Hey!
I did not create the mnemonic, I just created the table to put it all together for quick revision :)
I did not create the mnemonic, I just created the table to put it all together for quick revision :)
Monday, May 15, 2017
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Why some people hate cheese!
Hello everybody!
So today let's learn a bit about how our brain circuits work.
Some people hate cheese. Like seriously?
How can you miss the warm fussy feeling you get while eating warm molten cheese in a Fondue!
Well some people might not feel any bit of it and rather feel disgusted when presented with cheese.( I feel bad for them )
Anyway let's see how these things work.
Why aversive to cheese per say?
Cheese is the food that most frequently triggers aversion.
Among those with an aversion to cheese, 20% say they are intolerant to lactose. In 50% of cases, at least one of their family members does not like cheese either. These stats suggested that there is a genetic origin to this aversion, which might be related to lactose intolerance.
To find out what happens in the brain, people who like cheese and who do not were selected and participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study.
They observed that the ventral pallidum which is activated in people who are hungry was totally inactive in people who had an aversion to cheese but was active for all other food types. Also the Globus Pallidus and Substantia Nigra part ( the reward circuit) was more active in people who had aversion to cheese than in those who do.
So in conclusion, the areas of reward centres of our brain the Globus Pallidus and Substantia Nigra have two types of neurons with complementary activity , one relating to the rewarding aspect of food and other to it's aversive nature.
So now we have a breif idea as to how the brains are wired differently and how we all our special in our own ways!
Let's learn Together!
-Medha.
Femoral Nerve Mnemonic
Hello Everyone,
Lets discuss Femoral nerve today. Doesn't femoral nerve sound feminine? Also I am writing this post on Mothers Day, what a coincidence!
Root value: L2-L4
(Ladies work 24 hours.)
Motor innervation:
It innervates following muscles:
How to remember it? @_@
Queens hardly get time to SIP coffee ^_^
Sensory innervation:
Anterior division branches provides sensation to anteromedial asepct of the thigh, consists of 2 branches:
Posterior division:
Lets discuss Femoral nerve today. Doesn't femoral nerve sound feminine? Also I am writing this post on Mothers Day, what a coincidence!
Root value: L2-L4
(Ladies work 24 hours.)
Motor innervation:
It innervates following muscles:
- Anterior division branches innervates
- Sartorius
- Illiacus
- Pectineus
- Posterior division branches (innervates Quadriceps femoris)
- Rectus femoris
- Vastus medialis
- Vastus lateralis
- Vastus intermedius
How to remember it? @_@
Queens hardly get time to SIP coffee ^_^
Sensory innervation:
Anterior division branches provides sensation to anteromedial asepct of the thigh, consists of 2 branches:
- Medial cutaneous nerve of thigh
- Intermediate cutaneous nerve
Posterior division:
- Saphenous nerve : provides sensation to anteromedial aspect of lower leg.
- Infrapatellar branches to knee :pierces the sartorius and fasica lata medial to the knee, and provides cutaneous innervation to the skin anteriorly over the patella.
How to remember it? @_@
MISs is Insensitive to pain. ^_^
Wish you Happy Mothers Day : )
That's all
Thank you,
Chaitanya Inge
Monteggia and Galeazzi fracture mnemonic
One can get confused on hours end as to what fracture is related to what bone. Hope this mnemonic comes in handy!
1. MUFC( Manchester united fan club)
- Monteggia upper ulnar fracture
With radial head dislocation
2. GFR low(Glomerular filtration rate)
- Galeazzi fracture radial, lower
With distal radio ulnar subluxation
That's all!
-Sushrut Dongargaonkar
Laughter Disorders - It might not be funny!
Hello everybody!
So today I am going to share some information on how laughter has a dark side too.
There are a lot of laughter related disorders and this gets the scientists more Intrigued to understand the neurocircuitry involved in laughter.The actual neural basis of laughter is still not very well known and what we do know about it largely comes from pathological clinical cases.
So laughter can be classified,
ranging from genuine and spontaneous to simulated (fake), stimulated (tickling), induced (by drugs) or even pathological.
ranging from genuine and spontaneous to simulated (fake), stimulated (tickling), induced (by drugs) or even pathological.
Some of the laughter related disorders are:
1) Pseudobulbar affect : identified by Charles Darwin, It is characterised by frequent, involuntary and uncontrollable outbursts of laughing and crying. It arises due to disconnection of the descending pathways between the frontal lobes and brainstem.
Some disorders associated with the condition are : Traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Disease, Multiple sclerosis and Most importantly Stroke.
2) Gelatophobia : Fear of being mocked at. It may lead to social ineptness to severe depression. It is thought to arise from negative early life experiences if being teased, ridiculed.
Imagining shows us that people who suffer from this condition have poor brain wiring and poor connections between frontal and medial temporal brain areas.
On the continum Gelatophilia is the joy of being laughed at and another related condition Katagelasticism is joy of laughing at others.
3) A twisted sense of humor and laughing at inappropriate times is thought to be an early sign of demetia.
