Midterm 1 Flashcards
Patient Information:
Mr. Rodriguez, a 50-year-old man, presents with weakness in his lower limbs and difficulty maintaining balance. He also reports occasional headaches and dizziness. A comprehensive neurological examination is conducted to assess the anatomy of the spinal cord, brain, and brainstem.
Questions:
Mr. Rodriguez’s weakness in the lower limbs might be associated with dysfunction in the:
Cervical region of the spinal cord
Thoracic region of the spinal cord
Lumbar region of the spinal cord
Sacral region of the spinal cord
Lumbar region of the spinal cord
The spinal cord terminates around the level of:
T1-T2 vertebrae
L1-L2 vertebrae
C3-C4 vertebrae
S1-S2 vertebrae
L1-L2 vertebrae
Which part of the brain is responsible for coordinating voluntary movements and maintaining balance?
Medulla oblongata
Cerebellum
Thalamus
Hypothalamu
Cerebellum
The primary motor cortex, responsible for voluntary muscle movements, is located in the:
a) Frontal lobe
b) Parietal lobe
c) Occipital lobe
d) Temporal lobe
Frontal lobe
The midbrain is located in:
a) Thalamus
b) Hypothalamus
c) Brainstem
d) Pons
Brainstem
The cerebellum is connected to the brainstem through the:
a) Medulla oblongata
b) Pons
c) Midbrain
d) Thalamus
Pons
The hypothalamus plays a crucial role in:
a) Motor and endocrine coordination
b) Emotional and endocrine regulation
c) Vision processing
d) Sense and endocrine regulation
Emotional and endocrine regulation
Which structure connects the two cerebral hemispheres and facilitates communication between them?
a) Corpus callosum
b) Fornix
c) Hippocampus
d) Amygdala
Corpus callosum
Damage to the brainstem, especially the medulla, could result in:
a) Loss of coordination and balance
b) Impaired vision and loss of consciousness
c) Altered taste perception
d) Respiratory and cardiovascular problems
Respiratory and cardiovascular problems
Patient Information:
Mrs. Anderson, a 55-year-old woman, presents with complaints of altered sensation and weakness in her lower limbs. She reports difficulty coordinating movements and has a history of back pain. A thorough neurological examination is conducted to assess sensory and motor functions.
Questions:
What sensory modality is primarily transmitted through the dorsal-column lemniscus pathway?
a) Pain
b) Temperature
c) Light touch and proprioception
d) Crude touch
Light touch and proprioception
Which of the following is a characteristic feature of the dorsal-column lemniscus pathway?
a) Decussation in the spinal cord
b) Ascends ipsilaterally in the spinal cord
c) Synapses in the thalamus
d) Responsible for the perception of pain
Ascends ipsilaterally in the spinal cord
Mrs. Anderson reports difficulty feeling vibrations and fine touch. Which pathway is likely affected?
a) Dorsal-column lemniscus pathway
b) Spinothalamic pathway
c) Both pathways
d) None of the above
Dorsal-column lemniscus pathway
Where does the dorsal-column lemniscus pathway decussate?
a) Spinal cord
b) Medulla
c) Thalamus
d) Cortex
Medulla
The spinothalamic pathway is responsible for transmitting:
a) Crude touch and pressure
b) Light touch and proprioception
c) Temperature and pain
d) Vibration and fine touch
Temperature and pain
In the spinothalamic pathway, sensations cross over:
a) In the spinal cord
b) In the medulla
c) In the thalamus
d) In the cortex
In the spinal cord
Which sensory pathway carries information related to proprioception?
a) Dorsal-column lemniscus pathway
b) Spinothalamic pathway
c) Both pathways
d) None of the above
Dorsal-column lemniscus pathway
What is the primary role of the thalamus in sensory processing?
a) Initiation of motor responses
b) Integration of sensory information
c) Perception of pain
d) Generation of action potentials
Integration of sensory information
The phenomenon where a patient cannot precisely localize a noxious stimulus but can feel the stimulus is likely associated with:
a) Damage to the dorsal-column lemniscus pathway
b) Damage to the spinothalamic pathway
c) Lesion in the cortex
d) Both pathways intact
Damage to the spinothalamic pathway
Patient Information:
Mr. Johnson, a 60-year-old man, complains of visual disturbances. He describes seeing a “black curtain” in the peripheral vision of his right eye. A detailed eye examination is conducted to assess the visual pathways.
