SCRN Exam Questions and Answers

How many cranial nerves are there? - Answer- 12 pairs How many spinal nerves are there? - Answer- 31 pairs Penumbra - Answer- Area of ischemic brain tissue that is potentially reversible What are the two types of hemorrhagic stroke? - Answer- intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage What are some causes of intracerebral hemorrhage? - Answer- HTN, drug use, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, hemorrhagic tumors What are some causes of subarachnoid hemorrhage? - Answer- Ruptured aneurysm (most often berry) or an AVM What are the most common sites of a subarachnoid hemorrhage? - Answer- PCOM, ACOM, MCA Risk factors for SAH? - Answer- Females 50-60yo, polycystic kidney disease, AVMs, smoking/drugs/ETOH, diabetes, family hx Signs of right hemispheric stroke - Answer- Spatial neglect, left visual field deficits, right gaze preference, flat affect, apraxia, left hemiplegia/hemisensory loss Signs of left hemispheric stroke? - Answer- Aphasia, left gaze preference, right visual field deficits, right hemiplegia/hemisensory loss What two vessels supply the anterior circulation? - Answer- internal carotid arteries What does the internal carotid artery branch into? - Answer- Anterior and middle cerebral arteries and the anterior choroidal artery What two vessels supply the posterior circulation? - Answer- Vertebral arteries Signs of carotid artery insufficiency? - Answer- Contralateral motor weakness and sensory loss, visual changes, aphasia (left sided occlusion), neglect (right sided occlusion) Signs of MCA insufficiency - Answer- Contralateral upper extremity hemiparesis (sparing of LE), contralateral sensory loss, aphasia (left sided occlusion), left neglect (right sided occlusion) Signs of ACA insufficiency - Answer- Contralateral Paralysis/weakness (leg > arm) and sensory loss, changes to frontal lobe function (confusion/personality), gait apraxia, bladder control issues. Face and tongue spared. Posterior cerebral circulation includes what arteries? - Answer- Vertebral arteries and their branches including the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), as well as the basilar artery and its beaches including the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) and anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) Vertebrobasilar syndrome - Answer- Variety of CN, cerebellar and brainstem deficits Areas supplied by PCA - Answer- Occipital, thalamus, midbrain, mesial temporal lobes Signs of PCA stroke - Answer- Homonymous hemianopsia, AMS, visual agnosia, cortical blindness (bilateral PCA occlusion) Areas supplied by basilar artery - Answer- Cerebellum, midbrain, pons When this artery is occluded there is no flow to the posterior portion of the brain - Answer- Basilar artery Basilar artery insufficiency caises - Answer- Dizziness/vertigo, dysmetria/ataxia, diploplia, dysarthria, dysconjugate ga