NR 283 PATHOPHYSIOLOGY – FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE
NEURO – TERMS TO KNOW
CONSCIOUSNESS
• The state of being aware, or perceiving physical facts
... [Show More] or mental concepts; a state of general wakefulness and responsiveness to environment; a functioning sensorium. [L. conscio, to know, to be aware of]
• totally aware of surrounding activities and incoming stimuli
• oriented to time, place, and people
• person can respond quickly and appropriately to questions, commands, or events.
• Various levels of reduced consciousness may present as
o Lethargy
o Confusion
o Disorientation
o memory loss
o unresponsiveness to verbal stimuli
o difficulty in arousal
• Glasgow Coma Scale
o Used for assessing LOC
• Coma
o Most serious level of loss of consciousness
o Affected person does not respond to stimuli (pain, or verbal)
o Some reflexes may still be present
• Deep coma
o Loss of all reflexes
o Fixed and dilated pupils
o Slow and irregular pulse and respirations
AROUSAL
• Reticular Activating System
• determines the degree of arousal or awareness of the cerebral cortex
• The pons and medulla influence the brain's awareness of the incoming pain stimuli
o PONS – composed of bundles of both afferent (incoming) and efferent (outgoing) fibers
o MEDULLA
contains vital control centers that regulate respiratory and cardiovascular function
contains the coordinating centers that govern coughing, swallowing, vomiting
VEGETATIVE STATE
• Loss of awareness and mental capabilities
• Results from diffuse brain damage
AMNESIA
• Loss of memory
CONVULSION
• sudden, involuntary movement with loss of awareness, caused by uncontrolled neuronal discharge in the brain.
TONIC
• In a state of continuous unremitting action; denoting especially a muscular contraction. 2. Invigorating; increasing physical or mental tone or strength.
CLONIC/CLONIC STATE/CLONIC SPASM
• Relating to or characterized by clonus
• Movement marked by repetitive muscle contractions and relaxations in rapid succession.
• Alternate involuntary contraction and relaxation of a muscle
DYSPHASIA
• Difficulty comprehending language or speaking; partial impairment of communicating ability
• Less severe form of aphasia
• Caused by damage to the brain
APHASIA
• Inability to comprehend or express language; total loss of communicating ability
• Receptive—damage to Wernicke’s area
• Expressive—damage to Broca’s area
• Mixed, global—damage to both areas or to the fibers and tracts between them
PARESIS
• Muscle weakness
• Mild paralysis
OTORRHEA
• Leaking of CSF from the ear
• Occurs with fractures
• Tearing of meninges
o Allows CSF to pass out of the subarachnoid space
SEIZURES
Seizures (look up types of seizures)
● Generalized
o Absence seizures (petit mal)
▪ Lapses of awareness lasting only a few seconds
▪ Appear without warning/end abruptly
▪ More common in children
▪ Are frequently so brief, they go undetected
o Tonic-clonic (grand mal)
▪ Most common
▪ Begin with stiffening of limbs (tonic phase)
▪ Followed by jerking of the limbs/face (clonic phase)
o Myoclonic
▪ Rapid, brief contractions of bodily muscles
▪ Occur at the same time on both sides of body
▪ Usually involve one arm or a foot [Show Less]