Questions:
Which structure carries visual information from the retina to the brain?
a) Optic nerve
b) Optic chiasm
c) Optic tract
d) Lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)
Optic nerve
In the optic chiasm, fibers from the nasal (medial) halves of the retinas:
a) Cross to the opposite side
b) Continue on the same side
c) Split and partially cross
d) Descend to the spinal cord
Cross to the opposite side
The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is located in the:
a) Optic nerve
b) Optic chiasm
c) Optic tract
d) Thalamus
Thalamus
The optic nerve is composed of axons from:
a) Ganglion cells
b) Bipolar cells
c) Horizontal cells
d) Amacrine cells
Ganglion cells
Patient Information: Mrs. Garcia, a 45-year-old woman, reports altered sensations and difficulty with balance. She mentions a loss of taste and smell and a sensation of numbness in her extremities. A neurological examination focuses on chemoreceptors, mechanoreceptors, and neurotransmitters.
Questions:
Loss of taste and smell in Mrs. Garcia could be associated with dysfunction in which type of receptors?
- a) Chemoreceptors
- b) Mechanoreceptors
- c) Photoreceptors
- d) Thermoreceptors
Chemoreceptors
Mrs. Garcia reports numbness in her extremities. Which type of receptors is likely involved in detecting touch and pressure?
- a) Photoreceptors
- b) Nociceptors
- c) Thermoreceptors
- d) Mechanoreceptors
Mechanoreceptors
Mechanoreceptors play a role in:
- a) Detecting light stimuli
- b) Transmitting taste sensations
- c) Responding to mechanical pressure and vibration
- d) Sensing chemical changes
Responding to mechanical pressure and vibration
The conversion of a sensory stimulus into a neural signal often involves the release of neurotransmitters. Which of the following is a common neurotransmitter in the central nervous system?
- a) Insulin
- b) Serotonin
- c) Melatonin
- d) Estrogen
Seretonin
Loss of balance reported by Mrs. Garcia might be associated with dysfunction in:
- a) Chemoreceptors
- b) Photoreceptors
- c) Vestibular mechanoreceptors
- d) Nociceptors
Vestibular mechanoreceptors
Which neurotransmitter is commonly associated with inhibitory transmission of signals between nerve cells in the central nervous system?
* a) Dopamine
* b) Acetylcholine
* c) Epinephrine
* d) GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid)
GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid)
Nociceptors are specialized receptors for detecting:
- a) Temperature
- b) Tissue damage
- c) Pain intensity
- d) Sweet tastes
Tissue damage
Which type of receptors is responsible for detecting changes in body temperature?
- a) Nociceptors
- b) Thermoreceptors
- c) Mechanoreceptors
- d) Chemoreceptors
Thermoreceptors
Clinical Case: Mr. Johnson, a 50-year-old male, presents with progressive difficulty in initiating and controlling movements. He exhibits stiffness, tremors, and a shuffling gait. Upon examination, increased muscle tone, bradykinesia, and a resting tremor are noted. Neurological assessment reveals impairment in initiating voluntary movements. The clinicians suspect in Parkinson’s disease.
What motor system hierarchy level is primarily affected in Mr. Johnson’s case?
Level 2
Level 1
Level 3
Level 4
Level 2
Which brain structures are likely involved in the initiation and planning of movements in Mr. Johnson?
