Neuro - Neurodegenerative Disease

autonomic dominant Cr 4 mutation that causes cerebral, putamen and caudate nucleus atrophy (and decreased glucose metabolism in those areas)

idiopathic dopamine depletion leading to failure to inhibit acetylcholine in the basal ganglia; cytoplasmia inclusions (lewy bodies) and loss of pigment cells in substantia nigra

necrosis of upper and lower motor neurons causing progressive motor degeneration

brain injury during perinatal or prenatal period

autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of CNS associated w/ axon degeneration of white matter in brain, optice nerve and spinal cord; white matter plaques (hyperdensities) on MRI w/ gadolinium, inc IgG (oligoclonal bands) in CSF

amyloid deposition (senile plaques) in brain and neurofibrillary tangles (tau proteins); cerebral cortex atrophy on CT

chronic ischemia and multiple infarcts (ex. lacunar infarct) caused by hypertension

localized brain degeneration of frontotemporal lobes, positive pick bodies

diffuse deposition of lewy bodies (abnormal neuronal protein deposits) within brainΩ

unilateral CN 7 (facial nerve) palsy associated w/ HSV reactivation due to inflammation or compression, LMN lesion

autoimmune peripheral nerve disorder associated w/ HLA-DR3; inefficient skeletal muscle neuromuscular transmission due to autoimmune ab against ach (nicotinic) postsynaptic receptor at neuromuscular junction leading to dec ach receptors; + Ach receptor ab, + MuSK (muscle specific tyrosine kinase) ab

acquired inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculopathy of peripheral nerve; inc incidence w/ campylobacter jejuni or other antecedent respiratory/GI infections; immune mediated demyelination and axonal degeneration slowing nerve impulses;

multiple nodular or ring-enhancing lesions associated w/ vasogenic edema

cerebral inclusion (negri) bodies causing encephalitis