Tag Marie L. Rivera-Zengotita MD

Neuroaxonal Dystrophies

Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation Type 1 (NBIA 1) Definition Progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized clinically by extrapyramidal symptoms with dementia and by the presence of iron accumulation and axonal spheroids within the globus pallidus and substantia nigra histologically Previously called:…

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Definition Progressive neuromuscular disease characterized by degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons resulting in progressive skeletal muscle wasting and weakness leading to respiratory failure and death; ALS subtypes: primary lateral sclerosis (mainly upper motor disease) and progressive muscular atrophy…

Frontotemporal Lobar Degenerations with Ubiquitin-Inclusions (FTLD-U and FTLD-MND) (TDP-43)

Definition Progressive neurodegenerative disorders presenting with behavioral or language abnormalities FTLD with motor neuron disease (FTLD-MND)—cognitive dysfunction with the following: Clinical features of motor neuron disease or Ubiquitin-immunoreactive, tau-negative inclusion bodies within motor neurons histologically (with or without symptoms of…

Alzheimer’s Disease

Definition A neurodegenerative disorder; most frequent cause of dementia in adults—pathologically characterized by variable cerebral atrophy with neuritic (“senile”) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles Clinical Features Epidemiology Majority of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases are sporadic, affecting adults usually older than 60…

Prion Diseases

Prion-Related Diseases (Overview) Definition Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies caused by misfolded prion proteins Clinical Features Epidemiology Prion disease: first identified in sheep (scrapie) Later identified in elk, deer, mink, large felines Cellular PrP glycoprotein (PrPc—normal protein of unknown function) PRNP gene:…

Neuropathology of AIDS

Primary Central Nervous System HIV Infection Definition Neurologic complications directly attributable to primary infection of the CNS by human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) Clinical Features Epidemiology Virus enters CNS early, may remain subclinical Neurologic complications develop in up to 50% of…

Viral Infections

General Viral Effects on the Central Nervous System Definition CNS viral infection associated with clinical or laboratory evidence of neurologic dysfunction based on viral tropism Clinical Features Epidemiology Viruses: number one cause of encephalitis and meningitis Most cases: acute, self-limited…