CNS trauma — Flashcards

Flashcard 1: Which disease is characterized by degeneration of both the lateral corticospinal tracts and the anterior horn cells in the spinal cord?

Answer: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Flashcard 2: _____ is a trinucleotide repeat disorder that causes degeneration of the cerebellum and multiple spinal cord tracts

Answer: Friedreich ataxia

Flashcard 3: Microglia are activated in response to _____

Answer: tissue damage

Flashcard 4: What type necrosis is seen with brain infarcts and abscess? _____

Answer: Liquefactive necrosis

Flashcard 5: Amyloid angiopathy increases risk for intracranial _____

Answer: hemorrhage

Flashcard 6: On imaging, patients with Diffuse Axonal Injury will show multiple _____ at grey-white matter junctions

Answer: punctate hemorrhages

Flashcard 7: Which vascular layer do saccular (berry) aneurysms lack?_____

Answer: Tunica Media

Flashcard 8: What is the term for infarcted tissue in the basal ganglia or internal capsule caused by occlusion of a lenticulostriate artery?

Answer: lacunar infarct

Flashcard 9: epidural hematoma

Answer: rupture of middle meningeal artery; fracture of temporal bone

Extra: rapid arterial bleedinglucid interval followed by decreased LOC; CN 3 palsy, increased ICPCT: biconvex, hyperdense blood; does not cross sutures; may cross falx, tentorium 

Flashcard 10: What is the cause of central pontine myelinolysis?

Answer: Often iatrogenic; caused by rapid correction of chronic hyponatremia.

Extra: - Pathogenesis: Massive axonal demyelination of pontine white matter tracts. - Clinical Features: Acute paralysis, dysarthria, dysphagia, diplopia, loss of consciousness; may progress to locked-in syndrome. - MRI (T2): Increased signal (hyperintensity) in the central pons. - Mnemonic: "From Low to High (Sodrum), your Pons will Die."