Download Brain Damage And Recovery

Brain Damage and Recovery
1. Know the major causes of brain damage and their effects.
 Genetic: passed from parent to child through DNA (not necessarily hereditary)
o e.g., faulty duplication (e.g., Down’s, Turner’s, Klinefelter’s), dominant gene disorders (e.g.,
Parkisons, Huntington’s), recessive gene disorders (e.g., ALD), and polygenetic disorders (i.e.,
most psychological and personality traits/disorders).
 Congenital: exposure to toxins, drugs, etc., or birth trauma or exposure to STDs.
 Environmental: toxins, radiation, drugs, nutrition (e.g., lack of essential amino acids)
o toxins: alcohol, drugs
o metal: mercury, lead
 Neoplasms: i.e., cancers: invade/steal resources from normal, healthy tissue; can crowd out/put pressure
on brain tissue, or damage and kill.
 Cell death: either necrosis (externally caused) or apoptosis (normal housekeeping, killing of cells)
 Cerebrovascular problems: brain is supplied by 4 major arteries, blockage or bursting of artery can result
in damage, death of brain tissue supplied by the blood vessle.
 Head impact:
 Infections:
2. Know why genetic brain damage is rare.
 There are three major types of genetic brain damage:
o faulty chromosome replication: as in Down’s syndrome, Turner’s or Klinefelter’s
o dominant gene disorders: are usually self-limiting – person with disorder not likely to reproduce
(unless has late onset of symptoms)
 e.g.: Parkinson’s and Huntingdon’s
o recessive gene disorders: only 25% of offspring have potential to develop disorder IF both
parents carry the gene. These often affect the myelination of cerebral neurons.
o polygenetic disorders: require several different genetic malfunctions for manifestation of
disorder (as well as certain environmental influences).
3. Know the historical and current thinking on why CVAs cause brain death.
 CVA: Cerebrovascular Accident:
o Two main reasons:
 area of brain previously fed by blood supply is no longer receiving it = death
 blood builds up pressue on brain
o Actually due to excess glutamate release from blood-deprived neurons
 Excess Ca++ and Na influx (through NMDA) receptors
 Hippocampus is especially affected
4. Know the differences between benign and malignant neoplasms.
 Benign neoplasms are not very harmful, they are well-defined and well-contained; they do not intrude
into the surrounding tissue.
 Malignant neoplasms are very harmful; they are irregularly shaped, and can infiltrate surrounding tissue;
can also matasticize and spread to other areas of body; recurrent, kills surrounding tissue.
Neoplasms (general info)
 Brain is 2nd to utereus for tumors
 typically not from nerves, but from GLIAL cells
Tyrosine  L-DOPA  DA
Cerebrovascular Information
 Bi-lateral independent arterial supply both front and back.
 Circle of Willis connects all major arteries together, so if one fails, rest can pick up slack.
 Mid-cerebral arteries: run along central sulcus
 anterior cerebral arteries: run along anterior of brain
 posterior cerebral arteries: run along posterior of brain.