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Brain Pathology: Degenerative, Age-Related and Focused Injuries, Papers of Psychology

An overview of brain pathology, focusing on degenerative and age-related conditions, such as cerebroarteriosclerosis, presenile dementia, alzheimer's disease, pick's disease, and senile brain disease. It also covers focused injuries, including trauma, tumors, vascular accidents, and 'strokes'. Symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as compensatory patterns and principles of neuropsychology.

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Pre 2010

Uploaded on 08/18/2009

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Brain Pathology
Two Classes
Degenerative and age related – Diffuse
Focused injuries (Trauma, Tumors,
Vascular accidents, “strokes”)
Degenerative and Age Related–
Diffuse
Cerebroarteriosclerosis
Presenile Dementia (neurodegenerative)
Alzheimer’s Disease
Pick’s Disease
Senile Brain Disease
Distinguished from senility only in degree
–1/10
th
of all new admissions
Characterized by
Extreme development of ordinary behavior patter ns
Deterioration of personal habits
More likely in women than in men
Parkinson’s disease
neurodegenerative disease of motor system
Differential Diagnosis
Symptoms of Cerebroarteriosclerosis,
Alzheimer’s, Pick’s and Senile Brain
Disease are nearly identical
Treatment is nearly identical so it doesn’t
matter
May be able to separate them with
autopsy
New tests to diagnose Alzheimer’s are
being developed
Alzheimer’s Disease
Short chain beta-amyloid is normal necessary protein
produced in brain
Alzheimer’s may be related to damage to the gene that
codes for beta-amyloid
Alzheimer’s patients have
Plaques: deposits of long chain beta-amyloid (toxic to neurons)
Tangles: neurofibrillary growths
Pack areas of the brain with clutter
Choke off other neurons
Begin to die
Formerly useful pathways become useless
Brain grows extra dendrites to try to compensate
Symptoms and Sequence of
Deterioration in Alzheimer’s, Pick’s,
and Senile Brain Disease
Loss of memory
Disturbances of perception and reasoning
Speech difficulties increase
Goal directed behavior deteriorates
Limited speech, vegetative state
pf3

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Brain Pathology

Two Classes

  • Degenerative and age related – Diffuse
  • Focused injuries (Trauma, Tumors, Vascular accidents, “strokes”)

Degenerative and Age Related–

Diffuse

  • Cerebroarteriosclerosis
  • Presenile Dementia (neurodegenerative)
    • Alzheimer’s Disease
    • Pick’s Disease
  • Senile Brain Disease
    • Distinguished from senility only in degree
    • 1/10th^ of all new admissions
    • Characterized by
      • Extreme development of ordinary behavior patterns
      • • Deterioration of personal habitsMore likely in women than in men
  • Parkinson’s disease
    • neurodegenerative disease of motor system

Differential Diagnosis

  • Symptoms of Cerebroarteriosclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Pick’s and Senile Brain Disease are nearly identical
  • Treatment is nearly identical so it doesn’t matter
  • May be able to separate them with autopsy
  • New tests to diagnose Alzheimer’s are being developed

Alzheimer’s Disease

  • Short chain beta-amyloid is normal necessary protein produced in brain
  • Alzheimer’s may be related to damage to the gene that codes for beta-amyloid
  • Alzheimer’s patients have
    • Plaques: deposits of long chain beta-amyloid (toxic to neurons)
    • Tangles: neurofibrillary growths
    • Pack areas of the brain with clutter
    • Choke off other neurons
    • Begin to die
    • Formerly useful pathways become useless
    • Brain grows extra dendrites to try to compensate

Symptoms and Sequence of

Deterioration in Alzheimer’s, Pick’s,

and Senile Brain Disease

  • Loss of memory
  • Disturbances of perception and reasoning
  • Speech difficulties increase
  • Goal directed behavior deteriorates
  • Limited speech, vegetative state

Compensatory patterns

  • Confabulation
  • Accept lower levels of performance
  • Avoid complex tasks and experiences

Focused Injuries

  • Trauma
  • Tumors
  • Vascular accidents
  • “Strokes”

Localization of Injury

  • EEG Abnormality
    • May occur in both hemispheres or only in contralateral hemisphere or not at all
  • Brain Scans (PET, MRI, etc.)
  • Neuropsychological Testing

Recovery

  • Brain tissue does not recover
  • Consequences fade
    • Other parts of brain take over function
    • Parts of the brain connected to the damaged area shut down after the injury but start functioning again as part of the recovery
    • Individual learns compensatory behaviors
  • As person ages, symptoms frequently reemerge

Principles of Neuropsychology

  • Redundancy
  • Plasticity
  • First Law of Neuropsychology: Bad brain is worse than no brain.

Brain Damage and Abstract

Attitude

  • Difficult to concentrate
  • Difficulty maintaining mental set
  • Easily distracted (hard to concentrate with distractions)
  • Can’t plan ahead
  • Difficulty with relative judgements (X is shorter than Y but longer than Z)