4) Gelastic seizures : rare type of seizure that involves a sudden burst of energy, usually in the form of laughing. Mainly associated with Hypothalamic Hamartoma.
5) Angelman Syndrome : It's a chromosomal disorder affecting the Central Nervous System.They laugh frequently due to heightened stimulation of parts of Brain involved in laughter.
So these were some pathologies and conditions of abnormal laughter.Do share if you know of any such conditions I may have missed.
So long as there are no underlying illnesses laughter is still the best medicine!
Let's Learn Together!
-Medha.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Fact of the day : Loss of Olfaction is a prodrome of neurodegeneration
Hey Awesomites
Loss of the sense of smell is one of the first warning signs of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases associated with dementia.
One of the common link evidenced in some studies is the damage to neurotransmitter and neuromodulator receptors ( particularly acetylcholine ) in the frontal part of brain.
Also, one of the pathogenic hallmarks of AD, the Neurofibrillary Tangles ( NFTs ) have been found in olfactory bulb, olfactory tract, the transentorhinal and entorhinal cortex, anterior olfactory nuclei and amygdale. The number of NFTs within these areas have been positively correlated with the disease progression.
Thus, olfactory testing at the 'right time' is essential to detect the presence of disease process in its 'preclinical phase' itself. It could help in the differential diagnosis of several neurodegenerative diseases. Early diagnostic interventions such as smell testing, brain imaging procedures like functional MRI and PET scan, olfactory epithelium biopsy, using radioactive neurochemicals help in evaluation.
The anosmic symptoms are much more common in old patients of more than 65 years of age.
Thats all
- Jaskunwar Singh
Loss of the sense of smell is one of the first warning signs of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases associated with dementia.
One of the common link evidenced in some studies is the damage to neurotransmitter and neuromodulator receptors ( particularly acetylcholine ) in the frontal part of brain.
Also, one of the pathogenic hallmarks of AD, the Neurofibrillary Tangles ( NFTs ) have been found in olfactory bulb, olfactory tract, the transentorhinal and entorhinal cortex, anterior olfactory nuclei and amygdale. The number of NFTs within these areas have been positively correlated with the disease progression.
Thus, olfactory testing at the 'right time' is essential to detect the presence of disease process in its 'preclinical phase' itself. It could help in the differential diagnosis of several neurodegenerative diseases. Early diagnostic interventions such as smell testing, brain imaging procedures like functional MRI and PET scan, olfactory epithelium biopsy, using radioactive neurochemicals help in evaluation.
The anosmic symptoms are much more common in old patients of more than 65 years of age.
Thats all
- Jaskunwar Singh
Research update : Genetic locus of Anorexia nervosa revealed
Hey Awesomites
A Research landmark study led by UN school of medicine has found the first genetic locus for the perplexing illness, anorexia nervosa. Previously it was known that this eating disorder runs in families with genetic and environmental factors both playing their role and there is ten - fold risk in first -degree relatives, but no particular association with a genetic locus was provided.
Thought to be associated with psychiatric disorders like neuroticism and schizophrenia, it has also been positively correlated with underlying metabolic abnormalities including body - mass index (BMI) and insulin - glucose metabolism. Genome - wide association studies ( GWAS ) have revealed a significant locus for anorexia nervosa on chromosome 12, in a region previously shown to be associated with type -1 diabetes mellitus and autoimmune disorders. This means that this eating disorder shares common roots with metabolic and psychiatric traits !!
These results may help in reconceptualizing the underlying aetiology and pathogenesis of such a lethal disorder and also coming up with new treatment interventions to cure the disease.
Thats all
- Jaskunwar Singh
A Research landmark study led by UN school of medicine has found the first genetic locus for the perplexing illness, anorexia nervosa. Previously it was known that this eating disorder runs in families with genetic and environmental factors both playing their role and there is ten - fold risk in first -degree relatives, but no particular association with a genetic locus was provided.
Thought to be associated with psychiatric disorders like neuroticism and schizophrenia, it has also been positively correlated with underlying metabolic abnormalities including body - mass index (BMI) and insulin - glucose metabolism. Genome - wide association studies ( GWAS ) have revealed a significant locus for anorexia nervosa on chromosome 12, in a region previously shown to be associated with type -1 diabetes mellitus and autoimmune disorders. This means that this eating disorder shares common roots with metabolic and psychiatric traits !!
These results may help in reconceptualizing the underlying aetiology and pathogenesis of such a lethal disorder and also coming up with new treatment interventions to cure the disease.
Thats all
- Jaskunwar Singh
Treatment of erythema migrans in early Lymes disease
Hi.
Like the title suggests, this post is on treatment of erythema migrans in early Lymes disease.
For non pregnant adults and children ≥8 years of age with early Lyme disease: Doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime axetil.
Why is doxycycline preferred for most patients with early localized Lyme disease?
Because it is effective against both Lyme disease and human granulocytic anaplasmosis.
Children <8 years of age or pregnant women with early localized Lyme disease: Amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil.
Doxycycline is not recommended for children under the age of eight years or for pregnant or lactating women.
Why?
