Nervous System

Craniosynostosis

Type Premature Suture
Trigonocephaly Metopic
Scaphocephaly [Dolichocephaly] Sagittal
Brachycephaly Coronal
Plagiocephaly :: anterior Unilateral coronal
Plagiocephaly :: posterior Unilateral lambdoid

Indications for CT Imaging for Head Trauma

PECARN Rule

  • GCS < 15
  • Altered mental status
  • Suspected skull fracture
  • Non-frontal scalp hematoma
  • LOC > 5 seconds
  • Vomiting
  • Headache
  • Dangerous mechanism

Canadian CT Head Rule

  • GCS < 15 at 2 hours after injury
  • Suspected skull fracture
  • Vomiting ≥ 2 episodes
  • Age > 65 years
  • Retrograde amnesia
  • Dangerous mechanism

Signs of Basilar Skull Fracture

  • Racoon eyes
  • Battle sign
  • CSF otorrhea
  • CSF rhinorrhea
  • Hemotympanum

Cortical Signs

Lobe Area Signs
Frontal Prefrontal cortex Personality changes
  Frontal eye fields (FEF) Ipsilateral conjugate deviation
  Broca area :: dominant Broca aphasia
  Motor cortex Contralateral paralysis
Parietal Sensory cortex Contralateral paresthesia
  Arcuate fasciculus :: dominant Conduction aphasia
  Association cortex :: dominant Gerstmann syndrome:
Acalculia
Agraphia
Finger agnosia
  Association cortex :: nondominant Contralateral hemineglect
Constructional apraxia
Dressing apraxia
  Superior optic radiation Contralateral inferior quadrantanopia
Temporal Wernicke area :: dominant Wernicke aphasia
  Meyer loop Contralateral superior quadrantanopia
Occipital Visual cortex Contralateral hemianopia

Hemorrhage

Extracranial

Hemorrhage Vessels Bounded
Caput succedaneum Soft tissues -
Subgaleal Subgaleal vessels -
Cephalohematoma Subperiosteal vessels +

Intracranial

Hemorrhage Vessels Bounded
Epidural Middle meningeal artery +
Subdural Bridging veins -
Subarachnoid Aneurysm
Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
-
Intraparenchymal Microaneurysm
Lipohyalinosis
Amyloid angiopathy
-

Risk of Progression of TIA to Ischemic Stroke {ABCD2}

  • Age > 60 years
  • BP > 140/90 mmHg
  • Clinical features
    • Unilateral weakness
    • Speech impairment
  • Duration
  • Diabetes

Presentation of Ischemic Stroke

Artery Lesions Symptoms
Middle cerebral artery (MCA) Motor cortex :: upper
Sensory cortex :: upper
Wernicke area
Broca area
Frontal eye fields (FEF)
Contralateral facial palsy
Contralateral paralysis
Contralateral paresthesia
Aphasia
Hemineglect
Anterior cerebral artery (ACA) Motor cortex :: lower
Sensory cortex :: lower
Contralateral paralysis
Contralateral paresthesia
Posterior cerebral artery (PCA) Occipital lobe Contralateral hemianopia
Lenticulo-striate artery Internal capsule
Striatum
Contralateral paralysis
Basilar artery CN VI
Paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF)
Corticobulbar tract
Corticospinal tract
Locked-in syndrome
Medial pontine syndrome:
Horizontal gaze palsy
Pseudobulbar palsy
Contralateral paralysis
Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) CN VII & CN VIII
Sympathetic fibers
Cerebellar peduncles
Lateral pontine syndrome:
Ipsilateral facial palsy
Ipsilateral deafness
Ipsilateral vertigo
Ipsilateral Horner syndrome
Ipsilateral ataxia
Posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) Ambiguous nucleus
Sympathetic fibers
Cerebellar peduncle
Lateral spinothalamic tract
Lateral medullary [Wallenberg] syndrome:
Dysphagia
Dysarthria
↓ Gag reflex
Contralateral palate deviation
Ipsilateral Horner syndrome
Ipsilateral ataxia
Contralateral paresthesia
Anterior spinal artery (ASA) CN XII
Corticospinal tract
Medial lemniscus
Medial medullary syndrome:
Ipsilateral tongue deviation
Contralateral paralysis
Contralateral paresthesia

Workup of Ischemic Stroke

  • Coagulation panel
  • Non-contrast CT of the head
  • CT angiography of the head and neck
  • MR imaging of the head
  • Carotid ultrasound
  • Electrocardiography (ECG)
  • Echocardiography

