61 year-old male, hx of alcohol abuse.
Suffered a stroke. Can’t speak, use his right hand and arm, or walk without assistance
Upstream effects
Causes of stroke
reduced blood supply to part of brain
blocked arterial blood vessel
Symptoms
Can't Speak
Brain tissue damage from lack of blood
difficulty walking
motor skills impaired
partial paralysis
stroke in left side of brain
effects of alcohol in stroke cases
High blood pressure
Background Info
anatomy of the brain
CNS
Regions
Cerebrum
Cerebellum
Brain stem
diencephalon
outer surface
gyri - folds
sulci - depressions
deep grooves - fissures
Tissue area
gray matter
white matter
central white matter
Protection
cranium - support
meninges - surround and partition
cerebrospinal fluid - cushions
blood brain barrier - filter
ventricles
not absolute
can be affected by alcohol or drugs
2 hemispheres
aspects not assigned to one specific region
receive info from opposite side of body
project motor commands to opposite side of body
lobes
Frontal
parietal
temporal
occipital
insula
voluntary motor areas
primary motor cortex
motor speech area
frontal eye field
sensory areas
somatosensory cortex
primary visual cortex
pain, touch, pressure
primary auditory cortex
primary olfactory cortex
primary gustatory cortex
premotor cortex
muscle memory
somatosensory association area
touch memory
visual association area
visual memory
auditory association area
association tracts
longitudinal connection in same hemisphere
commissural tracts
connection between hemispheres
projection tracts
communication from cerebrum to spinal cord and brain stem
effects of alcohol on the brain
higher blood pressure
disturbance of gait
loss of balance/posture
inability to detect proprioceptive information
Strokes
blocked arterial blood vessel
reduced blood supply to the brain
brain tissue death if more than 10 minutes
symptoms
blurred vision, weakness, lightheadedness, headache, dizziness, walking difficulty
downstream effects
effects on the brain from stroke
possible brain tissue death
loss of fine motir skills
Wifes worries
some patients have to relearn functions
brain tissue may be permanently damaged
recommend patient stops drinking
alcohol can effect the cerebellum
make his disabilities more difficult to manage