Question | Answer |
weakness with sustained actvitiy; ptosis; problems with speech | myasthenia gravis |
ipsilateral paralysis below lesion; ipsilateral loss of position, vibration and touch below lesion; contralateral loss of pain and temp startingone or two dermatomes below lesion; ipsilateral loss of pain and temp at zone of injury only | brown-sequard syndrome |
bilateral loss of pain and temp in UE; no LE loss of pain or temp; position, vibration and touch OK thoughout body; paralysis of muscles innervated by segments involved; progresses to cause upper motor neuron signs in LE | Syringomyelia |
loss of hearing; ipsilateral facial paralysis; ipsilateral reduced facial sensation and gait unsteadiness | acoustic neuroma (caused by tumor of CN VIII) |
akinesia; bradykinesia; resting tremor; rigidity; postural instability | Parkinson's Disease- caused by pathology of the substantia nigra pars compacta |
chorea; irritability, depression and apathy; attentional and memor deficits; dementia | Huntington Disease (caused medium spiny neuron death in the GPe) |
uncontrolled movements of the proximal limb muscles | Hemiballismus (usually caused by unilateral stroke of the subthalamic nucleus and is treated with dopamine antagonists) |
stance/gait ataxia; no individual limb ataxia; rotated/tilted head; nystagmus; titubation | Midline cerebellar damage |
decomposition of momvement; stance/gait ataxia secondary to ataxia of single limbs; hypotonia; dysarthria; dysmetria; dysdiadochokinesia; action tremor | lateral cerebellar damage (left side damage will manifest on left side of body) |
expressive aphasia | Broca's aphasia- left frontal lobe middle cerebral artery stroke |
receptive aphasia | Wernicke's aphasia- L temporal lobe middle cerebral artery stroke |
motor symptoms in the face, UE and LE | Middle cerebral artery occlusion in the internal capsule |
loss of pain and sensation throughout | posterior cerebral artery occlusion in the thalamus |
rigid posture with flexed UE and extended LE and clenched fists during coma | Decorticate coma (cortical damage) |
rigid posture with extended UE and LE, head, back and neck | Decerebrate coma (cerebrum damage-below colliculi but above vestibular nuclei) |
total loss of vision in ipsilateral eye | optic nerve lesion |
loss of vision in temporal halves of both fields (tunnel vision) | Optic chiasm lesion (only lesion causing nonhomonymous deficit) |
Loss of vision in half of visual field (contralateral hemianopsia) | optic tract lesion |
loss of vision in upper quadrant of opposite half of visual field | optic radiation lesion |
Pros of CT imaging | rapid, inexpensive, easy to monitor patient during process |
Cons of CT imaging | brainstem view limited by nearby dense bone |
Pros of MRI | greater detail and contrast; 3-D; picks up subtle changes; reveals disruption of blood brain barrier |
Cons of MRI | Claustrophobia; can't image ppl on life support; can't immage ppl with ferrous implants or debris in eye; can't image pregnant women |