nap

Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT)

What medicines can help manage narcolepsy and its effects?

Stimulants, antidepressants, and sodium oxybate (Xyrem)

A disease of the nerve cells in the brain, brain stem and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

What happens to motor nerve cells in ALS?

They waste away/die and can no longer send messages to muscles, leading to muscle weakening, twitching, and inability to move body parts

People with ALS have a loss of which 2 things?

Muscle strength and coordination

Do people with ALS have difficulty with cognitive abilities?

No, most can still think normally even though a few develop dementia

Does ALS affect the senses?

No

What 2 medicines can help slow progression of ALS symptoms?

Riluzole and edaravone

What are some risk factors for developing alcohol use disorder?

Peer pressure for young adults, depression, bipolar, anxiety disorders, PTSD, or schizophrenia, low self-esteem, problems with relationships, stressful lifestyle

What are some symptoms of alcohol addiction?

Drinking more or longer than you planned, wanting to stop drinking but being unable to, spending lots of time and effort to obtain alcohol, craving alcohol, poor performance, risky situations, continuing to drink even though it is a problem, tolerance, withdrawal

What is the most effective treatment for alcohol addiction?

Completely stopping use (abstinence)

What is the combined practice of medication prescription along with counseling and behavioral terapy to help you quit called?

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)

What are some mediciens used in MAT?

Acamprosate (reduces cravings), disulfiram (bad reaction when you drink, should only be used after you stop drinking), naltrexone (blocks pleasurable feelings)

What may alcohol use disorder increase the risk of?

Digestive tract bleeding, brain cell damage, Wernicke-Korsakoff, cancer, high blood pressure, liver disease, memory loss and problems, fetal alcohol syndrome (pregnancy)

What factors may play a role in developing OCD?

Prior head injury, infections, abnormal function in brain areas, genes, and a history of abuse

When are most people diagnosed with OCD?

By age 19 or 20, though some do not show symptoms until 30

What specific medicine has been shown to be effective for many with OCD?

Clomipramine

How does talk therapy and CBT work for people with OCD?

They are exposed many times to a situation that triggers obsessive thoughts and learn to tolerate the anxiety and resist compulsion

A group of disorders that involves the brain and affects nervous system functions like movement, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking

Cerebral palsy

What is CP typically caused by?

Injuries or abnormalities of the brain that occur when the baby is in the womb

What are characteristics of spastic CP?

Tight muscles that don't stretch, abnormal gait and "scissor" movements in legs, tight joints, muscle weakness

When are symptoms of Tourette's first noticed?

During childhood, at 6 years of age

Most children with Tourette's have what other medical problems?

ADHD, OCD, impulse control disorder, or depression

To be diagnosed with Tourette's, a person must:

Have had many motor tics and one or more vocal tics several times a day for a period of over a year; have started tics before age 18; have no other brain problems or medicines causing symptoms

Why are people with mild symptoms of Tourette's not treated?

The side effects of the medication may be worse than the disease's symptoms

Tourette's may be linked to problems with which chemical substances?

Dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine

What is a telltale symptom of OSA?

Loud snoring

What factors may increase the risk of sleep apnea?

Shorter lower jaw than upper, certain palate or airway shapes that make it collapse more easily, large neck/collar size, large tongue, tonsils, or adenoids, and obesity

What is a type of sleep disorder similar to OSA during which breathing also can stop?

Central sleep apnea

How is CSA different from OSA?

The brain temporarily stops sending signals to muscles that control breathing rather than a blocked airway

What surgical procedures may be done to help with OSA?

Removing extra throat tissue, correcting face structure problems, creating windpipe opening to bypass blocked airway, removing tonsils, implanting pacemaker device

What are the 2 types of stroke?

Ischemic and hemorrhagic

What are the 2 ways in which an ischemic stroke happens?

A clot forms in an already narrow artery (thrombotic stroke), or, a clot may break off from another place in the brain's blood vessels and travel to the brain (cerebral embolism/embolic stroke)

What blood vessel defects may increase likelihood of a hemorrhagic stroke?

Aneurysm (weak area in blood vessel), arteriovenous malformation/AVM (abnormal artery-vein connection), and cerebral amyloid angiopathy/CAA (amyloid proteins build on artery walls in brain)

What is the main risk factor for stroke?

High blood pressure

To be effective, a blood thinner must be administered within how many hours of a stroke?

4 1/2