Cerebellum
Limbic system and posterior parietal cortex
Spinal cord
Midbrain
Limbic system and posterior parietal cortex
Which area of the brain, when damaged, is associated with complex movement disorders like those seen in Mr. Johnson?
Premotor cortex
Supplementary motor area
Basal ganglia
Cerebellum
Basal ganglia
In Mr. Johnson’s case, what is the primary function of the basal ganglia that is likely compromised?
Initiation, planning, and programming of movements
Integration of descending pathways with intrinsic networks
Execution of movements
Coordination of movement
Initiation, planning, and programming of movements
What type of movement control involves continuous feedback from sensory systems, as seen in Mr. Johnson’s condition?
Volitional
Closed-loop
Reflex-controlled
Open-loop
Closed-loop
Which descending motor pathway originates in the motor, premotor, and somatosensory cortices and synapses directly onto motor neurons (MNs) in the brainstem and spinal cord?
Extrapyramidal tract
Corticospinal (CoST) or pyramidal tract
Direct pathway of the basal ganglia
Cerebellar tract
Corticospinal (CoST) or pyramidal tract
Which basal ganglia pathway is considered the “direct” pathway, facilitating movement initiation?
Striato-nigral pathway
Striato-pallidal pathway
Striato-thalamo-cortical pathway
Subthalamic-pallidal pathway
Striato-thalamo-cortical pathway
What clinical term refers to the breakdown in coordination of movement associated with cerebellar dysfunction, as observed in Mr. Johnson?
Ataxia
Dysmetria
Akinesia
Apraxia
Ataxia
Which area of the brain is crucial for comparing intended movements with actual movements and storing motor information, as seen in Mr. Johnson’s coordination deficits?
Limbic system
Basal ganglia
Spinal cord
Cerebellum
Cerebellum
What is the primary function of the supplementary motor area (SMA) and premotor cortex (PMC) in the hierarchy of motor systems?
Initiation, planning, and programming of movements
Execution of movements
Coordination of movement
Integration of sensory feedback
Initiation, planning, and programming of movements
The Direct pathway, involving the substantia nigra pars compacta, facilitates voluntary movement by promoting the release of dopamine in the striatum.
Direct
Indirect
Substantia nigra pars compacta
Direct
Damage to the Substantia nigra pars compacta pathway may lead to hypokinetic movement disorders, such as bradykinesia and resting tremors, as seen in Parkinson’s disease.
Direct
Indirect
Substantia nigra pars compacta
Substantia nigra pars compacta
The Indirect pathway, including the subthalamic nucleus, is part of the pathway involved in inhibiting unwanted movements.
Direct
Indirect
Substantia nigra pars compacta
Indirect
In the Indirect pathway, the basal ganglia output nuclei, including the globus pallidus internus (GPi) and subthalamic nucleus, provide inhibitory signals to the thalamus, modulating the release of excitatory signals to the cortex.
Direct
Indirect
Substantia nigra pars compacta
Indirect
A 50-year old patient with recent damage to the hippocampus from a stroke would likely have all of the following deficits EXCEPT:
Difficulty learning a new vocabulary word
Difficulty recalling a childhood memory
Difficulty remembering a face
Difficulty describing a recent event
Difficulty learning new facts
Difficulty recalling a childhood memory
Short term memories can involve all of the following processes EXCEPT:
Regulation of gene expression
Activation of second-messenger systems
Modulation of membrane channels
Modulation of transmitter release
Regulation of gene expression
Where is spatial memory primarily stored?
Amygdala
Frontotemporal Cortex
Prefrontal cortex
Parahippocampal gyrus and Hippocampus
Parahippocampal gyrus and Hippocampus
Which brain structure is crucial for the formation of new long-term memories?
Thalamus
Amygdala
Cerebellum
Hippocampus
Hippocampus
Which structures are related with emotional memory?
All of the options
Limbic system
Amygdala
Prefrontal cortex
None of the options
All of the options
