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What disease affects only the motor neurons and spares the entire sensory system and intellect?
ALS
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What causes the effects of Parkinson's disease?
A low amount of dopamine and a normal amount of acetylcholine
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What should be your biggest concern in a patient with myasthenia gravis who is having SOB and difficulty swallowing?
The patient may go into respiratory arrest
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What disorder involves temporary paralysis of the face and is characterized by facial droop, ptosis, and facial twitching?
Bell's Palsy
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Define ptosis.
drooping of the eyelid
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Which disorder is an inherited muscle disorder in which the male patient gradually loses his ability to walk and most do not survive into their teenage years?
Muscular dystrophy
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Which type of spina bifida is most common?
Occult
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What is the term that is used for a local or diffuse change in a patient's muscle tone?
Dystonia
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What is primary dystonia caused by?
Damage to the extrapyramidal system
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What is primary dystonia as a neurological disorder?
- causes involuntary muscle contractions in any part of the body
- can force certain parts of the body into abnormal, sometimes painful, movements or postures
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What is myoclonus?
- describes a symptom, not a disease
- refers to sudden, involuntary jerking of a muscle or group of muscles
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Myoclonus can develop in response to what kinds of things?
- infection
- head injury or SCI
- stroke or brain tumors
- kidney or liver failure
- chemical or drug poisoning
- prolonged oxygen deprivation
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Define peripheral neuropathy.
diseases or disorders that affect the peripheral nervous system (spinal nerve roots, cranial nerves, peripheral nerves)
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What are some causes of peripheral neuropathy?
- diabetes
- dietary deficiencies especially B vitamins
- alcoholism
- uremia
- leprosy
- lead poisoning
- drug intoxication
- viral infection
- rheumatoid arthritis
- lupus
- malignant tumors
- lymphomas
- leukemias
- inherited neuropathies
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What is spina bifida?
congenital defect that stems from incomplete development of brain, spinal cord, and/or meninges
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What are the 4 types of spina bifida?
- occult
- meningocele
- myelomeningocele
- encephalocele
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What is occult spina bifida?
- most common form
- spinal cord and surrounding structures remain inside body
- could be completely asymptomatic for their whole life
- sometimes see a little tuft of hair at the base of the spine
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What is meningocele spina bifida?
- moderate form
- fluid filled sac outside the body but there are no nerves or cord parts in it
- translucent sac- look in it to ensure no tissue
- protect it- put the baby on their tummy
- not usually a lot of deficits from this but there can be
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What is myelomeningocele spina bifida?
- severe form
- cord and nerves outside of body
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What are the SXS of myelomeningocele spina bifida?
- weakness
- loss of sensation below the deficit
- problems with bowel and bladder
- often seen with hydrocephalus
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What is encephalocele spina bifida?
- protrusion through the skull with brain tissue inside
- put them on their side
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What is cerebral palsy?
congenital motor impairment disorder (non-progressive)
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What are the four major classifications of cerebral palsy?
- Spastic paralysis
- Dyskinetic
- Ataxic
- Mixed
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What is spastic paralysis cerebral palsy?
- most common form
- scissored legs
- hyperreflexia
- increased muscle tone
- damage is in motor cortex itself
- can be para, quad, or diplic
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What is dyskinetic cerebral palsy?
- 2nd most common form
- basal ganglia and extrapyramidal system are affected
- fine motor is mostly affected
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What is ataxic cerebral palsy?
- cerebellum is affected
- balance issues
- least common form
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What is mixed cerebral palsy?
combinations of the other types
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What common problems do all types of cerebral palsy share?
- CSF problems
- dysarthria
- mental retardation
- tongue thrusting
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What is Bell's palsy?
sudden temporary facial paralysis due to inflammation to CN VIII (Facial)
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What are the SXS of Bell's palsy?
- mild weakness to total paralysis
- twitching
- facial drooping
- ptosis
- NO PAIN
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Define neuralgia.
Pain due to damage or irritation of a nerve
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What is trigeminal neuralgia?
damage to CN V causes pain limited to the face but there is no motor involvement
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What is glossopharyngeal neuralgia?
- compression of CN IX due to inflammation causes severe pain in the tongue, throat, ear, and tonsils
- difficulty swallowing can occur
- can be life threatening if pressure starts to compress the brain stem
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Define neuroma.
a tumor on nerve cells
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What is acoustic neuroma?
a benign neoplasm compresses cranial nerve VIII and causes symptoms (can involve VII and V also)
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What are the SXS of acoustic neuroma?
- unilateral hearing loss (differentiating from Meniere's)
- balance disturbances
- tinnitus
- HA
- fullness in the ear
- trigeminal neuralgia
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What is Parkinson's disease?
progressive neurologic disease that affects the basal ganglia (and therefore fine motor control) due to an imbalance between low dopamine and normal ACH
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What are the SXS of Parkinson's disease?
- Tremors that occur at rest
- Rigidity
- Bradykinesia
- Micrographia
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How is Parkinson's treated?
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What is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis?
- ALS or Lou Gherig's disease; caused by the neurons in the mortor cortex and spinal cord wasting and hardening and becoming non-functional
- Affects voluntary skeletal muscle
- Rapidly progressing
- Does not affect intellect
- Starts in a specific isolated area and then progresses throughout body, causing paraplegia and eventually death (paralysis of diaphragm)
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What is muscular dystrophy?
refers to a group of motor neuron genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of skeletal muscles
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What is the most common form of MD?
- Duchenne's; affects males primarily
- involves the deficit of dystrophin protein that starts killing muscle and replacing it w/ connective tissue; usually can't walk by age 12
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What is multiple sclerosis?
- thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system
- involves destruction of CNS myelin (demyelination) of the white matter of the brain
- most common acquired disease of the nervous system in young adults, more women than men
- does not affect intellect
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What are the SXS of multiple sclerosis?
- fatigue
- vertigo
- clumsiness
- unsteady gait
- slurred speech
- blurred or double vision
- facial numbness or pain
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What is Guillian-Barre syndrome (GBS)?
- autoimmune inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves and sometimes cranial nerves
- exact cause is unknown but could be viral infections or immunizations
- causes damage to myelin sheaths
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What are the SXS of Guillian-Barre syndrome?
- progressive muscle weakness
- can affect ANS-swallowing and respiration
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What is myasenthia gravis?
- chronic autoimmune disorder that destroys ACH receptor sites at neuromuscular junctions
- prevents nerve impulses from reaching the muscles
- weakness and rapid fatigue occurs in affected muscles
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When does myasenthia gravis usually affect females?
ages 20-30
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When does myasenthia gravis usually affect males?
ages 70-80
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What are some SXS of myasenthia gravis?
- drooping eyelids
- difficulty speaking
- difficulty swallowing and chewing
- weakened respiratory muscles
- difficulty with extremity movements
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What is a myasthenic crisis?
- Severe muscle weakness involving respiratory insufficiency
- Problem here is respiratory arrest
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What is a cholinergic crisis?
- associated with myasenthia gravis
- anticholinergic drug toxicity causes SLUDGE symptoms along with symptoms of myasthenic crisis
- the muscles stop responding to ACH and can lead to paralysis of respiratory muscles
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