Nervous System Medical Conditions

Dementia

Progressive deterioration of cognitive abilities and memories that impairs the performance of ADL, thinking, reasoning, and remembering

Dementia Causes, Reversibility, and Cure

AD, PD, Vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia; not reversible and no cure

Dementia Risk Factor

Advancing age

Mini Mental State Examination

Screening tool used to help diagnose dementia by assessing memory, orientation, language comprehension, naming, and copying

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Medication that may help slow the progression of some dementias

Brain Tumor Cause

Developed in the brain or metastasize from other primary tumors

Brain Tumor

Benign or malignant tumor in the brain

Brain Tumor Symptoms

Progression of neurological deficit, seizures, or nonspecific neurological symptoms including headache, dementia, personality change, or gait disorder

Glioma

Brain tumor made of neurological tissue

Methods to View Brain Tumors

CT or PET scan, or MRI

Neuroma

Tumor of nerve cells and nerve fibers

Astrocytoma

Brain tumor made of astrocytes

Astrocytoma Commonality, Prognosis, and Treatment

Most common primary metastatic brain tumor, poor prognosis, difficult to surgically remove and respond poorly to radiation

Oligodendroglioma Prognosis and Treatment

Malignant tumor of the CNS; can be surgically removed and respond to chemotherapy

Meningioma and Cure

Benign tumor of the meninges that can be cured by surgical removal

Cerebrovascular Accident Cause

Disruption of blood flow to the brain, stroke or aneurysm

Stroke Types

Hemorrhagic and Ischemic

Hemorrhagic Stroke Cause

Rupture of blood vessel in the brain

Ischemic Stroke Cause

Blood clots block blood flow to the brain; embolism or thrombosis

Embolism

A clot that travels to the brain from another area of the body

Thrombosis

A clot that develops in the cerebral artery

Compression

Pressure from tumor squeezes adjacent blood vessel and blocks blood flow

Aneurysm

Weakness in the blood vessel wall that is at risk for hemorrhage

Infarct

Area of tissue damage or death caused by lack of blood supply

Cerebrovascular Accident Treatment

Reestablish blood flow to the brain ASAP by stopping hemorrhage, clot removal, or relieving artery compression

Cerebrovascular Accident Severity of Symptoms

Depends on location of injury and size of hemorrhage/infarct; delayed treatment increases the risk of permanent injury or death

Seizure

Episode of sudden, abnormal, and excessive activity of the CNS causing uncontrollable changes in attention and/or behavior

Epilepsy

Chronic disorder of the brain causing recurrent seizures

Multiple Sclerosis

Chronic disease of the CNS commonly caused by the immune system

Multiple Sclerosis Characteristics

Inflammation, demyelination, and scarring of nerves

Plaque

Damage to the myelin sheath

Location of Plaque in Multiple Sclerosis

Develop in the neurons of the brain and spinal cord

Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms and Severity

Tremors, spasms, muscle weakness in the limbs, incoordination, paresthesia, and visual and speech disturbances; can range from mild to severely debilitating, and can be progressive or relapsing-remitting

Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

Oral steroid medication for acute attacks and worsening symptoms and disease-modifying agents that act on the immune system to prevent progression

Parkinson’s Disease

Disorder where the nerve cells that control movement begin to deteriorate, decreasing dopamine

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter in the brain that carries nerve impulses from one neuron to another

Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms

Tremor of extremities at rest, bradykinesia, akinesia, rigid limbs, shuffling gait, and stooped posture; tremor typically starts unilaterally then progresses to both sides

Parkinson’s Disease Complications

Depression, cognitive impairment or dementia, and sleep dysfunction

Parkinson’s Disease Treatment

Medications to increase dopamine are used to control tremors and physical symptoms; deep brain stimulation may be used when medication is no longer effective

Deep Brain Stimulation

Surgical implantation of a device that interferes with and blocks abnormal signals using electronic stimulation of the areas of the brain that control movement