Because of severe adverse effects, including teratogenicity, permanent yellowish-brown teeth discoloration after in utero exposure and in children under 8 years of age and more rarely fatal hepatotoxicity reported in pregnant women.
That's all!
-IkaN
Dwarfism vs Cretinism
Hello Everyone,
How do we differentiate between dwarfism and cretinism?
Just remember GIRL
G- Growth- Reduced in both
I- IQ- Normal in pituitary dwarfism and decreased in cretenism
R-Reproduction-Absent or delayed puberty in both
L-Limbs- Proportionate in Dwarfs and Disproportionate in cretins.
(C follows D)(cretins have disproportionate limbs)
What are features seen in a cretin?
Remember 5P's
That's all,
Thank you,
Chaitanya Inge
How do we differentiate between dwarfism and cretinism?
Just remember GIRL
G- Growth- Reduced in both
I- IQ- Normal in pituitary dwarfism and decreased in cretenism
R-Reproduction-Absent or delayed puberty in both
L-Limbs- Proportionate in Dwarfs and Disproportionate in cretins.
(C follows D)(cretins have disproportionate limbs)
What are features seen in a cretin?
Remember 5P's
- Pot-bellied
- Pale
- Puffy-faced child
- Protruding umbilicus
- Protuberant tongue
That's all,
Thank you,
Chaitanya Inge
Authors' diary: Cerebellar tumor location and associated symptoms
Hello!
In 2013, I wrote this anatomy mnemonic on parts of the cerebellum and their functions.
I was tested this fact in a question today and I got it right. Yaay! :D
The question asked about a tumor, expected to know the most common location of the tumor and then expected you to know the symptoms caused due to it's location. Ooooh!
Anyway, lemme summarize what you should know:
Medulloblastomas usually occur in the vermis and spare the cerebellar hemispheres - They are more likely to cause truncal ataxia.
Pilocytic astrocytomas occur in the cerebellar hemispheres - They are more likely to cause intention tremors.
Added by VM:
An ependymoma can also cause truncal ataxia just like medulloblastoma. Ependymoma can be differentiated by it's location, again. Being more common on the floor of fourth ventricle, it will irritate area postrema and cause vomiting. It can also cause CN 7, CN 10 and CN 12 palsies.
In 2013, I wrote this anatomy mnemonic on parts of the cerebellum and their functions.
I was tested this fact in a question today and I got it right. Yaay! :D
The question asked about a tumor, expected to know the most common location of the tumor and then expected you to know the symptoms caused due to it's location. Ooooh!
Anyway, lemme summarize what you should know:
Medulloblastomas usually occur in the vermis and spare the cerebellar hemispheres - They are more likely to cause truncal ataxia.
Pilocytic astrocytomas occur in the cerebellar hemispheres - They are more likely to cause intention tremors.
Added by VM:
An ependymoma can also cause truncal ataxia just like medulloblastoma. Ependymoma can be differentiated by it's location, again. Being more common on the floor of fourth ventricle, it will irritate area postrema and cause vomiting. It can also cause CN 7, CN 10 and CN 12 palsies.
It's funny how in your preclinical years, all you ask is, "WHY DO I HAVE TO LEARN THIS?"
And in your clinical years, you are always like - I wish I took my first and second year seriously! :P
-IkaN
And in your clinical years, you are always like - I wish I took my first and second year seriously! :P
-IkaN
Treatment of restless leg syndrome mnemonic + notes
Hello!
This is a loooooong post on the treatment of restless leg syndrome. (Bear with me!)
Those who are just here for the mnemonic
This is a loooooong post on the treatment of restless leg syndrome. (Bear with me!)
Those who are just here for the mnemonic
Mechanism of action of gabapentin and pregabalin
Gabapentin binds to which of the following receptors?
1. GABAA receptors
2. GABAB receptors
3. alpa2delta subunit of voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels
4. NMDA receptors
1. GABAA receptors
2. GABAB receptors
3. alpa2delta subunit of voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels
4. NMDA receptors
Akathisia vs Restless legs syndrome
Hey guys, Ikan posted a clinical vignette based on this differentiation. So I did a little digging.
Both Akathisia and RLS can be caused due to antipsychotics, Akathisia goes more with typical ones and RLS with atypical ones.
Besides RLS has some other characteristic features:
1. Associated with dysesthesia originating in legs whereas in case of akathisia patient feels like it's originating in the central core of the body.
2. RLS has evening-predominance, it disturbs sleep of the patient as the patient jerks his legs during sleep which might be noted by his gf or wife.
3. There is positive family history in RLS.
4. RLS can be induced by other centrally acting drugs like Diphenhydramine, Citalopram, Clonazepam etc if there is a positive family history.
Treatment:
First intervention should always be reduction of dose of antipsychotics.
While RLS responds well to dopamine agonists like Pramipexol and Ropinirole, Akathisia responds well to Mirtazapine, a tetracyclic antidepressant. Although withdrawing the causative drug works the best.
According to latest clinical trial reports, The first line treatment of akathisia is propranolol, second line is Benztropine and if these doesn't work we resort to benzodiazepines.
That's all! You never stop learning.
-VM
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