Egyptian Board Neurology flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Broca aphasia

Nonfluent speech with preserved comprehension from a lesion in the posterior inferior frontal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere; repetition is impaired and patients may have right hemiparesis.

Wallenberg syndrome

Lateral medullary infarction from vertebral or PICA occlusion causing ipsilateral Horner sign, facial numbness, ataxia and dysphagia with contralateral loss of pain and temperature sensation.

Ischemic penumbra threshold

Region with cerebral blood flow between roughly 10 and 20 mL/100 g/min where electrical function fails but membranes remain intact, so rapid reperfusion can salvage tissue.

Kinesin vs dynein

Kinesin drives fast anterograde axonal transport toward the synapse, while dynein carries cargo retrogradely toward the cell body; rabies and tetanus toxin exploit retrograde transport.

Alpha rhythm reactivity

Posterior 8-13 Hz rhythm in a relaxed awake adult that attenuates with eye opening; preserved reactivity suggests intact cortical function and helps assess encephalopathy.

Conduction block

Focal reduction in compound muscle action potential amplitude on proximal versus distal stimulation without temporal dispersion, indicating demyelination at a specific nerve segment.

Repetitive nerve stimulation decrement

A fall of more than 10 percent in compound muscle action potential amplitude during low-frequency stimulation, characteristic of postsynaptic neuromuscular junction disorders such as myasthenia gravis.

VEP P100 latency

Prolongation of the P100 wave on visual evoked potentials reflects demyelination of the optic nerve and is used to detect prior or subclinical optic neuritis.

Thrombolysis blood pressure limit

Intravenous alteplase requires blood pressure below 185/110 mmHg before treatment; sustained elevation above this limit is a contraindication unless controlled first.

Empty delta sign

Contrast-enhanced CT finding of cerebral venous thrombosis where a central nonenhancing thrombus is surrounded by enhancing dural sinus walls, most often in the superior sagittal sinus.

Nimodipine in SAH

Calcium channel blocker given orally or enterally for 21 days after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage to reduce delayed cerebral ischemia and improve neurological outcome.

ASPECTS score

Ten-point CT scoring system subtracting one point per affected MCA territory region; a score of 5 or less indicates a large established infarct with limited thrombectomy benefit.

Absence seizure EEG

Generalized 3 Hz spike-and-wave discharges with abrupt onset and offset, no postictal confusion, and hyperventilation provocation in a child with brief staring spells.

Status epilepticus first line

Intravenous lorazepam or intramuscular midazolam given as early benzodiazepine therapy; failure requires a second benzodiazepine then an intravenous antiseizure drug load.

Valproate teratogenicity

Highest teratogenic risk among antiseizure drugs, causing neural tube defects and neurodevelopmental harm; avoid in women of childbearing potential when alternatives exist.

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

Generalized epilepsy beginning in adolescence with morning myoclonic jerks and tonic-clonic seizures, showing generalized polyspike-wave discharges and responding well to valproate.

Cluster headache treatment

High-flow inhaled oxygen and subcutaneous sumatriptan abort attacks; verapamil is first-line prophylaxis, and transition steroids may be used while prophylaxis takes effect.

Giant cell arteritis

Large-vessel vasculitis in patients over 50 causing headache, jaw claudication and elevated ESR; give corticosteroids immediately and confirm with temporal artery biopsy.

Medication overuse headache

Chronic daily headache developing with frequent use of acute analgesic or triptan medication; management requires withdrawal of the overused drug plus preventive therapy.

Albuminocytologic dissociation

Elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein with normal cell count, typically appearing one to two weeks after onset of Guillain-Barre syndrome and supporting the diagnosis.

Lambert-Eaton syndrome

Presynaptic neuromuscular junction disorder with anti-voltage-gated calcium channel antibodies causing proximal weakness, hyporeflexia that improves with exercise, and small cell lung cancer association.

Gowers sign

A child using hands to push on the thighs while rising from the floor, reflecting proximal hip girdle weakness in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other myopathies.

ALS diagnostic features

Combined upper and lower motor neuron signs progressing across regions without sensory loss, with electromyographic denervation in multiple myotomes and exclusion of mimics.

McDonald criteria

Diagnostic framework for multiple sclerosis requiring dissemination of lesions in space and time, or cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal bands substituting for dissemination in time.

Dawson fingers

Ovoid periventricular T2 hyperintense lesions oriented perpendicular to the lateral ventricles, a characteristic magnetic resonance pattern of multiple sclerosis.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum

Anti-aquaporin-4 antibody disorder causing longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis and optic neuritis; interferons may worsen it, so rituximab or eculizumab is preferred.

Progressive supranuclear palsy

Atypical parkinsonian syndrome with vertical supranuclear gaze palsy, early falls, axial rigidity and frontal cognitive impairment, showing midbrain atrophy on imaging.

Essential tremor treatment

Bilateral postural and kinetic tremor without rest component that improves with alcohol; propranolol and primidone are first-line agents, with deep brain stimulation for refractory cases.

TB meningitis CSF profile

Lymphocyte-predominant pleocytosis with markedly low glucose and high protein, basal meningeal enhancement and hydrocephalus; treat with four-drug antituberculous therapy plus corticosteroids.

HIV CNS toxoplasmosis

Multiple ring-enhancing lesions, often in basal ganglia, in a patient with low CD4 count; treat empirically with pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine and reassess imaging within two weeks.

Glioblastoma imaging

Intra-axial ring-enhancing mass with central necrosis and surrounding edema crossing the corpus callosum, showing restricted diffusion and elevated choline on spectroscopy.

Paraneoplastic anti-Hu

Antibody associated with small cell lung cancer causing encephalomyelitis, sensory neuronopathy or autonomic dysfunction; detection should prompt tumor screening.