Treatment of Ischemic Stroke

  • Antihypertensives
    • BP < 185/110 mmHg if revascularization
    • BP < 220/120 mmHg otherwise
  • Antihyperglycemic if glucose > 140 ~ 180 mg/dL
  • Antiplatelets
  • Revascularization
    • Thrombolysis if duration < 3 ~ 4.5 hours
    • Thrombectomy if duration < 6 ~ 24 hours

Ideal Door-to-Reperfusion Time for Ischemic Stroke

  • Door-to-needle < 60 minutes
  • Door-to-puncture < 120 minutes

Brain Lesions & Breathing Patterns

Brain Lesion Breathing Pattern
Cerebrum Cheyne-Stokes respiration
Midbrain Tachypnea
Upper pons Apneustic respiration
Lower pons Cluster respiration
Medulla Ataxic [Biot] respiration

Abnormal Neurologic Examination Findings in Hemineglect

  • Cancellation test
  • Reading test
  • Bisection of lines
  • Copy of drawings

Aphasia

Aphasia Comprehension Repetition Fluency
Global
Broca -
Wernicke -
Conduction - -
Mixed transcortical -
Transcortical motor - -
Transcortical sensory - -

Triad of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) {3W}

Mnemonic Presentation
Wet Urinary incontinence
Wobbly Ataxia
Wacky Cognitive dysfunction

Presentation of Elevated Intracranial Pressure (ICP)

  • Cushing triad
    • Pressure :: hypertension & ↑ pulse pressure
    • Pulse :: bradycardia
    • Respiration :: pattern change
  • ↓ Consciousness
  • Headache
  • Nausea ± vomiting
  • Papilledema
  • Diplopia

Treatment of Elevated Intracranial Pressure (ICP)

  • Position :: head elevation
  • Hyperventilation
  • Diuretics :: Mannitol
  • Sedation
  • Corticosteroids
  • Craniectomy

Treatment of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH)

  • Weight loss
  • Diuretics
    • Acetazolemide
    • Loop diuretics
  • Topiramate
  • Lumbar puncture
  • Shunting
  • Optic nerve sheath fenestration

Contraindications to Lumbar Puncture

  • Skin infection over puncture site
  • Brain mass causing ↑ intracranial pressure (ICP)

Types of Primary Headaches

  Cluster Migraine Tension
Sex Male Female -
Laterality Unilateral Unilateral Bilateral
Location Periorbital Head Band
Duration 15 minutes ~ 3 hours 4 hours ~ 3 days 30 minutes ~ 7 days
Triggers - + +

Treatment of Primary Headaches

Headache Acute Chronic
Cluster 100% O2
-Triptans
Verapamil
Migraine NSAIDs
-Triptans
Ergotamine
β antagonists
TCAs
Valproate
Topiramate
Botulinum toxin
Lifestyle modification
Tension NSAIDs
Acetaminophen
TCAs
Lifestyle modification

Red Flags for Secondary Headaches

  • Sudden onset
  • Onset after 50 y/o
  • ↑ frequency or severity
  • New onset with an underlying medical condition
  • Focal neurologic sequelae
  • Papilledema
  • Preceding head trauma

Seizures

Anticonvulsants

Mechanism Medication
Na channel blockers Phenytoin
Valproate
Carbamazepine
Lamotrigine
Topiramate
Ca channel blockers Ethosuximide
Gabapentin
Pregabalin
SV2A antagonists Levetiracetam
GABAA agonists Barbiturates
Benzodiazepines
GABA reuptake inhibitors Tiagabine
GABA transaminase inhibitors Vigabatrin

Treatment of Status Epilepticus

  • Barbiturates
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Phenytoin

Treatment of Neuropathic Pain

  • Ca channel blockers
    • Gabapentin
    • Pregabalin
  • Reuptake inhibitors
    • TCAs
    • SNRIs

Treatment of Essential Tremor

  • β antagonists :: Propranolol
  • Barbiturates :: Primidone

Neurodegenerative Disorders

Disorder Lesions Findings Precursor
Parkinson disease Substantia nigra Lewy body α-Synuclein
Huntington disease Striatum - -
Alzheimer disease Cortex
Hippocampus
Senile plaque Amyloid precursor protein (APP)
    Neurofibrillary tangle Tau protein
    Hirano body Actin
Frontotemporal dementia Frontotemporal lobe Pick body Tau protein
Lewy body dementia Cortex Lewy body α-Synuclein
Vascular dementia Cortex - -
Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) - - -
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Striatum Prion Prion protein (PrP)

Basal Ganglia and Diseases

Presentation of Parkinson Disease {PARTS}

  • Postural instability
  • Akinesia & Bradykinesia
  • Rigidity :: cogwheel
  • Tremor :: resting & pill-rolling
  • Shuffling gait

