NR547 WEEK 6 EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS VERIFIED

NR547 WEEK 6 EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS VERIFIED 4.0 (1 review) Terms in this set (67) Neurocognitive disorders delirium and dementia Dementia -a group of symptoms that mainly affects memory, cognition and social interactions, and the ability to do everyday tasks. -Symptoms start gradually often with no clear beginning, and are usually permanent. -Most dementias are caused by neurodegenerative diseases, most commonly Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal dementia • clumps of abnormal proteins to build up inside neurons, damaging them, and causing them to slowly degenerate and die -vascular dementia is another common cause of progressive dementia • brain damage occurs when the blood supply to the neurons is reduced or blocked, again causing them to malfunction or die -Cognitive Symptoms: Difficulty with complex tasks, Difficulty planning and organizing, Loss of coordination -Psychological symptoms: Personality changes, Inappropriate behaviour, Paranoia, Fear, anxiety, anger or depression. Delirium ACUTE SUDDEN CHANGE IN MENTAL STATE -typically begins suddenly with a noticeable start point. -mainly affects attention, and often resolves after a few days or weeks, although it can last longer. -acute, transient, and usually reversible brain malfunction -thought to be brought on by multiple neurotransmitter imbalances Delirium symptoms -Cognitive Symptoms: Rambling or nonsense speech, Difficulty reading and writing, Wandering attention, Becoming easily distracted, Becoming withdrawn, -Psychological symptoms: Inability to focus, Reduced awareness of the environment, Disturbed sleep -May have hallucinations -symptoms can fluctuate throughout the day causes of delirium -lack of oxygen -drugs • anticholinergics • psychoactives • opioids -withdrawal • delirium tremens -stressful situations -dehydration & electrolyte imbalance infections tell the difference between delirium and dementia onset attention do symptoms fluctuate? Alzheimer's disease -type of dementia • 60-80% of dementias -neurodegenerative disease -Hallmarks: • plaques - abnormal protein (beta-amyloid plaques) between neurons • tangles - tau protein inside neurons (neurofibrillary tangles) Alzheimer's disease brain progression -Plaques & tangles usually start forming and spread from the cortex • earliest areas affected temporal lobe (learning & memory) • as it spreads goes to frontal lobe (thinking & planning) • then more temporal (speaking & communicating) • then parietal lobe (sense of where body is in relation to objects around you) • severe & late Alzheimer's disease, plaques & tangles spread throughout most of cortex, brain shrinks (atrophy) dramatically (atrophy primarily affects hippocampus and cerebral cortex) Vascular dementia -20-30% of dementia cases -lack in blood supply to the brain -changes • suddenly (stroke) • gradually (small vessels) -risk factors • similar to heart problems • smoking • high BP • no exercise • obesity • poor diet Lewy body dementia -10-25% of dementia cases -abnormal protein structures forming inside neurons (lewy bodies) • alpha synuclein protein = lewy bodies -lewy bodies can be found it ppl with alzheimers & parkinsons too • ppl with parkinsons can develop parkinsons later on -symptoms • thinking & memory • movements & trembling • hallucinations • physically acting out dreams Parkinsons disease dementia affects motor control and mental functions -lewy bodies found in ppl with parkinsons disease, leads to dementia Frontotemporal dementia -Frontal lobe damage • spacial orientation -Temporal lobe damage • speech other causes of dementis -alcohol misuse -repeated head injuries -can have more than one type of dementia present risk factors for dementia -Age • more common after 80 -family hx • genetic factors (risk/deterministic genes) • environmental factors -down syndrome -head trauma -heart trauma