Question 1

Pain in one side of the head is typical of?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Unilateral head pain is therefore a hallmark pattern that most directly matches this diagnosis among the options. Cluster headache can be strictly unilateral but is characteristically periorbital/temporal with prominent ipsilateral autonomic features (tearing, rhinorrhea) and occurs in short “clusters,” which is a more specific pattern than the stem provides. Sinusitis more often causes facial pressure with nasal symptoms, and neuralgia produces brief, shock-like pains along a nerve distribution rather than a typical “one-sided headache.”.

Question 2

A patient diagnosed with Alzheimer disease (AD) is demonstrating signs of impaired reasoning. The healthcare provider suspects an alteration in which area of the brain?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Alzheimer disease can impair higher-order cognition beyond memory, leading to poor problem-solving and reduced insight consistent with frontal lobe dysfunction. The hippocampus is more closely tied to forming new memories, making it a more typical match for prominent anterograde amnesia rather than impaired reasoning. The amygdala is central to emotion and fear conditioning, and the occipital lobe is responsible for visual processing, neither of which best explains impaired reasoning.

Question 3

What is the primary function of the thalamus?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This role best matches the concept of filtering, integrating, and directing incoming sensory signals so they can be consciously perceived and interpreted. Breathing regulation is primarily mediated by brainstem respiratory centers (medulla/pons), and movement coordination is more strongly associated with the cerebellum and basal ganglia circuits. Memory formation and consolidation are classically linked to the hippocampus and related limbic structures rather than the thalamus as the primary controller.

Question 4

Which part of a neuron transmits signals?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The axon is specialized for this propagation of signals over distance and ends in terminals that pass the message onward. Dendrites primarily receive incoming signals, while the cell body integrates inputs and supports metabolism. The synapse is the junction where transmission to the next cell occurs, but the long-range conduction within the neuron is via the axon.

Question 5

A patient presents with increased intracranial pressure, papilledema, and headache. There is no history of trauma. Vital signs are BP of 120/70 mmHg, HR 90 bpm, Temp 98.9° F, Respirations 20 bpm. Given these assessment findings, the nurse thinks the patient may have?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The absence of fever and normal vital signs makes infectious causes like encephalitis or meningitis less likely, since these typically present with systemic signs (fever) and often meningeal symptoms. Lack of trauma history argues against a skull fracture as the primary cause. A mass lesion can obstruct CSF flow or increase intracranial volume, producing papilledema and headache even when other vitals are initially normal.

Question 6

The nerve that carries impulses from the eye to the brain is?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This directly matches the pathway for impulses from the eye to the brain. Olfactory nerve (CN I) is for smell, not vision. Facial (CN VII) and vagus (CN X) are primarily motor/parasympathetic and do not convey visual impulses.

Question 7

Neurons that carry messages from sense organs to CNS are?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This describes sensory neurons, which carry information such as touch, pain, temperature, and proprioception into the spinal cord/brain. Motor neurons are efferent and carry commands from the CNS to muscles or glands, so they do the opposite direction. Relay (interneurons) primarily connect neurons within the CNS rather than bringing signals in from sense organs.

Question 8

Which of the following is a symptom of a concussion?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Headache is one of the most frequent early symptoms, often accompanied by dizziness, confusion, nausea, or photophobia. Diarrhea is not a typical primary manifestation of head injury and would suggest a gastrointestinal process instead. Chest pain and runny nose are not characteristic concussion symptoms (a clear nasal discharge after head trauma would raise concern for CSF leak rather than concussion).

Question 9

A patient who is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) states, I can't tie my shoelaces anymore." The healthcare provider recognizes that this patient's problem is due to a deficiency in which of these neurotransmitters?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Low dopamine produces classic motor features—bradykinesia, rigidity, and impaired fine motor coordination—making tasks like tying shoelaces difficult. Restoring dopaminergic signaling (e.g., levodopa or dopamine agonists) directly targets the underlying neurotransmitter deficit. In contrast, serotonin and norepinephrine are more associated with mood, sleep, and autonomic functions than the primary motor initiation deficit seen in PD.

Question 10

What does corpus callosum connects in human brain?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: It links corresponding cortical areas on the left and right sides, coordinating sensory, motor, and higher cognitive functions across the brain. This is why disruption (e.g., split-brain procedures or agenesis) leads to deficits in transferring information between hemispheres. The optic lobes are midbrain structures and are not connected by this tract, and the pituitary lobes are endocrine structures connected via the hypothalamic-pituitary axis rather than by commissural fibers.

Question 11

Which of the following is a symptom of a stroke?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Unilateral weakness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg is a classic FAST warning sign and reflects involvement of motor/sensory pathways in the brain. The other options are not characteristic focal neurologic findings and more commonly indicate cardiac ischemia, upper respiratory infection, or gastrointestinal illness. Recognizing abrupt focal deficits is critical because time-sensitive reperfusion therapies may be indicated.

Question 12

A patient with Alzheimer's disease picks up her toothbrush and tries to brush her hair. This behavior is known as?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Here, the patient misuses a familiar item (toothbrush) for an unrelated task, reflecting a failure of recognition/meaning despite preserved basic motor ability. In contrast, apraxia is an inability to carry out a learned purposeful motor task even though the person understands the command and has the physical capacity to perform it. Anomia and aphasia are language disturbances (naming and broader speech/language impairment), which do not best explain tool misuse.

Question 13

Which neurotransmitter is typically found in low levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This results in reduced central cholinergic transmission, which correlates with prominent short-term memory loss and cognitive decline. The main symptomatic pharmacologic strategy targets this deficit by using acetylcholinesterase inhibitors to increase synaptic availability. Dopamine deficiency is more classically associated with Parkinson disease, making it a common distractor here. Epinephrine and serotonin are not the primary neurotransmitter deficits emphasized in typical Alzheimer pathophysiology questions.

Question 14

What is the main pathological feature of Parkinson’s disease?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This neurotransmitter loss leads to the classic motor features (bradykinesia, rigidity, resting tremor, postural instability) due to impaired modulation of movement. Cerebellar atrophy is more typical of primary cerebellar degenerations and does not explain the basal ganglia-predominant motor syndrome. Demyelination is the hallmark of disorders like multiple sclerosis, and cerebral infarction suggests vascular stroke pathology rather than a chronic progressive synucleinopathy.

Question 15

Which type of cell is responsible for transmitting nerve impulses?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Their structure (dendrites, axon, synaptic terminals) supports signal reception, conduction, and communication at synapses. Epithelial cells primarily provide protection, secretion, and absorption rather than electrical signaling. Muscle cells are also excitable but their primary function is contraction; they respond to neural input rather than serving as the main cell type for transmitting impulses throughout the body.

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Neurology Practice Test 17

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