Medications for Parkinson Disease

Mechanism Medication
M antagonists Benztropine
D2 agonists Bromocriptine
Cabergoline
Pramipexole
Ropinirole
MAO inhibitors Selegiline
COMT inhibitors -Capones
Dopa Levodopa
Dopa decarboxylase inhibitors Carbidopa
Benserazide
NMDA antagonists Amantadine

Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

  • Ca channel blockers
    • Gabapentin
    • Pregabalin
  • Levodopa
  • D2 agonists
    • Pramipexole
    • Ropinirole

Medications for Huntington Disease

Mechanism Medication
VMAT2 inhibitors Tetrabenazine
Valbenazine
D2 antagonists 2° Antipsychotics

Medications for Alzheimer Disease

Mechanism Medication
ACh esterase inhibitors Rivastigmine
Galantamine
Donepezil
NMDA antagonists Memantine

Etiology of Myelopathy

Lesion Dorsal Column Spinothalamic Tract Corticospinal Tract Anterior Horn
Syringomyelia - - - -
Poliomyelitis - - - +
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) - - - +
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - - + +
Tabes dorsalis + - - -
Subacute combined degeneration (SCD) + - + -
Anterior spinal artery syndrome - + + +
Brown-Sequard syndrome + + + +
Transverse myelopathy + + + +

Etiology of Peripheral Neuropathy

  • Heme synthesis disorders
  • Diabetic neuropathy
  • Chemotherapy toxicity
  • Tabes dorsalis
  • Subacute combined degeneration (SCD)
  • Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS)
  • Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease

Demyelinating Diseases

  • Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM)
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)
  • Leukodystrophies
  • Tabes dorsalis
  • Subacute combined degeneration (SCD)
  • Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS)
  • Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease

Charcot Triad of Multiple Sclerosis {SIN}

  • Scanning speech
  • Intention tremor
  • Incontinence
  • Internuclear ophthalmoplegia
  • Nystagmus

White Matters Affected By Multiple Sclerosis

White Matter Symptoms
Optic nerve Marcus Gunn pupil
Medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF) Internuclear ophthalmoplegia
Nystagmus
Cerebellum Scanning speech
Intention tremor
Spinal cord Incontinence

Types of Multiple Sclerosis

  • Relapsing-remitting
  • Progressive relapsing
  • 1° progressive
  • 2° progressive

Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

Mechanism Medication
NF-κB inhibitors Corticosteroids
CD20 inhibitors Ocrelizumab
CD52 inhibitors Alemtuzumab
α4-integrin inhibitors Natalizumab
- Plasmapheresis
- IFN-β

Treatment of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)

  • Plasmapheresis
  • Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG)

Comparison Between UMN and LMN Lesions

  UMN LMN
Weakness + +
Atrophy - +
Fasciculations - +
Tone
Reflexes
Primitive reflexes + -
Paralysis Spastic Flaccid
  • Upper motor neuron (UMN)
  • Lower motor neuron (LMN)

Abnormal Physical Examination Findings in Nerve Injuries

Exam Injury
Lhermitte sign Cervical myelopathy
Spurling test Cervical radiculopathy
Kemp test Lumbar radiculopathy
Straight leg raising test (SLRT) Lumbar radiculopathy
Hoffmann sign UMN lesion
Babinski sign UMN lesion

Evoked Electromyography (EMG)

Interpretation of Electromyograghy (EMG)

Condition Rest Amplitude Duration Phase Recruitment
Normal - 0.2 ~ 2 mV 5 ~ 15 ms Triphasic -
Neuropathy :: UMN - - - Triphasic -
Neuropathy :: LMN Fibrillations Polyphasic
Myopathy ::
non-inflammatory
- Polyphasic
Myopathy ::
inflammatory
Fibrillations Polyphasic

Etiology of Myopathy

  • Inflammatory myopathy
    • Polymyositis
    • Dermatomyositis
  • Endocrine
    • Hypothyroidism
    • Cushing syndrome
  • Metabolic myopathy
    • Glycogen storage diseases (GSD)
    • Lysosomal storage diseases (LSD)
  • Muscular dystrophy
    • Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
    • Myotonic dystrophy
    • Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy
  • Drug-induced myopathy
  • Rhabdomyolysis

Comparison Between Myopathy and Myalgia

  Myopathy PMR Fibromyalgia
ESR ↑/- -
CK - -

Pathogenesis of Horner Syndrome

Etiology of Horner Syndrome

  • Ischemic stroke
    • Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA)
    • Posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA)
  • Pancoast tumor
  • Carotid dissection

Presentation of Horner Syndrome {MAP}

  • Miosis
  • Anhidrosis
  • Ptosis :: superior tarsal muscle

Etiology of Neurogenic Bladder

  • Stroke
  • Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH)
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Neurodegenerative disorders
  • Cauda equina syndrome
  • Herniated disk
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Diabetic neuropathy

