Neuro - Pathology Flashcards Preview

A 30-year-old female is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. What do the characteristic periventricular plaques on her MRI represent?

Identify the histologic findings of this biopsy sample from an oligodendroglioma.

Identify the brain tumor associated with this MRI demonstrating a tumor in the cerebral hemispheres, crossing the corpus callosum.

What is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly?

Senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles characterize what type of dementia?

The genes APP, presenilin-1, presenilin-2, and ApoE4 are associated with the familial form of what type of dementia?

Alzheimer’s disease may cause amyloid angiopathy, which may result in what serious complication?

What is the difference between the Apo isoforms E2 and E4 in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease?

What is the second most common cause of dementia in the elderly after Alzheimer’s Disease?

What degenerative disease of the cerebral cortex affects only the frontal and temporal lobes?

An elderly woman is increasingly socially inappropriate and inattentive, and she has difficulty speaking. What type of dementia is most likely to cause this her decrement in executive functioning?

What degenerative disease of the cerebral cortex is caused by an -synuclein defect?

_____ bodies are characterized by intracellular aggregated τ-protein in neurons.

What degenerative disease of the cerebral cortex is associated with a rapidly progressive dementia (occurring over weeks to months), myoclonus, and a spongiform cortex?

What degenerative disease of the cerebral cortex is characterized by parkinsonism, dementia, and hallucinations?

Name the pathologic proteins responsible for Creutzfeld-Jakob disease.

The intracellular neurofibrillary tangles found in patients with Alzheimer’s disease are commonly made up of abnormally phosphorylated _____ protein.

What proportion of patients with Alzheimer;s disease have the familial form?

What potentially treatable forms of dementia must be ruled out before diagnosing a patient with Alzheimer’s disease?

What will cerebrospinal fluid studies of a patient with multiple sclerosis show?

A patient presents with sudden loss of vision, internuclear ophthalmoplegia, hemiparesis, and bladder incontinence. What disease does she most likely have?

Histologically, what are the periventricular plaques seen in multiple sclerosis?

Name five classic symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Use the mnemonic, SIN.

What is the treatment for multiple sclerosis?

Which imaging modality is considered diagnostic of multiple sclerosis if it has a characteristic appearance?

Multiple sclerosis causes damage to which of the following: axons, neuron cell bodies, myelin?

What demographic group is most likely to be affected by multiple sclerosis (race, sex and age)?

Is the course of multiple sclerosis usually rapidly progressive, chronic, insidious, or relapsing and remitting?

What syndrome is characterized by symmetric ascending muscle weakness that begins in the distal lower extremities and that typically occurs after or concurrent with an infection?

What is the mechanism by which the immune system is induced to destroy myelin in Guillan-Barr syndrome?

How long does it generally take patients to recover from Guillan-Barr syndrome?

Findings in Guillain-Barr syndrome include a(n) _____ (elevated/low/normal) cerebrospinal fluid protein level with a(n) ______ (elevated/low/normal) cell count.

What causes Guillain-Barr syndrome?

What is the prognosis for patients with Guillain-Barr syndrome?

How is Guillan-Barr treated?

In Guillan-Barr syndrome, what tissue is the target of autoimmune attack?

Which gastrointestinal bacterial infection is a common inciting event for Guillain-Barr syndrome?

Which rapidly progressive disease is characterized by demyelination of the central nervous system due to destruction of oligodendrocytes in AIDS patients?

Which virus has been implicated in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy?

In what percentage of AIDS patients is PML seen?

Which demyelinating disease may occur after infections with chickenpox or measles, or with rabies and smallpox vaccinations?

Which demyelinating disease is characterized by multifocal perivenular inflammation and demyelination?

What is the mode of inheritance of metachromatic leukodystrophy?

In metachromatic leukodystrophy, what is the consequence of sulfatide accumulation in cells?

In metachromatic leukodystrophy, which enzyme is deficient?

Which group of hereditary nerve disorders is characterized by defective production of proteins involved in the structure and function of peripheral nerves or the myelin sheath?

How do partial seizures differ from generalized seizures?

How do complex and simple partial seizures differ?

Name five possible causes of new-onset seizures in the elderly.

From which part of the brain do partial seizures most commonly originate?

What is epilepsy?

How does neuronal firing differ in seizure activity compared to normal function?

What are common causes of seizures in children?

A young girl sometimes lapses into a blank stare and then resumes her conversation as if nothing had happened. What kind of seizure may this child be experiencing?

What type of seizure is characterized by quick, repetitive jerks?

What are common causes of seizures among adults?

A spouse calls 911 and reports that her husband is on the floor thrashing with alternating stiffening movements. What kind of seizure might the patient be experiencing?

What type of seizure is associated with stiffening (as opposed to jerking)?

A 55-year-old woman presents to the emergency room with a seizure in which she first noted repetitive twitching of her left hand and left side of her mouth. Over 30 seconds, this twitching extended to her left shoulder and was followed by left thigh twitching. What is the most likely location of her seizure?

Drop seizures are also called _____ seizures.

What are some physiological causes of headaches?

A patient experiences 72 hours of unilateral pulsating pain accompanied by nausea and photophobia; which type of headache does he have?

Which disturbances may be associated with the aura preceding a migraine headache?

Which cranial nerve is irritated in the etiology of migraine headaches?

The release of which three substances may be implicated in the etiology of migraine headaches?

Which headache is characterized by at least 30 minutes of bilateral steady pain without aura?

Light and noise can aggravate _____ (migraine/tension/both) headaches.

