Final Exam Study Guide - Chamberlain
Questions with Rationalized Answers, Guarantee passing score
This exam features: multiple-choice ques & Ans
1. Post-Ictal Phase
Post-ictal phase of a seizure is characterized by confusion,
unresponsiveness and muscle flaccidity.
True
False: This statement is true. Post-ictal phase of a seizure is characterized by
confusion, unresponsiveness and muscle flaccidity.
2. Etiology of Seizures
Which of the following is an etiology of a seizure?
Meningitis.
Psychiatric disorders.
Cerebral bleeding.
All of the above.: All of the above
,3. Focal Seizure
Which of the following is a characteristic of a focal
seizure?
Can involve both brain hemispheres.
Usually involves one brain hemisphere.
The symptoms are generalized.
Patient will have both motor and sensory symptoms at the same time.: A
focal seizure only involves on brain hemisphere.
4. Seizure Development
Which of the following electrolyte abnormality is involved in the
initiation and propagation phase of seizure development?
Hyponatremia.
Hypokalemia.
Hypercalcemia.
Hypernatremia.: The initiation and propagation phase of seizure
development is impacted by hyponatremia.
5. Epilepsy vs Seizure: Convulsions
Epilepsy is a disorder that is due to one or more chronic conditions in the
body. It is characterized by disturbed nerve cell activity in the brain. This
,leads to recurrent seizures. Seizures may occur due to brain trauma that
leads to disturbed and uncontrolled nerve activity in the brain. It is
important to differentiate between epilepsy and seizure.
Seizure is a condition that occurs due to excessive and uncontrolled neuronal
activity in the brain. The uncontrolled neuron activity can be generalized or
localized to one area of the brain. For example, it can be localized just to the
area that perceives the touch sensation. Whether it is generalized or
localized, the excessive neuronal activity lead to the seizure. The type of
seizure will depend on the area of the brain
affected.
6. Mechanisms of Seizure Development: Normally there exists a balance
be- tween the excitation and inhibition of neurons in the CNS. Neuronal
activity is regulated by acetylcholine (ACH) and gamma-Aminobutyric acid
(GABA). Neurons are synchronously active at the same time when they are
not supposed to be.
The term active denotes neuron firing where they are sending electrical
signals from neuron to neuron. A microscope view of a neuron will
demonstrate that each electrical signal that passes through it are just ions
floating in and out through protein channels (see diagram below). The ion
flow is controlled through neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters bind to the
receptors to tell the cell to either open the ion chan- nels to relay the
, chemical message (excitatory neurotransmitters) or close the ion channels
to inhibit the electrical message (inhibitory neurotransmitters).
7. Phases of seizures: Phases of Seizures
During a seizure, clusters of neurons in the brain become temporarily
impaired. Seizures develop in a group of neurons when there is
hyperexcitability and usually happens in two phases:
Initiation phase: Some neurons become hyperexcited and start to have
excess neuron discharges. One of the most important reasons relates to the
body's sodium level as in the case of hyponatremia.
Propagation phase: Normally the neurons that have neuronal discharges are
sur- round by a zone of inhibitory neurons called the zone of
hyperpolarization. This zone prevents the spread of excessive neuron
discharges to other parts of the brain. But due to some abnormality in the
brain, as in the case of decreased sodium levels, the zone of
hyperpolarization gets depolarized that allows the spread of neurons to
other parts of the brain.
In the diagram below, the electrical activity in the normal brain is displayed.
Seizures can be partial or generalized in terms of the extent of the neuronal
discharges. In a partial seizure, a portion of the brain is involved. During a
generalized seizure, the neuronal discharge encompasses the entire
cerebral cortex.