Glioma

• a cancerous brain tumor composed of one of several types of glial cells

Metastasis

• the process by which cells break off of a tumor, travel throught the vascular system, and grow elsewhere in the body

Gereralized Seizure Types

1. Tonic-clonic or Grand Mal
2. Petit Mal
3. Atonic

Partial Seizure Types

1. Simple- involves no major change in consciousness
2. Complex- involves a state of  altered consciousness

Partial Seizure (simple or complex)

• a partial seizure (either simple or complex) that evolves into a generalized cortical seizure--> then becomes a grand mal seizure

Tonic-clonic or Grand Mal Seizure

• a generalized seizure that has no apparent local onset
• results in a convulsion

Petit Mal Seizure

• a generalized seizure with no apparent local onset
• often seen in children
• no convulsions
• charecterized by periods of innatention which are not subsequently remembered

Atonic Seizure

• a generalized seizure that has no apparent local onset
• results in a loss of muscle tone and temporary paralysis

Aura

• a sensation that precedes a seizure
• the nature varies according to the location of the focus

Tonic Phase

• the first phase of a grand mal seizure
• all of the patient's skeletal muscles become contracted

Clonic Phase

• the second phase of a grand mal seizure
• begins with the onset of the convulsions

Hemorrhagic Stroke

• A cerebrovascular accident
• caused by the rupture of a cerebral blood vessel which causes bleeding in the brain

Obstuctive Stroke

• a cerebrovascular accident
• caused by the plugging of a blood vessel-->can be caused by thrombi or emboli

Ischemia

• the loss of blood flow to a region

Thrombus

• a blood clot that forms within a blood vessel, which may occlude it

Embolus

• a piece of matter (such as a blood clot, or bacterial debris)that dislodges from its site of origin and occludes an artery
• in the brain an embolus can lead to a stroke

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

• a birth defect caused by ingestion of alcohol caused by ingestion of alcohol by a pregnant woman
• includes facial anomalies and faulty brain development

Phenylketonuria

(PKU)

• a hereditary disorder
• casued by a lack of an enzyme that converts phenylalanine (an amino acid)-->to tyrosine (another amino acid)
• excessive amounts of phenylalanine in the blood interferes with the myelination of the cerebral neurons in the CNS
• results in sever mental retardation if a low-phenylalanine diet is not followed

Tay-Sachs Disease

• a hereditory disorder that is fatal
• is a disorder of the metabolic storage system where the brain's lysosomes are disfunctional
• mostly in childern of Eastern European descent

Down Syndrome

• a disorder that one is born with
• higher liklihood if mother is older
• caused by the presence of an extra twenty-first chromosome
• charecterized by moderate or severe mental retardation

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy

(BSE or "Mad Cow Disease")

• a contagious brain disease
• the degenerative process gives the brain a spongelike appearence
• caused by the accumulation of misfolded prion (or protein infectious agents)

Parkinson's Disease

• one of the most common degenerative disorders
• caused by the degeneration of the nigrostriatal system--the dopamine secreting neurons in the substancia nigra that sends axons to the basal ganglia
• symptoms include rigidity, slowness of movement, and a resting tremor
• surviving dopaminurgic neurons show Lewy bodies (abnormal circular structures found within the cytoplasm)
• not usually a hereditary disorder
• standard treatment is L-Dopa, but is only effective for around 5 years

Huntington's Disease

• an degenerative and inherited disorder that manifests in the 30-40 year range
• causes degeneration of the basal ganglia
• charachterized by progressively more severe uncontrollable jerking movements, writing movements, dementia, and then death

Alzheimer's Disease

• a degenerative disorder of unknown origin
• produces severe degeneration of the hippocampus, eneocotrex, nucleus basalis, locus coeruleus, and raphe nuclei
• charachterized by the progressive loss of memory and other mental functions

Neorofibrillary Tangles

• a dying neuron containing intracellular accumulations of B-amyloid and twisted protein filaments (tau protein) that formerly served as the cell's internal skeleton
• during the progression of Alzeimers the tau proteins become damaged because of an excess of phosphate ions

B-amyloid

• a protein found in excessive amounts in the brains of patients with Alzeimer's Disease
• amyloid plaques are an abnormal structure of extracellular deposits that consist of a dense core of this protein, B-amyloid
• formed from B-amyloid precusor protein (APP)

Multiple Sclerosis

(MS)

• an autoimmune demyelinating disease
• at scattered locations within the CNS, the myelin sheaths are attacked by the person's immune system
• leaves behind hard patches of debris called sclerotic plaques
• more common in people born in cold locations or winter/early spring
• treatment: Inteferon B

Encephalitis

• an infectious disease that causes inflammation of the brain
• caused by bacteria, viruses, or toxic chemicals
• can be caused by the herpes simplex virus