CSF Analysis

  Pressure WBCs Glucose Protein
Normal 50 ~ 180 mmH2O < 5/mm3 40 ~ 70 mg/dL 20 ~ 45 mg/dL
Inflammatory - - -
Bacterial ↑ PMNs
TB & Fungal ↑ Lymphocytes
Viral ↑ Lymphocytes -

IgG Index

Parameter (CSFIgG ÷ CSFAlbumin) ÷ (PIgG ÷ PAlbumin)
CSFIgG CSF IgG
CSFAlbumin CSF albumin
PIgG Serum IgG
PAlbumin Serum albumin

Routes of Brain Abscess Transmission

  • Hematogenous spread
  • Direct spread
    • Paranasal sinusitis
    • Otitis media
    • Mastoiditis
    • Dental infection
  • Direct innoculation

Pathogens of Encephalitis

  • Arbovirus
  • Enterovirus
  • HSV
  • VZV
  • CMV
  • Toxoplasmosis
  • Malaria

Pathogens of Meningitis

  • Streptococcus pneumonia
  • Haemophilus influenzae
  • Neisseria meningitidis
  • Enterovirus
  • HSV & HIV
  • Cryptococcus

Empirical Antibiotics for Meningitis

Patient Antibiotics
≤ 1 month Ampicillin & (3° Cephalosporins / Aminoglycosides)
1 ~ 3 months Vancomycin & 3° Cephalosporins
3 months ~ 60 years Vancomycin & 3° Cephalosporins
≥ 60 years
Complicated
Vancomycin & Ampicillin & 3° Cephalosporins

Nervous System Tumors

Central Nervous System (CNS) Tumors

Cell Origin Tumors
Neurons Neural tube Neuroblastoma
Astrocytes Neural tube Astrocytoma
Ependymal cells Neural tube Ependymoma
Oligodendrocytes Neural tube Oligodendroglioma
Neuroendocrine cells Neural tube Pinealoma
Neuroendocrine cells Surface ectoderm Craniopharyngioma
Pituitary adenoma
Meninges Neural crest Meningioma
Microglia Mesoderm -

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) Tumors

Cell Origin Tumors
Neurons Neural crest Neuroblastoma
Schwann cells Neural crest Schwannoma
Neuroendocrine cells Neural crest Pheochromocytoma
Paraganglioma

WHO Grading of Astrocytoma

Grade Tumor
1 Pilocytic astrocytoma
2 Fibrillary astrocytoma
3 Anaplastic astrocytoma
4 Glioblastoma multiforme

Neural Crest Tumors

  • Neuroblastoma
  • Pheochromocytoma
  • Paraganglioma
  • Schwannoma
  • Neurofibroma
  • Melanoma

Management of Pituitary Adenoma

Condition Management
Prolactinoma Pharmacotherapy
Non-PRL secretory Surgery
Non-secretory Surgery
Asymptomatic Observation

Disorders of Consciousness

  Awareness SWC BR SR
Brain death - - - -
Coma - - + +
Vegetative state - + + +
Minimally conscious state ± + + +
Locked-in syndrome + + + +
  • Sleep-wake cycle (SWC)
  • Brainstem reflex (BR)
  • Spontaneous respiration (SR)

Neurologic Examination for Brain Death

  • Posturing
  • Pupillary reflex
  • Corneal reflex
  • Vestibulo-ocular reflex
  • Gag reflex
  • Cough reflex

Indications for Polysomnography

  • Sleep apnea
  • Sleep-wake disorders

Triad of Anesthesia

  • Hypnosis
  • Analgesia
  • Muscle relaxation

Medications for General Anesthesia

Mechanism Medication Indications
GABAA agonists Barbiturate Anesthesia :: intravenous
  Benzodiazepine Anesthesia :: intravenous
  Propofol Anesthesia :: intravenous
  Etomidate Anesthesia :: intravenous
NMDA antagonists Ketamine Anesthesia :: intravenous
↓ CNS Nitrous oxide (N2O) Anesthesia :: inhalational
  Halothane Anesthesia :: inhalational
  Desflurane Anesthesia :: inhalational
  Enflurane Anesthesia :: inhalational
  Isoflurane Anesthesia :: inhalational
  Sevoflurane Anesthesia :: inhalational

Contraindications to Neuraxial Blockade {CHIPS}

  • Coagulopathy
  • Hypovolemia
  • Increased intracranial pressure
  • Infection
  • Patient refusal
  • Stenosis :: mitral valve & aortic valve

Order of Nerve Blockade

  • Small myelinated fibers
  • Small unmyelinated fibers
  • Large myelinated fibers
  • Large unmyelinated fibers

Neuromuscular Blockade