_____ headaches are repetitive brief headaches characterized by unilateral periorbital pain and autonomic symptoms.

Which type of headache is more common in males than females?

Cluster headache may manifest with _____ (ipsilateral/contralateral) lacrimation, rhinorrhea and Horner’s syndrome.

A patient presents with the sudden onset of the worst headache of his life. What etiology is suggested by his complaint?

Which concerning pathologies may present as headaches?

A 49-year-old man presents with 2 weeks of excruciating, periorbital, left-sided head/face pain. The pain lasts 45 minutes and is succeeded by a dull ache that lasts hours. He admits to tearing and redness of the left eye and his wife says that his eye droops when he is in pain. The pain usually occurs twice a night at about the same time. He is afebrile with a normal exam when in the office. What is the most likely diagnosis?

What is vertigo?

Which is more common: peripheral or central vertigo?

Name three common etiologies for peripheral vertigo.

A patient undergoes positional testing for vertigo and is found to have delayed horizontal nystagmus; what type of vertigo does she have?

Central vertigo is the result of a lesion in what parts of the brain?

A patient undergoes positional testing and is found to have immediate nystagmus that switches directions. He has _____ (peripheral/central) vertigo.

What syndrome is a congenital disorder characterized by facial port-wine stains and ipsilateral leptomeningeal angioma?

A toddler is diagnosed with seizures, mental retardation, and glaucoma. Her pediatrician notices a port-wine stain on the face and hemiparesis. What is the most likely diagnosis?

A toddler is diagnosed with seizures, mental retardation, and glaucoma. Her pediatrician notices a port-wine stain on the face and hemiparesis. What is the associated brain lesion?

Tuberous sclerosis is characterized by what three characteristic cutaneous manifestations?

In addition to its cutaneous manifestations, tuberous sclerosis is characterized by which findings?

Name five manifestations of neurofibromatosis type 1 (von Recklinghausen’s disease).

What mutation causes neurofibromatosis type 1 (von Recklinghausen’s disease)?

What mutation causes von Hippel-Lindau disease?

What is the inheritance pattern of von Hippel-Lindau disease?

What neurocutaneous disorder is associated with cavernous hemangiomas in skin, mucosa, and internal organs; renal cell carcinoma; and hemangioblastoma in retina, brain stem, and cerebellum?

What is the inheritance pattern of tuberous sclerosis?

The majority of primary brain tumors in adults are _____ (infratentorial/supratentorial), whereas they are mostly _____ (infratentorial/supratentorial) in children.

What percentage of adult brain tumors are metastases? Where are they usually found in the brain?

List the three most common primary brain tumors in order of prevalence.

Meningiomas arise from what cell type?

Intracranial schwannomas typically affect what cranial nerve?

What are the histologic findings on biopsy of an oligodendroglioma?

Most pituitary adenomas originate in the anterior pituitary, which is embryologically derived from what structure?

What highly malignant primitive neuroectodermal tumor can compress the fourth ventricle and cause hydrocephalus in children?

What is the prognosis for a child diagnosed with an ependymoma?

What benign childhood tumor is often confused with a pituitary adenoma because it can present with bitemporal hemianopia?

What type of staining may help confirm the diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme?

Bilateral schwannomas are typically found in patients with what congenital illness?

Pilocytic astrocytomas are associated with what histologic findings?

Psammoma bodies are commonly found in what type of primary brain tumor?

What rare and slow-growing primary brain tumor is most often found in the frontal lobes?

Pituitary adenomas most commonly secrete what hormone?

What is the prognosis for a pilocytic astrocytoma?

What primary brain tumor of childhood is most commonly found in the fourth ventricle?

Perivascular pseudorosettes are characteristic of what primary brain tumor?

A craniopharyngioma is embryologically derived from the remnants of what structure?

What type of brain tumor is characterized by rosettes or a perivascular pseudorosette pattern of cells?

True or False? Medulloblastomas are radiosensitive.

Hemangioblastomas are most often found in what region of the brain?

The histopathologic appearance of which brain tumor shows foamy cells and high vascularity?

Which brain tumor may produce erythropoietin and lead to secondary polycythemia?

What are three common presenting symptoms of a brain tumor?

What is the most common childhood supratentorial tumor?

What is the prognosis for glioblastoma multiforme?

_____ bodies are laminated calcifications that may be found in a meningioma on histopathology.

_____ (Meningiomas/Schwannomas/Both) are resectable tumors.

Hemangioblastomas are associated with which genetic disease that arises from a mutation on the third chromosome?

Which primary brain tumor is typically found in the cerebral hemispheres and may cross the corpus callosum?

Tooth enamel-like calcification is common in what primary brain tumor?

Describe the histologic appearance of glioblastoma multiforme.

Pilocytic astrocytoma will stain positive for what protein marker?

Spindle cells in a whorled pattern with psammoma bodies are characteristic of which primary intracranial tumor?

A cingulate herniation under the falx cerebri may compress which artery?

How does cerebral herniation cause coma and death?

In which part of the brain is the uncus found?

Which structure can herniate through the foramen magnum as a result of increased intracranial pressure?

Which cranial nerve is most likely to become stretched due to uncal herniation? What symptoms result?

With uncal herniation, which artery is most likely to become compressed? What symptom can result?

What type of hemorrhages may result from the caudal displacement of the brain stem due to an uncal herniation? Which artery is ruptured?

During uncal herniation, ipsilateral paresis may result from damage to what structure?

Name four brain lesions that are ring-enhancing on imaging.

Name three uniformly enhancing lesions.

Name a heterogeneously enhancing lesion.