Describe the anatomy of the nervous system: Somatic and Autonomic divisions (review).

Describe the sensory and motor functions of the peripheral nervous system (review).

Explain the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury

Explain the pathophysiology of various spinal cord injuries and degenerative diseases of the spine (spinal shock, autonomic hyperreflexia, degenerative disk disease; spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, and spinal stenosis)

Explain the pathophysiology and types of CVA and aneurysms. Compare and contrast the types of CVA: thrombotic stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), stroke-in-evolution, completed stroke, embolic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke.

Explain the pathophysiology and types of headache

Explain the pathophysiology of common CNS infections

Explain the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis

Explain the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Myasthenia gravis

Explain the physiology of consciousness, arousal and pathophysiological impairment, describe the patterns of clinical manifestations (level of consciousness, pattern of breathing, vomiting, pupillary changes, oculomotor responses, and motor responses) that are used to evaluate the level of arousal and the differences between brain death and cerebral death

Explain briefly the pathophysiology and types of data processing deficits, define and describe the following terms used to characterize specific data processing disorders: agnosia, dysphasia, aphasia, acute confusional states, and dementias.

Explain pathophysiological basis and types of seizures, differentiate among the different types of seizures and seizure syndromes

Explain the pathophysiology of Dementia and Alzheimer ‘s disease

Characterize cerebral hemodynamics and stages of increased intracranial pressure and describe the four types of cerebral edema: vasogenic, cytotoxic, ischemic, and interstitial. Describe hydrocephalus

Review nervous system infections and distinguish bacterial meningitis, viral meningitis, fungal meningitis and tubercular meningitis and central nervous system abscesses. Compare and contrast meningitis and encephalitis

Describe extrapyramidal motor disorders: basal ganglia and cerebellar impairments.

Explain the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of Huntington’s disease

Explain the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease and differentiate between the types of hypokinetic disorders: akinesia, bradykinesia, and loss of associated movement.

▪ Describe the alterations in movement & related terminology and compare upper and lower motor neuron lesions

▪ Explain briefly the pathophysiology of pain, temperature and sleep disorders

▪ Describe nociception (perception of pain), nociceptors, pathways of nociception, and neuromodulation of pain, differentiate among acute pain, chronic pain, somatic pain, visceral pain, referred pain, neuropathic pain, peripheral pain and central pain and define pain threshold and pain tolerance

▪ Describe the process of normal thermoregulation and discuss briefly impairments of thermal regulation

Review: Nervous System Anatomy and Physiology

Quick and critical facts:

Sensation does NOT mean awareness

– For a person to be aware of a sensation it must reach the cortex

There is typically no awareness of visceral (those from organs) sensations

There is awareness of somatic sensations

– I.e. those coming from environment. General (pain, temp, touch). Special (vision, smell, sound, equilibrium)

The somatic nervous system is voluntary and consists of nerves and skeletal muscles

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is involuntary and consists of autonomic nerves and:

– Smooth muscle (walls of viscera and glands)

– Cardiac muscle

The ANS is further divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic branches

– The sympathetic branch stimulates the body in preparation for action

o Also known as the “fight or flight” response

– The parasympathetic branch relaxes muscles to promote repair and restoration

o Also known as “rest and digest”

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